The hardest part was washing and rinsing my hair without bending too far over and giving him a view of what he called the “money maker.”
Fucking asshole.
The shower was in a quaint little apartment on a higher level in the building, much nicer than the makeshift hospital room below, but still no better than a cheap apartment in New York City.
I assume it’s where Dr. Garrison slept when he wasn’t operating on people brought in from human traffickers. He wore a wedding ring, though I saw no evidence indicating that a woman lived there with him.
Dear God, I hope she’s not chained up somewhere.
Now, I’m in the backseat of a van again with a dark sack over my head, sopping wet, and shivering in my bonds like an old engine. The bastard failed to mention that there were no clean towels and got a kick out of watching me?use a hospital gown to dry off. Even more so when I attempted to wrap one around my hair.
He wouldn’t let me wear it, stating my hair is too pretty to bundle up in an ugly blue gown, but really, I think he just enjoys being a dick.
The clicking from my chattering teeth is swallowed by the hard rock music pouring from the speakers. My thick hair is still soaked, and the heat is on low-not nearly enough to keep me warm. If it weren’t for the lack of body contortion and levitation, it’d look like I’m in the middle of an exorcism from how hard I’m shivering.
It feels like I am. Everything hurts so goddamn bad, and with every tremble, the pain intensifies.
I’ve never been more miserable in my fucking life.
“Don’t worry, diamond. We’re almost to your new home,” Rick croons, the sound grinding against my already frayed nerves. “Francesca is going to love you.”
The ominous tone in his voice tenses my body further. Something about the way he said it makes me feel like I have more to fear from her than any man who comes my way.
“W-who is she?”
He’s quiet for a moment, but it’s not Rick who answers. “The one person you want to impress the most,” Rio says, his voice grave.
“Why?”
“Because she will determine just how miserable your life will be until you’re sold.”
My head drops and I squeeze my eyes shut. It’s only been six days, and I feel defeated already. I’ve been gone for such an insignificant amount of time, and my spirit is already fissuring.
I take a deep breath and blow it out, slow and steady.
I’m not going to give up. I know with every fiber of my being that Zade is going to do everything in his power to find me. But I’m not going to sit around and wait either. I’ll meet him halfway if I can.
So, if winning over Francesca is what I need to do, then I’ll do it.
I’ve always been stupidly brave-to the point where I’ve been more stupid than brave. I’m not going to stop now.
Chapter 5
The Diamond
At one point in our lives, we’re all afraid to die. For some, it happens the first moment we fully understand what death means-before depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues arise.
For others, it’s before they’ve found something to believe in-whether it’s God or something else that’s spiritual.
And there are those who flounder through life, terrified of the day they take their last breath. I think for some, they aren’t so much scared of death itself, but rather, how they’re going to die.
So, how am I going to die?
Will it be painful? Will I suffer? Will I be terrified?
Gigi felt all those things when she was murdered by a man she trusted, and likely cared deeply for.
When she started having an affair with her stalker, Ronaldo, it not only destroyed her marriage, but it took her life. Only not by her stalker or husband like one would expect, but by her husband’s best friend, Frank Seinburg.
For so long, I was convinced I’d have a similar demise at the hands of my own stalker. Instead, I gave in to his dark perusals, and found myself loving him instead.
I tried so hard to run from him, and now all I want to do is run to him.
During the rest of the car ride, I stayed silent. At least, verbally-my teeth chattered the entire way and eventually, one of the men got annoyed and turned up the heat.
An imperceptible amount of time passes before we come to a stop, dread settling deeply in my gut. I steel my spine and wait as both men exit the van, the doors slamming in tandem.
Then, the door to my left slides open, inviting an icy breeze in. A rough, calloused hand wraps around my arm and tugs. It feels like the Grim Reaper is holding on to me, escorting me to my death.
“Ow,” I cry out, on the verge of screaming from how bad it hurts to move. He ignores me and barks, “Let’s go.”
That’s Rick’s voice.
His grip on my arm is unnecessarily tight as he drags me out of the vehicle. As if a woman who was just in a bad car accident and riddled with injuries is going to overpower him and get away.
I don’t even know where the fuck we are.
A gust of freezing wind blows, sending another wave of goosebumps across my body. My teeth start chattering again, the cold becoming nearly unbearable.
The black sack is ripped off my head, and I flinch from the harsh light. It’s dreary outside, but since I haven’t seen daylight in quite a while it has made my eyes sensitive.
Squinting, my gaze immediately jumps to the monstrosity towering before me.
Rick splays his arm out towards the two-story colonial home, presenting the house to me as if I’m at a five-star restaurant, and he’s pulling the lid off my tray to reveal the best meal I’ll ever have. I’ve never been anywhere so fancy, but from the videos I’ve seen on the internet, it looks like a bunch of baby portions of foam and sticks wrapped in meat.
So-not appealing.
The house isn’t as run-down as I would have thought, but still not in the best shape. Vines of moss are running up the cracked white paneling, reminding me a little of Parsons Manor. Just not as… pretty. It’s discolored with boarded windows, a sagging porch and-is that duct tape?
“Looks… inviting,” I murmur.
Glancing around, I note that we’re out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense woods. It looks like they just plopped a random house in the middle of a forest. A dirt driveway trails off through a thicket of trees, and I suspect that’s the only way in or out. Unless I want to take my chances out in the wild.
“Let’s go, it’s fucking freezing,” Rick orders, dragging me after him. Rio walks ahead of us, shooting an indecipherable look over his shoulder before he leads me into the house straight out of Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Only double the size.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.