Page 33 of Vicious Vows

"No, I want it a month early. After this debacle, I'm going to have a lot of people questioning whether or not we should continue to trust you with our business." Kumar shook his head and leaned further to the side; his body language showed he was getting comfortable.

"I'm assuming this is after we get this present shipment squared away," I asked, and he nodded his head in affirmation.

I'd be able to supply him with the cash and guns that I'd lost from the past shipment within a week, but I'd be completely dry while I waited for the other shipment to come in. If everything didn't go exactly to plan, I'd have to come up with some inventive ways to fulfill my side of the deal.

"Fine, so be it." I reached my hand over the table, and Kumar shook it to conclude the deal.

There was no need to spend any more time in his presence. I knew what I had to do, and he knew what to expect from me.

I wanted to get away from him and his people as quickly as I could so I could go home and get some rest.

In the span of just a few hours, it felt like my fucking world had begun crumbling around me, and it all started the moment I stepped out the door with Faye.

That woman had been nothing but bad luck from the second we said I do.

CHAPTER 16

Faye

My eyes flitted open, and I instantly knew something was off. I stretched my body out, my muscles still ached from the intense orgasm that I had in the car with Dominic earlier, but besides that, I was physically okay. I sat up in the room expecting to see Dominic either in his chair watching me or laying in the bed next to me.

That was the problem; it was nearly three in the morning, and he wasn't here. He'd never left me alone for very long before, and I wondered if this was some sort of test. Did he want to see what I'd do if I was on my own?

I slid my feet to the floor, wincing in pain as my raw bottom brushed against the soft sheets. It'll be a while before I'm able to sit down correctly. Looking down at my feet, I realized that I didn't have my shoes on. I didn't remember taking them off, and I didn't see them at the edge of the bed.

"Did he take them off for me?" I asked myself and put a hand to my face. It wasn't sticky in the least, and I couldn't feel any makeup either. I walked slowly to the bathroom just to verify what I'd already suspected, and sure enough, my face was cleaned of any residual makeup or bodily fluid. Dominic had taken the time to clean me up before I went to bed. On top of that, he did it gently enough that I didn't even wake up.

A soft smile lifted my lips as I examined my clear face in the mirror. Something so simple shouldn't strike a chord in my heart, but it did. It's been a long while since anyone went out of their way to help me. Even my sister was more of a taker than a giver. I could bend over backward to help her out, but unless I specifically asked for something in return, she'd never just help me on her own accord.

I walked out of the bathroom and paced the room for a few minutes, trying to figure out what I should do next. I was already well-rested and didn't feel like going back to sleep. I was on edge with Dominic not being in the room with me, and I didn't want to do anything that I thought would put him back in his shitty mood.

My eyes drifted to the door, and the spark of mischievousness flared to life inside of me. I wouldn't be dumb enough to try to leave the property, but maybe I could just look around a bit. I'd been here for days, and besides Dominic's bedroom and the main room I was in when we got married, I didn't know what this place looked like. Surely he wouldn't be too angry if I just went on a little walk.

Slowly, I made my way to the door and opened it up, expecting to see someone out in the hall keeping guard. There was no one there. The lights were off, minus a few that were turned down very low, casting a dim glow over the hardwood floors.

I stepped out cautiously and turned to walk down the hall, looking from side to side at the expensive artwork and aesthetic pieces that lined the long hallway. Dominic's room took up most of the floor, but toward the end where another two rooms that had the doors closed. I assumed they were rooms of people that worked here in the house for Dominic, so I left them alone. It was the middle of the night—no one needed to be woken up because I was snooping.

At the end of the hall, there was a large winding stairwell that led to an upper floor. I took the steps as slowly as I could, not wanting to creak. On the top floor, I found more rooms with closed doors, but on one side, there was a large study-like room, and on the other side was a huge sunroom. Bigger than I'd ever seen in any magazine. It could probably hold two regular bedrooms in the sunroom. At this time of night, the moonlight bathed the area in an almost otherworldly glow. I stood inside and took in the view. The walls were all lined in thick glass and gave a great view of the forest landscape surrounding the house. The stars looked brighter than I'd ever seen them. It was just peaceful.

I stood there for a few moments, just taking in the sights until my eyes drifted to the far corner of the room where I saw a small bench and some tools I couldn't place. They looked sharp even from where I was standing. Still, with no one else in the room but myself, I didn't hesitate to go examine them. The wall was lined with a plethora of these sharp tools along with various hammers and small dowels. I couldn't understand what any of them was used for or why Dominic would need them until I spied a small closed stand-up chest against the side wall. I opened it up; it was full of small wood-carved figures. Items that I was sure took many hours to create.

"Oh my," I whispered as I reached in and pulled out a small wolf figurine. It felt heavy in my hand, which let me know the material was of good quality, but what really surprised me were the intense details of the small object. The small striations of the hair, the shape of the wolf's muzzle, all the way down to the teeth looked as if they'd been expertly carved.

After examining that one, I pulled out another figurine, this one of an anatomically correct heart, a long crack right down the center of it. It was polished and sanded, which made me believe that it was done on purpose. Dominic had a soft side, and it was evident by these pieces. I would love to talk to him about it, but I was sure he didn't want anyone to know about it; otherwise, why wouldn't he have them on display?

I put those back, and my eyes fell back onto the sharp objects on the wall. I could use one of those as a weapon, but what good would that do for me? Even if I tried to kill every last person who worked for Dominic, I'd still never get out of here. I closed up the stand-up chest and walked to the opposite end of the sunroom, where there was a large desk with a few books scattered across the top.

I skimmed through the small pile of books on the desk. Most of them were sci-fi or historical fiction books, yet again not something I'd ever see Dominic reading. There were some papers on the tabletop and a few small blueprints for places I had no idea about. Nothing that really interested me.

I continued to scan the large room looking for more hidden wonders I could peek into. My gaze faltered for a moment as I looked at a small bookcase near the entrance of the sunroom, one I'd missed when I walked in, and I nearly fell to my knees when I noticed a small phone just sitting there out in the open.

Instantly, a million different thoughts ran through my head. I may not be able to get out of here, but I could call for help. Maybe the police? Hell, I could call the newspapers and tell them that I was being held hostage by a crime lord, and maybe they'd be interested in my story enough that Dominic would have to release me. I could hide the small phone on my person for the next time I was out, and then I could call a cab.

I rejected all of those ideas, mostly because once Dominic realized either the phone was gone or that I had it, he'd kill me for sure. It was all too dangerous. Biting my lower lip, I tried to think of a way I could make my situation better without getting myself caught in the process.

All I could think to do was at least let someone know that I was here and still alive. Someone who would know how to handle the situation or at least what to do not to get me killed. Unfortunately, there was only one person I could think of, and it was her fault I was in this situation in the first place.

I raced to the small bookcase and picked up the small phone. It was very low tech, a flip phone. I hadn't seen one like this in a long while. I flipped open the top and realized it even had analog numbers I'd have to press. This must be a burner phone.

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