Page 26 of Brutal Surrender

This is the room I get to move into? Am I dreaming?

Under Misty’s watchful eye, they unstrap me from the bed. I could try to make a run for it, but I know I’m not going to get very far. I don’t feel strong, and Misty looks far too athletic. Plus, I’m not chancing any sort of punishment from Vincent.

The nurse presents me a hospital gown, and I slip my arms through it. He ties it in back for me. With his help, I get out of bed and sit in the armchair nearest me. The doctor checks my pulse and listens to my heart rate.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asks.

My pulse quickens. I know I didn’t want to risk Vincent’s punishment earlier by making a run for it, but with the doctor or nurse, this might be my last and only chance.

I grasp his hand and say softly, “Please. What I’d like is to get off this yacht. I’m being held hostage.”

“Yes, well, I can’t help you there,” he replies.

There is no sympathy in his eyes. I glance over at the nurse and see the same. My shoulders sag. I took a chance, and now I’m going to pay for it.

Shit.

“I’ll have some food brought up to you,” the doctor says before leaving.

The nurse follows, wheeling away the hospital bed with him. Misty, of course, remains.

She speaks to me for the first time. “Wouldn’t try that again if I were you. Unless you’re looking to piss off Vincent.”

I would have thought I couldn’t piss him off more after trying to kill him, but I’ve been wrong before.

Irene must be the person Ming was referring to, the one who couldn’t be brought back. That’s why Vincent was so triggered when the name came up. But who is Irene? In our research, Brady and I never came across a woman, aside from his mother, who might have been significant in Vincent’s life.

Deciding to test if what Vincent said was true about the ability to move around, I get up and walk to the window. Misty doesn’t move. I check out the windows to see how they open.

Reading my thoughts, Misty says, “They open by remote control, but the windows have been deactivated so they won’t open for you.”

I look around the room for potential weapons. I can throw sculptures and plants, but that’s about it.

I head to the bathroom.

“Door stays open,” she tells me. “And even if you try to close it, the lock’s been removed.”

Damn. They’ve thought of everything.

Stepping into the bathroom, my jaw drops. It’s like stepping into a small oasis with onyx countertops, brushed nickel fixtures, and palm plants. Windows wrap over half the jacuzzi bathtub. The spacious walk-in shower with rock walls has multiple showerheads and glass doors.

Just as I leave the bathroom, a woman in the crew uniform of black slacks and a crisp white shirt arrives carrying a tray, which she sets on a dining table near the windows. I’ve never seen her before. Her name tag says Helen.

“Should I get anything else?” she asks Misty without acknowledging me.

Misty shakes her head, and the woman leaves.

“Does the yacht get a new crew now that we’re in port?” I ask.

Misty doesn’t answer.

“Not normally,” Vincent says as he walks through the door.

My body is immediately on edge.

He walks up to me. “But we know you had a little helper onboard, so we replaced the whole crew.”

My breath catches. What happened to Brady?

---