Page 15 of Tarnished Reign

“So your sister knows about me? You tell her about what you do … for work, I mean?”

“She’s not stupid. She knows what her father and I do. She will also talk to Mila.” He indicates the clothes. “There are some night things in there.”

He leaves me with the clothes and retreats from the room, closing the door softly behind him.

It’s as if he trusts me, but I bet the guard is still outside the door, so maybe not. Yawning, I change into the night clothes and then, unable to resist a peek, rifle through the other bags. The clothes are expensive and tasteful, but they're not my style. I tend to live in either my workout gear, or a pair of baggy jeans and a T-shirt.

These bags are full of boring but classy items such as light cashmere sweaters, long caramel-colored skirts, and linen trousers. They are the clothes of a forty-something wife who is holidaying in the Hamptons. Still, it's way better than whatever God-awful store Dorian and his men bought the underwear from. It seems old fashioned for Dimitri’s sister to have done the shopping. Do mob boss kids go to weekend lunches in the Hamptons? Or whatever the Cali version of that is?

I've just finished changing into the pajama set in the bathroom when there’s a light knock, and the door opens again. It's Dimitri, and he’s carrying a tray. He places it on the bed.

“I brought you some food,” he says.

“You cooked?” I ask stupidly.

“No, the chef did.”

“There’s a chef?”

“Yes, and it seems he is rather talented and was only working for Dorian on a short-term basis. We've decided to let him live so long as he cooks food for us.”

Oh my God. I feel sick, and I don't know if I can eat the food. His words make me all too aware of how much danger still exists.

To my surprise, Dimitri laughs. The first thing I notice is how the laughter transforms his face. It makes him look at least five years younger and so much more carefree. The second thing I notice is how deep and rich his laugh is. That laugh warms me deep inside.

“Of course, we didn't do that,” he says. “You really do think the worst of me, don’t you? We simply kept them on as they’re all agency staff, and they’ll get a massive bonus at the end of this for keeping their mouths shut. The chef says if there's anything you want, he can make it for you. I didn't want you to go any longer without having something to eat, so I brought some cheese, meats, bread, olives, and a salad.”

I look at the tray again, and my stomach groans noisily. I guess I'm hungrier than I realized.

“Listen, I have things to do, so I'm going to leave you to eat. If you want to come and join us later, I will be on the deck.”

He heads to the door and then turns back. “You are free to roam and as I say, join us on the deck, if you’d like fresh air or to sunbathe. There’s a pool on the boat too, a small gym, and there's a room onboard that's essentially a mini library. It's full of books. I'm not sure if you like reading, but if you do, you might find a few hours can be spent there. If you go out the door here and turn right, it’s at the end of the corridor, on your left.”

“Will the guard let me pass?”

“The boat has been cleared of all Dorian’s men. We have armed guards moving around, so you are safe. Feel free to come and go on this boat as you please. I just suggest you don't try to leap overboard. The currents here are deadly.”

“When you say cleared, do you mean they're all dead?” I shouldn't ask, but part of me needs to know what's happened to Dorian. A part of me hopes that he’s dead. He's a vile man, but I'm also worried that if he is then Ari will come for me whenever I'm set free.

“Most of them,” Dimitri replies with a chillingly casual tone. “Not Dorian, though. He's being held at my place. We’re going to have a long chat with him at some point. He can sweat it out until then.”

I nod and glance down at my feet. I'm suddenly feeling very vulnerable, very small in this new world I have entered.

As if he senses it, Dimitri sighs and scratches his short beard. “Listen, the only rule is that you must stay here for a week or two with me. You don't get to jump overboard; you don't get to steal the lifeboat and try to make a bid for freedom. If there's a party, you will be expected to be by my side, and I will have my arm around you. That’s it.” He throws me a sexy half smile. “It’s a whole lot better than the situation you were in an hour ago. You're free to walk about, free to look around, and you're free to use anything on the boat. Oh, except”—he holds one finger up—“no phone calls, and no emails. If I find that you've tried to make a call or email anybody, trust me—there will be consequences.”

I would like to speak to one person, Sian, my bestie in England. She’ll start to worry if she can’t get ahold of me. Maybe if I can build a relationship of sorts with my new captor, make him see me as human and vulnerable, then he’ll let me call her on his phone.

I nod and twist my hands together as I wait for him to leave. He hesitates a moment longer, and I think he's going to say something else, but he gives that subtle, small dip of his head, almost like an abbreviated shake, and leaves.

I sit on the bed heavily and eye the tray in front of me. I need to eat because I must keep my strength up. Dimitri says there's no chance of escape, and at the moment it wouldn't be in my best interests, but it doesn't mean that there may not be a time when I need to run. For that, I will need to be strong.

If I act up and he throws me off the boat and sends me back to land, I’ll be screwed. Of course, I could find work and try to find a place to rent. But to find work, at least work that will be well paid, I will need to use my real name and my real qualifications, which will make it easy for Ari to find me.

How will I even get in contact with my father to check that he and Cade are okay, without alerting Hana? The panic threatens to overwhelm me once more, and I can't let that happen. I need to think clearly. Dimitri might help me. Maybe he could find a way to at least let me meet with my father so that I can talk with him about what my stepmother did.

My heart sinks as I think through the possibility that Father won't believe me. It would be my final breaking point.

Losing the last bit of affection between us if he refused to believe me would tear me apart. I’d crumble. Losing Father would mean I have no family at all. Alone in the world.

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