Page 9 of Romancing the Reaper

It’s clearly got to be some sort of ploy to get back at Cristiano. There’s no other way around it. He’s going to just tell him that we’re married, torment me for a while until Cristiano can’t take it anymore and then he’s going to kill me when he’s done with me. There’s no other reason. He can’t actually think that I’m going to stay locked up in this disgusting room forever.

I can’t believe that I threw up in front of him.

That might be one of the most humiliating things that has ever happened to me.

Worse, I can’t get the way that he looked at me out of my head. I wish he would just leave me alone. Yet, the door beeps for the second time and he appears with a bottle of mouthwash. He hands it to me, and backs away like I’m a wild animal who’s about to lash out and strike at him.

I want to scream at him that he needs to stop staring at me with that damned unreadable expression because it’s only heightening my anxiety.

There’s no way in hell that I’m going to explain what’s happening to him. I don’t talk about my disorder. I don’t ever discuss it, I don’t want to admit that it’s coming back or that stress makes it worse. I don’t even talk to Alberto about it. He’s the only one who even knows the truth about it. Kieran, my kidnapper, is the very last person that I’m ever going to admit such a thing to.

I turn away from Kieran, hugging the blanket closer around my shoulders like it’s a force field that will separate me from himsomehow. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the blanket will swallow me whole or teleport me out of here or something.

Every part of me wants to scream at him to leave me alone. I want to yell and beat my fists against his chest until he stops looking at me like that with his annoyingly handsome face.

If he’s waiting for me to explain, well, then --

“Would you like a shower?” Kieran says finally, cutting through the jumble of thoughts in my head abruptly enough that the noise settles, if only for a moment. “Get you out of that dress and into something more comfortable, more fitting of your situation,” he says in a tone that feels incredibly final.

He pushes off of the wall and heads out of the door, leaving it open behind him. It feels like a trap. But, what choice do I have? He’s already proven that if he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s just going to pick me up and force me to do whatever he wants me to do in the first place.

I glance down at the extravagant gown that Maeve made for me. I almost don’t want to change out of it. It’s horribly uncomfortable to keep the tight dress on. It made throwing up just that much harder because I couldn’t breathe properly when I was heaving like that. But it feels like Maeve is here with me in a way. It’s a form of armor. Silly, but I can’t help thinking it.

But Maeve isn’t here. This dress isn’t her, and she doesn’t have any idea where I am.

No, this dress is nothing more than a reminder that a night that was supposed to be magical went horribly wrong. This dress is just as much a prison for my body as the room that I’m presently locked in. With some difficulty, I push up off of the mattress and stagger toward the open door. If nothing else, I’ll be able to get to see more of the building I’m in. Anything could help. There’s no way of knowing when I’m going to find a perfect opening and make my escape attempt. I can endure whatever Kieran will throw at me. I don’t have a choice but to deal with it because escaping is the only thing that matters.

He’s waiting for me in the hallway, like he knew I was going to come just because he told me to. I hate that he’s right. I hate him. I hate this hallway.

He walks beside me, making it awkward to follow his lead. He keeps a watchful eye on me as he guides me through a sparse living room that barely passes for functional. The cold, industrial space starkly contrasts with the opulence that I was forcefully removed from, whenever that was.

It was hours ago, I think, but I cannot be sure. Time feels like it’s stretching on for forever. There’s a small kitchenette with a massive bar and barstools. What I presume is the rest of the takeout that he bought is still sitting on the counter, seemingly untouched. He didn’t eat any of it? There’s so much food from so many places.

There’s the door.

A massive metal thing that looks heavy to open, with a state-of-the art security system and a massive touch pad. I’m sure it’s the kind that only opens for Kieran’s fingerprint or something. But I linger anyway, like that’s going to magically make the door open and give me the chance to get out of here.

He notices. Kieran grabs my elbow and guides me forward, his grip firm as he brings me to a bathroom that’s small and utilitarian with a plain white bathtub and a few basic amenities.

None of my imported Korean skincare products or fancy shampoos. No designer makeup and luxurious skin oils. I don’t even want to think about how badly I’m going to break out after using any of those products. Despite his lovely short hair, I have a feeling that Kieran uses a two in one.

I balk in the doorway. The harsh lighting reflects off of the white tiles, making the room feel almost sterile in its coldness.

Kieran shuffles me inside with a gentle prod forward and nods toward the bathtub for me to shower.

“You can’t be serious,” I remark. “You can’t honestly think that I’m going to shower in front of you.”

He sure as hell isn’t going to see me naked. For a moment, I think he’s going to start undressing me since I’m not doing it. His gaze rakes over my body and I feel the urge to cover myself with my hands but I also don’t want him to think that he’s actually intimidating me. Then, he moves and turns on the faucet for the shower, running his fingers under the spray asthe muscle in his jaw starts to tick. He remains there, silently, driving me insane right up until he deems the water to be warm enough and promptly turns and walks out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I can’t help but stand there, momentarily stunned.

I lunge forward and lock the bathroom door.

How can he be so stupid as to leave me somewhere that I can keep him out of! My brief enjoyment is squashed when I notice that there’s not a window in this shitty bathroom. There is just a small vent in the ceiling that my body wouldn’t fit through even if I did find a way to pry it loose. I’m thin, but not that thin.

There’s nothing in the cabinets that I can use as a weapon and not even so much as aspirin in the medicine cabinet.

Shit.

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