Page 9 of Sacrifice

“She suffers from high blood pressure, anxiety, and cluster headaches.”

Oh. They are talking about me.

“Why did Aribella faint?” I could answer that question, but I’m sure Vincent wouldn’t like my answer.

“Her blood pressure was high enough for her to have lightheadedness. However, I think she suffers from vasovagal syncope.”

“Fuck me, what?” Vincent paces back and forth as Mossimo stands there, looking at him.

“Brother, let the doctor talk.” The other man says and I realize that he’s talking to Vincent. He has a brother. Got it.

“You’re right Leo, please go on, Doctor.” Vincent turns to him, expectantly.

The doctor continues. “It can happen with certain triggers and if she was in a highly stressful situation… Her body reacted the only way it knew how. Fainting.”

Vincent turns and grabs the doctor by his tie.

“Are you saying I’m the reason for this!?”

The deadly sound in his voice changes the air in the room, and I close my eyes. Don’t panic, I beg myself. I take a deep breath and count to twenty.

“No, Mr. Domingo. I’m simply saying she doesn’t fare well with stress. When something triggers her nervous system, it misfires, causing her to faint. However, I’ve given her prescriptions to Miss Terrington downstairs to pick up. Once she has them, she can better manage the symptoms.”

“I don’t take medicine.” Oh no. I didn’t mean for that to come out.

Within seconds, Vincent is by my bedside, sitting down. “You do now.”

Pushing myself into a sitting position, I move the covers so they are around my shoulders. Looking at Vincent, I notice he looks worried. Good, he should be.

“I refuse to depend on medicine. I don’t need it.”

The doctor comes over before Vincent can reply. “Miss Aribella, your blood pressure was in the extreme category when I was called. I understand there may have been some stress...”

Is this man for real right now? A stressful situation?

“You mean to say I was kidnapped and then my cat was locked away from me. Let’s be honest here. This man,” I point to Vincent, “wanted me to strip, and he probably wanted to do unspeakable things to me!”

My voice has risen at least two octaves and I feel my heart beating too fast again. I can’t seem to stop myself, though, from smarting off to the doctor. He works for this beast. There isn’t a reason to be nice to him. “He stole my home and now I’m locked here, being forced to take some god-awful medication and who knows what else he will want me to do next?”

I’m rambling, but I’m nervous, scared, and angry all at the same time. Vincent stands up from the bed, blocking my view of the doctor. “Thank you, Doc. You can go.”

Mossimo escorts the doctor out and Vincent looms over me.

“Leo, leave us,” he tells his brother, and without a word, the young man leaves, eyeing me with concern.

I flinch away from Vincent as he reaches out to touch me.

“Don’t fucking move,” he growls.

The office scene flashes in front of me, and I gasp. Glaring up at him, I don’t say anything. I’m trying hard to gather myself and to keep the panic from coming to the surface again.

“I’m not going to strip for you,” I tell him.

His chuckle sounds cruel, and I wonder what he may have already done to my body while I was unconscious. “Oh, but I’vealready stripped you. If you didn’t notice, you’re wearing my t-shirt.”

A blush creeps up my neck and into my face. “Did you...” I don’t know if I want to know. If he did, wouldn’t I be sore?

Vincent grabs my chin. “No. I don’t fuck unconscious women.” He rubs his thumb along my lower lip. “When I get my hands on you, you’ll beg me to never stop fucking you.”

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