Page 10 of Taken By Him

“As soon as I have my phone.” I raise my chin, fist my hands at my sides.

His eyebrows raise. I think I’ve surprised him. I went so willingly with him from my father’s home. I obeyed my father’s instructions so easily, so quickly. Dominik probably thought he’d bought himself a nice doormat for a wife.

But I’m tired and done with all of this chest beating.

“Tommy, take her up to her room.” Dominik gives the order without moving his gaze from mine.

Two strong hands wrap around my arms, and I’m pulled backward, then dragged toward the stairs. I try to yank free, but he’s too strong, too determined to be the perfect soldier for his boss.

I give up on struggling and Tommy lets me go so I can walk up the stairs easier. Once we’re upstairs, he grabs my elbow and pulls me down the corridor to a closed door.

“This is your room.” He pushes the door open, dropping his hand. His eyes are on me though, ready if I try to bolt. Where would I go? I doubt my father would let me go home, and without my phone I can’t exactly order an uber to come save me.

I walk past Tommy into the room. The door shuts softly behind me and I’m alone. The enormity of the evening crashes on me. I’m in a room, in a strange house with a strange man who is bound to me.

Dropping my bag onto the floor, I sink into an armchair in the corner. I’m sure the room is lovely, but I close my eyes and suck in a trembling breath.

Who exactly is Dominik Staszek, and why does he want me?

Chapter Five

Dominik

Kasia is asleep when I go up to her room several hours later. She’s lying on her side with one arm tucked beneath her head and the other tucked between her knees. She didn’t climb under the covers; I wonder if she’s chilled. Maybe she didn’t intend to fall asleep.

After getting rid of Jakub, I had a phone call from my father. There’s a good chance he’ll be able to come home soon. The case built against him is mostly bullshit, and once the right wheels are greased to turn the other way on any legit issue, he’ll be on the first plane home. Not that he’s hating all his time lounging poolside at our family home in Pruszków. He’s been wanting to visit the family estate for a long time. His legal troubles were a good excuse.

Kasia looks different today than the first time I saw her. Older, of course, but also more refined. Her hair is softer, her makeup more subdued.

I suppose I should feel bad. This unsuspecting girl isn’t anything more than a means to an end. But when I look at her, sleeping so peacefully, I don’t have anything like remorse. She had touted to Marcin he’d promised her freedom, but men like Marcin never let go of what they think is theirs. If he forced her to stay, to live the life he laid out for her, there would be no escaping it.

I won’t play the hypocrite. I’m cruel, too, but not in the same way as him. Innocence matters to me. Well, it did until now. Kasia isn’t her father, I know that. She doesn’t deserve what’s coming her way.

But there’s no stopping the train now that it’s left the station.

It’s tempting to her let her sleep away the afternoon and talk with her tomorrow. I open the blinds, allowing the soft summer sunlight to wash over her face. It’s enough to have woken me if I were sleeping, but she doesn’t stir. There’s a thick curl of hair covering her cheek; I brush it away. Still, she doesn’t stir.

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