Page 2 of Blackmailed to the Altar

Not at fucking all.

United States

I didn’t bother telling Silas of my plan to kidnap Dr. Mya Rivers. He wouldn’t be around much longer to see what I did to my pretty little mouse anyway. Since she was the best in her field, Silas had been trying unsuccessfully to gain more of her services. Sessions with Eden weren’t enough. Silas had tried to go about it the nice way, where he contacted her office and asked for an appointment here in Italy, but she was booked out and unwilling to compromise.

Then he attempted to fly out and meet her, to try and persuade her to change her mind. He couldn’t seem to catch her at any of her offices. She wouldn’t return his calls. He tried emails, and they would bounce. He even sent her a letter in the mail, but it was returned to sender.

It was like this woman knew Silas was bad news, and wanted nothing more to do with him after Eden’s first few virtual sessions. So my little brother did what he was good at; he overreacted.

He’d hit the end of his rope. Now, it was up to me to make sure little Dr. Mya came quietly to Italy with me. I hoped she made me chase her. I loved a good chase, though I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t kill her… purposely or accidentally.

I may have need for her. She could help me control my dark impulses. I had been watching her sessions with Eden, thinking Icould learn how to better deal with my own PTSD. But watching someone work through years of sexual assault, physical abuse, and all the other wild shit Eden had lived through, was not the same as working through my shit on my own with a professional.

I looked around the multi-level parking garage across from the university hospital where she volunteered. They were doing a major overhaul of it. I could hide out here. Dr. Mya Rivers drove a 2008 Miata; easy to spot late at night. I would bide my time and take her back to my home. There she could help Eden, and maybe I could get a little something from her in return.

My obsession made no sense to me. That dark voice in the back of my mind whispered sweet promises of what I could have. I found my place near the top of the garage where she’d parked that morning. I knew I would catch her, and no one would be around to hear her screams.

Once I caught her, blackmailing her would bring me great pleasure.

I was uncertain of where my predilections stemmed from, but they were spiraling out of control. Since I’d seen her green eyes, they’d haunted me. They were begging me to take over and assert my dominance on her.

I’d taken up smoking again to help me cope with my obsession. I watched every TED Talk, seminar, and any other media my newly-acquired tech guy, Samuel, and I could find that involved my little doctor. More and more I couldn’t stop looking for updates of her accomplishments.

The woman was mine. I thought I wasn’t ready for something like this, but with my father being ill, and my time to take over quickly approaching, I was looking to the future.

It was bright with her standing beside me.

I would make her my queen, ensure she wouldn’t want for anything, and that would be my penance for what I was about to do. Though, once she was in my care, she couldn’t leave.

No matter what, she’d be mine.

I could kill her, but I shouldn’t, wouldn’t, and I couldn’t imagine taking her beauty from this world. Her genius alone could probably cure some kind of medical mystery, but it was her body that intrigued me more.

It was perfect. Like God had handcrafted her to bear my children. Father Marcello, thefamiglia’spriest, would agree with my sentiments when he met her. Time wore on as I waited for my genius doctor to grace me with her presence. Samuel, previously employed by my little brother, had already hacked her devices, so I could send texts and emails saying she was taking a vacation. I didn’t want a manhunt, after all.

She was supposed to be done volunteering at seven, just as dusk was falling; a little risky since I wouldn’t be covered by night, but I brought a few men I could call on if I needed help.

In fact, they were waiting in the vehicle with tinted windows, a few parking spaces down from the flashy Miata. I wanted to put my hands on her body. I never wanted to tarnish another with this damaged, scarred flesh as much as I do at this moment.

Until her.

I lit another cigarette, knowing that soon I wouldn’t have any more need for the habit. She was mine. And when she belonged to me, my world would become stable again.

No more losing time. No more waking up in strange places with no memory of how I got there. No more finding things I don’t remember buying or doing. No more blackouts where hours pass in the blink of an eye. No more hearing voices in my head that aren’t mine, arguing or whispering things I don’t understand.

No more feeling like a stranger in my body, like I’m watching someone else control my movements. No more unexplained mood swings, going from calm to angry or scared for no reason. No more seeing my handwriting in a style that isn’t mine. Nomore friends or family mentioning things I supposedly said or did, and having no recollection of it. No more feeling like I’m living someone else’s life, with memories that don’t belong to me. No more moments of panic when I realize there are gaps in my memory that I can’t explain.

I paced the area, waiting for my prey. Lethargy swept over me. I hadn’t been sleeping well. The images of the object of my current desires kept me up at all hours. Business was slipping. I leaned heavily against the wall behind the plastic, trying to breathe.

Heavy was the crown indeed. She would solve all my problems without my men suspecting a thing. I could hear her heels clacking up the stairs now. I put my cigarette out on the wall and slipped it into my pocket. I didn’t want to leave behind any physical evidence.

A yawn hit me, and I tried to shake it off. I couldn’t fall asleep now. It was almost showtime. I flipped between calm and agitated as she made her way up the steps, grumbling loudly. I could only hear her angry muttering, but not make out the words.

My eyes closed briefly. My heart raced in my chest. I couldn’t do this. I opened my eyes again, but my vision flickered. Rest. It was all I needed right now. I couldn’t remember why I should stay awake. I closed my eyes once more.

Good. This isn’t really your forte, anyway,a smooth voice whispered in the back of my mind. Then it went black.

CHAPTER TWO

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