Page 6 of Blackmailed to the Altar

Apparently, my mama steered me wrong.

He carried me over the threshold like I was his new bride.

“Welcome home,” he announced, causing all the servants to stop in their places and watch him.

I couldn’t help looking at the ceiling in awe. Huge murals of battles and angels were splattered across the ceilings. Chandeliers that seemed to be made of genuine diamonds sparkled in the center of the room.

Amazing.

I tried to focus on the layout, but the different mural depictions on the ceilings tore away my attention each time. One showed what looked like gladiators fighting an enormous giant, a goliath swinging his trunk arms, sweeping them all to the floor.

Another room held cherubs in the clouds, hiding and giggling.

The last showed a king on a throne, who held a lot of similarities to the man carrying me right now. My kidnapper in question laid me down on a bed, and I stopped looking at the ceiling to glare at him.

I had to look at him like a patient. Get him to open up to me. Only then would I learn his true purposes for me. I could get out of this situation once I had all of the facts in front of me.

I drew in a big breath and sat up slowly, keeping a wary eye on my captor.

“You need help, alright. But this? This isn’t it. Let me go now, and we can still work through whatever delusions you’re harboring.”

The man stared at me for a long moment, his gaze burning into mine. I could feel the weight of his scrutiny, the twisted interest simmering just beneath his cool exterior. Surely, someone in his life asked how he was doing and checked in on his wellbeing? He couldn’t be running rampant and unchecked.

He ran a gloved thumb along the edge of the rope, thoughtfully. His touch was almost gentle, but laced with a threat.

He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “We’ll see how long your confidence lasts, Dr. Rivers. Then you’ll see who is really in control.”

I shivered, not wanting to engage with him further, but I didn’t have a choice, not if I wanted to be let go, and I wanted to get back home. I didn’t want to be under the thumb of someone I thought may be a natural born psychopath.

“Well, while you wait to see who is in control between us, why don’t you book a wellness visit with your local therapist. I am certain they would want to help you with your kidnapping tendencies.” I waited. I folded my arms and gave him my most serene smile. Another day in the office, helping someone who clearly has had no kind of mental health support for years. I mean, he kidnapped me, for fuck’s sake.

“If you’d answered my brother back, I wouldn’t have needed to do all of this,” he growled, but I thought I saw the lie flash in his eyes.

My eyes widened in shock, but that was the only portrayal of my true feelings. How dare he blame me for his choices? I had to chill. Maybe he didn’t know about the programs. He didn’t know what I’d done.

Internally, I wasn’t as nice as I seemed. I was a fraud. A fake persona of everything I thought a psychiatrist would be. But inside, deep in my soul, I should be one of my own patients. I was inherently broken. I should have been kept in a dark prison for the rest of my life. But a monster like me was given a second chance, and I wasn’t afraid of some fake mafia bullshit. At least, I hoped I didn’t look afraid. ‘Fake it until I make it’ was the best motto.

“And your brother is?” I led with a murmur, trying not to set him off.

“Silas Caputo.”

I narrowed my eyes. The name sounded familiar. “You mean the man who wanted me to halt all of mypro bonoprogramming to come to Italy, and take care of his wife full time? That crazy man!”

I had two bigpro bonoprograms I ran at the moment. My prison reform, and my college health matters, free programs for those in need. I’d been working at the prison for years, and even had my office, along with separate accommodations, at the college. One day, I’d have my practice as well. A place to settle my head permanently, but for now, I was happy with what I had. It worked because they didn’t have the funds from the government to afford me.

He cleared his throat, distracting me with his Adam’s apple. “This is a delicate matter. It isn’t something she can continue with her online treatment. She isn’t telling you the truth of it all.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean? How do you even know that? That is… that’s a breach of privacy, and breaks a slew of code of ethics laws.” I couldn’t believe he had theaudacity. I broke through my persona angrily. “You had no right.”

“I had every right when it put my family in danger,” he corrected, his eyes flashing darkly.

“What do you mean?” I probed, trying to get back on track, but he was leaning forward in my space, scaring me. “W-what a-are y-you doing?” I gasped, when he pulled a knife out of its sheath on his side.

He swung it toward me, and I closed my eyes, wondering if this would be the end. When I didn’t take my last breath, I opened my eyes again, and saw him cutting the ropes off my body. It didn’t take too long for him to tower over me again.

“Get some rest, firecracker,” he smirked. Then he spun on his heel and left me alone.

I heard the lock click ominously in the still night.

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