Page 74 of Carnival
However, he is still much less of a threat than Vivian.
“Rose,’’ he steps forward, the door closing behind him. “It’s been a while. How are you?”
“What do you think?” I snap. “You kidnapped me; why, exactly?’’
“As long as you behave and don’t provoke me, I won’t hurt you. I need you as leverage.”
“Leverage over what?” The moment the question is out, it dawns on me. “Oh my God, you’re using me to lure Aria. Why, you sick bastard? Haven’t you hurt her enough?”
He leans in, his hand threading through my hair. Harshly, he yanks my head back, and I think he managed to rip a strand of my hair. I yelp in pain, and he gets too close, and for a moment, I falter.
I forgot how insane this man can get — the pure delusion on his face is scary.
“Aria is meant to be with me, Rose,’’ he hisses, and I’m unsure who he’s trying to convince. “And right now, you’ll tell me everything I need to know.’’
“Which is what?”
“That Cove bastard, are they actually serious?”
I blink. “Uh… of course they are.’’
“Details, bitch. I need details,’’ he hisses, gripping my hair tighter.
That’s how I spend the next few hours. He’s asking questions that I don’t even know the answers to — from Aria and Cove’s sex life to the smallest details of their relationship. It makes me realize just how deep into his delusions he is, and there’s no way out for him.
He feeds me some shit food, but I’m hungry, so I eat it all without really questioning what he fed me. For now, he needs me alive to get Aria back. Once he realizes that he won’t get anything out of me, he cusses, screams, and throws a temper tantrum, then blindfolds me and leaves the room.
I’m left alone with my thoughts, and all I can think about is James.
James, James, James.
The man who is stuck behind bars, the man that can’t come to save me, no matter how much I’d like him to. I’ve never been the one to need a man’s help, nor a damsel in distress, but right now, I’d give anything to have James save me and whisk me away from all this madness.
Time passes painfully slow, and I don’t know how many hours, or even days, I’ve been tied to this chair. I really need to find a way out, but with my entire body being tied to the chair and my hands behind my back, I can barely move an inch. It’s tight against my body, and I already know I have red marks underneath my clothes.
My head snaps forward when the door swings open, and I can immediately tell it’s not Wyatt — the footsteps are too light. My blindfold comes undone, and I blink a few times, adjusting to the flickering lightbulb above me. My face flashes with relief at the sight of Aria.
“Thank God,’’ I breathe out, my voice shaky. “I thought no one was coming to get me.’’
“Don’t be ridiculous,’’ she smiles, albeit forcefully. “I’ll always come to find you.’’
“Cheesy.’’
She rolls her eyes, starting to undo the ropes around my body. A few curse words slip from her tongue at the realization of just how thick and tightly tied the ropes are. At least five double knots. She takes a deep breath, her hands shaky as she reaches for the knots.
“Are you alright? Did the bastard hurt you?”
I shake my head. “Not physically. Well, my stomach hurts. He fed me terrible food.’’
Aria snorts. “Besides that, are you okay? He didn’t hit, torture, or try to extract information out of you?”
“No,’’ I look directly into her eyes. “I’m fine, I promise.’’
Her shoulders visibly slump, relief washing over her. She relaxes, though I can tell that her guard is still very high up.
“That’s good,’’ she sighs. “Did he happen to tell you anything?”
I struggle against the ropes, trying to help Aria get them off quicker. Once I realize that it’s futile, I stop squirming in the chair. My eyes are focused on the door, waiting for anyone to enter. I’m still in a deep mode of alert, and I don’t want to lower my guard, not even for a moment. Slowly, I look back at Aria.
