Page 47 of A Love So Wrong
"This doesn't look how siblings sleep," dark amusement colored the man's accented voice, and Jade was pretty sure now it was Russian.
Leaning with both hands against one of the chair's back, Gideon hung his head between his shoulders. He was like a prowling lion in a cage, desperate to get out and kill something. "Just what the fuck do you—"
"You have one more time, Mr. Lattimore," the voice on the line growled back like a boom of black thunder. "Once more, to try my patience," he warned. "I would suggest you shut up."
Lifting his head Gideon stared off at nothing, but Jade could see the chaos bubbling in his eyes, she could feel the furious tension roll off his lean body. Gideon was not the type of man to talk to this way without serious repercussions. You couldn't simply back him into a corner without a bloody fight. But this man was holding all the cards. The man sounded dangerous in his own right, dangerous in a way she hoped Gideon would never have to be. This man made it seem like taking a man's life was nothing new to him. Gideon couldn't react to this man, not the way he wanted, she couldn't let him.
"We are adopted," she answered quickly. "We aren't related by blood," she explained, not looking to see Gideon's expression.
"Do you love him?" The man asked as if he was asking as if it was something as easy as the weather.
Though she didn't look at him directly, she could see Gideon start to pace in agitation again out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes," she whispered, feeling her heart twist at the admission she had been avoiding all day.
"How much?"
The nail of mortification dug deeper into her chest, and Jade stared down at her hands, twisting together. "More than anything."
"Good," he said brightly. "This is how this will work, you broke into my home, insulted me, and stole from me. I need restitution." Both she and Gideon met each other's gazes, wariness and fear colliding. "You will pay me in four installments. In half an hour, a box will be delivered to your room, and you will open it and follow the directions. If you decide you do not want to play by my rules, you are welcome to leave, but not only will you go to jail, Mr. Lattimore, something I will personally make sure of," he added happily. "I will also post this video online for all to see."
With sickening dread, she turned to the TV and watched in horror as a video of herself in the bathroom began to play. Turning her head, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she caught sight of her naked body stepping into the shower.
"You fucking piece of shit!" Gideon roared, his voice echoing off the room's wall and through the earbuds.
Jade winced as he kicked a decorative table across the room.
The voice simply waited until Gideon's rage quieted for a moment. "Do you understand?" the man asked, unfazed.
"How do we know you won't just upload the footage after we play your fucking game?" Gideon rasped, his fists balled to his sides.
"I guess you won't," the man stated simply, and she could imagine the man staring serenely over his casino floor or out a window as he spoke to them. "I can tell you, I will delete them, but you and I both know you won’t believe me. So, I guess you'll just have to trust me."
"You piece of shit," Gideon said through gritted teeth.
The man laughed deeply. "I'm going to remember that. By the time this is over, I'm going to have to require that you address me with a little more respect, especially considering all I'm doing for you."
The line went dead, and Jade felt all her energy wilt out of her. The silence in the room fell over them like a blanket layering thicker and thicker with each passing second. Sitting in one of the chairs facing the sofa, Gideon sat with his head in his hands.
"What did he mean when he said we insulted him?" she finally asked, her voice sounding raw. It felt as if she had to squeeze the sound out of her tightly clenched throat.
Lifting his head, Gideon leaned back in the chair stiffly. Not lifting his eyes to hers, he stared at the white rug beneath their feet. "He…" Gideon began reluctantly. "He had a BDSM room that he kept locked in the house. While you were sh-" Gideon closed his eyes, his words stopping short. Pain moved across his face at the mention of her showering, and Jade couldn't help feeling even guiltier. "I saw it on one of those fucking screens, and I called him a sick bastard or something like that," he finished brusquely.
She should have never showered. What was she thinking? She didn’t even want to be there, so why did she take that shower? Tears stung at her eyes, and Jade clenched her eyes shut tight. No, she couldn't cry. Not right now, they had to get out of this, out of whatever game that man wanted to play with them.
"Maybe if we go to the police first and explain," Jade began carefully. "Maybe they will-"
"They will what, Jade?" Gideon glared at her, and a part of her shrank a little under its fury. "Put us in jail while a video of you undressing and showering spreads across the internet. Fuck that. No, that's not going to happen."
Wiping the tears that fell down her cheeks, she ignored the pain in her chest. "It's ok," she tried to infuse hope in her tone. "There are plenty of women who suffered from revenge porn or whatever it’s called. I can handle it."
"I can't handle it, Jade, and no matter what you say, neither can you," he shouted, standing back up to resume his pacing. "It will shatter your pride, and you can't tell me it won't. You'll be self-conscious every time you meet anyone wondering if they saw the video or not. It will ruin our dreams of going back to Stardust because no matter how polite everyone is there, it’s a small town Jade, and once one person sees it, everyone will see it. I won't, Jade. I won't let him do that to you because I fucked up."
"So, what do we do?"
"I don’t know," he shook his head and turned away. "Just give me a few moments to think."
Leaving her alone on the couch, Gideon stomped into the bedroom, and Jade let the tears fall freely.
