Page 36 of Ensnared
There was a moment of silence on the other end before he eventually spoke. "Ah, hello Eve," And there it was, the voice she recognized so well, that dangerously velvet tone where danger and seduction effortlessly intertwined.
Eve licked her suddenly dry lips. "Dimitri," she acknowledged, hoping he could hear the cold undertone she forced into her voice. "I want to know if I am to be trapped in this house as well as…" she paused. She wanted to sayas well as your whorebut her pride wouldn’t let her, not with Dominic sitting two feet away.
"As well as what, Eve?" She could hear the challenge humming in his tone and looked around cautiously. Could he see her now?
She turned away from Dominic's watchful gaze and spoke through clenched teeth into the phone. "As well as you using me whenever you wanted?" she hissed.
"Mmm, I did enjoy last night and this morning. And from your screams, I know you enjoyed it too." She had no idea what to say to that; she could feel her face growing hot. "As for your question, you can come and go as you please," he continued. "As long as you know there is nowhere you could ever run to that would keep me from you. Your place is next to me."
She hung up on him and let out a sigh.
So, this was her life now.
As the days passed, she tried to keep up the soul-sucking task of searching for a job. It wasn't easy. The moments of brief hope were consistently dashed by rejection letters. It was wearing her thin. Occasionally after another useless interview she would pass by her house and stop and stare at the progress. The now-construction site served as a painful reminder of her lost sanctuary, as strangers traipsed in and out with their equipment. But of course, it was the nights that were the worst. Although her days were spent mostly in the lonely gilded cage, they at least didn't leave her awash with guilt. She had no problem reasoning with herself enjoying the amenities of the luxurious home. Her house had been stolen from her and her freedom taken, what else could she do? But the pleasure that came each night when Dimitri came home, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. When his hand inevitably sought her out in the night, snaking around her waist and pulling her close, there was only one option—comply. Her conscience clashed with her body's response as she gave in to his touch each and every time.
Eve parked her car in front of her grandparents' townhouse; the foreign place felt odd to call her grandparents' home. Anxiety knotted in her stomach as she got out of the car. She was so not up for this. Honestly, she would rather stay back at the mansion. Having to put on a happy face to her grandparents for the next few hours and pretending her life wasn't in shambles was not what she was looking forward to.
As she walked up to the door, the sound of another car pulling in behind her car drew her attention. She turned and was surprised to see her brother stepping out of the passenger door. A chill ran down her spine when she looked past him. There was another man in the driver's seat of the black Mercedes, and Eve's blood ran cold as she recognized him from the video where he had held a gun to her brother's head.
She turned away from Ricky as he jogged up the sidewalk to catch her and stop her before she went in. Inwardly, she noted his face. At least he no longer looked haggard and gaunt. They'd been feeding him at least.
"Eve, wait!" he panted. "Please, let's talk."
She refused to look at him. "There's nothing I want to say to you."
Ricky looked hurt. "Please talk to me. Please. I've tried calling you every day. I just... I just want to explain."
"There's nothing to explain," she hissed. The anger was rising up inside of her. She was never going to make it through the dinner if she didn't get a handle on it.
"Dammit, Eve, yes there is," he pleaded. He ran a hand through his hair and gave her a desperate look. "Look, just...then just tell me you're okay."
"Okay?" she repeated, her voice rising. "How the hell am I supposed to be okay, Ricky? Do you know what I have to do to keep you safe, to keep our grandparents from being on the street?" She waved her hand at the townhouse behind her. "Do you know I have no job, no home, no family, and no right to my own body because of you!"
Ricky looked sick, and as he opened his mouth to say something, the front door swung open.
"Ah, you're here!" With her arms in the air, her grandmother moved past her to give Ricky a huge hug.
Eve suppressed every nerve ending in her face to keep from making a disgusted look.Yeah, give him all the fanfare and attention, she thought sourly as she followed everyone inside.It's not me doing all the hard work so everybody can be safe. No, not at all.
As they sat and ate, Eve watched her grandparents shower Ricky with affection. They doted on him left and right, commenting on his loss of weight and filling his plate with heaping servings of food. Eve couldn't help but smile evilly as she watched Ricky struggle to answer each and every one of their grandparent's endless questions about his so-called new job. Of course, every answer was pure fabrication but it was fun to watch the tangled web he wove. Eventually, however, their attention moved to her and they asked her about her job at the casino and her never-ending search for areal job. Her heart twisted in shame as she gave them a sad smile and explained she hadn't found anything promising yet. It would have been nice to at least have that to offer, she thought. To show them something that would say she wasn't a complete failure.
"So where have you been staying? Your grandfather and I drove past the house and saw that a crew of people were already working on it."
"We tried calling you but you didn't answer," her grandfather said disapprovingly.
Eve's world ground to a halt. The bite of food she just took hung suspended, trapped halfway down her constricted throat as she replayed their question in a panic. She had hoped they hadn't been by the house yet. Completely unprepared, her mind grappled for an answer.
Ricky quickly interjected. "She is staying with a friend of a friend. He is temporarily subletting her his condo."
As he fed their grandparents the lie, Ricky tossed her a hopeful look. She knew what he wanted. He wanted her approval and ultimately her forgiveness. He had another thing coming. It would take a lot more than a conversational-save for Eve to even think of forgiving him.
By the time dinner was over it felt as if she had run five laps around the neighborhood. Both she and Ricky spent the entire night fielding questions from their grandparents while he made every attempt to meet her gaze and she made every attempt to avoid it.
Kissing her grandparents and waving goodbye, Eve followed Ricky out the front door, dreading the moment the door closed leaving them alone again.
"Eve, wait up! Please, I just want to talk to you," Ricky begged.
A pang of guilt echoed in her chest, but she didn't stop. Instead she pointed to the car parked behind hers. As if on command, the bright LED headlights lit up and they could both see a figure sitting in the driver's seat.
