Page 44 of Captured Desire

Was I that weak? Was I playing right into his game?

The compound was silent. I nibbled on the fresh fruit and sipped my ice water and tea. Briefly, I heard his footfalls downstairs and they faded away. Another boat came in, but left an hour later.

I jerked awake when it was almost evening and sat upright. The sun was setting golden over the vast, blue swathe of the ocean. The air had cooled and it was wafting through the window, calling me to get up and go outside.

My legs shook a little as I made my way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. The boxes of pills sat on the counter and the sight of them sent a little twinge of guilt through me.

But it was just a twinge. I could deal with that.

I broke the pack open and put one on my tongue and swallowed it dry.

See, I could make my own choices.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DURAN

She didn’t come down that afternoon. I ate in my office and tried to forget the sickening feeling of walking through that door and seeing her limp on the couch. The sensation that filled my chest after had stunned me. Pure hatred, a willingness to kill anyone and anything I needed to get her back to me.

It shook me deeply.

I spent the rest of the evening trying to fix what I’d done. It was past midnight when I finally made my way through the dark compound and up the stairs. Since she’d been locked in the guestroom, I hadn’t slept in my bedroom because it was just down the hall. But tonight, I felt like I needed to.

I stripped and sank onto my back in bed. Outside, a nightbird cried out over the water. Inside, my heart thumped so hard in my chest I heard it in my ears. My skin crawled and when I closed my eyes, all I could see was what might have happened if I hadn’t walked through that door.

Sitting up abruptly, I reached for my boxer briefs and pulled them on. I needed something, a drink or some sleeping pills.

I moved down the stairs, the cool air in the lower level wicking away the sweat gathered on my back and chest. I rarely stayed on the island for long and I was used to the New York weather, which stayed much cooler during the summer. The humidity had everything in a tight grip, making it hard to catch a breath.

In the hall bathroom, I found an unopened bottle of sleeping pills. In the kitchen, I poured a glass of water and stepped out onto the side deck where the pool was, still and glassy in the starlight.

“Hey.”

I jumped, spinning. She was sitting on the deck, wrapped in a blanket.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked.

She shook the blanket off her head and pulled it tight around her shoulders. “You didn’t lock me in tonight.”

I set the pill and the water aside and walked over to where she sat, sitting down and sliding my legs into the water. I felt her eyes on me, watching me warily. Like a little night animal on its guard.

“I suppose I didn’t,” I said quietly.

There was a short silence and she cleared her throat.

“Who were those men at the party?” she asked.

“Mercenaries,” I said, done with pretending I was something I wasn’t. “The outfit needs guns and I was sent to procure some from those men. They were the reason I was there…we had a business deal with them.”

Her jaw worked and she chewed at her lip from inside. I could tell she was struggling with her moral compass. Wondering what sort of man I was and if I would leave my dirty handprints all over her pretty skin. I sighed internally. This wasn’t an unfamiliar scene.

When women found out who I was and what I did, they reacted one of three ways. Fear because they thought sleeping with me would forever attach them to the mafia. Disgust because of what I did. Or excitement because they liked the thought of fucking a criminal.

I wasn’t getting any of those emotions from her right now.

“Oh,” she said, looking down and working the blanket in her fingers. “Sorry if I messed something up for you.”

“No,” I said quickly. “They messed it up for themselves.”

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