Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
He scrubs a hand through his dark, short hair. “Exactly. Still, I owe you.”
He owes me shit. I playfully punch his shoulder. “Owe me? You were the one that gave me life after The Big House, man. Consider us even.”
He fist-bumps me, gets in the car and leaves. I watch until his taillights are little more than a flash of red firefly lights against a night sky.
Vivia hasn’t moved. She obviously hasn’t spoken. She knows we’re alone in the middle of nowhere, and that I have carte blanche to interrogate her any way I see fit. She’s probably terrified.
Good.
I lay my hand on Vivia’s elbow. Again, my fingers touch the softest skin I’ve ever felt. I remember what she looked like wearing the red hair, how it felt when I finally took off that layer of lies and revealed what she truly looked like. I wonder what she’ll look like when I unveil another layer of lies.
Her shoulder-length, warm brown hair caresses her cheeks. They’re damp from her tears, and little strands of hair cling to them. Without thinking, I clear the strands from her face and brush them behind her ear. She lets me do this without flinching or showing that she’s even aware that I touched her.
That’ll change.
I’m not sad about that.
“I’m taking you inside. Lean on me and follow my lead.”
She does exactly what I say. Our rustic getaway’s surrounded by trees, so the ground is bumpy, a sea of tree roots and fallen, rust-colored pine needles. It would be easy to slip or fall without keeping a close watch on her footing. I guide her to the door. The key dangles from the lock.
“Stand here while I open the door.” I turn it, and the door swings open. I step over the threshold, lead her in behind me, and walk straight to a small circular table in the middle of the room. “I’m going to sit down, and you’ll sit with me so I can remove your bonds. For now. We’ll eat, freshen up, and get some rest. We have all the time we need, so we don’t have to rush.”
She nods.
I’m confident I’ll get what I need from her within twenty-four hours. I have no idea how long we’ll have to hide her. Both of us, really.
The interior of the rustic cabin’s nothing short of charming. A round, circular wooden table on roughly hewn legs sits in front of a wood-burning stove, three chairs on each side. A checkered tablecloth and oil burning lamp complete the look.
Beside the wood-burning stove are a few wooden shelves filled with non-perishables, and a large cooler likely filled with perishable items that will last a few days.
Behind us there’s a fireplace, a small loveseat, several rockers, and a large metal basket filled with split logs. Matches sit beside the wood.
A small table houses sunblock, insect repellant, a well-stocked first-aid kit, and something that looks like a hand-powered radio. Haven’t seen one of those in a long, long time.
A doorway opens to the only bedroom in the cabin. The door’s ajar. There’s a queen-sized bed covered with a quilt, a pile of folded blankets, and wooden end tables on either side of the bed, each with a few books on top.
I take this all in in seconds, and since it isn’t my first time here, I only look for anything that’s changed. The only difference is that this visit, I have supplies already laid out for us.
I pull out one of the chairs by the table, fold myself into the seat, then draw Vivia onto my knee. I’d have to be blind and heartless not to respond to the soft, gentle weight of the beautiful woman in my lap.
Alone in the woods with full control over a stunning woman? No one can hear us for miles? Twist my arm.
We’re going to become very, very intimate over the next few days whether she likes it or not. And that starts now.
She doesn’t protest when I sit her on my knee, nor when I reach for her gag and unfasten it. She opens and closes her mouth, then releases a labored sigh before I unfasten the blindfold. I watch as she blinks, unaccustomed to the bright natural light filtering in through a window.
I spin her around to face me and hold her chin between my fingers. “I’ll only take the restraints off your wrists under one condition.”
She nods, probably not trusting herself to speak.
“You’ll do exactly what I say. You heard your cousin, and you’re a smart girl. You know what these stakes are, don’t you?”
She nods.
“Then tell me. What will happen if you disobey me?”
“I’m sure you’ll punish me,” she says, disgust coating her voice.
“I will. And what will happen if you try to get away?”
“You’ll catch me and punish me again.” The way she grits her teeth suggests she’s schooling her features so she doesn’t roll her eyes. Smart girl knowing that wouldn’t go over very well.