Page 105 of Mr. Romantic (Mister 2)

“Well, we’re not going to find her just standing here, so let’s go.” Pax takes off, disappears into the hallway, then peeks his head back in a few seconds later. “How the fuck do I get to the attic?”

Ivy.

That’s the only word on my mind as we run through the hallways. I point to another set of stairs, Pax going up, taking them three at a time, and I hop down until I’m in the main room of the basement.

Everything is lit up. Everything is on. The TVs in various rooms. The lights above the pool table. The surround sound is blasting something from the media room. The doors leading out to the pool are wide open and the sea wind is blowing the curtains like ribbons.

“Ivy,” I call. “Ivy, can you hear me?”

But she can’t. She can’t hear anything because of the music, and the movie, and the wind. I walk over to the master control for the surround sound and turn it off. There is still the sound of the TVs, so I enter each room, one by one, gun ready, and turn them off too.

And when I get through them all, I realize something.

She’s not here.

Chapter Forty-Four - Ivy

I wake up lying on a cold concrete floor. My eyes flutter as I try to open them, but all I see is a fuzzy glare. My head is splitting with a headache and everything is silent.

There is no one here.

“Help,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Help,” I try again, a little louder.

But then a black shadow moves in one corner and someone walks towards me wearing a ski mask and bulky clothing.

“Why are you doing this?”

A photograph floats down to the ground in front of me. I can’t even focus yet, so it takes time for me to get a good look at it. To realize what it is.

Nolan and me. Outside near the pool. He’s ripping my panties off and I’m just standing there, letting him. Someone has written Rape Me over the top of the photo.

I look up at the masked person and shake my head. “That’s not what happened.”

My captor says nothing. Just walks slowly towards me.

I panic and start thrashing. My hands are tied behind my back, and every time I twist, my raw skin screams for me to stop. I manage to get into a sitting position, but only because a hand reaches down and grabs me by my hair and pulls me up.

The person leans down and a familiar smell permeates the air.

A sickly smell that tells me exactly who this person is.

I wait for words to explain why this is happening, but none come. I am dragged across the floor until I’m at the entrance to a bedroom. The figure points to the bed inside, lit only by a small lamp of a bedside table.

I shake my head and say, “No.”

I am slapped and kicked and pushed until I am absolutely on that bed, lying down, in my pretty lingerie as my feet are tied to a bedpost.

Where am I? Where is this place? There’s no windows, just this bed and just this one light.

I struggle to free my hands and realize I’m tied up with the same rope Nolan used. His words come back to me. If you ever get stuck the rope stretches. Just wriggle around until it loosens. It might take a while, but you’re not stuck.

I struggle some more and realize he was right. The rope is stretchy. I’m not stuck. And I’m not going to let this happen either. I get one burning wrist through one loop and the whole rope becomes loose. My hands are flying behind my back as my legs are tied tighter.

And then the black ski mask faces me. I know before he takes off the mask who he is.

Richard.

He kneels on the bed and then straddles my waist, gripping my breasts firmly. “Is this how you like it, Ivy? Is this why you never let me fuck you? I’m not abusive enough?” His smile, mixed in with that sick cologne, makes my stomach turn. “Well, if this is what you need, I’m happy to accommodate you.”