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CHAPTERFOUR
LUCA SAT FROZEN, his breath coming in such quick, shallow pants that he thought he might pass out. Again. Because wasn’t that how he’d gotten here in the first place? The last thing he remembered was walking toward his dorm, and the next thing he knew he’d woken up here, unable to move, unable to see, screaming out with no one responding.
At least until he heard the sound of locks unlatching and his heart had practically stopped.
Keep breathing. Whoever this is has just gotten you confused with someone else. You’ll get out of here. Breathe…
Not such an easy thing to do when staring at the drain his chair sat over. The one the man had just said would stay unnecessary if Luca told the truth.
A drain… Why would they need a drain?He shuddered at the first thought that popped into his mind, but there was no way it could be something that cruel. That kind of thing only happened in movies.
Maybe he was having a nightmare. He’d made it to his room, passed out looking over his schedule, and was now dreaming about a sinfully sexy torturer hellbent on extracting some kind of information from him. Over a drain. In what looked like a windowless basement in God knew where.
Yes, just a dream. A seriously fucked-up one.
“Right. Let’s begin, then, shall we?”
Luca shivered at the cool and composed statement coming from his kidnapper, and wondered how someone who was threatening his life could come off as both sinister and sophisticated at the same time. But then again, wasn’t that how the devil would appear?
Again. It’s just a dream.
“Luca Davis, of New Haven, Connecticut. So far we have a name and place, so let’s go with an easy question for your first round while I’m feeling…generous. How old are you?”
Not about to test this guy’s patience, Luca immediately replied, “Twenty-four.”
“Very good. You can tell the truth.”
So that was a test?Luca let out a breath, relieved he’d gone with the truth. It wasn’t like he had any reason to hide.
He fiddled with his fingers behind his back and only hoped whatever else this guy wanted from him was that easy. If this was a dream, surely Luca could steer him in that direction right? Maybe he could ask Luca his favorite color…
“Do you think your parents would care if you never came home again, Luca?”
The shock of the question made Luca’s eyes widen.So…not a dream? Fuck.
“Um, I—”
“Not an answer.”
“Sorry, I— Yes. I think they’d be destroyed if I never came home.”
Luca’s captor cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
What kind of question is that?“Because they’re my parents and they love me.”
“Hmm. Are you sure about that?” The man turned away, clasping his hands behind his back, and Luca’s eyes immediately fell to a gold cuff link that caught in the light. It was the only shiny thing in the otherwise grungy room, and it was enough of a distraction that he forgot the question.
“Answer me.”
The change in the man’s tone had Luca snapping out of his thoughts. “Wh-what was the question?”
The dark eyes watching him narrowed, and the man came to stand so close that Luca had to arch his head back to look at him—not because he wanted to, but because he feared the man’s wrath if he didn’t.
“For a college boy, you’re really not as attentive as I thought you’d be.”
Luca held his tongue. The cold and pain were kicking his frustration and panic to another level, and how could anyone focus under these circumstances?
But he wasn’t about to say that part out loud. Not when the look in this man’s eyes told him he’d probably hurt others for much less. It surprised Luca, though, when he finally opened his mouth and words he hadn’t expected to say fell out.
