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That stumps him. I can see it in a momentary flash in his eyes before the indifference settles back. “Because even if he doesn’t give a shit about you—and considering he hasn’t bothered to look for you even once, I don’t think he does—he’ll be furious to know it’s me who took you.”
It shouldn’t hurt. God knows I learned a long time ago that the man who is my father is nothing more than a soulless monster who views everyone in terms of how valuable they can be. I’m simply a representation of his name—a bargaining chip he can auction off to the highest bidder as soon as he needs me. I might have been able to fool myself on the surface into believing that he’d forget about me, but I know better.
And I can tell that Kane Walsh—a man my father hates almost as much as the person who killed my mother and sister—would most definitely get under his skin.
“Are you going to kill me?”
He stares at me, but even after I eat two bites, he still doesn’t answer. I suppose it’s fair. He never promised that this was a free-for-all. And it’s obvious, considering my treatment, this part of my torment is psychological.
“What happened to the man who attacked me in the alley?” I ask instead.
He snorts. “He’s dead. He was dead before you even woke up.”
That should horrify me, but there was no telling what would have happened to me if that guy had gotten to me first. I don’t know if it would have been worse, but my gut says I got lucky.
I eat a little more, then stop because my stomach hurts, and I set what’s left on the tray. “How long have I been here?”
“Ten days,” he tells me.
I feel like I’m losing my mind. Ten days? It seems like so much longer, and yet no time at all.
“What happens to me now?” I whisper.
He rubs his fingers around his mouth, then drops both arms and rises with liquid grace. “I don’t know yet.”
My heart begins to thud in my chest. “What—”
“That’s all you get,” he interrupts sharply. “You might have James wrapped around your finger, but you’re not queen here.” He takes a step back, then tilts his head to the side. “Phoenix, send him down. Tell him he’s spending the night with her.”
My heart picks up even faster, and I start to get dizzy. “What—”
Suddenly, Kane is in my space again, holding me by the chin with his powerful hand. His eyes lock onto mine, and I’m powerless to walk away. “You may think this is torture, but you have no idea, sweet thing. You have noideawhat goes on behind these walls, and I don’t think you want to find out.” I swallow and watch his eyes trace the motion of my throat. “Don’t misbehave again. Do you understand?” His lips are so close to mine now, I can feel them moving.
I nod, but when he squeezes my chin harder, I take a breath. “Yes.”
He hums, and then his grip loosens, and his thumb strokes my skin. “Good girl.”
I’m helpless against the hot feeling that rushes through me, and for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. For a moment, I think I’m going to let him without a fight.
He backs up quicker than my brain can catch up with, and suddenly, he’s gone and another figure’s in the doorway. My eyes, which are blurry from the lack of food and the adrenaline rush from Kane, start to focus, and I realize it’s James.
I want to laugh, and I kind of want to cry because I know what this means now. I won’t ever be alone again. I won’t be able to make any more decisions for myself because they’re not ready for me to die, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them.
Chapter10
JAMES
I’m stillyoung enough that sleeping while sitting up on a concrete floor doesn’t cause me pain the way that it would with Phoenix or Kane. I’m a little stiff when my alarm starts buzzing, and my head doesn’t feel great since I only dozed off and on to make sure that Alice didn’t try anything stupid, but otherwise, I’m mostly peachy and a little keen.
I’m not sure how much sleep Alice got, but she didn’t try anything after I stepped into her cell and made it clear I wasn’t going anywhere. She gave me the silent treatment, but it wasn’t like I didn’t deserve it. The conversations I had with her—stilted and pointless as they were—were a gift. Now, there’s just icy silence and a look of suspicion and fear on her face because she’s starting to get how serious all of this is.
I don’t know what Kane’s plan is for her, but I don’t think it’s to send her home in pieces anymore—if it ever was. Alice is different from anyone he’s ever locked up down here, and even Ari, who’s been doing nothing but watching her like the little creep he is, would probably protest if Kane really wanted to pull the plug.
But our master, our lover, our god, isn’t talking to any of us.
I know he’s watching when I hear the little click of the camera. It’s that way on purpose—to unnerve those unfortunate enough to find themselves down here. The cameras are hidden, but it does something to a person to know that they’re being watched—but only sometimes. It drove me crazy the entire time I was in here, and even now, the sound makes me twitchy.
Stretching my arms above my head, I knead my stump with the heel of my hand, then carefully stand. My bladder’s full, and I’m hungry for a good, hot meal rather than the cold shit I’ve been bringing Alice. I want nothing more than to just bundle her up and have her sleep in a real bed and sit at the dinner table with us.
