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Eddie must have sensed me staring at him. He seemed like the type of man who always slept on edge, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Good morning, kitten,” he said with husky voice and a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. He sat up and stretched, revealing his bare chest as he did so.
I tried not to look, but justified it by saying it was for more research for my case against him. I could take note for my files of the other tattoos on his body. There was a long sword that ran right between his muscled pectorals. The rest of his torso was covered in a mixture of roses, vines with thorns, and the classic skulls that matched some of the tattoos on his arms. I wondered if each skull represented a kill in his life, which would make sense with the quantity that he had.
“When I came back into the room last night,” he said, “I found you purring away all wrapped in white fur like a little kitten.”
There was the word ‘kitten’ again. I had tried to ignore the first time he’d said it, but now that he’d repeated it, and the fact that I was in a cage like an animal, any thoughts that the man was handsome were washed away and replaced with rage.
“I need to use the restroom,” I snarled as I tried to not picture myself clawing his eyes out like a caged tiger would do. If I focused too much on causing this man pain, then I would act out the minute I could, and I knew that wouldn’t be a wise move. I had to outthink him.
Eddie got out of bed in nothing but a pair of boxers and walked over to the cage with disheveled hair and sleepy eyes. He grabbed a set of keys that rested on a dresser nearby—but not close enough for me to reach while I was in the cage—and opened my prison.
“Come on,” he said.
I crawled out of the cage on all fours, dragging the fur blanket behind me.
“Leave the blanket,” he said firmly.
I froze, considered telling him to go fuck himself, but did as he asked instead. I needed to use the restroom now and didn’t have the time or energy to fight the man… yet.
Once I crossed over the entrance of the cage, Eddie helped me stand. He then took my upper arm and led me out of his room, along the iron walkway that looked down onto the great room and kitchen below us, and into a bathroom.
“There’s towels, shampoo, soap and stuff if you’d like to take a shower. There’s also a drawer with spare toothbrushes and toothpaste. Everything you should need to get yourself cleaned up is in there. If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll send someone to get it,” Eddie said, surprising me with his hospitality.
Was I a guest in his house or a kidnapped victim locked in an animal’s cage?
“Can I have my clothes back?” I asked.
“No.”
“You just said if I needed anything, to ask.”
“You’ll remain naked while here,” he informed me.
“Which is for how long? You still haven’t told me—”
“Go in the bathroom,” he interrupted.
Part of me wanted to continue to press and find out exactly what Eddie had in store for me, but I didn’t wait for him to change his mind with being somewhat hospitable even though he was forcing me to remain nude.
When I closed the door behind me, it was the first time I felt somewhat human since being kidnapped. I had privacy. No one was staring at me. No one was holding my arm. There was no cage.
There was also no window to escape from. There was one way in, and one way out.
* * *
Eddie Vasco
“Nice,” Tommy said as he looked up from the kitchen to where I stood. “It looks like you had some fun with your caged pet.”
I shook my head but didn’t give his comment any energy. “I’m going to go use the other bathroom and shower. Watch this door, will ya?”
I could hear the shower turn on behind the closed door and figured I would be done before Nayla, but wanted to make sure. I wasn’t up for a morning chase.
“Everything planned for tonight?” I asked.
“Yeah, we should have a good turnout. Almost everyone accepted the invitation.”
“Good,” I said, pleased that even on short notice, my guests still found it worth squeezing me into their busy schedules. “And you told them what to bring? What the theme was?”
Tommy chuckled. “I think it’s why everyone’s making it a point to attend. Oh, and I fed the weasel,” Tommy added. “I may be a cruel bastard, but I’m not going to allow a man to starve to death. If we want Dylan dead, I’ll do it another way.”
