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Not until I know I’m ready. He may have been interrupted before reaching his intended goal, but the echoes of that threat still linger within me even after the man is dead.
Once I’m dressed and Luca remains in the bathroom, I settle in the living room on the couch. I tuck my feet beneath me, clutching a sketch pad in my hands that I haven’t desired to hold in three long days.
This time, the pencil refuses to draw flowers. Instead, it yearns to capture the flecks of gold that occasionally shimmer in Luca’s cognac eyes. It craves to immortalize the sharpness of his jaw adorned with the stubble that I find undeniably more attractive than his usual clean-shaven appearance.
Before I can decide whether to indulge the drawing impulse at all, Justine knocks twice on the front door and enters without waiting for me to respond. It’s a habit she’s acquired since I’ve been alone these past few days, though I doubt Luca would approve if he knew.
She stops abruptly, her gaze scanning me with curiosity. “Care to tell me what happened?” she questions, her arms crossed.
I tilt my head to the side, feigning ignorance. “What do you mean?”
She has no problem pointing out the obvious, though her tone is laced with concern. “You’re wearing a bra. You haven’t done that since...”
Her sentence trails off, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. We both know what she means.
“I’m feeling better,” I offer as my only response. Justine may have swiftly become a friend, but I’m not in the mood to divulge the events that transpired between Luca and me.
Her eyebrows arch, and she crosses the room to sit beside me on the couch. “Because you know that Abel is dead?”
“How do you know that?” I counter, suddenly conscious that she could have seen me leaving or returning from the sublevels. Had she also seen Luca trailing after me?
She moves closer, sitting on the couch with me and keeping her eyes fixed on mine. “Jaxon was down there when you arrived. He told me that you witnessed that bastard being tortured by Luca. He also mentioned that it seemed like you had a hint of bloodlust yourself.”
Of course, he’d seen that on my face.
“Wouldn’t you if the man who wanted to violate you was at your disposal?” I ask pointedly. “Doesn’t matter, though. Luca asked me to leave, and I did.”
She stares harder at me, as if she knows I’m hiding a dirty secret. “Right.”
There’s a thud against the wall that I can only assume is the bathroom door opening in Luca’s room. We both look toward his door until I feel Justine’s grasp around my wrist.
“Careful,” I tell her, but then realize that was just instinctual. The injury no longer hurts, and I’m more than grateful for that little reminder to be gone.
Her eyes move between me and the bedroom. “Luca came back.”
I don’t reply. It’s not a question and not something I care to comment on just yet.
Justine stands and grins. “Alright. I’ll play your little game. For now. Enjoy the privacy while it lasts. I’ll be back later with your phone so you can help me placate your friends again. They’ve been blowing up your phone the last twelve hours. Especially that Tori chick. She’s threatening to file a missing person’s report if she doesn’t speak directly with you by end of day.”
I sigh. I should be grateful, and a part of me still is, that Tori cares so much about me, but I already have enough shit to deal with. I don’t have the energy to pretend everything is okay while speaking with someone who knows me so well. Sandi is easier. While I consider her a friend, there’s never been an emotional closeness between us.
Tori, on the other hand… She’s been like a sister for more years than I can currently count.
“I’m sure I’ll be right here when you return,” I say to Justine as she heads toward the door.
She glances back at me, eyes pinched at the sides. “Normally, I’d believe you, but something tells me things are about to change. Either way, I’ll find you. You can’t get away from me that easily.”
I chuckle at her response, finding solace in the fact that she thinks I would deliberately avoid her. Though I may crave some temporary solitude to guard my secrets, it doesn’t mean I no longer value the friendship she has extended since that first day of my captivity.
After Justine departs, Luca emerges from the bedroom, clad in fresh charcoal slacks and a crisp white dress shirt. The sleeves are rolled up, just as he had them earlier, but there isn’t a speck of blood in sight on the new shirt. As if he hadn’t just committed murder in his basement.
A few days ago, such a thought would have sent revulsion coursing through me. Now, however, I find myself more intrigued than ever by the enigma that is Luca Monroe. Especially after glimpsing a more savage part of me.
There’s a morally grey area inside me now that I didn’t think existed. Yet, I can’t deny the satisfaction that continues to grow within me knowing my attacker is dead. Even more, I wish I’d fought Luca and chosen to stay just a few minutes longer.
He eyes the front door, then shifts his gaze back to me. “What did Justine want?” he asks with an undercurrent of tension.
“She was checking in on me,” I reply. “She’s come by a lot since I’ve been alone.”
