AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shake my head in disgust.
"You could've just blindfolded me. You didn't have to render me unconscious."
He twists the gold watch on his wrist before placing his hands back in his pockets, his stance casual and unbothered.
"You would've kicked and screamed the whole way, and I couldn't take that chance. As much as I like a fight, I favor submission much more."
His eyes darken and he looks like a wild cat. I swallow the lump in my throat and rest my head on my knees, no longer wanting to talk about this. It was like beating a dead horse and even though he is still a stranger to me, he exhausts me.
"I've heard a lot of talk about your schooling and your mother. May I ask what your major is?"
The sudden change in topic has me near tears. I miss school so much and I was just one semester away from graduating. Just one. I sniff back my tears and speak up.
"Business. I know it sounds basic, but I didn't want to go to school for cooking, I was scared that it'd ruin my passion. I've wanted to open up my own restaurant since I was little, so business seemed like the best way to go."
He looks at me in silence, a glimmer of confusion twisting his features for a quick moment.
"There is nothing basic about you, Esmeralda. I'm sure if you've made it this far, you've obviously done a good enough job in your academics."
It sounds like a compliment, and I want to rip out my stomach for the way it's beginning to flutter. Damn this man. Damn him for every confusing and strange emotion he elicits in my brain and body.
"Well I was, but she took all of my money and now I'm stuck here so…"
He pulls out a chair from the table behind us, sitting a few feet away from me, staring out at the pool. I feel some tension lift from my shoulders now that his attention isn't fixated solely on me.
"Your mother has a debt to pay in many ways, excluding myself. Her messiness has brought you here on these grounds which has caused a hindrance in my work. I assure you, if you cooperate, you will go back to finish your degree."
I want to question him about how, but I decide to question something bigger.
"What exactly is your work, Dante?"
His eyes snap to me in an instant, holding my gaze with an intensity that makes me want to shrink away.
"I think you know not to ask questions that you already have the answer to."
He's treating me like a child and the fire is back in my chest. Fuck him, I'm trapped in a place that I have no idea where it is. I deserve something, not just scraps.
"So you can drug me, tie me up and hold me hostage, but expect me not to question anything in return? You took away my life. I deserve something."
"Your mother took that away from you, not me. I'm just here to collect. Do not cross me, Emmie. I'm the last person in your little life that you want to test." He snarled this at me, making me flinch in response. I get up and dusted my pants off, ready to leave both this conversation and his overwhelmingly frustrating presence.
"I think I'm done here. Thank you for the tour. I'm going to go shower and finish helping Javier."
I start to walk away, but he grabs my wrist, pulling me so that our faces are inches apart. From here, I can see a few wrinkles around his eyes, his beauty unable to mask his age completely. It makes me wonder.
"You will not be here forever, make the time useful and learn something from Javier, but most importantly, don't get in my way or push me to a place that I do not want to go with you, Esmeralda."
I narrow my eyes at him, biting my tongue to the point of tasting blood. I look at his face a little longer, taking in his features.
"How old are you, Dante?"
He smiles slightly, pausing for a moment before he answers.
"Thirty." It's short and curt and complete bullshit. I scoff and march away, shrugging off the negative emotions he's so good at bringing out in me.
Fuck. Him.
I'm about five feet away from the door to my current bedroom when my mother spots me in the hall. She rushes over, her pale and small appearance looking less haunted than usual. Probably because she's had no access to any drugs. To be honest, I can't remember the last time she wasn't high.
