AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Milo watches me, his eyes scanning my face for god only knows what.
The food sits heavily in my stomach, a reminder of my utter dependence on them. They could end me easily, and I would be completely defenseless to do anything about it. But defiance still simmers within me, a burning need to assert some control over my fate, however small it may be.
“Is this all I am now? A pet to be fed and be kept?” I ask, unable to keep the tremble from my voice. The reality of my situation washes over me anew with each passing second, leaving me feeling raw and exposed. It has nothing to do with the fact I’m mostly naked besides some underwear they’ve put on me and my blood-ruined top. I don’t even want to think of whose underwear I’m wearing, which poor woman had to sacrifice her knickers for me. I cringe, hoping they are at least clean.
Milo doesn’t answer right away, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that feels like a physical touch. “You’re alive, Fallon. Remember that,” is all he says before picking up another forkful of eggs.
“Alive,” I echo hollowly, the word tasting like a lie on my tongue. Alive, perhaps, but at what cost? Yet when he presses the fork to my lips, I shake my head, not because I can’t eat more but because I am at serious risk of wetting myself.
“I need to pee.”
Milo’s gaze softens for just a moment as it follows the lines of my body, tethered to the bed like some kind of animal. There’s a hesitancy in his touch, a gentleness that doesn’t fit with the hardness of his jaw, the coldness in his eyes as he settles his hand on my thigh.
“Fine,” he grunts, pushing away from the bed. His hand moves to the key sitting next to the lamp where Leone sat it earlier, and I can’t help but watch every motion—calculating, slow, deliberate—like he’s trying to convince himself it’s safe to remove the cuffs.
“You won’t run,” he says, hovering over me. I bite my lip and rattle the handcuffs when he grips my face. “Say it,” he all but growls at me in warning.
“I won’t run,” I tell him, though that is a lie because the moment I know my sister is out of the hospital and my father and her are far away from the city, I intend to do just that. I just need to figure out how to get in contact with them, so I know where they’ll be before we disappear.
As he unlocks the cuffs, my wrist cracks in relief, though the rest of me remains tense, coiled tight as a spring. I rub at the red marks left behind awkwardly with my bad hand, glaring at him, yet one question has lingered in the back of my mind from the moment he stepped into the room. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?” His voice is even, betraying nothing, but his jaw tightens just so.
“Help me when Leone…” I trail off, unable to say it. He shifts, a sudden tension in his broad shoulders, and looks away—a crack in his composed facade.
“Leone said you used to watch me through the cameras. How long?” The words tumble out before I can rein them back, and the thought of his eyes on me all this time sends a shiver skittering down my spine.
“Five years.” His voice is flat, almost detached.
“Five years…” I echo in shock. Five years of being observed by this man—it’s unsettling, not to mention invasive. “Did you enjoy it? Watching me?” I challenge, struggling to keep my voice steady. There’s a flash of something in his eyes then—a storm brewing beneath the calm surface—but it’s gone before I can decipher it.
“Enjoy isn’t the word I’d use,” he says after a moment, his gaze returning to mine. There’s a depth there, something that hints at more than merely watching me, and my mind instantly goes to horror documentaries about girls being stalked and kidnapped.
“Then what word would you use, Milo?” I press.
He doesn’t respond; just keeps watching me with those eyes that know too much. The air crackles with tension, the kind that feels like it could ignite with the slightest provocation. His answer is a simple shrug.
“So you watched me for five years and don’t know why?” My heart hammers against my ribs.
“You are not what I expected,” he says suddenly, still watching me, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of triumph. Have I managed to disappoint the man who has been watching my every move in that casino for years?
I scoff, the sound bitter even to my own ears. “And what did you expect?” I deadpan, keeping my gaze locked onto his.
“For you not to be such a bitch,” he counters coolly, and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise at his bluntness. How dare he? But then again, we’re far beyond pleasantries, aren’t we?
“It might have something to do with the handcuffs, me being forced against my will and held hostage… or it could be the fact I am expected to lay on my back for you and your boss whenever you please,” I spit back, my voice laced with venom.
I move to the edge of the bed, waiting for him to move so I can use the bathroom. Quick as a flash, he moves next to me. His hand wraps around my throat in a vice that’s as much a warning as it is a restraint. The bed shifts under his weight as he forces me back against the mattress, his face inches from mine.
“Let’s not forget who I am,” he breathes out, so close that his breath fans across my skin. His fingers tighten just enough to remind me of the power they hold, not enough to cut off my breath, but enough to make my heart skip. “I may have spent the past five years watching you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate in killing you.”
The threat hangs heavy in the air, palpable and chilling, even as he leans in, his nose tracing the line of my jaw, sending shivers down my spine despite the fear.
“What Leone failed to mention was that I originally agreed with him killing you,” he whispers, lips grazing my ear, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.
His grip loosens and trails lower, pressing flat against my stomach. “I’d rather not kill you, but if you give me a reason to, I will sit back and watch as Leone skins you alive. Are we clear?” His voice is calm, almost indifferent to the horror of his words.
I nod, mute with terror, my mind racing with images too gruesome to fully comprehend. He stands abruptly, pulling me to my feet with a force that brooks no argument, guiding me toward the bathroom.
