Page 57 of My Ghost

‘I had them brought here the day after I found out you were the Ghost.’

What in the ever-loving—

I can’t wrap my mind around this information.They’re not for Jade, but for…me?Why had he stocked clothes for me?Unless…he planned this all along.A sudden chill runs down my spine.

I bolt through the condo to the front door and try the handle.It’s locked.

I try the biometric scanner again.And again.To no avail.I am trapped.

I look around for a terminal I could use to rig the system, but there seems to be no phone, no computer, no tech device whatsoever.I traipse around the penthouse in search of something, anything useful.But the search soon becomes an explorative expedition through what feels like a small country.There are four bedrooms with their own en suite bathroom, the master bedroom I had woken up in, and a sixth room that has been converted into a home office.But there is no computer in sight, damn him.

I return to the huge living room with the adjoining dining room and the open-plan kitchen.The floor-to-ceiling windows flood the whole place with light.I move to the sliding doors and gingerly try the handle.They open!I step out onto the terrace, curiously looking around.It takes up half of the roof and looks spectacular with the wooden deck and the lush garden.There is a swimming corridor lining the whole edge of the building, a dining area, a ten-seater outdoor lounge, and…is that an outdoor bar?

I walk up to the side edge.The high glass walls all around are too high to scale.Not that I wanted to climb over the edge, the height alone makes me dizzy.

No escape this way either.

Subdued, I step back inside the condo.My footsteps are silent on the gleaming floor as I head back into the walk-in closet.

The items he’d thrown in anger still litter the floor.I crouch down and pick one up, a pale cream sweater in the softest cashmere.And the tag is still hanging on it.Matteo was right, it looks too small for Jade’s tall, willowy frame.It is meant for someone my size.

A shiver slithers down my spine.

I check the other items one by one.And sure enough, every damn item still has its price tag attached.And every single one is my size.My throat constricts.

I move to the drawers, fingers trembling as I open them.What I find there makes my breath catch.They are full of lingerie from renowned designers.Silk, lace, whisper-thin fabric in soft pastel colors and blacks.All of them are my size.I can’t breathe as I picture Matteo picking these out, or, worse, having someone buy them for me.

I turn to the shelves where rows of shoes are lined up and pick up a delicate pair of heels in a pale nude shade.I check the sole.My size.Every.Single.Pair.

My stomach knots.I stumble back, heart pounding.This isn’t merely obsession.This is deranged.I need to put something on, anything, and find a way to get out of here.My fingers slide across the racks of clothing until they land on a pale blue dress.I slip it over my head.The material is soft and it clings to me like a caress, brushing my bare thighs.

Then I slide on a pair of flats, wondering how my life has so drastically changed in less than twenty-four hours.He planned all of this.And I was unaware, taunting him with my jibes.I never suspected this darkness in him, I just thought he was that grumpy enforcer with control issues.Turns out he is way more dangerous.

I need to get out, but first I need a plan.Obviously, breaking out is impossible.I need to force him to open that damn door.

Hence, here I am, standing with my back against the wall next to the front door with a kitchen knife in hand.The biggest one I could find.This must be the shittiest plan in the universe, but it’s also the only one I’ve come up with.I feel nausea roil in my gut.I’ve never stabbed anyone, and I don’t know if I have it in me.But maybe he will be intimidated enough to let me leave?

Suddenly I hear the elevator ding on the other side and the sound of the doors sliding open.My heart is beating loudly and my breath is coming out too fast, I am about to hyperventilate.

There is a beeping sound on the other side and the door pushes open.Matteo steps in and half-turns to close the door.But he stops short when the tip of the knife grazes his throat.

“Let me out, and I won’t hurt you,” I threaten from behind him, hoping he can’t hear the tremble in my voice.

He merely stands there, unmoving and silent.I shuffle to the side, trying to circle him, but he shifts to block me, still standing half inside the doorframe like a brick wall.He is so tall that the knife I’m holding is angled in an awkward way, and his broad frame completely fills the door, making it difficult to move past him.

Shit.I have to push him aside to—

A low, rumbling chuckle rolls out of him, turning my blood to ice and making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

What the…

He turns around slowly, until I’m staring at him full on.The knife is still at his throat, but he doesn’t give a damn.He leans into it as if he dares me to draw blood.

And what I see in his eyes makes me let out a desperate whimper.Because instead of the fear I hoped to find, I see crazed, bone-chilling, unmoored glee.He looks feral.His lips are curled up in a predatory grin, his gaze is clouded over by madness and now something else is creeping into the black depths.Lust.

Before I can blink, he has his hand clamped around my wrist like a vise, wrenching it until the knife falls to the floor with a loud clatter.He wraps his other hand around my throat to push me back hard against the front door, making it click shut.And just like that, my only escape is gone.And what’s worse, I am trapped in with a feral beast who looks at me like he will devour me.His large body is caging me against the door and he runs his nose over the side of my face, dragging it slowly down to my throat, inhaling deeply.

“Trying to run?”he murmurs, voice low and terrifyingly calm, like a growl.“You think you can run from me?”