“I’m not sure I believe you.” Craig regarded her with a frown. “You’ll need to stay here for a while.”
“How long?”
“Until I know I can trust you.”
Here were her worst fears realized. “How long do you think that will take?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask how he intended to keep her here, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to put that question to the test. What if he tied her up or locked her in a room?
Her mind began to work overtime. She’d left LA without telling Kyle where she was going. He knew she was upset with him. How long before he’d wonder where she’d gone? Based on what had happened after the paparazzi incident with Hunter, it might be a couple weeks before he cooled off. And
the argument in the alley last night had been so much more damaging than the previous incident because she’d pushed back.
But, even if she couldn’t count on Kyle to look for her, surely Savannah, Trent or Nate would check in and after not finding her, start to worry. Should she warn Craig that this might happen in hopes that he’d let her go? Or would it backfire and her situation become even more dire?
“I don’t know.” Craig looked less confident and his expression grew more menacing. “I really want us to be together. I guess once I know you love me as much as I love you, then I can trust you.”
His words roused her panic. How was she supposed to prove that she loved him? Would he expect her to sleep with him? A chill swept through her. Would he force her if she refused?
“I’m not feeling very well,” she said, overwhelmed by the need to put a door between her and Craig. “Can I use the bathroom?”
“Are you sick?”
“Just morning sickness from being pregnant.”
“Oh, sure. I’ve heard of that.”
Wonderful, Melody thought, feeling nausea starting for real. “The bathroom?”
He pointed the way and she gratefully escaped to a small powder room. To her dismay, Craig camped outside the door and continued talking to her through the door.
“How long do the symptoms last? It’s almost noon. Does that mean you’ll stop feeling sick?”
“It depends. Sometimes I don’t feel well all day.” She sat down on the closed toilet seat and dropped her head into her hands. “And it’s worse if I don’t have anything in my stomach.”
“I don’t have any food in the house.”
“Could you go get something? It would really help.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“I’ll be fine.”
After a long pause, he said, “I gotta take care of something. I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t come out until I tell you to.”
Afraid of the consequences if she disobeyed him, Melody sat in the bathroom and glanced between the closed door and her watch as the seconds ticked by. Where had he gone? It would be too much to hope that he’d left her alone in the house. Dare she make a break for it?
Summoning all her courage, she opened the door a crack. The sound of drilling came from somewhere in the large house. The bathroom door had muffled some of the sound. The pounding of her heart had blocked the rest. While he was occupied, she should make a break for the front door. It couldn’t be more than thirty feet from where she stood to freedom.
But before she’d taken more than three steps, the drilling sound stopped. Melody glanced up, but couldn’t see Craig. Did she still have time to make a break for it? Terror gave her the strength to try.
She had her hand on the front door knob and was turning it when Craig spoke.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I just wanted some fresh air. Sometimes that makes me feel better.”
“I think you’re trying to leave. You can’t do that.” He seized her wrist, hard enough to bruise, and twisted her hand off the knob.