“Hate is a strong word,” he observes in a low voice.
“It’s the only word that came to mind earlier. Why is it like that with you two?”
“You don’t need to know why.” Another sigh. “As for happiness, that’s entirely up to you. If you behave yourself, there’s no reason I won’t afford you privileges. Shopping, dining out, trips. Whatever you want in time, once you’ve earned my trust. Until now, you’ve done nothing but defy me, yet you blame your unhappiness on me.”
I itch to slap him, but instead, I use my words. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“We rarely ask for what we end up getting.” He lets out a soft, bitter laugh, looking away from me. “We can only do our best with what we’re given.”
It’s obvious I’m not getting anywhere with him right now. He’s not in the mood to converse. Not that it matters once the car pulls to a stop in front of a quaint little cabin in one of the thickest parts of the woods we’ve passed through so far. So thick it seems to go from day to twilight thanks to the crisscrossing branches above us once we step out. Christian guides me inside, opening the door to the cabin like he owns the place—which I suspect he does.
Immediately my eyes fall on a pair of burly men sitting on either side of a small card table. It’s obvious from the glass beer bottles and wrappers that they’ve been playing cards, eating, and drinking.
Until we entered, anyway, and they set sights on Christian. He holds up a hand like it doesn’t matter, giving neither of them a chance to speak. His other hand wraps around my arm so he can lead me through the small front room. My eyes dart back and forth as I take in the rest of the cabin. It’s clean and warm. There’s a kitchen with food lined up on shelves.
We stop in front of a heavy wooden door. She’s behind a locked door. So it might as well be a prison.
“I’ll be in the room with you the entire time, so don’t bother with any ideas.” He unlocks the door and swings it open so slowly that it hurts. My heartbeat thunders in my ears, and I swear if anything happened to her…
The words cut off when I see her on the other side. She’s here, sitting on the bed, facing me from the other side of a modest bedroom. It’s really her.
“Thank God!” I run to her, falling on my knees, throwing myself into her open arms. “I thought you were dead!”
“I thought I was too, for a minute there.” She's gotten thinner since the last time I saw her, with dark circles under her eyes and extra lines bracketing her mouth, but she's still Cynthia. The strength hasn't left her voice. It gives me strength, too, even with Christian standing behind me.
“How are they treating you?” I touch her face, her hair, her arms, and hands. Anything I can reach. I need to prove to myself she's real.
“I'm fed and given clean clothes, the whole nine yards. I wouldn't recommend it on TripAdvisor, but I know it could be worse.”
I frown. “You don't need to make jokes.”
“Who’s joking? Truly, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me here.” It's her turn to take my face in her hands. “How are you?”
“As good as I can be.” I try to offer a brave smile, but I know it's nothing near what I need it to be. Tears fill my eyes, and I can't blink them back before they spill over onto my cheeks.
“My poor girl.” She kisses my forehead.
“I wish I knew why this was happening,” I confess in a whisper that I hope he can't hear. His eyes burn holes in the back of my head. How could I have ever thought I loved him? Look what he did to her. And he probably thinks he's a good guy because he didn't kill her. He thinks he's sparing me the pain when all he's doing is causing it.
With her lips against my skin, she whispers, “I tried to warn you, but it wasn't enough.”
“I don't understand,” I breathe as softly as possible.
“Don't trust him. Don't trust anyone in his family. They're the ones who killed your family.”
I don't have time to react, to even speak before a steel band clamps around my waist. No! I want to scream as Christian hauls me to my feet, pulling me away from her, but my throat seems to tighten. No, it’s not long enough.
“No! Not yet!” My voice finally escapes my lips, and I reach for her, our fingers almost touch, but he turns me away from her. She screams, cursing him, but he ignores her just the way he ignores the kicks I land against his shins and knees.