Chapter
15

Caesar’s fingers pressed into my neck as he pulled me from the car. I struggled against him, terrified of the glass and steel high-rise we stood before. His response was to tighten his fingers and clasp my arm to his side.

“Nowhere to run that I couldn’t find you, Ash,” he whispered in my ear. His harsh words made me choke back a sob. A uniformed doorman in slate and gold stood at the door and looked straight forward. Caesar, ignoring the doorman, let go of me and slapped me across the face. The sting swelled into throbbing. I buckled to the side, but he stopped me from falling.

The doorman never said a word.

“How’re the kids, Thomas?” Caesar asked, his voice loud in my ear, and I cringed.

“Getting bigger every day, Mr. St. Clair. Would you like catering to bring your dinner up tonight?” Thomas asked.

“That would be perfect. I’d like the chef to make me something hearty,” Caesar said.

As if he hadn’t struck me in front of anyone, Caesar pulled me through the door Thomas held open, Sean coming behind us. Black tile with threads of gold through the marble met my gaze when we walked in, our steps echoing around us. Sean sped by us to the elevator and pressed the up symbol.

“Everyone is settled,” he told Caesar. The glass doors of the elevator slid open and we got inside before Sean put a key in a golden panel and turned it. A ‘P’ lit up as the doors slid closed.

“Welcome home, Mr. St. Clair. The temperature is a comfortable seventy-three degrees. Tonight’s low will be sixty-four. Your catering order has been logged by user Thomas and will arrive at your door by seven p.m. Are there any further requests at this time?” a feminine, mechanical voice asked in the elevator.

“No, Kim.”

“I will see you at home, sir.”

I searched the elevator for a speaker but saw nothing. I supposed the voice was Kim. We steadily rose, each floor peeking into a long, hotel-like corridor with numbered doors. As the elevator climbed, I spied a button with 180 on it. How many floors did this man have? After a few more moments, the doors slid open without a sound and Caesar pulled me out with him. My cheek still stung, but I sucked up the tears. Our steps were silent on the plush black carpet as we took the short walk to a wide, golden door with a knob in the center. A panel to the side of the door housed a black screen, and Sean pressed his hand against it. A bright-blue handprint lit up as thin, blue lines scanned from top to bottom and left to right before a click sounded.

Sean pushed the door open. “After you.”

I noticed the windows first when we stepped inside. From floor to ceiling, the large, glass panes gave an amazing view of other high-rise buildings and the wide-open sky. The dark and gold interior in the lower floors didn’t extend to Caesar’s penthouse. Here, there were wild splashes of color. A thick, chocolate sofa and chaise sat on a red throw rug to match the pillows on the furniture. Dark hardwood flooring spanned the rest of the floor. A large fireplace and mantle, with a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall above it, were to the right of the living room.

I’d never known this sort of money. I’d known my father’s money was there, but I hadn’t planned on using it to have a place like this. It would have most likely sapped up the dent he’d left behind. Sean exited the room with a comment that he’d be in the office, leaving me alone with Caesar.

He turned me toward him. “The exit to the elevator is controlled by handprint, and you need a key to get off this floor.” He didn’t have to explain to me I couldn’t go anywhere. He’d made that obvious downstairs. Framing my face with his hands, Caesar forced my eyes to his. “Still nowhere to run, Ash.”

I tore my gaze away and stared at his mantle. A framed picture of a dark-haired girl, maybe in her teens, with a bright smile caught my attention. Her eyes were deep and wide.

“Who is she?” I asked, needing to change the subject. Thinking of my captivity would only drive me crazy. Here, even more than in the cabin, I couldn’t get away. He’d trapped me more, and the thought of that tore me to pieces.

“She’s not your business.”

He turned away from me and gripped my hand before I could say anything else. Unable to fight with him, I let him drag me to the stairs to the right of the room and up to the next floor. At least I’d have my own space. I could forget I belonged to him. Maybe I’d have a chance to think and clear my head.

“Ah,” he said at the top of the landing. He snapped his fingers and shook his head. “I said that wrong. I should have said our room.”

I hated him. From the soles of his feet, to the top of his head. I hated that he found new ways to make me feel desperate and lost. I stopped, refusing to go any further.

“Kill me now. I’m not playing this game anymore.”

He inched around until he faced me and glared. “I don’t have time for this shit right now. I’ve got things to take care of. Get your ass in gear.”

His thunderous demand made my throat dry, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t accept the pain and let him take me over. My life had been nothing but what people needed from me. My mother had needed her drugs. My brother, a way to feed his habit and need for money. Jason needed my body and my pain. Tamara, to save her. And Caesar? Caesar wanted it all until there was nothing left for me. Even with my family gone, I still had to contend with him, and he needed the most.

I couldn’t do it.

Before he could stop me, I threw myself toward the stairs.

“Fuck!” he yelled.

I heard his steps, but I laughed. I laughed in his fucking face, and then screamed when I hit the first step. The edge caught my back, a paralyzing sting stiffening my legs and taking my breath away. But in my head, I still laughed. My gaze caught his, and I told him goodbye. I dared him to do worse than I could do to myself. In slow motion, he reached for me as my body flew to the next step. The weaker muscles in my neck throbbed and my head rocked back. Stars swam in my vision as the back of my skull cracked the next step.

And then Caesar’s fist bunched into my shirt, stopping me.

“I choose when you die, cunt. Do you fucking hear me? It’s fucking my choice.”

“There is more than one way to escape,” I told him as my vision darkened.

“Stay awake. You look at me and answer me.”

I smiled, allowing the abyss to swallow me whole.