Adelina

It was the first time I slept through the night.

Tristan didn’t wake me up in the dead of night to fuck me. My stomach didn’t growl with hunger. I wasn’t scared of Cane bursting through the door just to choke me. When my eyes closed, they didn’t open again. I slept better than I had in a long time.

When I woke up the following morning, the sun came through the window at my bedside. I could see the cathedral in all its glory, sparkling in the light of the sun. Its stained-glass windows looked even more glorious than they did the night before.

I’d never had plans to see Italy, but now that I was here, I realized what a treasure it was. I could see the fields in the distance, the grape leaves hanging from the vines. People walked down the cobblestone streets with their morning coffee in hand. There was something about the atmosphere here that I adored. Everything moved slowly. People didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere like they did in America.

If I weren’t a captive, I’d probably be thrilled to wake up to such a beautiful morning.

I would stay in my bedroom all day to avoid Cane, but I really had to pee. Plus, I was hungry. Last night, he proved to me that I was dead-on about his character. He wasn’t a monster like the others. He might be rough around the edges, but there were certain lines he wouldn’t cross. He had a heart inside that rock-hard chest of his. It might be small and almost unnoticeable, but it was there.

I was lucky.

My time with Cane would only last thirty-one days, but I was grateful for the break. It was pretty much a vacation for me. I wouldn’t have to be fucked in the ass in the middle of the night as I sobbed into the sheets. I could eat whenever I wanted. I could use the bathroom like a human being.

It was a dream come true.

I cracked the door and peered into the hallway. I didn’t hear a peep from the apartment, so perhaps he was still asleep. I went into the bathroom and did my business then washed my face in the sink. I’d had a shower the day before, but it was such a privilege to have the cold water splash onto my face.

I walked back into the living room and ventured into the kitchen. Cane was sitting at the dining table with his laptop and papers scattered around him. There was also a peculiar syringe right beside him.

I wasn’t sure if he noticed me. If he didn’t, I was going to try to disappear once more. After last night, any interaction we had would be awkward. I was stuck with him for a month so I needed to make the best of it—but that seemed unlikely.

“Eat.” He didn’t take his eyes off his work. “I made you a plate. Sit down.”

I noticed the plate beside him, two scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon, and toast.

“Coffee is on the counter. I’m not making that for you.” He sipped his mug then typed on the keyboard.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had coffee. That sounded so delicious. I poured myself a mug and added a little creamer before I sat down. The second my butt touched the chair, he stuck the needle into my arm and hit the clicker on top. The needle went in and implanted something right unde my skin.

“What the hell?” I swatted his arm away and looked at the tiny drop of blood that formed from the wound.

“A tracker.” He turned back to his computer like nothing had just happened.

“A tracker?”

“Yeah. I have a friend who uses one. Swears by it.”

“A lot of your friends hold women against their will?”

He smiled like it was a joke. “Just my brother.”

“Disgusting.” My craving for my coffee had disappeared, but I drank it anyway. Cane pissed me off, but he was tolerable. I could sit at the dining table and eat like a human being. He treated me with more dignity and respect than other men I’d come across during my tenure in Europe. But I refused to show him too much respect, because if he really were a good person, he would offer to help me.

But he never did.

“I’m disgusting, huh?” he asked. “How about I knock your food on the ground? See who’s disgusting then.”

I’d eat it right off the ground. I didn’t care. “Do it. Food is food.”

He finally turned his eyes on me, seeming interested in what I said. He hadn’t shaved his face last night, so his beard was a little thicker. He had a nice jaw, the kind I saw in movies and TV. He had nice teeth too, perfectly straight and white. His dark brown hair nearly looked black, and it was cut short and close to his scalp. But if I ran my fingers through it, I suspected there would be enough length for me to play with.

I should look away from his gaze, but I didn’t. I chose to look into his green eyes and marvel at how pretty they were. Eyes like that didn’t happen every generation. He really had something special, something unique. I wondered if his brother shared the same characteristics. “Why do you need a slave when you can get any girl you want?” I had no right to ask him anything, but since I was subjected to his company, I was curious. He really didn’t need me at all. He was wealthy and attractive. He could hit on a girl in a bar and have her stay for the weekend.

“Get any girl I want, huh?” he asked as he turned back to his computer. “Thanks for the compliment, but that’s not accurate.”

“I doubt it.” If she didn’t know about his criminal activities, she would have no reason to be prejudiced. If I had met him under different circumstances, I’d probably go on a date with him. He might even score at the end of the night.

“I can’t get you, right?” He didn’t speak with bitterness, just calm honesty.

“Well…” When I couldn’t think of anything better to say, I drank my coffee. When he came into my room and pressed his face between my legs, it was the first time I felt that heat burn in my blood. His tongue felt good right against my clit. None of Tristan’s men had tried to make me feel good. All they did was try to break me so they could get off to my tears.

He changed the subject when we reached a dead end. “I’m moving in to my new place this afternoon. We’ll be there for a few days until I return you to Tristan. I have too much stuff to do right now to take off again.”

I was just about to sip my coffee when I digested his words. “What do you mean, return me to Tristan?”

He was quiet for a long time as he finished reading something on his computer. It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything at all. “Our arrangement didn’t work out the way I wanted—as you’ve figured out. There’s no point in me keeping you.”

“But you’re supposed to keep me for thirty-one days.”

“I’m aware,” he said coldly. “But I guess I don’t have as much of a backbone as I thought. The shipment is on its way, but it hasn’t reached him yet. I can still pull out, so there’s no harm done.”

I couldn’t go back to that nightmare, not this soon. I could finally eat when I wanted and sleep all through the night. I didn’t have to walk on eggshells or be terrified anymore. Cane didn’t need to have his hand wrapped around my throat to have a decent conversation with me.

I couldn’t go back.

I couldn’t handle it.

Cane closed his laptop and organized his folders. “My driver is picking us up in an hour. Be ready by then.” He left the table and took his things with him.

I stayed behind with my uneaten plate. I suddenly lost my appetite, which was a miracle considering the fact that I’d been starved for so long. Steam drifted from my coffee up to the ceiling, and I watched it drift past my face. A pain formed in the pit of my stomach and anxiety seeped in. I’d only been Tristan’s prisoner for a short period of time, but the idea of returning to that terrible place gave me anxiety.

I didn’t want him to touch me.

I didn’t want him to hurt me.

I didn’t want anyone to be near me.