I stand at the window as the last rays of the sunlight vanish behind the earth. I feel as mercurial as the waves below, trying to figure out my next move.

As I mull over my situation, the sea is as tempestuous as ever it was.

Psssh, passss. Psssh, passss. Psssh, passss.

How difficult it must be to be in the thrall of the moon. Forced to push and pull its massive self, one way and then another, back and forth forever.

Psssh, passss. Psssh, passss. Psssh, passss.

I could listen to the ocean tell the story of its woe for hours. Swirling a tumbler of whiskey, I listen to the faint clinking of the ice cubes. I watch the dark waves recede and then wash over the shore anew.

My mind wanders to Rue. Pretty little thing, though she’s strangely resistant to everything I’ve suggested so far. No real problem for me.

I love a challenge, especially a beautiful one. Has there ever been a woman I wanted and couldn’t have? Running through the list in my head, I can’t think of a single woman that I didn’t win over or buy.

Sighing, I shift my stance, my mind wandering to Rue’s room. I checked to see that she was still in her room earlier. She was, of course. Where else would she go?

Still, I stayed for a while, leaning in the doorway of her room. She lay on the bed, facing away from me. Her long red hair scattered across the pillow. A thin blanket covered her legs. Her chest rose and fell, steady as the ocean’s tides.

Retreating, I find myself here in the office I’ve set up. My fingers still itch with the urge to wake her up, to see her big blue eyes again. In real life, there is always fear and uncertainty in them, but not in my imagination.

No, here everything is perfect. I can grip her shoulders in my hands and stare down into her eyes. My eyes track the gently spray of freckles that cross the arch of her nose. Her long red locks flutter, her pale pink lips part.

Something stirs in me, looking at her like this. Something dark, something that wants to rip her apart. I want to siphon all the purity from her and leave nothing but murkiness and ichor.

If I’m honest with myself, I’m still not sure what to do with her. I imagine her wide blue eyes, looking up at me with… what, understanding?

What woman can understand me when I do not yet understand myself?

I pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaling slowly. My plan to abduct her was hastily constructed, to say the least. In my mind, I would kidnap her, Derrik would notice, and then Rue and I would disappear. Magically, we would reappear sometime later, with Rue looking up at me with love bordering on obsession.

The trouble is, that I forgot to plan what would happen now while we’re lying low.

The part where she falls in love with me. That part is mysterious and unquantifiable to me.

How do I make a young virgin fall for me? I know that I’m handsome, so there is no issue there. So, the next step is to introduce her to the dark, depraved things that turn me on.

Very, very slowly.

She’s so repressed, it might take a while. But something tells me that just covering her mouth and burying myself in her to the hilt won’t put stars in her eyes.

I shift my stance. The thought of just having her… taking her roughly, it turns me on.

But I temper it with a reminder to myself.

Not yet. Not until she begs for me to fuck her. Until that moment, I need to seduce her slowly.

So, for now, I stare out the window onto the darkened beach. All the while, wondering…

Has Father Derrik learned that I’m the villain that took Rue from under his nose?

Does he know who I am yet?

Has he put two and two together and figured out why I seek revenge?

My phone chirps on my desk. I turn away from the window, a sigh on my lips. Setting my tumbler down on my massive, cedar desk, I pick up my phone. Ari is texting, which is good.

It’s about time that he answers some of my questions about the goings-on back in Liechtenstein. I took something quite precious to the Church of the Way and the Light, and I am now waiting impatiently for them to figure that out.

I swipe my thumb impatiently across the phone’s screen.

I’ve tapped F’s phone, Ari says.

Pursing my lips, I frown. Have you learned anything useful?

The three dots appear, meaning that he’s writing back. I wait for his response, which is slow.

He’s enraged about the loss of Rue. He hasn’t figured out where she has gone yet. He blames her for running away. He’s got a few people looking for her on the ground in Liechtenstein.

After thinking for a minute, I type back. I’ll send you a video soon. I’ll need you to forward it to one of his henchmen. Anonymously, of course.

Slipping the phone into my pocket, I take another sip of my whiskey. What I need is video evidence of Rue being kidnapped, which of course doesn’t exist.

What is the next best thing?

A ransom video. I have a video of her in the rumpled white dress, unconscious from the drugs. I filmed it for myself, I’ll admit. There is something powerful in taking what I want, something illicit and erotic.

So, I took a video of her sleeping on the train because I wanted to. Of course, I could film a new video. A ransom demand.

My lips turn upward at the corners. The idea of it seems very appealing.

Rue on her knees, pleading for her life. Fat tears leaving her red-rimmed eyes and rolling down her face. It would make a strong impression on anyone who watched it, I have no doubt.

The more I think about it, the more right it seems. Sure, I’ll have to make certain that there is no identifying information in the video. But that can’t be that hard.

And I can shoot it right now, with my phone. That appeals to me more than anything.

Walking up the stairs to Rue’s room, I consider how I should handle directing her. Should I tell her to play along? Should I genuinely frighten her into making a plea for the tape?

I hesitate outside her bedroom door, looking in. Rue sleeps so peacefully, splayed out on her bed. It occurs to me that no matter what I do, the faint sound of the ocean will be audible.

That’s not much for Father Derrik to go on, but it is something.

Is it worth the risk, however small, that Father Derrik might find us? Stealing into Rue’s room, I look down on her as she sleeps. Her brow puckers, her lips pursing as if she is about to say something. Then her expression smoothes out, her delicate eyebrows losing their arch.

She’s dreaming. But what does she dream of?

I want her to dream of me, only of me. But I can’t believe that just yet.

No, there is much more work to be done if I’m going to entirely enchant her. Work that won’t happen if Father Derrik interrupts us. Therefore, a new video is too risky.

With a silent sigh, I leave Rue to her dreams. I walk back downstairs to my office and pull my phone out, searching for the video I already have. Thumbing through video clips, I find the one I’m looking for.

I can’t help but watch it a few times. Rue is passed out, slumped awkwardly against the train seat. In the video, I’m on screen, although you never see my face. I watch myself turn her over with gentle hands, caressing her face. Her freckled skin looks pale as death beside my own darker hands.

She’s so fragile, so vulnerable. Even if she was awake, she wouldn’t put up much fuss if I decided to fuck her. Hell, I could’ve easily killed her, crushed her windpipe with one big hand.

Just watching this, I can feel myself getting hard.

Steady, I remind myself. Take your time in seducing her. There is nothing to be gained by forcing yourself on her, momentary pleasure aside.

I pause the video, then send it in an email to myself. I will need to destroy any identifying information encoded into the video before I send it to Ari. Then Ari will work his magic, making sure someone that reports to Father Derrik sees it.

That’s where the fun begins, in my humble estimation. At least then Father Derrik will realize what sort of game I’m playing… and that I hold the most valuable piece.

I have Rue. I have her sister.

And he has nothing.

I smile to myself, looking for my tumbler of whiskey.