Chapter Forty-Seven
Kiyah
I jolted awake and flew right up—a catastrophic mistake. Sharp and immediate pain bloomed behind my eyes. The pain was so intense that I had barely sensed the familiar iron taste of blood on my tongue. My fingertips pressed against my temples, and the ringing in my ears made it difficult to think. My jaw and nose felt like they were on fire. Gently, I pressed a finger to my nose, pulled it away, and grimaced at the blood.
I glanced around the room, and my heart seized when I realized where I was, and my memory pieced together like a film reel.
I was in my old bed… in Todd’s home.
The mattress was the same plush firmness I remembered; the sheets were soft, high-thread-count, smelling faintly of lavender and whatever detergent the housekeeper favored. And for half of a blessed second, I thought maybe I was dreaming. I wasn’t. I was living in a nightmare that I thought only happened on the silver screen.
I closed my eyes and remembered it all: the call that I was now certain was orchestrated, the collision, the gun, running, and…Todd.
And this time? I don’t know if I’ll be able to escape him.
I swung my heavy legs over the side of the bed, and the room tilted so hard that I had to brace myself against the nightstand to keep from toppling over. My heart slammed against my ribs as I pushed myself upright and crossed the room on unsteady legs. The furniture was exactly where it had always been, with an upholstered chair by the window that Todd claimed Anna loved and saved from an antique thrift shop.
I reached the window and stopped cold.
There were bars.
Thick, black metal bars were fitted neatly into the frame, close enough together that I couldn’t slip my hand through no matter how hard I tried. I touched them, and they were real. Logically, I knew, but somewhere in the realm of “there’s no way this could be happening” and “my life might end here,” I thought I owed it to myself to try.
I gravitated from the window to the door. My hand trembled around the handle. I twisted it, and a chill slid down my spine when my suspicion was confirmed. It was locked, and I was Todd’s prisoner.
“Help me,” I whispered hoarsely, knowing any attempts to scream were futile. Help wasn’t coming, and the only chance in hell I had to make it back to my family was by fighting my way out.
Grant….
The devastation overcame me as I considered what my disappearance would do to him. He’d spiral into an abyss he wouldn’t be able to claw himself out of.
No, I can’t think like that. All of this is temporary because he’ll come find me. He’ll know that I wouldn’t just up and leave him like that—not after committing to making it work.
I paced the room for what felt like hours when the lock clicked. I turned just as Todd stepped inside, and the bastardhad the audacity to look pleased with himself. He glanced around the room like a man admiring a successful renovation.
“I was hoping you’d be awake,” he said, closing the door behind him.
My pulse roared in my ears as he strolled farther into the room. He took his time—like a predator, and swept his eyes over me like I was a prized artifact on an auction block.
“I considered putting you in the basement, but I thought to myself, basements are so… unimaginative. And then I figured you’d be more comfortable in your bedroom—with a few adjustments, of course.”
“You kidnapped me,” I said. My voice came out rough, but steady. Todd did not scare me, but his reach did.
Todd smiled. “I did not kidnap you, Kiyah. I merely retrieved you. You belong here with Pete and me. He has been asking for you.”
He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell his luxury cologne that nearly made me gag.
“And don’t get any ideas about fleeing. You’d have to know I’m keeping a close eye on your family.”
My face remained unchanged at his revelation, and I could tell from the slight twitch of his jaw that he was pissed that I wasn’t sliding down the walls and begging for my family’s safety in exchange for my compliance.
“How is Daisy recovering?” he asked, cool mask returning.
“She’s doing well. I take that back. She’s louder and bossier than before—thanks for that.”
He smiled tightly. “Daisy is stubborn, and I’m beginning to believe all Baker women are.”
I didn’t answer him. I knew what this was. This was the part in his villain arc where he tried to unravel me by using my family against me. The best thing I could do was let him talk until he grew bored with me.