That might complicate things a bit. Escaping some cabin in the woods and making my way back to New York is one thing. Making my way across an entire ocean is quite another.
My new friends share a look, and when Juliet faces me again, her expression is full of sympathy. “Look, I’m not going to try and talk you out of doing whatever you need to do but you should know that getting off this island isn’t easy. So far, I’ve only ever heard of one ship coming or going from this place, and that ship is run by a bunch of lumberjacks who are also Daddies. Even if you could sneak onto their boat, they’d catch you, and then you’d be stuck with a bunch of pervy mountain men until Uncle Gideon could come get you.”
My stomach drops. This is going to be even more difficult than I realized. “Well, I can’t just stay here. I didn’t work my whole life to get a spot in the New York City ballet just to give it all up for… this.”
“It’s not so bad,” Tori offers up with a shy smile. “You might even like it here, if you gave it a chance.”
“Not gonna happen. One way or another, I’m getting the fuck off this island, if it’s the last thing I do.”
* * *
Gideon
One way or another, I’m getting the fuck off this island if it's the last thing I do.
Still gripping the baby monitor in my hand, I stare down at the screen, watching my Little girl conspire with her friends.
So the sweet little doll act is exactly that—an act. Isabella is simply biding her time, attempting to lure me into a false sense of security while she searches for an escape she’ll never find.
Well, she’s about to learn that two can play that game. And in this house, Daddy always wins.
Setting the monitor on the end table beside me, I turn my attention to Jasper and Maxwell, both of whom are watching me with raised brows.
“That was a rather… enlightening conversation,” Maxwell says, his lips twitching slightly. “I guess our newest addition isn’t quite as docile as she seems.”
“No, I suppose not. I must admit, I’m a bit curious to see what she comes up with.”
“Should I let Evander know to put his men on alert just in case she manages to slip past you?”
“That might not be a bad idea.” Though I have no intention of letting my little doll give me the slip, Victoria and Juliet have both proven already that Little girls can be more creative than any of us realized when it comes to sneaking around. “Might as well let Axel and his crew know as well. Seeing as how Juliet has now planted that seed in Isabella’s mind.”
Jasper relaxes against the couch, a grin spreading across his face. “Would you like me to teach my naughty girl a lesson about speaking out of turn?”
“No. Not just yet, anyway. I don’t want Isabella to know I was listening. The longer we let them believe those conversations are safe from us, the more we’ll learn.”
“And I thought I was the devious one,” Maxwell says with a low chuckle.
Tossing his head back, Jasper joins in with his laughter. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
I can hardly be offended, considering they have a point. My little Isabella wouldn’t be the first person to underestimate me simply because I am not as openly aggressive as Maxwell, or as slickly charming as Jasper.
No, I much prefer to wait and watch. Learning everything I can about my prey before I strike.
And I obviously have much, much more to learn about my little doll.
“Speaking of…” Maxwell sits up straighter in his chair, his expression sobering. “We need to have a talk about your methods. Did you really drug and kidnap her?”
I knew this moment would come, but I am not a man accustomed to being questioned. If anyone but Maxwell was doing the interrogating, I wouldn’t even entertain it.
But it is Maxwell, my oldest and closest friend, so I settle in, meeting his gaze head-on. “Yes. And as long as we’ve known each other, you should know that if I say it was the only way, then it was. I’ve been watching her for months, Maxwell. Since well before you brought Victoria to the island, and I considered every plan of action before I made my move.”
Sighing, Maxwell scrubs a hand over his face. “There wasn’t a single other option? Blackmail worked surprisingly well for Jasper and I. Surely your Little one has some skeletons in her closet she’d rather keep hidden there.”
“I did briefly consider that. She was keeping her fellow ballerinas supplied with the illegal drugs many of them use to keep their weight in the unacceptably low range the ballet demands. But I worried if I approached her with that, she’d go running to Typhon without realizing he’s the type to eliminate a threat immediately rather than help her.”
Tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, Maxwell seems to consider this information while Jasper watches on silently. “I trust you,” he says at last. “It certainly isn’t my preferred method, but if I can trust anyone to have looked at a problem from all possible angles and to take the precautions necessary to ensure her disappearance can’t be traced to us, it’s you.”
“I appreciate that. I am sorry I didn’t tell you of my plans sooner.”
