I was in a bed, cushioned, bandaged, and yet in better condition than I remembered. Surely in the time since I reached that boat and its loud music and voices, he had had ample time to hurt me, should he wish to. Maybe I wasn’t safe, but I didn’t feel in danger either, only wary.
The mattress dipped on both sides of my head, his arms caging me in. Warmth radiated off his body, even though we weren’t touching.
“I’m not a patient man. I’m not a forgiving man either. When I ask you something, you will answer. Are we clear?”
My brows furrowed from the apathy in his voice, something not even the doctor had received. Something so contradictory to how he’d spoken to me while holding me. Had I misjudged him?
“Your hospitality is lacking.”
“My hospitality is the only reason you still live. Your name.”
My answer had not changed from earlier, but now I felt trapped. I exhaled shakily and tried to sink further into the pillow and mattress. That lack of fear from earlier was gone. His voice no longer calmed me.
“I have no qualms about snapping your neck. In fact, it would simplify a great deal for me to do so right now. Give me your name.”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
“It’s in your best interest to try damn harder. Or things will become very unpleasant for you.”
His sudden switch to English was giving me whiplash, especially with how perfect it was with just a hint of an accent.
“Didn’t you hear me? I don’t have a clue who I am. Your doctor lady got it. Jump on that ride.”
“An act.”
I snorted with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’m not that good of an actor.”
“Oh? You said you didn’t know yourself.” His shoes scuffed along the tile as he moved around the bed. Some of the bed sheets followed the movement. “Yet somehow you managed to convince my sister to proclaim your personalized treatment by the De Villiers while half-conscious and half-drowned. Somehow you knowmyname.”
There wasn’t a question there, so I let him stew. His groan made it clear he didn’t like my avoidance. Well, too fucking bad. I didn’t like being harassed and yelled at while trying to make sense of everything else. How he expected me to remember his name when I didn’t remember my own was beyond me.
The bed creaked as he leaned in close. His hot breath fanned my cheek as he wrapped his hand around my throat and gave a little squeeze. I should have been scared. Maybe I was because my heart was pounding, and yet I still arched into his touch and pressed my hand over his.
“What did you say to Alizé?” he rasped.
“Who?”
He gave my neck another little squeeze. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. I’m not shy about killing. I enjoy it. Man or woman, we all bleed the same. We all break. The weaker, the faster.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that.”
He snorted, my hair lifting with the exhale. My heart roared in my chest as I waited for his retaliation to the insult. My fists tightened, regardless of the pain. I was going to fight if I had to. No matter what, no one would take advantage of me ever again.
Again? The thought unsettled me. As if someone had before? I couldn’t visualize it. There was nothing there to remember. I shook my head in frustration and muffled a cry.
“The best of compliments.” I could’ve sworn that was said with a tinge of humor, but Mr. Snappy came right back on the heels of that small reprieve with added pressure to my throat. “Talk. And talk fast.”
Our breaths mingled, his blended between a mix of wine and his woodsy aftershave. Wetness seeped through the blankets over my lap. The ice chips must have melted. Something clattered softly to the floor with a light rebound. Probably the cup.
My head spun. My thoughts spiraled as my chest heaved. I had no idea what was happening or why. Trapped in a nightmare of my own making and walking a tightrope, ready to go down swinging.
“Is this some kind of sick game?”
“I don’t play games. I don’t need to.”
“Then why are you toying with me?” My body dragged with fatigue. I’d have given anything right then for him to simply leave me be.
“I want answers.”
