I catch a glance at my reflection in the black screen of the television set. Long black hair full of kinks, eyes too big for my face, rail-thin body. Who would want to have sex with me, let alone build whatever kind of relationship I’ve allowed myself to imagine I had with Damien?
I flip to the next picture. It’s Damien, standing in the middle of a jungle.
“You can check the timecode,” says Noel. “That’s where he was while you were lying in your hole in the dirt. Hanging out in the Amazon Forest.”
“Why?” I breathe.
“Next picture,” prompts Noel.
In that one, Damien has his eyes closed, and he’s sitting in a small room. Across from him is Gabriel.
“Taken mid-blink,” chuckles Noel. “Anyway, that’s him hanging out with Gabriel. You know, the guy who tried to kill you twice. Our compound is in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. He went off to meet with Angel while you were dying slowly in the ground. Still think he didn’t order your murder?”
I stare down at the picture. I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.
And yet… it makes sense. So much more sense than the thought that he could actually care for me.
I pass a hand over my face. “Okay,” I finally accept. “Okay. I’ll stay away. I’ll never see him again.”
“Good,” beams Noel. “In that case, you might just live.”
7
Damien
There’s a long silence, broken only by Vincent’s pained groans. Logan is staring at Elias, a mirror of the shock I feel. Elias is shaking, his eyes squeezed shut, probably wondering what’s about to happen to him now that he’s played his trump card. Vincent’s wheezing is deafening, and in that moment, I’ve decided I’ve had enough.
I whirl my arm over to him, and aim my gun at his head. His wheezing turns to a terrified gasp and he cringes.
“What are you doing?” cries Logan. “Leave the kid alone.”
Annoyed, I relax my arm, though I still hold the gun firmly. I can’t help but very begrudgingly admire Logan. Underneath all the bullshit, he has a heart of gold.
“What do you mean, she’s alive?” I growl, facing Elias again. “You’d better not be lying to me…”
“I’m not,” he says.
“Where is she?” I ask, my hand still clenched around the gun, and he eyes it nervously.
“I told you. I’m waiting for the message…”
“I don’t care about a message,” I snarl. “Where is she? What did you do to her? Are you holding her somewhere?”
He looks up at me steadily, a little smile playing at the sides of his mouth. “We didn’t do anything. Well, Gabriel did kidnap her. But before anything could happen to her, Noel and I got her out and let her go. She’s alive and free.”
“Whereisshe? Why didn’t she come find me, if she’s free?”
His smirk deepens. “Guess she didn’t want to.”
I freeze.
“Youhavebeen holding her captive for nearly a year. Why would she come back to you? The minute we let her go, she ran as far away from you as possible.”
“I don’t believe you.” I take a deep breath, willing my voice to remain steady. “I may once have held her captive, but things changed. These past few months…”
I close my eyes briefly, allowing the painful memories to crowd back, just for an instant. The little cocoon of happiness. The days and nights spent together, her body in my arms, drinking in her scent, every moment, touching her, holding her, aching for her. Like an addiction, the more I had her, the more I needed her. I’d gotten to know her in ways I’d never dreamed possible.
Though I hadn’t really gotten to know her all that well, I realize with a sinking feeling. She was always a quiet one. Shehadopened up, speaking more often, even joking occasionally, but she was still far quieter than any girl I had ever met. And I’d never asked her permission, not really. She’d always seemed willing enough, even during her captivity. And that made no sense. What girl would welcome sex from her abductor?
