I don't reach for the sandwich. Instead, I push the plate away, my eyes locked on Toni's. “No.”
I can't afford to be naive in this situation, to blindly accept food offered by my captor. My safety depends on my vigilance.
Toni sighs, squatting in front of me. “You need to eat, bella,” she says, gaze flitting around my face. “It's been over twenty-four hours since your last meal.”
I glower at her. “Believe it or not,Antonia,” I say, voice firm, edging on combative, “I’m not particularly hungry these days.” I glance down at the plate of food. “Plus, I don’t wish to be slowly poisoned.”
Toni perks up an amused brow. “Poisoned? Bella… Why are you telling yourself so many awful stories?” She places a warmpalm on my cheek, pouting. “It is important in situations such as these to remain optimistic.” I tense under her touch as she adds, “I am not a very patient woman, Emery Jones. If I wanted to kill you, I would use a much faster method. So please,” she pulls away from me, “eat.”
My stomach betrays me as it grumbles. “Fine.”
Toni’s gaze remains fixed on me as I devour the scaccia like a starved animal. A grin spreads across her face as she brings her thumb to the corner of my lip and wipes away several crumbs.
“See? Don’t you feel better now?”
“I’d feel better if you unchained me,” I say, glancing down at the lock around my ankle. “It hurts.”
A twinge of empathy briefly dances across her features. “Unfortunately, that is one request I cannot fulfill.”
I push myself up to my feet, my muscles sore and aching. “Then I’d like to go to the restroom.”
Toni stands up, her gaze floating to a metal bucket behind me.
My eyes widen. “Seriously? No. I’m not going to go in a fucking bucket.” I point to a door I’m fairly sure leads to a bathroom. “I’d like a real toilet.”
Toni’s expression is hesitant and something inside tells me to channel Luna. And so I do.
With a subtle tilt of my chin, I glance up at Toni through smudged lashes. “Please, Toni… I won’t run. I-I promise I won’t. You can… You can watch me.”
She swallows, checking the main door to the basement. For Simone, most likely. I have yet to discern the nature of their relationship. Lovers, no doubt. But what else? Perhaps I can use their ambiguity to my advantage. Given the way Toni looks at me, often for a moment too long, I’d bet on the fact that she’s intrigued.
But would I bet my life on it?
At this point, I might have to.
“Fine. Quickly.” Toni finally gives in, removing a key from her back pocket and unlocking the chain. Instant relief washes over me as she frees my ankle. Toni places her hand on the small of my back. “Go. Walk.”
With a slight animated limp, I hobble toward the bathroom, Toni’s hand remaining on my exposed skin. She leans over, and twists the knob for me, opening the door. The bathroom is small and grimy, but it has everything I need. A sink, a mirror, a toilet, and a shower.
As I step into the bathroom, I turn to face the sink, and my jaw drops, a loud gasp slipping past my lips. “Oh my God.” My eyes widen as I examine the bruises and stitched wound on the side of my forehead. “Did you sew this?”
Toni leans against the threshold of the bathroom, arms crossed, her gaze anywhere but on me. “Last night. After the recording. You were already asleep.”
I spin around, facing her, brows furrowed. “You repeatedly pushed a needle through my skin, and I didn’t wake up?”
Toni gives me a lazy shrug. “No.”
I purse my lips. “You drugged me.”
So I wouldn’t feel the pain? Or so that, if I screamed, no one would hear me?
Another shrug. “Perhaps.” She turns her back to me. “Do your business. Quickly.”
Refusing to feel embarrassed that Toni can hear me pee, I hike the various layers of my dress up and sit down, forcing myself to finish as soon as possible. After I flush and wash my hands, I look back in the mirror, the reflection a terrifying, dirty mess. The hem of this once pristine and expensive gown is tattered and filthy, my skin stained with patches of soil and blood.
I shouldn’t push her too fast too soon. It could backfire. It could ruin any chances of securing my freedom. But I don’t have time for the slow approach. I don’t have time to be cautious.
And so, I test her boundaries.
