Page 46 of Pas de Trois
I dreamt that the four families took Anya from me, pinned her down, cut her stomach open, and took her baby as she screamed and bled. But the baby wasn’t theirs to take. It didn’t belong to them.
He belonged to us.
He was my baby boy.
My son.
Same green eyes and sandy blond hair.
He was undeniably, unquestionably mine.
But now, reality’s back to bite me in the ass. Luca and Renata are opening the door to my cage.
“I have no intention to harm you right now, Ezra,” Renata says as Luca pulls the transparent door all the way open, stepping back and allowing Renata to fill the space to stand in front of me. “But if you try to fight or run, you will regret it. There’s simply no need for such incivility here.”
I give Luca a once over as she speaks. He’s shirtless, but he’s wearing jeans and a black leather collar—a slave if I ever saw one. But he doesn’t seem frightened of her. He doesn’t even seem to show any hatred or disdain for simply being a captive and in her presence. My eyes narrow on him in my scrutiny because I don’t understand what I’m seeing.
“I want to see Anya,” I tell her.
She sighs. “You’ll see her around. Although I don’t have any reason to offer you assurance, I will tell you that she’s fine if that troubles you. She’s with our family doctor now.”
“Where?” I climb to my feet, stepping toward her. “I want to see her.”
She purses her lips. “You’re in no place to make demands of me. If you cooperate and do as you’re told, then you might get to see her this evening at dinner.”
“What do you want from me?”
“You already know what I want from you,” she says with a crooked smile. “Come with me. Don’t keep me waiting.” She turns on her heel and strides toward the staircase, high heels clicking along the cement floor.
Luca stands there, waiting for me to follow Renata, so I do. But not without glancing over my shoulder every few steps to keep an eye on him. I don’t like having this guy behind me.
We arrive in the kitchen at the top of the basement steps. Renata closes the door behind Luca and types in a code on the keypad to lock it shut, hiding it behind the drywall.
A secret basement to keep women captive.
These people are fucking nuts, and Vigo was a straight up psychopath. But when I remember that my girl killed him, a slight smile twitches in the corner of my lips and I have to hide it. He tried to end her, but she won that battle and ended him instead. It reminds me that she’s strong enough to win the whole damn war if we can just figure out how to do it.
“I assume you’re hungry,” Renata says.
Is she asking or telling me?
I shrug.
She reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a small plate. It’s stark white, just like the rest of the kitchen.
“Did Luca introduce himself?” she asks, nodding toward her collared slave. She reaches into the fridge and pulls out a large bowl covered in plastic wrap. “You should get to know each other. You’ll be serving me as he does.”
“And how exactly will that be?” I ask slowly.
She looks over her shoulder at me and smiles. “Have patience. The fun is yet to come.” She pulls the plastic wrap off the bowl and grabs a serving spoon, scooping fresh fruit onto the small plate. “Luca, come. Eat.”
She lifts the plate from the counter and bends, setting it down on the floor beside her.
What the fuck?
Luca circles the short side of the oversized kitchen island, going around to the other side where Renata stands. Then, he lowers, disappearing behind the island. I must be misunderstanding because I think he’s down on the floor, eating fruit off a plate like a dog.
What in the actual fuck?
