Chapter 4

Posey

Golden rays of sunlight flood through the curtains of my room the next day. I shy away from the brightness, growling under my breath.

Go away morning.

I'm sequestered here in my prison, trying my best to find the positive things in life. Bane likes having the debt he collected close, under his watchful eye.

Last night, I found myself tossing and turning incessantly, the image of Ledger"s dark, captivating eyes haunting my thoughts like a persistent whisper in the night. The way he studied me. The way his strong, tattooed hands ran across his bearded jaw. I wonder how they would feel on the soft skin of my thighs.

A low hum travels through my bones, heating my core. I run my fingers over my chest and slip beneath the covers. I can't get Ledger's eyes out of my mind. My heart flutters in my chest.

But there's a loud knock at my door before I can imagine any further.

I hate the mornings here at Bane's mansion. Heck, I hate every moment I'm here in this house that is way too big. Way too cold. It's more of a complex in the hills of Saint Pierce. Where the infamous Bane Delgado resides, awaiting trial, a GPS device wrapped securely around his ankle.

Most days he pays me no attention, and I'm able to roam freely. Bane knows I won't run away. He knows he owns me.

"Bane wants you to join him for breakfast," Lazarus calls out, his resounding voice echoing from the hallway into the confines of my chamber.

"On my way." I swing my legs to where I'm sitting on the bed and rise to my feet. I hate the days when I need to join Bane for breakfast.

He terrifies me.

Most days, he forgets I exist since he's always busy with meetings and running his empire which means I get to escape to the library and spend my time daydreaming about a different life. A more exciting life. A life where I get to choose who I marry.

Don't get me wrong. I want to marry Bane. I have to. A daughter always wants to help out her father. Right?

I quickly toss on a flowered sundress and scrub my face. With a deft hand, I comb through my cascading chestnut locks, ensuring they fall just right. As soon as I deem myself presentable, I rush downstairs, not wanting to be late. Bane hates tardiness.

Chills skate across my spine when I spot him at the dining room table. There's nobody around, and he sits there, his eyes fixed on me.

"Good morning, my precious flower," he says, his voice smooth and calculated, every inflection meticulously controlled.

Bile churns in my empty stomach, and I try my hardest to smile back at him. It's strained. Forced. Altogether ghastly I'm sure. However, Bane barely registers me once I step closer.

"Morning," I say, pretending that everything is okay. I sit down, and there's already a plate with eggs Benedict waiting for me.

I slice into my food and bring a bite to my lips, the silence stretching between us is deafening to my own ears.

"Ledger Thorne watched you last night while you were at the club," Bane says.

It's not a question. It isn't anything more than a statement, but it causes me to choke down my food and grab my water to wash it down.

Once I've lowered my glass, I smile. "He did," I say, not wanting to give too much away. I wonder if Bane can tell I'm attracted to Ledger just by the look on my face.

Stoic. I need to remain stoic.

"I trust him," he says as he bites into his piece of toast.

I nod, not agreeing or disagreeing, because I don't know how he'll react. I could say I trust Ledger too, and he could accuse me of wanting to fuck him. Which I do, but still. So, once again, I remain stoic.

Bane studies me from across the table, and I force myself to eat. He taps at his phone, and Lazarus enters the room. "How are things going?" he asks Lazarus.

Lazarus takes one look at me and then focuses back on Bane. "We've had a few issues with the…" his words fall away as he stares at me once more.

"She's fine. She wouldn't dare tell anyone anything she overhears here at my home, right?" Bane raises a brow as his eyes bore into mine.

I nod. "Right."

Bane laughs a sinister laugh. "She knows if she did it would be the last words she ever spoke."

After that I tune them out. My mind can't focus on anything other than the fact I'm forever trapped in my cage. Never to know the taste of freedom ever again.

I should make peace with it.

I need to accept my fate.

Once Lazarus has left the room, Bane's attention falls on me once more.

"We'll be getting married soon. Here. In the backyard."

I glance out the window, overlooking the yard. The estate grounds are larger than Danbury Park. It would be the place I would imagine our wedding being anyway. "I think getting married here is a good idea. You won't have many issues with security."

Bane blinks, and it makes my skin crawl. Sure, Bane could be good-looking in another lifetime, but not in this one. He's too cold. Too sinister. Too not my type.

I drop a sugar cube into my teacup and stir it with my spoon. "We should start planning." I make an effort to appear happy, just like any blushing bride who is planning their wedding should be.

He nods. "Fine. Why don't you and Bridgette plan things while I work?"

I take a sip of my tea. "Okay, thank you."

Bridgette is his assistant and house manager. She's the woman who keeps this place running like clockwork. She's older, probably early sixties, and quite possibly the only ally I have in this house. Not that I trust her at all.

After breakfast, I head back to my room to grab a few things before I meet with Bridgette to plan the wedding. I glance at my phone and open my message thread with Ledger and think about last night.

Once we were alone in the room, things went downhill. I can barely even remember why. I think it was because he was so put out by having to watch me. I don't blame him.

Who would want the task of watching Bane Delgado's fiancée?

But I thought we were getting along. A small part of me thought maybe he was enjoying his time with me.

How silly I am.

I stare at his message.

Maybe.

Does that mean a small part of him had been missing me? Is it crazy that I want to find out?

I don't know how to handle everything going on inside me. I just want to feel close to him.

To talk to him once more.

So, I bring my fingers to the keypad and think of something to say. He told me to contact him if I remembered anything, so I close my eyes and think back to the night I was attacked, something I've mostly avoided until now. As I attempt to recall every minor detail, something happens.

A smell overcomes me. It wafts through my memory.

It was like a certain cigar.

Just before the attack, I noticed the aroma of the cigar. Could that be something?

I remembered something about the night I was attacked. Can we meet?

Not long after, my phone beeps with Ledger's reply.

Name the place, and I'll be there.

Now I just need to figure out how I can get to him.