14. Raven

14

RAVEN

"I see you're recovering nicely."

I jerked at the sound of his voice. After several days of being cooped up in this room with only a single window to look out, I was going stir-crazy. I'd hoped to be able to escape, but that plan was quickly dashed when I realized that not only was the window barred, but the door was locked from the outside, and there was nearly always a guard on duty. I had no choice but to stew in my anger for days on end.

I spent my time wondering if Nicholas was looking for me, or if he had even survived the explosion. He'd come for me, and that meant more than anything. After what I had done to him, I wouldn't have been surprised if he threw up his hands and walked away. But he hadn't. He'd shown up for me and risked his life, and now I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

"Pouting isn't very becoming."

The man walked into the room and took a seat in an armchair. I bet he thought I was lucky to be staying in such a nice place. "I'm not pouting. I'm planning my escape."

A chuckle left his lips as he crossed one leg over the other. "And what makes you so certain you'll escape?"

"I'm very determined."

"To get back to the man you call a boyfriend? He's nothing but a gun for hire."

It was interesting that he knew who I was talking about. I decided to see what else I could find out. "He's more than a gun for hire."

"Yes, a former police officer turned private security. What would you want with a man like him?"

"Well, for starters, he's never kidnapped me."

"If he wanted to keep you, maybe he should have."

"I'm not interested in a man who thinks of me as property."

"I think you fail to understand that what you want plays very little into this scenario. I wanted you and I made a deal with Zavala to keep you."

The satisfied look on his face only angered me further, but I tried to keep my wits about me. It would do me no good to insult the man and get on his bad side. I had to walk a fine line of keeping my independence as much as possible while playing to his vanity.

"And who are you exactly?"

"Benjamin White."

"And are you in the business of kidnapping women and taking them hostage?"

"Hardly," he laughed. "I am a businessman, though."

"Stealing other people's fortunes, no doubt."

"Only when the fortune is ripe for the taking."

"And what will you do with me now that I'm here with you?"

"Whatever I want," he grinned. "That's the beauty of it."

"Aren't you worried someone will come looking for me?"

"Who? That private security hulk? He doesn't care about you."

"He did stage a rescue."

"Yes, stage is the correct word. If he really wanted you back, he would have succeeded." He leaned forward, staring at me curiously. "Tell me, what is it that he has that keeps you interested?"

"Well, for one, he's never kidnapped me."

"Yes, you said that was a sticking point, but what else?"

"He's handsome."

"Check," he said, as if checking off his own qualities.

"He's decent."

"I can be decent."

"He's interested in more than my looks."

"And that's important to you?"

"Well, it would be nice if a man did more than stare at my breasts."

He nodded, staring at the table I had just neatly arranged. He poked at the pad of paper on the table, pushing it out of the perfectly perpendicular arrangement. I stared at the pad, my fingers itching to go fix it, but I didn't want to give away any information about myself just yet. Not until I knew where I stood with this man. So, I watched and waited.

"You'll join me for dinner tonight."

I tore my gaze from the paper and met his eyes. "Why?"

"Because you're my guest."

I shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

"It wasn't a suggestion."

"You'll be sorely disappointed."

His face turned hard and unforgiving at my blatant disregard for his orders. "I can throw you back in the cage with those other women if you'd like."

"About that," I said, sidestepping his orders. "You said you don't kidnap women."

"I don't. I buy them."

"What's the difference? You're stealing them from their lives."

"Stealing?" He barked out a laugh. "Those women will soon find out that their lives are better with me."

"Spoken like someone who hasn't had his choices stolen from him."

In a flash, he was in front of me, his hand wrapped around my throat as he leered at me. "Watch it. My kindness only goes so far. If you don't like your current luxuries, I can always make your stay with me less comfortable. You're only good to me as long as you're keeping me happy."

Unlike when I was with Nicholas, I felt his rage, but knew he would never actually hurt me—I was all too aware that if I pushed Benjamin too far, he would kill me, or at the very least, make my life a living hell.

I swallowed around the tightness from the strength of his grip. I wasn't afraid, but I had to appear that way. I nodded slightly, and when he was satisfied, he released his fingers from around my throat. I instantly pressed my own hand to the abused skin. I was going to have to play my cards carefully. One wrong misstep could land me at the bottom of the ocean.

Stepping back, he ran his fingers through his short hair, seeming to compose himself. "Now, I'll expect you for dinner. You have one hour."

He turned and walked out of the room. I heard the lock click and wondered how I was ever going to escape if I was on constant lockdown. I needed to find a way to earn a few more freedoms. It was the only choice I had if I wanted to find a way to escape. With no other choice, I quickly dressed in something a little more appealing. I didn't want to look like I was trying. He would see right through that, given my earlier attitude.

The only clothes he provided were dresses, so I went with the less revealing of all of them, then slid on some sandals. I kept my hair pulled back for the time being. If all went according to plan, I would slowly alter my appearance to suit him.

Precisely one hour later, the door was unlocked and one of Benjamin's servants was waiting for me at the door. I nodded in thanks, which earned me a look of shock. I followed the servant down the hallway, surprised when there was a dinner party going on. Not only was Benjamin at the table, but Zavala was there also with a woman who appeared to be his wife. She was beautiful, with long brown hair pinned back to showcase her slender neck. She was dripping in jewels that sparkled under the lights. I wondered why the hell she was so decked out when there was no one to impress. But then again, people with money didn't need a reason to dress up.

Benjamin stood upon seeing me, looking me up and down with a look of slight disapproval. "I had hoped you would dress up."

"You're lucky I came at all."

His eyes narrowed, then he stormed over and slapped me hard across the face. "I would remind you that it's only by staying in my good graces that you're not down in the cells."

I rubbed a hand down my cheek, then looked up at him, my eyes still simmering. I had to show defiance if I was going to let him fall into my trap. I had to slowly give in to him. If I did it too fast, he would never believe me. I knew there would be pain involved, but I could deal with that. My only objective was getting off this island.

Grabbing me by the elbow, he led me over to the table and thrust me into a chair. He bent over, whispering in my ear, "Behave."

The woman beside me kept her head down as Zavala glared at me. "Perhaps you should throw her downstairs and show her how good she has it. What do you think, Isabelle?"

The woman swallowed hard. "Perhaps."

It was clear this woman was under Zavala's thumb. If I could help her, I would, but she was already too far gone. I kept silent as Benjamin took his seat. I purposely ignored Zavala but felt his gaze on me constantly. The man had kidnapped me and would have killed me, yet I was forced to sit through dinner with him. I wanted to throw my water in his face, but that would get me nowhere.

Soon, the staff brought out dinner, but they purposely skipped serving me. I gritted my teeth as everyone else was given lavish portions of appetizers. Benjamin made a point of staring at me as he shoved forkfuls of food in his mouth. I ignored him by looking over the table and cataloging all the things that were out of place. Several serving spoons were on the table, but not perfectly straight. The candles in the middle of the table were slightly cockeyed.

There was a basket of bread on the table, but I didn't dare touch it. It was put there specifically to taunt me. He wanted me to beg for food, but I wasn't going to do that. I leaned back in my seat, trying not to think about the delicious smells as the entree came out. Steak was on the menu tonight, and it looked amazing. Mashed potatoes were heaped in a bowl and asparagus was set in the center of the table. The basket of bread was moved closer, not for me to take, but to make room for the rest of the food.

The staff poured more wine, skipping me again. I didn't care. I wasn't much of a wine drinker anyway. The conversation flowed around me, and I tried to pay attention. Any information I could gather would only help me, but most of the things they talked about were of little consequence to me.

"Benjamin, we're being rude," Zavala interrupted as Benjamin started talking about the financial markets. "You've told me very little about our new guest."

"I figured you already knew everything there was to know about her," Benjamin chuckled.

"What is it about her that you like so much?"

"I haven't decided yet. Her fight is definitely intriguing. It would be interesting to see what would break her."

Zavala chuckled, patting his hand on Isabelle's. "Yes, I can speak from experience that it's very interesting to find out just what it takes."

These men were disgusting. Knowing their objectives helped me prepare for what laid ahead, but that didn't make it easy to accept what was happening. I kept my mouth shut, refusing to give them any ammunition against me.

"And speaking of," Benjamin stood, wiping his mouth, "I think I'll take Raven back to my rooms and see what…fun we can get up to."

I narrowed my eyes at him. If he thought he was going to lay a hand on me, he was sorely mistaken. He walked around to my chair and jerked it back. As he grabbed me by the arm, I saw the smirk on Zavala's face. I wanted to throat punch him.

I was dragged down a different hallway to a bedroom that was not my own. Once inside, the door slammed shut and Benjamin strode toward me, undoing his shirt cuffs. I took a wide stance, prepared to fight if he even thought of touching me.

He shook his head and laughed. "That's cute. You can certainly try to fight if you'd like. You won't win."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I snapped.

He lunged for me, grabbing me around the waist. I slammed my knee up, hitting him in the ribs. He grunted and fell over, sucking in a harsh breath. Since he was down, I took advantage, grabbing a lamp and smashing it over his head. Glass sprayed across the room and the door burst open. His guards stormed in, grabbing me by both arms. I tried to fight back, but was useless against these two thugs. I was dragged from the room as they called for assistance. A door opened at the end of the hall and darkness loomed as they thrust me through the door and down the steps.

The smell of piss and shit filled the air. I gagged as they dragged me across the room. Keys jangled before a cage opened and I was thrown inside. I caught myself just as I hit the ground. The door slammed behind me and the guard chuckled.

"We'll see how you enjoy your time down here."

His loud footsteps quickly faded as he climbed the stairs and the light faded as he shut the door. I took a deep breath and tried to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I would be fine. I was in a cage, but at least I was away from Benjamin's grubby hands.