Page 75 of Ruthless Prince
Logan started lighting small black candles in sconces along the far wall, filling the room with a mixture of orange light and flickering shadows. I saw thick wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling above the cellar, and a large wire cage with a wide rack took up most of the space on the left side of the dirty floor. There was an X-shaped cross with cuffs in the cage, along with chains dangling from the ceiling. The rack was filled with black rods and whips and other things I couldn’t even focus on as my vision began to blur from a mixture of exhaustion and heart-stabbingterror.
This place was a sadist’s dream. A real-life torturedungeon.
Gulping, I shifted my gaze from the cage. Near the right wall of the cellar, there was a low porcelain pot; presumably my toilet for as long as I was stuck down here. In the center of the room, a length of gold-plated chain wrapped around a metal bolt nailed into the floor. An ankle cuff hung on the end of thechain.
Logan knelt near the chain and dragged the cuff over to me, snapping it shut just above my right foot to anchor me to the floor. I didn’t make it easy for him. I kicked and screamed, trying to stop him, but he managed to hold me down eventually. It was inevitable. Men like him would always be stronger than women likeme.
Still, I wouldn’t give in without a fight. I wanted to make this as difficult for him as possible. That would show him for all his nasty comments about my nerves andweakness.
“You won’t get away with this,” I said, glaring up at him. “You can’t keep me in a dungeonforever.”
“Can’t I?” Logan smirked as he unwound the other end of the chain from the bolt so that there was enough slack for me to reach the toilet if I neededit.
“You might’ve fooled my mother for now, but it won’t last. When I don’t come back, she’ll know something is going on. Everyonewill.”
He rubbed his jaw. “That won’t happen. In two weeks, I’ll have you trained for public appearances. You’ll be able to see your friends and family then, and they won’t have a clue what’s really goingon.”
My jaw dropped. “Trained? What the hell do you think I am? Some sort ofpet?”
He dropped to my level and stroked my hair, lips twisted into a grimace. “More like a wild animal that needs to be forced intosubmission.”
“You’re insane. I’ll never submit to you,” I spat athim.
He smiled. “You say that now, but you’ll change yourmind.”
“I won’t, but maybe you’ll changeyoursabout all of this when you’re stuck in prison for the rest of yourlife.”
Logan chuckled. “I already told you, that won’t happen. I’ve taken care ofeverything.”
“No way. Someone will realize something is going on. My friends will think it’s weird that I suddenly left for two weeks without tellingthem.”
“Your friends are fake little mean girls. They won’tcare.”
“Simone isn’t always that bad, and I’ve got Rowan too. Plus I’ve made new friends at college,” I saidstubbornly.
“Ah, yes. About that.” Logan slipped a phone out of his pocket, and my eyes widened. It was mine. “Here. Check your last few messages. Don’t bother trying to call or text anyone. Those functions are disabled rightnow.”
I snatched my phone and unlocked it, chest tightening as I opened my messages. There were multiple new text conversations with my friends, supposedly started by me late last night. The messages outlined my ‘exciting news’, which was that I’d finally decided to come clean and stop hiding my secret boyfriend from them. I also let them know that the two of us were going on a short vacation to enjoy some quality timetogether.
Because it was still early in the morning, most of them hadn’t seen the messages yet, but a couple had replied already, including Simone, who obviously hadn’t slept at all after enjoying the Bacchanalia somuch.
OMG, I totally called it!she’d written in response to my alleged news.I knew there was something going on with you lately. You’ve been so weird! Also, I saw you talking to Logan at the bonfire last night, and then I saw you sneak off into the hedge maze together. So I kinda suspected something from that, haha. Why him, though? Thought you guys hated each other? Or was that all an act? It totally was, right? Sneaky bitch ;) Anyway, have fun on your trip. Tell Logan I said hi and sorry for always being mean to him!Xoxo
She clearly believed every word of the fake texts Logan sent out on my behalf. It wasn’t surprising. The messages genuinely sounded like they were written byme.
“How did you manage to make all these texts sound as if they’re really from me?” I asked, eyes snappingupward.
“I’ve been reading your messages for months. I know how youtalk."
“How the hell did you get into mytexts?”
He smirked. “The company I work for is a subcontractor for the NSA, and half their job is to hack phones and computers to spy on everyday Americans.” He narrowed his eyes and roughly tilted my chin up. “But you’re hardly an everyday person, are you?” he mused. “You’re America’s first daughter. Our little princess. Isn’t thatright?”
“I told you not to call me that,” Ihissed.
He grabbed my wrist and bent my arm behind my back until I screamed and dropped the phone. “I toldyouto stop talking to me likethat.”
With that, he picked up the phone and let go of my arm. I grimaced and rubbed it, picturing a tiny, hissing snake coiled within my chest; a snake that would strike out at Logan when it grew large enough, choking and poisoning every inch ofhim.
