Page 62 of Trust In Me

“So if Shayla and the Reapers aren’t involved, does that just leave Whitlock?” Kian asks, voicing the question on everyone’s lips.

“Well…that was my thinking. But, last night I sat down with Whitlock, and I told him about Mia’s disappearance. He was genuinely surprised, and pissed too. Whether you like it or not, he still sees Mia as his daughter, as an asset. So, he took her disappearance as a personal insult. Honestly, I have to say, I completely believe him. I know he’s a master manipulator, but not about this. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he was upset that his daughter’s missing, it wasn't about that. This was more about someone taking something that belongs to him. He’s still a cold, hard, calculating bastard, but he didn’t know about Mia.”

“Fuck!” I can’t hold back my rage as I stand up and begin to pace, running my hands through my hair in despair. “So we have nothing? We’re exactly where we started yesterday. We have no fucking leads at all.”

“Kel, calm down, bro. The more leads we cross off the list, the more we narrow down our search. I know it seems like we have nothing, but that isn’t true. We will find Mia,” Liam states, as he stands up and walks towards me. He pulls me into a hug, and my body just sags against him.

“Liam…I can’t lose her.” My voice is thick with emotion, and I try to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall.

“Bro…I promise you, we will find her,” Liam mumbles into my ear. “Come on, sit down and we will all brainstorm together.”

Liam leads me to the sofa and I flop onto it. Almost like she knows exactly what I need, Freya walks over to me and places Hallie into my lap. My beautiful little girl is oblivious to all the drama going on around her. She reaches up and grabs hold of my cheeks, squeezing them in her chubby little hands. Her resulting giggle echoes around the room and it’s more than enough to bring a genuine smile to my face. My bright star in a world full of darkness.

Pulling my daughter close, squeezing her tightly, I take comfort in the hug, making a silent promise to her. I vow to bring back the woman I know we both love. I vow that I will make her mine, and we will get our happily ever after.

Iwake up drenched in a cold sweat, my voice hoarse after no doubt screaming through my nightmares. As I open my eyes and look around the unfamiliar bedroom, the fear and despair I felt in my dream doesn’t disappear. I’m living my nightmare.

The room itself isn’t exactly a prison. It’s a medium-sized room, decorated with beige walls, and a large king-sized bed taking up most of the room. There’s a bedside table on each side of the bed, and a table with two comfortable fabric chairs under the window, but that’s the only furniture in the room. The bed is covered in a floral duvet that matches the curtains—that are currently drawn—covering the large window. There are three doors leading off the room; one leads to an en suite, one into a walk-in closet, and the other is the door to get into the room, which is currently locked.

Everything about this room screams normal, maybe even homey. The bathroom is lovely, with a large Jacuzzi bath and a walk-in shower big enough for two with beautiful marble tiling. Don’t even get me started on how big the walk-in wardrobe is, and it’s filled with rails of women's clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and lingerie. If it wasn’t for the fact that this room is being used to hold me prisoner, I might have some serious envy.

I’ve been here for three days, and today is the start of a new year. I fell asleep last night dreaming of where I should have been. I should’ve been at a party at my house, surrounded by all the people I now class as my family. I should’ve held my beautiful little Hallie, and rocked her to sleep, while she fought against me as much as possible, desperate not to miss out on the party. I should’ve counted down to midnight, and said goodbye to last year and hello to the new year in the arms of the man I love. I should’ve kissed him hard, vowing I would start and end the new year kissing him. The way I want to start and end all my years, for the rest of my life. Kellan’s my soulmate, and when I get out of this fucked-up situation, I plan on telling him. No matter what the consequences might be. If Shayla comes for us, we will fight her together, like I should’ve done all along.

The lock for the door begins to turn and I scramble into a sitting position, pulling my legs up to my chest as I drag the duvet cover around me. I know who’s about to walk through that door, but when he first walked in last night, I have to confess I was shocked. I didn’t think Kyle Fratacello had the balls to kidnap me.

“Happy New Year again, my Little Bunny. Did you sleep well?” Kyle asks as he lets himself into the room, making sure to lock the door again behind him. I watch as he places the key into the inner breast pocket of the suit jacket he’s wearing. I store that piece of information away for if I ever need it to get out of here.

I don’t bother to answer him. What’s the point?

“Oh, come on, Little Bunny. We had such a lovely night last night, seeing in the new year. Why are you in a mood now?” he snaps, and as I lower my head I can't help but clench all the already sore muscles in my body, waiting for the blows I expect he’s going to deliver. I’m shocked when they don’t come. I’m not sure if he’s luring me into a false sense of security. I’m still covered in cuts, bruises, and welts from his ‘lovely night’.

The first two days locked in here, I was mostly left to myself. The odd lackey would come in and bring me food, or pass along instructions to me, but none of them physically hurt me. They were a bit rough at times, throwing me around when I refused to cooperate, but I think they had instructions not to harm me. At that point, I still had no idea who my kidnapper was.

Last night, when he came into the room, I was shocked to see Kyle. He said he was here to celebrate the new year with me, but he was practically vibrating with rage. Ranting about how I didn’t honour my promise to marry him, furious that I whored myself out—as he called it—to Kellan. To say he was jealous about Kellan was a massive fucking understatement. This built until I ended up spending New Year’s Eve being beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted, all in the hopes it keeps Kellan alive. Hallie will not lose another parent if I can help it.

“Mia, I thought we made a deal last night, or do you need a refresher?” His voice is thick with the threat. Memories of last night taunt me, as I try to forget them.

“You?” I ask incredulously when the door opens and I find out for definite who’s responsible for kidnapping me. Kyle Fratacello, the person who stole most of my childhood, and who I was supposed to marry prior to meeting Kellan.

By kidnapping me, he’s put a target on his back. Kellan, Bree, and Liam will be coming for him, but more than that, he will have pissed off my father. I may not like the fact that my father views me as his property, but in this case, Kyle’s not only gone against my father’s instructions, but he’s taken something that doesn’t belong to him yet. That means my father will be hell-bent on destroying not only Kyle, but Kyle’s entire family. My father is a powerful man, and he isn’t concerned about me, but he will not stand someone challenging him.

“Are you happy to see me, my Little Bunny?” he sings, with a sadistic smile on his face.

“Why am I here, Kyle?”

He moves towards the bed where I’m sitting, and with each step he takes towards me, I shuffle farther back towards the headboard. It doesn’t take long until my back hits the board, and I have nowhere else to go. I pull my legs up and tuck my arms around them. It’s a technique I learnt years ago, making myself seem as small and fragile as possible.

“You are here because you are my fiancée, Mia. I gave you some time to live your life, and I feel like I’ve been more than amenable, giving you your freedom. But, I will not let you humiliate me any longer. As soon as I found out that you have been acting like a slut behind my back, I knew I had to act.”

I freeze, stunned by his words. I think this lunatic genuinely believes that I’ve cheated on him with Kellan. I don’t really know what to say. It’s obvious he isn’t living in the real world, so anything I say will no doubt just piss him off more.

“What do you have to say for yourself, slut? Are you even going to try defending yourself?” he snaps, acid dripping from every word, as his face contorts into an evil sneer. This is Kyle showing his true colours.

“There’s nothing for me to say. I didn’t know we were engaged. I left my family five years ago, and I thought that meant I was leaving any obligation that had been made prior to that. I wasn’t whoring myself out, and it wasn’t just a fling. I love Kellan, and I want to be with him. I’m sorry if that hurts you.” I don’t know why I’m telling him all this, it’s certainly not what he wants to hear. I know I should have lied, but the truth is, I’m so fucking sick of lying. I’ve spent the last few weeks lying to Kellan, telling him I don’t have feelings for him, that I don’t want to be with him. Kellan deserves better than that.

Kyle lets out a low, sadistic chuckle. “Do you think any of that matters to me, Little Bunny? I couldn’t give a shit if you think he’s your soulmate. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a whore. You cheated on me, and humiliated me, and it stops now.”

His face begins to tinge with red as he flexes his hands in and out of fists. He appears to be getting more angry, and my heart starts to race. He’s always been volatile, and is capable of anything when he loses his temper.

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