Page 53 of Curse

“What the fuck? How is this my fau—Hey, that’s too tight,” I snap, jerking my leg, but it doesn’t budge. He ties my other leg just as tightly.

I reach down to untie the tie, but Vin blocks my hand with his. Without looking at me, he shakes his head, and I sit up straight and sigh loudly.

Standing, Vin ties each of my hands by my side to the back of the chair. His movements are brisk, efficient, and annoyingly calm. I can hold on to the chair seat, but otherwise, I can’t move my hands at all.

“You know, princess, this isn’t any of my business,” Vin says, pulling a handkerchief from his back pocket and folding itinto a strip. “But you really fucked up.”

“Fucked up when? I know you don’t mean I fucked up trying to escape this prison,” I snort.

Vin’s voice is serious. “Matti’s like a brother to me. I’ve known him most of my life. And never once in that time have I seen him as focused on a female as he is on you.”

My heartbeat jumps, and I swallow hard, my response to his words catching me as much by surprise as the words themselves.

“I’m sure his girlfriend would love to hear you say that,” I say, eying Vin warily and jerking my head away from him as he grins and flicks the handkerchief at me like he’s flicking a towel at someone in the locker room. “What the fuck? Jesus Christ, are you an infant?”

“Just doing what I would want done if I were in Matti’s position and he found my girl.” He chuckles and drapes the folded handkerchief over my eyes and pulls it tight.

“Fucking ow, asshole.” I try to pull my head away and shake off the handkerchief, but Vin is too strong and holds me in place until I stop. “Are you deaf? He has a girlfriend, and in case you haven’t been paying attention, that’s not me. I’m not his girl. I’m not his anything.”

Vin laughs and yanks the handkerchief again as he ties it tightly behind my head, blacking out my vision as I squirm. “What girlfriend? Matti doesn’t do relationships. Hell, he doesn’t even do repeats. But you? You’ve got him twisted in knots.”

Vin moves so that his mouth is by my ear. “How many times has he fucked you,principessa?”

I roll my eyes behind the handkerchief. “Zero. Did I disprove your thesis?”

I can hear Vin’s footsteps walking away from me toward the door. When he speaks, his voice is harsh. “I’d say you proved it. I’ve never heard Matti talk about a female ever, but since the day he met you, it’s been clear that you are his number one priority.”

Shifting in my seat uncomfortably, sweat begins to pool on my brow and along my hairline.

Vin continues. “Ask yourself, princess. Why would a man like Matti throw aside everything in his life for someone he’s not even fucking?”

I swallow hard, stunned by Vin’s words but too angry to let go of my petulance.

“Really. Because I sat here for weeks and heard nothing from him. Nothing at all.” I’m embarrassed and angry when I realize how bitter and whiny I sound.

I don’t fucking care about Matti, if he calls me or doesn’t. If he wants me or doesn’t. So why the fuck do I sound like I not only care, but care a lot?

Vin’s voice rises in irritation, echoing in the cavernous room. “Has anyone hurt you since you’ve been here, Siena?”

“I was fucking kidnapped and abandoned here!”

“If that’s how you want to view it, princess,” Vin says, his voice impatient like he’s explaining a simple concept to a child. “The way I see it, you were about to be raped and left for dead, and he saved you, got you medical treatment, then made sure that you were safe.”

I grimace.Bullshit. “Yeah, real nice guy. Probably thought it was the least he could do after he MURDERED my sister.”

The air is thick and silent as I wait for him to answer, a silence that lasts so long that I begin to wonder if he left theroom.

I jump when his voice sounds off right in front of me.

“I never said he was a nice guy, princess. And if I know him at all, you’re going to find that out the hard way soon enough.”

29

Matti

When I see Siena tied to a chair, blindfolded, the monster inside me takes over.

The sunlight filters through a high, hazy window, reflecting off the cement floor and casting fractured beams of light across her trembling body. The room is muggy, oppressive, despite the drop in temperature outside.

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