Page 11 of Redemption

In all of those late-night correspondences with my anonymous, kinky kindred spirit, I revealed my most illicit, fucked-up fantasies.

And he made them come true.

You liked it. You came all over my hand.

The awful truth rakes at my heart with sharp black claws, and I choke on a painful gasp.

My first instinct is to jolt away from Dane, but I can already feel his bulky muscles coiling around me like a snake, ready to trap me in his perverse embrace.

I force myself to draw in a deep breath and keep my eyes closed. Disassociation comes easily. My mind goes mercifully blank, and my breaths come more naturally as I sink into nothingness. My body shuts down as though I was designed for this, and I’m too far gone to feel disgust over it. It’s always been an act of self-preservation, a way to survive the horror of violation.

But I don’t intend to surrender this time.

I allow the habitual disassociation to relax my body and shield my mind from the terror that hovers just at the edges ofmy thoughts. In response, Dane’s powerful body relaxes around mine. He’s satisfied at my submission, and he doesn’t expect me to try to evade him.

I have to figure out where I am. I have dim, disjointed memories of a flight and an airport. He was holding my passport, back in that awful shrine to me in the powder blue house.

I’m not in Charleston.

Before I blacked out, he mentioned a journeyhome.

My stomach churns at the suspicion that he’s taken me out of the country, but I breathe through it and resolutely remain detached from my tumultuous emotions.

“Where are we?” My voice is soft and oddly flat.

Dane caresses my cheek, but I keep my eyes closed. I can’t risk losing my tenuous, twisted form of serenity until I know more about my situation.

“We’re in my family home in Yorkshire,” he replies. “You’ll be safe here.”

Safe from who?The irate question flits at the periphery of my quiet bubble, and I choose to sink deeper into numbness.

“Don’t worry, little dove. I’ll take care of you.”

Bile burns the back of my throat at the endearment; it’s GentAnon’s endearment for me.

The terrible reminder of what Dane really is shakes me to my core, and I suppress a shudder of pure revulsion.

“My friends will wonder where I am,” I say, still soft and detached. “I can’t be here.”

He strokes my hair as though I’m an animal that could spook at the first sign of danger; as though I’m his pet, and he’s keeping me calm.

“I used your phone to text Franklin. He knows you’re on an extended vacation with me. And you don’t need to worryabout your barista job anymore. You can spend all of your time painting now.”

My lungs seize for a moment, and I force in another breath.

“Stacy will expect me at the café,” I try to reason.

“She’s already accepted your notice.” He says it like a reassurance, not a trap. “She’s been worried about you, and she didn’t even try to demand that you come in for your final two weeks. You’re free, Abigail.”

His declaration would be laughable if my situation weren’t so horrific. I’m caged in Dane’s corded arms, and he’s whisked me off to another country. I’m an ocean away from my friends, and my family won’t bother to ask after me. He’s easily extricated me from my life in Charleston with a few messages from my phone.

Finally, I open my eyes to fully assess where he’s trapped me. I know now that I’m isolated from anyone who might care to check on me.

He’s behind me, one arm pillowing my head while the other is loosely draped over my waist. He could tighten those powerful arms in an instant, so it’s imperative that I remain calm.

I blink and look at my surroundings. I’m in an opulent bedroom, and I instinctively know that this house is from another era. Everything is impeccably arranged. The furnishings are obviously antiques, and the cream wallpaper is decorated with vines and delicate birds—a style that’s clearly not contemporary.

Dane said this is his family home, and I remember that he told me he comes from nobility. This house is likely grand, which means I’ll probably struggle to find my way out quickly.

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