Page 51 of His Beautiful Revenge
Zulika hugged him. “You know Norah would have hated that. One of the reasons she loves you is that you don’t control her and you don’t try and tell her what to do. This is not your fault, Giacomo.”
“Then why do I feel like itis?” He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “The one bright thing is …I feel she is still alive. Iknowit. He took her because he wanted her, not because …not to hide her …”
He couldn’t finish that sentence and Zulika nodded. “That’s a good thing to cling to, Giacomo.”
Orlando cleared his throat. “The police are asking us to come to the station, answer some questions, and help with the search.”
Giacomo looked up at his friend. “Good. I’ve already got my security out and looking …Mio Dio…”
Zulika saw him staring down at the pool of blood on the floor. “He beat her,” he whispered. “He hurt her.”
He sounded so desolate that Zulika felt tears drop down her face and she began to cry.
The first thing she registered was the smell. Musty sheets and the sharp stench of industrial cleaner. The sound. A television. Norah opened her eyes. She lay on a bed, her left hand handcuffed to the frame. Every part of her body hurt, her vision was blurry, and her eyes were stinging. She retched at the stench of the room and then someone hovered into view.
“Don’t throw up. You’re gagged. You’ll drown in your own vomit.”
Lucian.She tried to stretch her mouth free from the duct tape covering it, glaring at him and growling as best she could. Lucian laughed.
“I wouldn’t bother, Norah. No-one is going to hear you out here. Manager’s an old buddy. No one knows you’re here.”
He stroked her face tenderly. “I had to take you with me, Norah. It was the only way to save you.”
She bugged out her eyes at him in disbelief, then wished she hadn’t. A headache screeched around her skull and she winced, closing her eyes. A few moments later, she felt a cold cloth against her forehead and felt some relief, despite herself. Lucian washed her face in cool water; she could hear him rinsing the cloth and when she opened her eyes, she could see a bowl of pinkish water. Blood.
“I’m sorry I got so rough, baby. I didn’t mean it.”
He was crazy. He wasactuallycrazy. Norah felt the fear clenching at her stomach. Was he going to kill her? What had he meant by ‘saving’ her?
Lucian put the bowl of water down on the floor and looked at her. “Now, I’m going to take that gag off. You can scream and holler …but no-one is out here and it’ll just make me angry again. I don’t want to hurt you, Norah, so don’t make me.”
He ripped off the duct tape in one fast motion and she gasped. She licked her dry lips and he held a cup of cold water to her mouth. She gulped it down gratefully, all the time deciding whether to scream or not.
Not.Lucian meant what he said and Norah knew she would have to be crafty to stand a chance of getting out of here alive.
“Why did you take me?”
Lucian sighed. “Because …someone told me to kill you. Icouldn’tdo it. And this …person …would have made me do it.”
“Who?”
He didn’t answer and Norah decided not to push it. Who would want her dead? She didn’t think she had any enemies—not psychotic ones, anyway. The only person who had physically harmed her was right here and now he was telling her was ‘saving’ her? There was only one answer.
Lucian was insane.
Norah looked away from him. “Do you have any aspirin? My head is killing me.”
Silently, he got up and went into the bathroom and Norah used the opportunity to take in her surroundings. They were obviously in a sleazy motel—she didn’t want to think about the counterpane she was lying on or what lurked in it. She gagged again gently, then shook herself.Concentrate.Her left arm was cuffed to the bed frame, but the cuffs were the kind you could get in an adult store—flimsy. She was pretty sure she could get out of them. Her stomach hurt the most and she pulled up her shirt and winced. Huge black and blue bruises covered her skin, along with the impression of a boot print.
Bastard. She ran her tongue over her dry lips and tasted blood. Lucian had really beaten her to a pulp.How am I still alive?
Don’t ask that. The important thing is youarestill alive. Now it’s time to figure how to get away from him.
She knew Lucian and knew his fatal flaw. His arrogance and self-adoration. She would play up to it and seduce him into trusting her.
Lucian appeared with two aspirin and another cup of water. She swallowed the pills down gratefully and leaned back, closing her eyes. She felt his lips against hers and felt sick.
Kiss him. Start the process.
