Page 18 of Worth the Ruin
Renee opens the door and stands back to let me step inside. My jaw goes slack. It is, in fact, huge, but alsogorgeous. A small dining area with a solid wood table and six upholstered chairs, an over-sized living room with a plush L-shaped couch facing a large stone fireplace and giant flatscreen mounted overhead. Floor to ceiling windows look out over the lake with another sitting area with two over-sized chairs and a fur rug sitting just before them. What at one point was a fully stocked bar sits just to the side, and rustic looking furniture adorns the balcony just beyond the windows…which I’d bet now are actually doors that can slide into the wall and open up the space to the outdoors completely. I can only imagine how much one night at this place would have cost.
There’s one door on the right side of the room. I peek inside and find an empty bedroom. On the left side, there are two doors. One is closed but the other stands ajar, giving me a glimpse of a huge canopy bed of deep red wood sitting atop a crisp white rug on a raised platform. Another wall of windows looks out to the lake and mountains beyond, and I can only imagine how gorgeous the sunrise would be from this vantage point.
Everything is luxurious but not over the top. I almost huff out an incredulous laugh. It’s like whoever had designed it had plucked it right from my brain, to be quite honest. This is exactly what I’d always envisioned my dream cabin would look like inside. Light colors, clean lines, oversized furniture you could nap in on a rainy Sunday. I whirl back to Renee who’s been watching in silence as I explored the room.
“What is this?”
“It’s a room?” Her voice is hesitant, obviously confused by the question.
“I mean, why am I here?”
“This is where Traeger wanted you placed. So, this is where I’m placing you,” she says simply.
“But…but I thought…Aren’t I supposed to be a prisoner? Shouldn’t I be in a cell or a cage or something?”
Renee’s lips twitch, but she doesn’t answer. Instead she says, “Traeger will send for you soon. Until then, you can shower and rest. I’ll have food brought up too.”
“But—”
“Patience,” she interrupts with another soft smile before heading out of the room and leaving me alone. Once the door clicks shut, I stand for a long moment, dumbfounded. None of this makes a lick of sense. I’m a hostage. A prisoner. A war prize. I’m supposed to be tortured and miserable…so, why the fuck am I staying in the penthouse suite?? Is it just so that Traeger cankeep a close eye on his newest investment? Only the best of his men would be put on guard duty on this floor, so if he wants me watched liked a hawk, this is the logical place to put me, I guess.
But it still doesn’t explainwhy, not really. I’m sure I’d be watched perfectly fine in a cell. I decide it must be more of his mind games, and tell myself to stay alert. I immediately start snooping, studying every inch of the room for weapons, means of escape, and even cameras. I’d put nothing past Austin Traeger. I find pretty much diddly squat, though. I’m surprised that the doors to the balcony actually open. Guess they aren’t scared that I’ll fling myself off, at least not yet.
I eye the closed door off of the living room and Traeger’s words echo in my mind:I want her in theadjourningsuite.
“Oh you’ve got to be shitting me!” I hiss as I yank the door open. Sure enough, it opens to an identical door that I know leads into Traeger’s room. I jiggle the handle, but it’s locked. I could pick it pretty easily, but don’t want to push my luck too far on day one. I close my door back and curse loudly when I find that it doesn’t have a lock at all. I glance to the main door: no lock there either.
“Ohh no you don’t,” I say through gritted teeth.
I huff and puff, but eventually drag one of the large chairs from across the room in front of the door leading to Traeger’s suite. He could still probably bust through if he was determined to, but he’d at least be slowed down a bit.
I don’t know how long it’ll be before Traeger calls me like the good little doggie I am, so I decide to take a shower. If he comes while I’m in there, he’ll either bust in like the bastard he is, or he’ll wait. Either way, I’m showering. I feel gross after three days on the road, so I shrug and head into the ensuite bathroom. It’s just as gorgeous as the rest of the place, all white marble with rustic accents here and there. Body wash, shampoo, andconditioner sit in the large, tiled shower stall, but I fish my own out of my pack, wanting the familiar scents surrounding me.
To my delight, the water grows hot after a few seconds. I do my best to quickly scrub away the grime and not linger, but the hot water feels so good on my tight muscles, that I stand there letting it beat down on me longer than I should. Eventually I sigh and get out of the shower. I eye the oversized tub while I dry off, wishing I could take a nice long soak in it. I used tolovea good bubble bath.
I leave my hair down to air dry and dress in a clean pair of jeans and a black tank top. I’m not cold, but I grab Jonah’s hoodie anyway and pull it on like a security blanket. My eyes water and I breathe in his familiar scent, forever imprinted on the fabric. It’s linked to so many memories, too many memories.And now he’s just…gone.Forever. I angrily wipe a tear from my cheek. I won’t let myself cry now, not yet. Traeger will besending for mesoon, so I can’t be in the middle of a breakdown when that happens.
I wander back into the living space and find a tray of food waiting on the dining table. I make my way closer, eying the plate suspiciously. They wouldn’t poison me, would they? No, I don’t think Traeger would kill me, at least not so quickly. That just seems like a waste of a good hostage and if he planned to kill me, why not just do it on the road? Or better yet, just do it at The Cove as an example for everyone there to see. Why go to all the trouble to bring me back here? No, he won’t kill me, but he may make me sick as a dog just for shits and giggles…
I deliberate for a few minutes, watching the plate like it will eventually tell me whether it’s poisoned or not. My mouth waters…
“Oh, fuck it,” I huff as I sit heavily in one of the cushioned chairs and take a tentative bite of what looks to be chicken, though it could be some other kind of bird I guess. It’s fuckingdelicious,whatever it is.I quickly polish off the rest of the meat, followed by the cucumbers, potatoes, and bread. I actually moan in delight as I chew on the roll. Several people in The Cove make bread, but they need to take notes from whoever’s doing it here at FOS becausedamn. It’s soft and warm and full of flavor.
After my meal, I have nothing to do but wait. I feel like I wait for hours and hours, the sun slowly making its trek across the sky and getting closer to setting.Is he ever fucking coming?Without much else to do, I go through everything I know about him again, trying to fit the inconsistencies into the puzzle that is Austin Traeger. I’ll figure him all out eventually, it’s just a matter of time, but the inconsistencies are admittedly fascinating—and frustrating.
He’s known as completely savage and despicable, despite his charming and charismatic personality that he displays the majority of the time. He’s killed too many people to count in his quest to gain and maintain his power…so, why hadn’t I’d seen that sadistic gleam in his eye when he’d been about to gut Kevin? Then I realize what had felt off about it: he’d seemedresignedto it, as if it was a chore that had to be done, not something he was excited about. He’d treated me surprisingly respectfully during the trip to FOS, hadn’t physically harmed me or touched me in any way, hadn’t allowed his men to do so either.
“Ugh!” I groan in frustration, punching a pillow. It just doesn’t fucking track. Was the monster some kind of façade? Or was he just better at hiding his monster and mind games than anyone I’ve ever met? I decide to stop thinking about Traeger and read instead. I only make it a couple of chapters before I end up dozing off on the couch, more exhausted than I realized it. When I wake to a knock at the door, it’s full dark out. To my utter astonishment, the guy guarding my door waits for me to answer instead of just barging in.
“Traeger will see you now.”
“And I didn’t practice my curtsey,” I say with a mocking gasp. The guard’s lips twitch, but he doesn’t respond as he steps to the left of the doorway so I can exit and turn right towards Traeger’s room. It’s a short distance from my door to his, but why couldn’t I just go through the connecting door? Does he just want to make a big to-do of having me come in the main entrance? So I can be escorted the thirty feet by an armed guard? I roll my eyes.
The guard posted outside of Traeger’s room gives me an appraising look before nodding and moving so I can enter. Despite all my bravado, I swallow hard and take a few deep, steadying breaths before I open the door. Will he…expect things from me tonight? Will he demand them? Force them? I remind myself again that I can’t lash out or fight back, no matter what happens. I know without a doubt that he’ll punish Jonah for anything that I do here.
Because that was the deal, wasn’t it? Jonah and everyone at The Cove are safe so long as Ibehave.
I push my shoulders back, open the door, and enter the room.Holy. Shit. His suite is twice as big as mine, maybe even three times, and even has a spiral staircase leading up to a second-floor loft overlooking the living space. There are what look to be three bedrooms and a bathroom on the left side, with his master bedroom on the right—meaning we share a bedroom wall. I eye the connecting door with disdain before scanning the rest of the room.
