Page 89 of Rum & Coke
He laughed. “Tell them.” I started for the door, and then stopped and looked back at Colton. “Don’t worry. I don’t hurt children.”
“No, you just kidnap them,” I sneered and turned back around to leave. When I stepped into the hallway, I stopped when I noticed a person standing just outside the door. It was Mateo. He nodded, and I walked down the hall toward the stairs. How was Sebastian letting me tell the police I was kidnapped? He acted as though it was no big deal. Just as I was about to take the first step down, a hand wrapped around my upper arm and pulled me back into a hard body.
“Whatever you tell Officer Cameron won’t matter. He’s on my payroll,” Sebastian stated into my ear.
I closed my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. Now it made sense why he didn’t care if I told the police what had happened. “Who are you?” I whispered. I worked for this man for a year and knew nothing about him. We were never close, never spoke more than a few words to each other except for the night of the fight and when I went to him about my stalker. I thought he was a decent guy—a perv, but decent.
“I’m the man who’s going to take care of you for the rest of your life.”
“Excuse me?”
He spun me around so that I was looking him in the eyes. “I get plenty of women in my bed, Tessa, but now I won’t have to worry about them going to a cop who’s not on my payroll. You’ve seen the worst, and if you tell anyone, Iwillkill you. I won’t hesitate again.”
“Just do it.” I regretted the words as they left my mouth. Not because I didn’t want him to kill me and end my misery, but because I was scared of what he’d do to Colton once I was gone.
He grinned. “Where’s the fun in that?”
I stared at him, confused. “What fun?”
Sebastian leaned in, and before I knew it, his lips were on mine. I resisted as his tongue tried to break the seam of my lips. It only made him smirk wider when he pulled back. “I’m letting you sleep in the guest room tonight, but that changes tomorrow.”
“What?” I thought I knew what he meant, but I didn’t want to believe I was right. Though when he answered me, I realized I wasn’t only kidnapped and held hostage in a mansion that once looked like paradise to me. Now it was a cage.
“You’re going to sleep inmybed, and do whatever I ask of you, whenever I ask you to.”
I swallowed. “And if I don’t?”
“You don’t want to piss me off,” he warned.
“Because you’ll kill me?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I willmakeyou.”
I glared at him. “So, you’ll rape me?”
“Call it whatever you want, but one way or another, you will be in my bed pleasing me tomorrow night. I’m letting you have tonight for your son. Tomorrow, you’re mine.”
“Why are you doing this?” I cried, the tears no longer at bay. “Just let us go. I promise I won’t tell.”
Sebastian finally released my arm. “If you say that one more time, I won’t give you tonight in the guest bedroom. Now, go downstairs, tell Officer Cameron you’re fine—not that it matters—and go to sleep. You’re going to need your energy tomorrow.”
When I walked down the stairs, I was no longer Tessa. I was Scarlett. Scarlett could get through this. She knew how to fake it and faking it was what I needed to do until I figured out how to leave.
Because one day, I was leaving.
When I told the cop I was at Sebastian’s by my own volition, he shrugged and told Sebastian he was sorry he to come by so late. When I asked him who had called it in, he didn’t answer me. Was it Sophia? Melony? Vinny? Melony was the only one who knew Sebastian’s address because she was the one who had called us a car when we went to the party. Did she tell Sophia what had happened? Tell Vinny? What did Melony even think?
I was tired of all the questions I had swimming in my head. They didn’t stop when I tried to fall asleep either. It was as though Satan was coming in the morning and not Santa as I tossed and turned thinking about everything on repeat. It was nowhere near Christmas, but that was the only thing I could think of because like a kid waiting for Santa, I was restless. I wished Santa was coming. I wished I was at home with Vinny. I didn’t need a big bathroom, didn’t need anything except Vinny, and I’d lost him.
But Santa, of course, didn’t come.
The next morning, I showered, gave Colton a bath, and when we walked downstairs in search of food, I came to a stop when I noticed a woman sitting on the couch. “You must be Tessa,” she said as she stood and reached her hand out as she moved closer to me.
I took her hand. “And you are?”
She smiled warmly. “Mr. Delarosa hired me to teach Colton.” She bent at the knees and got in front of Colt. “Hi, Colton, I’m Joanna.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he stared at his iPad.
