Page 28 of His Captive

“Very good sir,” Mark drops his head, and backs himself out of my office, closing the door behind him, and I slump back in my chair and wait for the silence to descend.

I swivel around to watch out the window as my staff filter out on to the street, and cross to the restaurant that I own.

Finally, left alone with my thoughts.

Sorrento has stolen from me, he will pay for that. But, his attempt to fuck with my head is the main thing I have to focus on.

It was no coincidence that he sent her to steal the Snow Tail. Had he planned for me to keep her all along? What did he expect me to do with her if I had? And, why hadn’t he kept her for himself? My thoughts track off again, questioning how someone who seems as innocent as Lysetta has got herself mixed up with a man like him.

There is only one way I’m gonna find out, and against all my better judgment, I pull out my cell, scroll through my contacts to his name, and press call before I have time to change my mind.

The smug son of a bitch picks up on the second ring. His forced Italian accent insulting me immediately.

“Shaw… I’ve been wondering how long it would take you to get in touch.”

“You have something of mine,” I growl from behind gritted teeth. The grip I have on the edge of my desk becoming firmer.

“Come on pal, I left you with a fair trade. You like the girl, no?”

I don’t answer his question.

“I thought she was very much your... type.” I hear the snarl of his laugh and envision him sitting in a smoke-filled room, accompanied by a few of his pathetic followers. Just like when we were kids.

“I want what you took returned to me,” I warn.

“You do... And tell me Shaw, how are you intending on returning what you took from me?”

Stay calm, don’t let him know he’s getting to you, I remind myself.

“I never took anything away from you. Nothing that wasn't mine to begin with and nothing that I didn't earn.”

“Well, you seem to be the only person who believes that theory Shaw, but then you always were a little on the delusional side.”

I want to reach down the phone and rip out his throat.

“Tell me, friend…have you noticed how her eyes sparkle…isn't it extraordinary how they are just the same?” There’s a long pause when I refuse to answer another one of his provoking questions.

“Of course you have… I guess the question I should be asking, is how long it will be before for you take the light out of them too?” he taunts.

“Sorrento…” I warn, frustration only building, I’m seconds away from losing my shit, and I can’t give him that satisfaction.

“Enjoy my gift, Ethan, the chance to destroy her all over again.”

He cuts the call, and I immediately I launch my cell across the room. My fists clench to squeeze every trace of life out of the evil bastard’s body.

When I close my eyes, there it is, Millie’s pretty face smiling back at me. Sapphire eyes shining with promise, and teasing with happiness, that she insists on haunting me with. She’s laughing at me, mocking me just like Sorrento.

I stand up, and lift my desk with me, finding the strength to flip the thing completely over. Papers scatter into the air and flit onto the floor around me. I smash my foot into the solid wood. Imagine Sorrento's smug face crushing under my sole. Then I tear the rest of the place apart. Pulling books from the shelves, then crashing them to the floor. I release my frustration on the room, and when I run out of energy, I sit back in my chair surrounded by the wreckage. Adrenaline still heating my blood, while my chest tries to snatch enough air for me to breathe.

I can’t let Lysetta get inside my head. Not when I’ve spent the past six years protecting myself. No one can get to me now, I’m stronger. My heart has been trained not to feel, I’m safe.

She is not.

Sorrento thinks he’s won, and I’ll happily let him believe it. Revenge for him can wait. I’ve mastered the long game, I’ll creep up on him when he least expects it. For now, I’ll take his gift willingly, train her like a pet. A biddable little puppet that I will hold all the strings to.

Standing up, I straighten out my suit jacket, pick my phone up from the floor, and leave all the devastation I’ve caused behind me.

The Corsica Boutique is just a few buildings down the street. The owner rents the building from me.

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