“What do you do when you aren’t kidnapping people?” I asked, partially sarcastic.
“I have a lot of different trades. That’s all you need to know.”
“Good talk,” I said bitterly.
He stood up and extended his hand to me. “Dinner is ready. I came to get you.”
I stared at his hand then looked away, refusing to touch my enemy. Maybe he was nice now, but just the other night he threatened to rape me if I didn’t strip down and shower in front of him. I got to my feet on my own and grabbed the binoculars.
Crewe didn’t seem to care about my brush off. “Did you have a good day?” He walked beside me back to the house, his hands moving into his pockets.
“As good as it could be, I suppose.”
We spent the rest of the walk in silence and entered the house. Finley had dinner on the table in the dining room, a separate room that could house fifty guests. The table was long, hinting of ancient royalty. I eyed the old wood before I sat down, feeling awkward for dining with my captor.
A few candles were lit, and our plates were set in front of us. Our dinner was freshly caught fish and greens.
I almost didn’t eat it because I was disgusted that I had to eat with Crewe.
He ate quietly, not seeming to pay any attention to me.
“Is Ariel your wife?” I picked up my fork and finally took a bite.
“No.” He didn’t pull his gaze away from his food. “Why?”
“It just seems odd that she’s just your business partner.”
“Why?” He looked at me, his stare cold. “Because she’s a woman? That’s an awfully sexist comment coming from a woman aspiring to be a doctor.”
“That’s not how I meant it.”
“Oh really? Didn’t seem like it.”
“I’m surprised because you seem like a sexist pig. After all, I’m being held here against my will.” I gave him a look that conveyed just how much I hated him. “Let’s not forget that. We aren’t two friends having dinner together.”
“I’m not as evil as you make me out to be.” He sipped his scotch, an odd pairing with fish.
“I strongly disagree.”
“Joseph stole four million dollars from me. For some idiotic reason, he thought he was going to get away with it. When he took a job dealing with criminal intelligence, he knew his loved ones would be targets if he crossed anyone. And from my research, it seems like you’re his only living blood relative.”
I held his gaze and didn’t waver despite the emotion in my heart. My parents were killed by a drunk driver while they were out having a date night. A speeding car T-boned them into a tree, and they both died on impact. Joseph and I were just kids at the time.
“So he knew what he was risking, but he did it anyway. He’s the evil one, not me. If I had a single person I loved, you can bet your ass I wouldn’t mess around.” He drank his scotch again, resting his elbow on the table. “I have a reputation to maintain. Joseph doubled the amount of money he owed, but that isn’t enough after what he did. The only way to maintain my power was to do something terrifying—which is why I took you. I’m not evil, London. I’m just trying to survive—like everyone else.”
“And how will anyone know you took me?” I questioned. “As far as I can tell, no one even knows we exist out here.”
“They’ll know.” He swirled his glass before he took another drink. “Trust me on that.”
My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. He had a plan for me. I wouldn’t remain on Fair Isle forever. I didn’t consider this place to be home, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew there were far worse places out there. At least living here gave me the luxury of having some freedom. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked the question even though I knew I wasn’t ready to hear the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll see soon enough.”
I didn’t touch my dinner because I lost my entire appetite. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Crewe was a capable man. He had the power to do anything to me, and I would be powerless to stop him. If he wanted to rape me, he could. If he wanted to kill me, he could. If he wanted to do something far worse to me, I couldn’t stop it.
Now I truly was terrified—of the unknown.
5
Crewe
Ariel knocked on my open office door. “You wanted to see me, Crewe?”
I paused my email to look at her. “Could you contact Bones and invite him over for dinner tomorrow night? Tell him I want to introduce him to someone.”
* * *
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll let you know what he says.”
“Thank you.”
Ariel walked out, leaving the office door open.
I turned back to my email, and a few minutes later, I received another guest.
“So, this is where all the magic happens?” In dark jeans and a designer blouse, London walked inside. Her hair was done today, shiny and long. Makeup was on her face, something Dunbar brought with him once he returned from Glasgow. When she put in the effort to look nice, she really shined. It surprised me that Joseph had a sister so much better looking than he was.
“Yes. A lot of magic.” I turned in my seat to face her, my hands resting in my lap. My eyes roamed over her body without shame, knowing she was mine to do whatever I wanted with. I was the kind of man who appreciated a woman’s curves—and I was appreciating hers. I’d seen her naked, and while the sight got me hard, she was malnourished and dirty. Now that she was regularly hygienic, she turned my head a few times. I wasn’t entirely impressed with her because it took a lot for a woman to floor me, but I wasn’t disappointed either.
She walked farther into the room and examined my desk.
“If you’re looking for ways to kill me, be more discreet about it.” When I slept in the same house as her, a part of me hoped she would make an attempt on my life. If she did, I would feel no guilt pinning her to my mattress and fucking her so hard she screamed. It would be a fair punishment for the crime—in my eyes.
“Actually, I wasn’t—right now.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Why do you think? I’m bored.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. “I was in medical school, working sixteen hour days. And now I don’t know what to do with myself.”
I gave her a smoldering look, feeling my cock do all the thinking. “I can entertain you on this desk.” I nodded to the dark wood where my computer and stationery sat. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be bored again.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to the window. “I’ll pass.”
I stared at her ass in her jeans, noting how tight it was. “You pretend not to be interested, but I think it’s pretty obvious you are.”
“Interested in what?” she asked incredulously.
“Me. If you hate me so much, why are you in here?”
She turned around and met my gaze. But she didn’t have a response.
I rose out of my chair and stood behind my desk. “If you want me, all you have to do is ask.” My hands moved to the wood below me, and my fingers felt the smooth polish. “I’m at your service anytime.”
She made a look of disgust. “I knew you were arrogant, but wow.”
“Wow what?” I asked.