Jade had done everything she could in the past twenty-four hours not to rile her captor. She’d force herself to smile when he entered the room and asked him how he was, thanked him for the meagre rations he gave her and even offered to clear out the chamber pot so he didn’t have to. That one had amused him the most: ‘Oh, but I don’t mind doing it, my love,’ he’d said. ‘When you love someone you take the rough with the smooth.’ It took every ounce of concentration she had to make sure her smile hadn’t slipped at that.
Now, however, her good behaviour was being rewarded. He’d agreed to let her dress herself for the dinner he’d planned for that evening and had even granted her request to have a shower, taking her to the bathroom in the handcuffs but staying outside in the hallway while she washed. To her disappointment, there was no window in the bathroom, and therefore no means of escape, which is probably why he’d been happy for her to use it.
There was a lock on the inside of the door, though, and she was tempted to bolt it shut and refuse to come out, but she knew that he’d go mad if she did and it terrified her that he seemed to become a completely different person when he was angry, the monster that took him over making him ugly inside and out. The rest of the time, it pained her to admit, he was actually nice.
Aside from the drugging-you-and-locking-you-up bit, she reminded herself.
She slipped back into her T-shirt and jogging bottoms, unlocked the door and opened it. He greeted her with a smile.
‘You’re done? Good.’
She touched her wet hair. ‘Do you have a dryer I can use?’
‘Everything you need is in here,’ he said, leading her down the hallway to another door, which he pushed wide open. From behind him she could see it was a bedroom with a double bed pushed up against the far wall. Her step faltered: she did not want to go any further.
‘Hey, it’s fine,’ he said, sensing her reluctance. ‘This is the spare room. I don’t want you to see the master bedroom until the time is right, otherwise it will spoil the surprise.’ His expression flickered, hardening for a moment. ‘That time is coming, make no mistake. I won’t be denied again.’
Jade’s stomach churned as she forced herself to nod at him. She was starting to feel unwell: she was stiflingly hot because there appeared to be no windows open anywhere in the villa and she felt faint from the lack of food. Part of the reason she needed to go through with the dinner was because it would at least mean she’d get something to eat.
He led her across the room to where there was a dressing table. Laid out across the glass top was an array of make-up and brushes and a hairdryer and a comb.
‘The light in here is good for doing make-up,’ he said.
He helped Jade to sit down on the stool – she tried not to cringe at his touch.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, peering closely at her. ‘You don’t look quite right.’ He raised a hand to her forehead. ‘You’re very hot. Is it the heat?’
Jade nodded.
‘I’m sorry this place doesn’t have air conditioning, darling. Let me get you a glass of iced water.’
He left the room without locking it. Jade swivelled round on the stool, eyes wide with surprise that he’d been so lax in leaving her unattended. Should she make a run for it? But what if the front door was locked and she couldn’t get out? What would he do to her if he caught her? She shuddered in fright, turned back to the mirror, and began combing her hair, tears rolling silently down her face. He’d trapped her there without even having to lock her in.
He returned and set the glass down next to her. On seeing her crying, he crouched down so his face was level with hers.
‘Oh sweetheart, what’s the matter?’
‘I don’t feel well,’ she admitted.
He stared at her anxiously. ‘Maybe you’re coming down with something. Perhaps we should rethink our dinner—’
She reacted too quickly, her nod too vigorous. In an instant his face changed and he rose to standing.
‘Oh, I get it. You’re just pretending so I’ll postpone it,’ he said coldly.
‘I’m not, I promise. I feel terrible.’
‘I don’t believe you. Do you know what happens to liars, Jade? They are punished. Katy lied to me and she paid with her life.’
‘Please don’t hurt me,’ Jade begged, tears coming faster.
Anger and spite had twisted his face beyond recognition.
‘That’s what she said too,’ he mocked. ‘“Please don’t hurt me, I’ll do anything you want”,’ he mimicked in a young girl’s voice. ‘You should’ve seen how she reacted when I told her it was too late,’ he added in a chilling voice that rocked Jade to her core. ‘So young, and yet so willing to please.’
Desperately she tried to clamber off the stool but he towered over her. He raised his hand as though he was going to grab her throat, but was stopped in his tracks by his mobile going off in his trouser pocket.
Jade was stunned when he answered the call in rapid, smooth, uninterrupted Spanish. The way he spoke it was as though he’d been speaking the language his entire life.
He ended the call and looked down at her.
‘I have to go out for a short while.’ Then his expression softened. ‘Why don’t you have a nice lie-down, darling, then you might feel better by the time we eat.’
His sudden niceness terrified her as much as his anger.
‘What about my hair?’ Jade stammered, the comb still in her hand.
‘We can fix it later,’ he said, helping her to her feet. ‘But if you’re still not feeling better later, we can postpone for a few days.’
Jade’s heart sank at the thought of being held there a few more days. ‘I thought you wanted to get to the third date,’ she said.
It sickened her to have to ask about the stage where he expected sex to be on the menu, even more so when he smirked.
‘Aren’t you keen! But there’s no rush. Neither of us is going anywhere. You and me have all the time in the world, my love.’