Chapter 2: The Bill
Beatrice POV
The world was loud with engine noise and smelled like leather. I was pushed into a seat, which felt weird after the sharp panic I was feeling. My hands were tied in front of me. A black blindfold covered my eyes making every turn of the car feel like a big drop.
I tried to scream. The gag in my mouth made my voice sound muffled and weak. I kicked my legs, my heels hitting the fancy floor mats until a cold heavy hand grabbed my knee.
"Easy, Beatrice. You'll ruin the seats and this car costs more than your life's worth right now " a voice said.
That voice was Peters. It sounded the same. Smooth and arrogant. It used to make me feel special. Now it made me feel like an animal.
The car started moving. I felt the smooth hum of the engine through my body. A moment later the blindfold was ripped off. The sudden light was. I blinked fast trying to see through the glare of the morning sun on the tinted windows. We were in an SUV speeding away from the only home I had known for a year.
Peter sat across from me, his legs crossed comfortably. He looked at me not with hate. With a scary kind of boredom. He reached out. Untied the gag.
As soon as my mouth was free I gasped for air and my voice came out cracked. "Peter, stop this! Tell them to turn around! What are you doing? Why did Caspian sign those papers?"
Peter leaned back with a dark smile on his lips. He looked out the window at the passing trees back at me. "The papers? Those were the documents to transfer ownership. You should be used to that by now being married to a man like my brother."
"I am not a piece of property! I am his wife!" I screamed, my voice echoing in the car.
"Were " Peter corrected softly. "You were his wife. Now you're a debt that's been paid off. You see Caspian has been playing a risky game with the family inheritance for twenty years. He thought I was dead so he spent my share. He built that house with my money. He bought that ring on your finger with money that belonged to me. When I showed up on his doorstep this morning he had two choices: go to prison for fraud and lose everything or give me the one thing he had that I actually wanted."
My heart stopped. The air in the car felt like it had been sucked out. "No. He wouldn't. He loves me."
Peter laughed then a hollow sound. "Caspian loves stability. He loves his reputation. He doesn't love anything that can be traded away to save his skin."
He reached into his jacket. Pulled out a fancy smartphone. He tapped the screen a few times. Hit the speakerphone icon. The ringing tone felt like a countdown.
"Let's ask him shall we?"
The call connected to the ring. The silence at the end was heavy but I could hear the familiar ticking of the grandfather clock in our hallway.
"Caspian?" Peter said, his eyes locked on mine. "Beatrice has some questions about our arrangement. She seems to be under the impression that there’s been a kidnapping. Care to clarify?"
"Caspian!" I lunged toward the phone. The man sitting next to Peter shoved me back into the seat. "Caspian tells them to stop! Tell them you didn't do this! Please!"
There was a pause. I held my breath waiting for the man who had kissed me an hour ago to tell me it was all a trick, that he was calling the police and that he was coming for me.
Finally, Caspian’s voice came through the speaker. It was cold. It was the voice he used for business meetings and firing staff.
"Beatrice," he said. The way he said my name. Without the warmth. Broke something inside me. "Don't make this difficult. Peter is my brother. He has rights that I was.was .. I ignored it for a long time. I can explain everything later. For now, you need to go with him."
"Explain later?" I sobbed. "Caspian, they blindfolded me! They dragged me out of our home! How can you let this happen?"
"It’s for the best, " Caspian said, his voice tightening. "It’s a settlement. We will settle everything once you get to the hotel. Peter will take care of you until the transition is complete. Just... Do as he says. I have to go."
Click.
The line went dead. I stared at the phone in Peter’s hand as if it were a snake. The betrayal was so sharp I could almost feel it.
Peter tucked the phone away, his expression happy. "There. You heard the man. The deal is. The 'husband' is officially out of the picture."
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice a whisper. The fire had gone out of me, replaced by a cold paralyzing fear.
"To a hotel downtown ", Peter said, checking his watch. "A private suite where we won't be disturbed. As Caspian said, we have things to 'settle.' I’ve waited two decades to get back what he stole from me. He kept my money, he kept my life.... He kept you.. The thing about Beatrice's debts is that interest always builds up."
He leaned forward his face inches from mine. I could smell his cologne. The same brand Caspian wore. The realisation made me want to gag.
"You were the thing he had left that actually hurt to lose " Peter whispered. ". That makes you the most valuable thing I own."
I looked out the window watching the city skyline grow taller as we approached the city centre. I wasn't a woman anymore. I wasn't a writer, a wife or a person with a future. I was a thing used to paying off a debt.
As the SUV pulled into the valet of the Grand Imperial Hotel, the men in the front seats stepped out to open my door. Peter stood up, smoothing his suit.
"Welcome to the rest of your life Beatrice " he said, offering a hand I refused to take. "Try to look happy. People might talk if they see the new Mrs Moretti crying on her wedding day.”
"We aren't married " I spat.
Peter leaned down, his eyes gleaming with a light. "By the time we leave this hotel, the world won't know the difference. Move."
The guards grabbed my arms and hoisted me out of the car. I looked up at the towering glass of the hotel feeling like I was walking into a tomb. Caspian was gone. My life was a lie.. Peter was just getting started.
