Chapter 4: The Predator’s Slip
Waking up was like being dragged through glass. My head hurt a lot, an ache that throbbed behind my eyes. It was a parting gift from whatever chemical cocktail Peter had forced into my system. I tried to move. My limbs felt heavy, uncoordinated and cold.
I wasn't in the velvet armchair anymore. I was lying on a soft bed that felt like it was swallowing me whole. The room was dim with heavy blackout curtains drawn tight against the afternoon sun. For a moment the silence was so absolute I thought I was still dreaming. Then I smelled cologne and sterile hotel air.
Next, I felt hungry. It wasn't a craving; it was a violent hollow gnawing in my stomach that made me feel faint. My body was screaming for food to process the toxins Peter had pumped into me.
I heard a heavy lock turning. I stiffened, pulling the silk duvet up to my chin. The door. A sliver of artificial hallway light spilt across the carpet. It was the bodyguard with the neck tattoo and flint-like eyes. He was carrying a tray with a yummy-smelling steak and garlic potatoes.
He set the tray down on the nightstand with a clatter. "The boss said you'd be hungry. Eat."
I didn't argue. I couldn't afford to. I sat up, my head spinning and reached for the fork. I ate with a desperation that felt primal barely tasting the food as I forced it down.. While my mouth was busy my mind was finally starting to clear. I needed a way out. I needed Juno.
Juno is my anchor. My best friend is a woman who doesn't take no for an answer and knows how to navigate the darker corners of the city. If I can just get a message to her the police will be at this hotel within the hour.. I'm stripped of everything. No phone, no purse, not even a watch.
I looked at the guard. He was standing by the door, his arms crossed, his posture bored but alert. He had a smartphone tucked into a holster on his belt. It was inches away. Miles out of reach.
I needed him to lose his cool. I needed him to step into my space to forget the distance Peter had commanded.
"You know " I said, my voice. Gaining strength. I set the fork down. Leaned back against the headboard watching him through narrowed eyes. "I bet Peter doesn't pay you enough for this. To be a glorified babysitter for a woman who's eventually going to be his brother's problem."
The guard didn't blink. "Eat your food, lady."
"Is that all you can say? Did he buy your tongue along with your soul?" I let out a mocking laugh. "I've seen guys like you in my husband's office. Strung, acting like tough guys but really you're just the help. You're the one who cleans up the mess while the Moretti brothers fight over their toys. Do you like watching another man's wife sleep? Is that the highlight of your career?"
His jaw tightened. A vein in his temple began to throb. I had found a nerve.
"Shut up " he growled.
". What? You'll inject me again? Peter wouldn't like that. He said he wanted me in 'pristine condition.' If you bruise me he'll have your head.. I guess you're used to taking orders from men who are better than you. Men who have money, power and women like me. You're the dog at the gate waiting for a scrap of attention."
I leaned forward, my voice dropping to a whisper. "You're pathetic. In this room, bound and drugged I have more value than you ever will. You're a nobody. A shadow. A failure in a suit."
The guard snapped. He lunged forward, his face turning a mottled red. He crossed the distance in two strides looming over the bed, his hand raised as if he wanted to strike me.
"You think you're special?" he spat, his voice trembling with fury. "You're just a trade-in! Your husband didn't want you! Your ex-boyfriend bought you! You're nothing but a slave.
In his rage, he leaned too far over the bed. He didn't notice my hand dipping toward his belt. With a precision born of desperation, my fingers hooked around the cold glass of his phone and slid it out of the holster. I tucked it instantly under the duvet, my heart hammering hard. I thought it would burst.
"Get out " I whispered, faking a sob. "Just get out of my sight."
He stood there for a second breathing heavily, his chest heaving. He seemed to realise he had overstepped. He straightened his jacket, his eyes still burning with hate but he didn't check his belt. He was too consumed by his ego to realise he'd been played.
"Stay there " he barked, turning on his heel. He stomped back to the door slamming it shut and clicking the lock.
I didn't waste a heartbeat. I scrambled off the bed. Bolted for the bathroom locking the door behind me. My hands were shaking so violently that I almost dropped the device. I sat on the edge of the marble tub, the screen illuminating my face.
It was unlocked. He hadn't even set a passcode.
I dialled Juno's number from memory and the digits burned into my brain. Pick up. Please Juno pick up.
"Hello?" Her voice was impatient. Classic Juno.
"Juno! It's Beatrice! Don't hang up, listen to me!" I kept my voice as low as possible, pressing my lips against the microphone.
"Bea? Where are you? I've been calling you all morning! Caspian told me you were away on a retreat.
"Caspian lied! Juno listened to me carefully. I've been taken. I'm at the Grand Imperial Hotel, Penthouse Suite 1. Peter... Caspians brother... He's holding me here. He drugged me. He's planning something. Caspian let him do it."
There was an intake of breath on the other end. Juno didn't waste time with "how" or "why." She was already moving; I could hear the jingle of her car keys.
"The Grand Imperial? Suite 1? Bea are you safe now?"
"I'm in the bathroom but I don't have much time. The guard is outside. Juno, please call the police. Tell them it's a kidnapping. Tell them I'm being held against my will. Please hurry."
"I'm calling them now. I'm driving straight there. Stay locked in that bathroom Bea. Do you hear me? Do not come out until you hear sirens."
"I will. Just hurry, Juno. Please."
I ended the call with my breath coming in gasps. I looked at the phone at the bathroom door. I knew the guard would realise his phone was missing any second. I had to hide it. I shoved the device into the bottom of the laundry hamper burying it under a pile of plush towels.
I stood up, smoothing my robe trying to steady my breathing. I walked back to the door. Sat on the floor leaning my back against the wood.
The silence of the suite felt different now. It wasn't a tomb anymore; it was a fortress. Out there the world was coming for me. The police are coming. Juno is coming.
But as I heard the guards' muffled voices outside the door start to rise in confusion. Likely realizing his holster was empty. I realised the hardest part was just beginning. I had to survive until the sirens arrived.
I closed my eyes. Prayed that for once, in his life Peter Moretti had underestimated the woman he thought he owned.
