Page 22 of Ruthless Truths
After that and putting lotion on my face, I wring the excess water from my long locks again, then head back toward the bedroom. I crack the door open slowly in case Luca has returned from wherever he disappeared to.
Seeing him while I’m mostly naked doesn’t seem like the brightest of ideas. My traitorous body reacts a little too much to my captor, and after our little chat earlier, I don’t believe Luca missed that reaction.
The way he’d drug his gaze over my body as I pressed myself against the dresser… It was both infuriating and tantalizing. That makes me believe something is seriously broken in my head from the trauma of this whole situation.
Seeing a dead body, being shot at, and then kidnapped. It has all put my mind into shock, short-circuiting my thoughts and emotions. That is the only explanation for why I could be remotely attracted to that devil of a man.
He is everything that is wrong with this world. I’m sure of it.
Except…I can’t help but remember the way he picked me up from the ground in that alleyway. Yes, I’m a witness he can use against someone else, but I can also be used against Luca. He should have let me die there, and he didn’t.
As I walk through the room, I smack my palm against the side of my head in frustration. “Don’t be a fucking idiot. The odds of me getting out of this place alive aren’t high.”
Unless Justine sneaks me out, but by the time it’s safe for me to be out in the real world, she might not have time to get me out. It’s crossed my mind more than once that when I’m no longer needed as his witness, there’s nothing to stop Luca from killing me.
Though, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to prepare for being able to go home. My long shower allowed me to think of the things I can’t do anything about but need to find a way to act on, even while I’m locked up.
I need to ask Justine if she can deliver my wallet to Tori. The bills for my mother’s house need to be paid. After everything, losing the house is a fate I refuse to accept. Tori can help make sure that doesn’t happen. Though, there is a risk that my friend will ask too many questions about why I need her to do this.
I could always tell her I’m having a mental breakdown and I’ve escaped to the woods, but that I’ll be back as soon as I’m ready to deal with life. She might buy that. Hopefully.
The other option is asking Justine to assist with more than reaching out to Tori. Though, that’s asking too much of a new friend and someone who, at the end of the day, is likely to do what’s best for my captor rather than me. I know she means well, but I don’t expect her to put her life in jeopardy for me.
“Fuck,” I mutter into the empty room as I open the first dresser drawer.
Acknowledging that having access to the amenities is preferable to solitude, I resign myself to getting dressed and finding some semblance of comfort in my new prison.
Everything else will sort itself out later. I’ll keep telling myself that until it comes true or I’m no longer able to.
* * *
“Olivia?Dear God, don’t tell me you escaped.” Justine’s panicked voice jolts me awake from the comfort of Luca’s bed.
My palms rub over my eyes as I call out to her. “Back here.” I fell asleep after using all the luxuries provided in the bathroom. It had been three in the afternoon when I last glanced at the clock, and now it’s dark out the window. Given it’s summertime, it’s likely well after nine in the evening.
“Shit,” I grumble as I crawl to the edge of the bed. If I missed dinner, I’m going to be pissed, because lunch wasn’t something I was provided with before I left the cell.
Justine enters the room, a whistle falling from her lips. “Damn, girl. Already in his bed? I assumed eventually, but not this quickly.”
I cut a glare at her as I slide off the mattress. “I wasn’t sharing itwithhim.” My hand gestures over the now-empty king-size mattress. “Clearly.”
Her eyes trail over the disheveled pillows and rumpled blankets before landing back on me. “But I bet you were enjoying his sandalwood scent all around you.”
“And here I thought we were going to be friends,” I mutter, brushing past her to find a clock in this stupid place.
Justine follows closely behind. “Whatcha doing?”
“Wondering what time it is and if I can still get food,” I say just as the aroma of pasta surrounds me. My head whips back toward her. “Is that alfredo?”
She nods but crosses her arms, an evil smirk on her face. “But if we’re not friends, I can gladly take back what I brought.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I say quickly, my hunger growing increasingly insistent. Stress and food have always been intertwined for me, and the desire to devour every carb in sight is nearly overwhelming.
“Alright, fine,” she concedes. “Just know that by eating that food, you’re locking yourself into a contract with me. We’re going to be friends, and there’s no going back on that.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The words fall easily from my lips. I genuinely like Justine. She has a way of making me relax amidst the chaos. She’s outspoken, smart, and kind. And if she keeps bringing me food, I might just propose to her.
A part of me knows I shouldn’t so easily trust her, but when I look into Justine’s hazel eyes, there’s a flutter in my chest that calms my raging nerves. There’s just something genuine about her that I can’t—or more likely don’t want to—ignore. I need someone in my corner or I might really lose my shit. She’s a gamble I’m willing to take for my sanity.