Chapter 7

This time, Lisa is supposed to join me for dinner. Sorn sets a table for us downstairs and prepares a meal of local fish, rice, beans, and plantains. It's her Caribbean recipe, she tells me proudly.

"Are you having dinner with us?" I ask, watching as she carries the plates over to the table.

I'm showered and dressed in the clothes Sorn provided for me. It's another white lacy bra-and-panties set and a yellow dress with white flowers on it. On my feet, I'm wearing white high-heeled sandals. The outfit is sweet and feminine, very different from the jeans and dark tops I normally wear. It makes me look like a pretty doll.

I still can't believe they're letting me walk around the house freely. There are knives in the kitchen. I could steal one and use it on Sorn at any point. I'm tempted, even though my stomach churns at the thought of blood and violence.

Perhaps I'll do it soon, once I've had a chance to learn a bit more about this place.

I'm learning something interesting about myself. I apparently don't believe in grand, but pointless gestures. A cool, rational voice inside me tells me that I need a plan, a way to get off the island before I try anything. Attacking Sorn right now would be stupid. It could result in my being locked up or worse.

No, this is much better. Let them think I'm harmless. I stand a much greater chance of escape that way.

For the past hour, I've been sitting in the kitchen, watching Sorn prepare food. She's very good, very efficient. Spending time with her is distracting me from thoughts of Lisa and the night to come.

"No," she says, answering my question. "I'll be in my room. Lisa wants some alone time with you."

"Why? Does she think we're dating or something?"

She grins. "Lisa doesn't date."

"No kidding." My tone is beyond sarcastic. "Why date when you can kidnap and rape instead?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sorn says sharply. "Do you really think she has to force women? Even you can't be that naive."

I stare at her. "You mean to tell me she doesn't make a habit of stealing women and bringing them here?"

Sorn shakes her head. "You're the only person besides me who has ever been here. This island is Lisa's private sanctuary. Nobody knows it even exists."

A chill runs down my spine at those words. "So why am I so lucky?" I ask slowly, my pulse picking up. "What makes me worthy of this great honor?"

She smiles. "You'll find out someday. Lisa will tell you when she wants you to know."

I'm sick of all this 'someday' bullshit, but I know she's too loyal to my captor to tell me anything. So I try to learn something else instead. "What did you mean when you said you owe her your life?"

Her smile fades and her expression hardens, her face settling into harsh, bitter lines. "That's none of your business, little girl."

And for the next ten minutes while she's finishing setting the table, she doesn't speak to me at all.

After everything is ready, she leaves me alone in the dining room to wait for Lisa. I'm both nervous and excited. For the first time, I'm going to have a chance to interact with my captor outside the bedroom.

I have to admit to a kind of sick fascination with her. She frightens me, yet I'm unbearably curious about her. Who is she? What does she want from me? Why did she choose me to be her victim?

A minute later, she walks into the room. I'm sitting at the table, looking out the window. Before I even see her, I feel her presence. The atmosphere turns electric, heavy with expectation.

I turn my head, watching her approach. This time, she's wearing a soft-looking grey polo shirt and a pair of white khaki pants. We could be having dinner at a country club.

My heart is beating rapidly in my chest, and I can feel blood rushing through my veins. I'm suddenly much more aware of my body. My breasts feel more sensitive, my nipples tightening underneath the lacy confines of my bra. The soft fabric of the dress brushes against my bare legs, reminding me of the way she touched me there. Of the way he touched me everywhere.

Warm moisture gathers between my thighs at the memory.

She comes up to me and bends down, giving me a brief kiss on the mouth. "Hello, Jennie," she says when she straightens, her beautiful lips curved in a darkly sensual smile. She's so breathtaking that I'm unable to think for a moment, my mind clouded by her nearness.

Her smile widens, and she walks over to sit down across the table from me. "How was your day, my pet?" she asks, reaching for a piece of fish and putting it on her plate. Her movements are confident and oddly graceful.

It's hard to believe that evil wears such a beautiful mask.

I gather my wits. "Why do you call me that?"

"Call you what? My pet?"

I nod.

"Because you remind me of a kitten," she says, her eyes glittering with some strange emotion. "Small, soft, and very touchable. You make me want to stroke you just to see if you will purr in my arms."

My cheeks get hot. I feel flushed all over, and I hope my skin tone hides my reaction. "I'm not an animal—"

"Of course you're not. I'm not into bestiality."

"Then what are you into?" I blurt out, then cringe internally. I don't want to make her mad. She's not Sorn. She scares me.

Fortunately, she just looks amused at my daring. "At the moment," she says softly, "I'm into you."

I look away and reach for the rice, my hand shaking slightly.

"Here, let me help you with that." She takes the plate from me, her fingers briefly brushing against mine. Before I can say anything, my plate is filled with a healthy portion of everything that's on the table.

She puts the plate back in front of me, and I stare at it in dismay. I'm too nervous to eat in front of her. My stomach is all tied into knots.

When I look up, I see that she has no such problem. She's eating with gusto, clearly enjoying Sorn's cooking.

"What's the matter?" she asks between bites. "You're not hungry?"

I shake my head, even though I was ravenous before she came.

She frowns, putting down her fork. "Why not? Sorn said you spent the day at the beach and swam quite a bit. Shouldn't you be hungry after all that exercise?"

I shrug. "I'm okay." I'm not about to tell her that she's the cause of my lack of appetite.

Her eyes narrow at me. "Are you playing games with me? Eat, Jennie. You're already slim. I don't want you to lose weight."

I gulp nervously and start to pick at the food. There's something about her that makes me think it would be unwise to oppose her on this issue.

On any issue, really.

My instincts are screaming that this woman is as dangerous as they come. She hasn't really been cruel to me, but there is cruelty within her. I can sense it.

"Good girl," she says approvingly after I eat a few bites.

I continue eating, even though I don't really taste the food and I have to force each bite past the restriction in my throat. I keep my eyes trained on my plate. I have an easier time eating if I don't see her piercing gaze.

"So Sorn tells me you had a nice day swimming," she comments after I've had a chance to eat about half of my portion.

I nod in response and look up to find her staring at me.

"What do you think of the island?" she asks, as though genuinely interested in my opinion. She's studying me with a thoughtful look on her face.

"It's pretty," I tell her honestly. Then, pausing for a second, I add, "But I don't want to be here."

"Of course." She looks almost understanding. "But you'll get used to it. This is your new home, Jennie. The sooner you come to terms with that, the better."

My stomach lurches, and I feel like the food that I just ate is in danger of coming up. I swallow convulsively, trying to control the sick feeling inside me. "And my family?" The words come out low and bitter. "How are they supposed to come to terms with it?"

Some emotion flickers briefly across her face. "What if they didn't think you were dead?" she asks quietly, holding my gaze. "Would that make you feel better, my pet?"

"Of course it would!" I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. "Can you do that? Can you let them know I'm alive? Maybe I can just call them and—"

She reaches out to cover my hand with her own, stopping my hopeful rambling. "No." Her tone leaves no room for arguments. "I will contact them myself."

I swallow my disappointment. "What are you going to tell them?"

"That you are alive and well." Her to thumb is gently massaging the inside of my palm, her touch distracting me, turning my bones to jelly.

"But—" I almost moan when she presses on one particularly sensitive spot, "—but they wouldn't believe you—"

"They would." She withdraws her hand, leaving me feeling strangely bereft. "You can trust me on that."

Trust her? Yeah, right. "Why are you doing this to me?" I ask in frustration. "Is it because I talked to you in the club?"

She shakes her head. "No, Jennie. It's because you're you. You're everything I've been looking for. Everything I've always wanted."

"You know that's crazy, right?" I'm so upset I forget to be afraid for a moment. "You don't even know me!"

"That's true," she says softly. "But I don't need to know you. I just need to know what I feel."

"Are you saying you're in love with me?" For some reason, that idea frightens me more than when I thought she just had weird sexual preferences.

She laughs, throwing her head back. I stare at her, irrationally offended. I don't want her to be in love with me, but does she have to find the idea so funny?

"Of course not," she says after she's finally done laughing. She's still grinning, though.

"Then what are you talking about?" I ask in frustration.

Her smile slowly fades. "It doesn't matter, Jennie," she says quietly. "All you need to know is that you're special to me."

"So why didn't you just ask me out on a date?" I'm struggling to comprehend the incomprehensible. "Why did you have to kidnap me?"

"Because you went on a date with that boy." There is sudden rage in Lisa's voice, and icy terror spreads through my veins. "You kissed him when you were already mine."

I swallow. "But I didn't even know you wanted me." My voice shakes a little. "I only saw you at the club—"

"And at your graduation."

"And at my graduation," I agree, my heart hammering in my chest. "But I thought you might've been there for someone else. Like a younger brother or sister . . ."

She takes a deep breath, and I can see that she's much more calm now. "It doesn't matter now, Jennie. I wanted you here, with me, not out there. It's much safer for you—and for that boy."

"Safer for Hanbin?"

Lisa nods. "If you had gone out with him again, I would've killed him. It's best for everyone that you're here, away from him and others who might want you."

She's completely serious about killing Hanbin. It's not an idle threat. I can see it on her face.

My lips feel dry, so I lick them. Her eyes follow my tongue, and I can see her breathing changing. My simple action clearly turned her on.

Suddenly, a crazy and desperate idea occurs to me. She obviously wants me. She's even willing to do things to make me happy—like letting my family know I'm alive. What if I use that fact to my advantage? I'm inexperienced, but I'm not completely naive. I know how to flirt with guys. Could I do this? Could I somehow seduce Lisa into letting me go?

I'm going to have to be careful about it. I can't have a sudden about-face. I can't act like I despise her one minute and love her the next. She needs to believe that she can take me off the island and that I would willingly remain with her for as long as she wants me. That I would never look at Hanbin or another man again.

I'm going to have to take my time and convince Lisa of my devotion.