Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“Isla,” I remind him. “And no, thank you, I’m fine.”
Instead of leaving right away, Marco walks over to stand at the window with me for a moment. His entire presence is quieter than the others I’ve interacted with so far. His muscular build implies that he’s very strong, but the unassuming way that he carries himself makes him feel a lot less threatening.
“I like the rainy days sometimes,” he says as he stands beside me for a moment. “Most don’t like them, but I find the rain relaxing—a reprieve for reflection, you know?”
“I agree,” I nod. “It’s always good to reflect on one’s life from time to time.”
A brief look from Marco reveals his inner turmoil. Maybe he isn’t totally on board with keeping me captive here. However, his opinion is irrelevant. He sighs and then turns to leave.
“Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right outside the door.”
I thank him and wait for the door to close before resuming my search for something to break the window. It will be loud, and he’ll come running in when he hears it. So, when I do this, there will be no turning back and no time for hesitation.
I give myself a moment to make sure this is what I want to do. Then reach for an abstract marble sculpture sitting atop a nearby table. The sculpture is heavy, and it has a pointed top. It should do nicely to pierce the glass if I throw it at the window with enough force.
The downpour intensifies, pounding the building, overflowing the miniature ledge mimicking a patio. There’s not even enough space to place a foot on or grab, so I need to be fast and careful.
After sucking in a deep breath and realizing that this is it—this is possibly the end of everything that I ever hoped to do with my life, thanks to a single moment in time that I can’t undo—I dig my heels into the floor to steady myself and put all my weight behind throwing the statue at the giant window. My strength surprises me momentarily as the glass shatters and the statue falls. I know Marco heard the crash and that he will fling open the door any second now. One look down, and my stomach instantly feels like lead. The drop is such a big one. There isn’t a chance in hell that I’d survive that. My body would shatter into as many pieces as the glass window just did.
But I’d be free again, I think for a second.
I turn and slip.
When a strong arm grabs me, and a hand digs into the side of my waist to pull me up, I gasp in surprise. I knew Marco would hear the shattering of the window, but I never heard the penthouse door open. Maybe the sound of my heart pounding against the inside of my ears was too loud to hear anything in that moment.
I open my eyes. I am even more shocked when I see who it is that has hold of me.
“Vincent?” I call out in surprise.
Where the hell did he even come from, and how on earth did he reach me before I fell?
With a swift, smooth motion, he lifts me up and pulls me back from the broken window. His body is shaking furiously as he wraps one arm around my back and the other beneath my legs, cradling me against his chest so tightly that I can barely breathe. His muscles are tense and bulging, and his breathing is so labored and ragged that I can hear it. As he regains solid footing back inside on the floor of the penthouse, I look up at his face and stare at him in petrified awe.
The rain tousles his dark hair, and droplets of water are sliding down his chiseled cheekbones. Fierce blue eyes look back at me from between the strands of his hair with an intensity that makes my entire body tremble. Vincent’s grasp on me is so tight that I feel like his fingers will mark me with bruises.
“Junior, bring me a robe.” He commands.
Over his shoulder, I see Marco disappear into a bedroom and return in less than two seconds with a white robe folded over his arm.
“Now leave us,” Vincent tells him.
Marco hesitates for a second, and I imagine he’s wondering what Vincent is going to do to me as punishment for the broken window and the botched escape attempt on his watch. After the momentary hesitation, Marco does as he’s told and leaves the room.
Vincent sets me down on both feet and wraps the thick robe around my shoulders. Even though I was barely outside the window for more than a second, the deluge of rainfall soaked through my clothes, which are now pasted onto my body like a second skin. As he ties the robe around me, I stare at him in disbelief and stammer out a question.