4

I would be lying if I said I didn’t crave that kind of power myself.

Thump.

I stopped breathing when I heard the sound.

Thump. Thump.

I concentrated on the sound to pinpoint where it was coming from. Sometimes the wind howled on a cruel night, but there hadn’t been a storm in the forecast. I abandoned my scotch on the table and rose to my feet, thinking of where my weapons were stowed in the house, easily accessible from every room.

Thump.

My eyes darted to the ground, realizing exactly where the noise was coming from.

The basement.

My guest was awake.

I walked down the stairs to the basement wearing jeans and a t-shirt now that everyone had left for the day. After I opened the door, I peeked down the stairway and spotted London. She stood back on one leg and kicked the bars as hard as she could, trying to make them crack under her power. The force was so minimal, the bars didn’t even shake. She aimed for the hinges of the door but that didn’t make a difference either. Absorbed in her poor attempt to free herself, she didn’t notice my light footsteps as I approached the bottom of the basement. “The only thing you’re going to break is your knee.”

At the sound of my voice, she stood back, her forehead gleaming with sweat and her hair messy from exerting herself. Her hands were still held in front of her body, prepared for anything.

I walked to the door and looked at her, noting the way her jeans hugged her curvy hips and thin legs. The gray V-neck she wore pointed to her tiny waist, her natural hourglass figure obvious. She was definitely pretty, but she didn’t do anything for me. The guys talked about her like she was a perfect ten.

She was a perfect nobody to me.

“These bars are made out of steel, in case you didn’t notice. And we’re in the middle of the ocean on an island, so if you break something, you’re on your own. All I’ve got is Tylenol.” I stood at the bars and examined her, my arms crossed over my chest.

Despite her dire circumstance, she didn’t seem scared. She only appeared calculating, her brain working furiously to figure out what her next move should be. She tried to find a solution rather than give in to the panic.

“It’s time to make introductions. I’m Crewe—and I own you.”

As if I had slapped her, her eyes narrowed into a threatening expression. “What did you just say to me?” She walked toward the bars, having no reluctance for coming close to me. If I slid my arm through the bars, I could grab her by the neck. “I don’t give a damn who you are. You don’t own me. Nobody owns me.” She jabbed her finger into her chest, amplifying her meaning.

I liked her fire. She had a lot more courage than that pussy-shit brother of hers. “You’ll change your mind…in time.” I came closer to the bars, getting a better look at her. She had a nice mouth, wide with soft lips. I had the urge to run my thumb along her bottom lip, but I had no interest in kissing her. I just wanted to touch her—to pet her.

“I’m gonna get out of here. And when I do, I’m going to rip your eyes out of your head and shove them up your ass.”

The threat was so unexpected I actually laughed. “Whoa, you’ve got quite the mouth on you.” I chuckled from deep inside my chest. “But I like a woman with a dirty mouth.”

She didn’t let the implication deter her hatred. “Trust me, you aren’t going to like me.”

She was stuck in a prison with nowhere to run, but yet, she wouldn’t drop her guard. She wouldn’t drop her hostility or her pride. She could easily fall to her knees and weep. But she still stood on her own two feet—strong. “I think I already do.”

Stupidly, she thought I wasn’t paying attention to every single move she made. She waited until my eyes were locked on hers before she launched her hand through the opening between the bars and tried to grab my neck.

I’d been expecting it, so I dodged to the left and grabbed her wrist. I pinned her arm down, bending it at just the right angle to twist her elbow in an agonizing way. With just a little more pressure, I could’ve snapped it right in half.

She breathed through the pain but didn’t wince. The fire was still in her eyes, refusing to let me believe I had any power over her.

Somehow, my respect grew. “Don’t fuck with me, London.” I pressed my lips against her ear, listening to her heavy breathing. “I promise, you’ll lose.” I released her arm, allowing her to keep it for another day.

She immediately pulled her arm back into the cage and stood where I couldn’t reach her again.

“Smart girl.”

She let her arm hang limply by her side, refusing to caress it despite the pain she must have been experiencing.

“The sooner you behave yourself, the better your life will be. We’re on an island in the middle of the sea. There’s nowhere for you to run or hide—unless you want to jump to your death from a cliff.”

She stared at me with vicious eyes. “Doesn’t sound so bad right now.”

The corner of my mouth rose in a smile. “If you get your act together, you can visit the rest of the house. But if you’d rather put up this fight, then you can stay in here.”

“I’m never going to act like an obedient dog, so it looks like I’m gonna stay down here.” She moved to the cot and leaned against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest while she stared me down with pure hatred.

“It’s awfully cold down here,” I warned.

“Better than being any closer to you.”

When I first saw her being carried off the helicopter, I had a completely different assumption about the kind of woman she was. I’d assumed she would be like everyone else, whiny and weak. I assumed her backbone would be just as soft as her cheek. But she took someone like me by surprise—which was difficult. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s not a shower down here.”

Her expression didn’t change.

“You won’t be allowed to take one until you behave yourself.”

“People used to only bathe once a year,” she countered. “I’ll be fine.”

I chuckled, loving the fact she had a response to everything I said. “Give it a week, and see if you change your mind.”

She pulled the thin blanket over her legs to keep warm. “If you’re done taunting me, you can leave.”

She was excusing me? “You don’t have any questions?”

“No.”

“You don’t want to know why you’re here?”

“It’s obvious.”

It was? “How so?”

“I don’t live under a rock,” she said coldly. “I know I’ve been abducted into sex trafficking. But I’m not worried about it because there’s a solution to every problem. I will find one.”

The smile left my face. “This isn’t school, London. There’s not a solution to every problem. Life isn’t as simple as a mathematical equation. I’m one of the greatest criminals of the underworld. I’m the kind of problem with no solution. I’m the kind of problem that can’t be solved. The situation you’re in is far worse than being sold into slavery—because you’re my slave.”