the en-suite.
He caught the crook of my elbow, yanking me back to face him. "Change here. I want to see the extent of your scars," he growled and my throat thickened, but I wasn’t going to blink.
I glared at him as I tossed the dress on the bed and pulled off my sweats to reveal my simple black panties and bra. His eyes roamed down my body, taking in the scars with a grimace.
"Turn around," he commanded and though I didn't want to turn my back on this monster, I did, not showing a flicker of fear as I let him see the damage Duke and his men had done to my skin.
His finger pressed to my spine, running down the length of it and my flesh prickled from his touch. "This will all be fixed soon, my darling. You won't have to hide away after that."
I said nothing. I hadn't spoken a word to him since he'd started hitting me and I knew that infuriated him at times, but I wouldn't give in. I was seasoned in this. My silence was a rebellion I could hold firm with and feel that I was at least striking back at him in some small way.
He watched as I did my makeup and hair and I was soon dressed in the gown which covered me up, wearing a pair of silver heels beneath it which were higher than I'd have liked, but I could run on stilts if it meant escaping this bastard before midnight.
He took the huge choker necklace from the vanity unit, winding it around my throat and fastening it in place. "If you try to run off tonight, I will not be pleased. And when I catch you, I may just have to add to your collection of scars, my darling. They are being removed by the surgeon tomorrow anyway." He smiled kindly like he'd just told me he loved me, turning his back on me and leaving my body frozen in a pool of terror. But it didn't deter me from trying to escape. Because I had faced nearly every kind of pain known to mankind and survived. I could risk facing a little more. And it was in his underestimation of me where I found my greatest strength. He would soon learn I didn't break, I never bowed, and he would not take my scars.
I followed Ramon from the room and steeled myself as he offered me his arm and I took it. He smiled at me approvingly as he led me downstairs and out the front door where our entourage were waiting. There were four cars total and I knew Ramon hadn't been joking when he said every exit would be covered at the venue. I was just going to have to work my ass off to distract Carlos and find a gap in Ramon's defences.
Ramon guided me into the back of his Rolls Royce and the cars all pulled away, heading down the long drive and through the tall iron gates at the end of it. I gazed out at the snowy countryside as we took winding roads into the heart of Sinners Bay and my pulse leapt and thrashed the whole time. By the time this night was over, I would no longer be in his possession. I vowed that on everything I was.
Ramon spent the journey tapping out emails on his phone and ignoring my existence which was fine by me. But when we arrived on main street and pulled up in front of a huge old theatre, he took my hand and squeezed firmly. "Here." He reached into his jacket and took out two masks, one with navy feathers which matched my dress and another which was plain black. "It's a masked ball," he explained, circling his finger to motion for me to turn around.
I did so, letting him slide the mask over my eyes and secure it in place. When I faced him again, he had his own half-mask in place, making him look like a villain about to rain down chaos.
"Smile, darling," Ramon instructed as Carlos opened the car door in a plain black mask of his own and I was led out of it.
I faked a smile as his grip on my hand became painful as he led me up the stairs. I was swept inside into a glitzy entrance hall and we were guided upstairs to a vast ballroom with chandeliers hanging over tables laid out with silverware