something in her mouth.
“Shut up,” Phoenix growls.
“Paige! You stuffed her in a fucking closet?” I yell.
“Well, where else would I put her?” he says with a laugh that sounds as if it’s strange that I would be asking the question in the first place.
When we reach the bathroom, he puts me down inside the bathtub and turns on the shower.
Ice cold.
I scream from the icy pain cascading down on my sore muscles and burning skin. My ass hurts the most, the red marks he left lighting up like a painting made of blood.
“No!” I attempt to fight him off, trying to jump out of the tub, but he holds me down.
He grabs my wrists and pins them to my back, causing intense pain and almost dislocating my shoulder. Then he dangles a set of cuffs in front of me. “See this? It’s a neat little thing I picked up in prison. I’ve worn them plenty of times. Now it’s your turn, Princess.”
He puts one on me before I get a chance to jerk my hands free. The other is chained to a bar between the faucet and the wall. Now I’m trapped with no way out, doused in cold water until my skin erupts in goosebumps, and my body starts to tremble ferociously.
“Turn it off!” I say. “It’s fucking cold!”
“You wanted to shower. Now you have it,” he muses, poking at my skin.
The heat regulator is just out of my reach, even though I try to reach as far as I can. I get up and move into the corner as far away from the jet. This makes him lash out and tug on my hardened nipples, causing me to squeal.
“Either stay in the cold or I’ll keep tugging and pulling, sweet cheeks. I might even pull out my knife if you don’t do what I say.”
“No,” I say as I suppress the tears.
“Then move under,” he growls, suddenly looking less amused.
I do what he wants, slowly stepping under the cold shower, desperate to feel a little warmth. I’ve been naked for quite some time now, and to feel icy-cold water now is even more painful on my already cold skin. I can’t keep myself warm, and I can feel the cold seeping into my bones.
“Like your shower?” he asks, smiling like a motherfucker.
I want to punch him in the face, but I can’t reach that far with just one free hand.
“I take it back,” I say, my lips trembling. “You’re not kind.”
There’s a self-righteous smirk on his face. “Good.”
“You know what else is true?” I say.
“What?”
“That I thought you could, for once in your life, do the right thing.”
He squints, his lip twitching, and then out of nowhere, he turns the water from icy cold to scalding hot. I scream as the water burns on my skin, my senses completely jumbled from the temperature change. I’ve no idea what’s hot and what’s cold, as the two both hurt immensely.
“Please, stop!” I say.
“Do you think I’m kind now?” he growls.
“No!”
“I’m. Not. Kind.” He leans in so close that he’s almost under the water himself. “And don’t for a second think that you can make me believe that I am.”
I whimper, my hands holding my chest in an effort to protect myself.
He turns the water back around, and the ice returns to my bones. I’m shivering, and my skin burns from the alternating extreme temperatures he’s forcing me to endure.
“Now, be a good girl and stay put,” he says, turning around.
“Wait? You’re not going to leave me here, are you?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he says, “What if I am? What are you going to do about it? Scream?” The devious smile on his face tells me that he’ll only enjoy it more if I make a sound.
Suddenly, a phone goes off. He’s momentarily taken off guard, and I seize the opportunity to move away from the shower stream as far as possible. It’s not enough to avoid the cold completely, but at least it’s better than nothing. Phoenix isn’t looking as he picks up his phone.
“Who’s this?” he asks.
I find it incredibly odd that he wouldn’t know who’s calling him. After all, this must be a new phone, so he remains under the radar. How would they know his number if he doesn’t know them?
“Hold on.” He puts his finger on the mic and glances back at me. “Don’t you make a sound because you know what’ll happen if you do. I’ll be back … soon.”
And then he leaves the room