The Woman in the Trunk - Jessica Gadziala Page 0,16

I'm not going to hurt you. I meant that. I don't put my hands on women if they don't want it. And I never fucking touch kids. So don't look at me like I'm a wolf about to rip out your throat."

Nope.

Just a guy who was going to hold me hostage until my father paid up. And who knew what would happen to me if my father didn't.

After dinner, I was un-cuffed long enough to be able to go into the bathroom, splash some water on my face, roll my sore muscles.

I was cuffed to the bed again while Lorenzo took a turn, then came back out, pulling off his rumpled suit jacket, hanging it over the chair, then staring dubiously at the bed.

"What are the chances this place has bed bugs?" he asked, looking a bit sick to his stomach at the prospect.

"Lift the mattress and check," I suggested, standing there while he did it.

"Don't see anything," he said, shoulders relaxing.

A big, bad mafia underboss was scared of little bugs? It was so ridiculous that it was almost funny.

But there was nothing to laugh about when, a moment later, he un-cuffed the bracelet from the bed frame and lifted it up, clamping it around his own wrist instead.

"Sorry, hellcat, can't have you trying to get away while I try to sleep," he said, shrugging, reaching up with his free hand to undo two buttons before giving my arm a little shake as he sat down on the edge of the bed, then started to inch up, bringing me with him, willing or not.

Lorenzo settled, then sighed out his breath.

"What?"

"Are you going to behave or do we need to get up so I can duct tape you and bind your other arm to the headboard?" he asked, not sounding too thrilled at the prospect.

Sleeping with my arm forced over my head and something over my mouth sounded miserable. Besides, this kind of place didn't seem like the kind of place that cared about screaming. After all, no one had come when I had cried out earlier.

"I won't scream," I offered as he reached out toward the nightstand with his free hand, turning on the TV, turning it up almost painfully loud, some old sitcom from the nineties playing.

"Good." He sighed again, something clearly weighing on him. And I wasn't generous enough of spirit to feel bad for my kidnapper, so I forced my lips shut, watching the characters that were vaguely familiar to me move across the screen. "Get some sleep, Gigi," he suggested what felt like a lifetime later, so long that I figured he'd already fallen asleep.

Eventually, with no other choice, I did.

—

I woke up to a very serious, very loud voice in my ear.

"You need to get off of me, Giana," Lorenzo's voice called, sounding sleep-rough, which was an entirely too good sound. And I was just barely conscious enough to appreciate that. "Giana, get off of me," he demanded again, voice more forceful.

That seemed to penetrate the curtain of sleep.

Get off of him?

As soon as the words sank in, started to make sense, it all came to me at once.

His breath on the top of my head.

His hard body underneath mine, stiff as a board.

His chest rising and falling under my cheek.

Oh, God.

God.

I'd crawled up on him in my sleep.

That was, well, completely humiliating.

I threw my body backward like he'd suddenly caught flame, feeling the cold of my side of the bed, realizing I must have been passed out on him for a while before either of us woke up to notice it.

"I... I never sleep on my back," I told him, embarrassed, needing to explain. "I'm a side sleeper. I... I'm not used to having someone next to me."

"I'd hope not," he agreed, voice tight, reminding me of my role. Sweet, innocent, high school senior.

"You don't have to be all pissy. I didn't mean to do it," I said, giving him the kind of sass I had been known for in my teens.

"I'm not pissy. It's just... never mind," he grumbled, folding upward, reaching into the nightstand to produce the handcuff key, freeing his wrist.

With that, he dragged me across the bed by my arm, cuffing me to his side of the bed, taking the key with him, and disappearing into the bathroom.

I couldn't be sure, but I was almost positive I heard him hiss out "fuck" as soon as he closed the door.

When he came out a couple minutes later, though, he was collected