CHAPTER 4
Present
Unfortunately for Melina, she couldn’t escape him. She stares at the ceiling wondering when Thomas is going to torture her again and how long she’s going to survive.
Melina’s head turns to the door as she hears footsteps approaching. She sits up and waits for them to enter the room. Her eyes widen when she sees it’s Thomas walking in. “Thomas,” Melina says once he stands before her. He doesn't say anything. He stands there and just stares at her. She tries to hold his stare, but the burning rage in his eyes is too painful to look at because she knows she’s the reason for it. Thomas bends down, his face right in hers, his breath fanning her face. She closes her eyes when he raises his hand. She waits for him to smack her, but instead she feels his fingers on her cheek. Flinching, she opens her eyes and feels him pushing her hair out of her face. He takes out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the sweat off her face.
“I still can't believe it,” Thomas says.
“Believe what?”
“Believe I didn't see it.”
“See what?”
“See the vixen that you are,” he says, through gritted teeth.
“Oh.” Melina sniffs as she blinks her eyes. She knows she’s a vixen but hearing him say it feels like a bullet piercing her heart. Her head drops forward as her heart cracks.
“Look at me.” He lifts her chin. Melina locks gazes with him and the crack in her heart expands. There’s so much hatred in his eyes. She turns away, trying to stop the fracturing in her chest.
“Keep eye contact with me.” Thomas moves her face back in front of his, but she looks down at her fingers. There’s dried blood on her broken nails. She shakes her head thinking her suffering hasn’t even started and her hands look like this.
“It’s fascinating,” Thomas says, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“What?”
“How amazing that I, Thomas Costanzo,” his Italian accent rips out as he says his name, “fell for you and let you dupe me.”
“I am sorry.”
“I don't want sorry,” he yells, pushing off the ground and standing straight. Melina flinches and puts her hands up in defense as she begins to shake. “I want you to fucking tell me where James is.”
“I don't know.”
“So, the torture you underwent tonight wasn’t enough to make you talk?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Then tell me where he fucking is!”
“I don’t know,” Melina cries out, frustrated he won’t believe her.
“You’ve decided then.”
“What do you mean? Decided what?”
“You’ll see tomorrow,” he says, walking toward the door.
A few hours later they bring Melina food, but she barely touches it. She sighs remembering how Thomas used to gaze at her. Those beautiful eyes of his will never be soft and adoring as they used to be. Her heart squeezes in her chest thinking about it.
Melina remembers the day she realized she’d fallen in love with him. They’d been dating for four or five months. She knew she had feelings for him, but she denied it until that day. Thomas got into an accident, and the thought of being in the world without him scared Melina more than James’ wrath. It made her realize that she’d fallen in love with him. It still amazed her. She didn’t think she could love another man after the hell she’d been through with James, but she did.
If only Melina could tell Thomas that her feelings for him were real. But she doubted even that would save herself from whatever’s coming. She never wanted to steal his money. But he’d never believe her. She approached him for his money, and that’s always going to be a fact. If only she could tell him James forced her to do it. If only he’d believe her. Unfortunately, she doubts she’ll be that lucky.
Melina wakes up to the sound of the door opening. She doesn’t remember falling asleep. The same man from last time steps inside and asks her to follow him. They walk to the room where they’d tortured her. He asks her to sit in the chair covered in her dried blood. She doesn’t fight him this time, but she cringes as he straps her to the chair.
“How’re you feeling today, Melina?” Kimberly asks, walking toward her from the stairs. She is wearing black denim jeans and a jacket with a brown T-shirt. Her black ankle boots click hard against the floor as she approaches Melina. She’s wearing the same red lipstick from yesterday and her pitch-black hair is in a rough bun.
“As you would expect.”
“Hmm.” Kimberly nods, taking off her jacket.
“Today, we’re going to do things like yesterday. I’m going to give you three chances to tell me where James or the money is before I make you suffer.”
“I already told you I don’t know.”
“I can see you’re still choosing to protect him. No problem, we can skip ahead to the fun part then.” Kimberly picks up a short dagger from the table and licks it, grinning. Melina cringes. Wouldn’t Kimberly hurt her tongue doing that? “It seems I’ll make you bleed faster than I thought.” She smirks as she moves closer to Melina.
“Please, don’t hurt me.” Kimberly rests the blade against Melina’s forearm. Her heart rate speeds up.
“Let the games begin.” Kimberly draws the blade across Melina’s arm. Screaming in agony, Melina balls her hands into a tight fist as her skin tears open.
“I never understood what he saw in you.” Walking behind her and grabbing her hair, she pulls her head back and places the blade on her cheek. “I wish he would fucking let me cut this ugly face.” Kimberly brings the dagger an inch away from Melina’s eyes and they widen in terror.
“Please,” Melina pleads and Kimberly smiles, taking the dagger away. Moving it to Melina’s shoulder, she draws it down her arm. Melina screams in pain wrapping her hands tight around the armrests. Tears flow down her face mixing with her sweat. She watches Kimberly as she takes the blade away. Melina wonders if she’s doing this to get answers or because she hates her for being the woman Thomas loved.
Melina snaps out of her thoughts seeing Kimberly throwing the knife up, letting gravity take its course. The color drains from her face watching the blade plummet toward her thigh. She tries to get out of the way by pushing her butt backward to move the chair, but Kimberly catches it before it dives into her lap. Kimberly laughs seeing Melina hold her breath as the blade rests a breath away from her thigh.
“This is only the beginning, Melina. If you continue to claim you don’t know where the money or James is, I’ll carve designs into your body with my blades.” Kimberly draws the blade down her thigh, tearing open her skin. Melina’s blood splashes onto the floor, painting it crimson.
Melina doesn’t know how much time has gone by, but her throat is sore, and a pool of blood lies around her feet. Her hands are white from gripping the armrest too hard. Her hair sticks to her face, and she can no longer taste salt on her lips. Looking at the carnage on her arms and legs, fresh tears form in Melina’s eyes. Kimberly has sliced the skin on her arms, stomach, chest, and thighs.
Melina doesn’t understand how she’s still alive with the amount of blood she’s lost. The only place Kimberly hasn’t used her dagger is Melina’s face. She’s surprised Kimberly didn’t slice her face because she has always been jealous of her beauty. She remembers Kimberly saying someone won’t allow her and wonders if that was Thomas’ order.
“Wow, I didn't expect you to last this long.” Melina doesn’t reply and continues staring at the ground. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch.” Kimberly grabs her hair and forces her head up. She places the blade against her cheek. “You’re lucky he said I can’t touch your face; otherwise, I’d make you the ugliest woman on this planet.” She releases her hair and takes a step away.
“Bring the salt! Seems we need to spice things up a little bit more,” Kimberly says to the man who brought her into the room.
Melina abruptly lifts her head, and her eyes widen. “Please don't. Please, I'm begging you, Kimberly.”
“It seems this is the only thing that’s going to make you talk.”
“I swear to you, Kimberly, I don't know where the money or James is.”
“We’ll see about that.” She takes a plate from the big man. It’s loaded with a pile of salt.
Melina pushes her butt backward, trying to move the chair to get away. She looks behind her, then to Kimberly to see if she’s getting any further away. Hope flutters in her heart as she sees the table is a little further away than before, but her chair suddenly stops moving. She turns to see the big man holding her chair in place as Kimberly approaches.
“Kimberly, please, please, I beg you. Don't do this.”
“The more you beg, the more I want to do it.” She smirks and grabs a handful of salt. Melina shuts her eyes as Kimberly swings it at her body. An anxious breath leaves her lips as she braces for the salt to settle in her wounds and the agonizing pain to begin. When it doesn’t, she opens her eyes. Thomas is holding Kimberly’s wrist.
“That's enough, Kimberly. I said nothing extreme.” Melina looks behind him and sees the salt and broken plate at his feet.
Melina gazes into his eyes and for a split second sees sadness there. It quickly disappears as his eyes become void of any emotion. She didn’t know he was here today. How much did he see? Does watching Kimberly torture me move any emotion inside him?
“Pouring salt on her wounds isn't extreme,” Kimberly says, through gritted teeth.
“It is. I think she’s had enough for today. Seth, cut her hands and feet free.”
“No, she hasn't.” Kimberly slaps Seth’s hands away from the armrest before he can cut the cable ties.
“I said she has,” Thomas growls in her face. Kimberly backs down and takes a step away.
Seth proceeds to cut the cable ties. Melina tries to stand up but can’t take one step before her body gives out. Thomas catches her before she hits the floor. He places his hand under her knees and lifts her off the ground. Melina stares at his shirt as her blood stains it, and she wonders how he feels about that. She tries to blink as Thomas' face starts to double but she ends up closing them.
“Melina!” Thomas shakes her.
She grunts but her eyes feel too heavy to keep open.
“Fucking open your eyes!”
“I want to sleep, Thomas.” His scent drifts through her nose, pulling her into the darkness. She finds it hard to stay awake as his scent calms her down and her body relaxes.
“Seth, look for Leo and ask him to call Dr. Chris. Tell him to get his fucking ass here now.” Thomas walks toward the stairs with Melina in his arms.
“Why are you getting her treated?” Kimberly asks, blocking Thomas' way.
“Because I fucking want to. Now move out of my damn way.” Thomas tries to walk past Kimberly, but she keeps blocking him.
“She lied to you. You shouldn't get her treated—you should let her die.”
“Kimberly, I'm only going to say this one more time. Move out of my fucking way.”
“I can't believe you.”
“I choose when she dies, not you.” Thomas walks up the stairs. Melina lets herself embrace the dark, closing her eyes.