Chapter Ten
The next morning,I wake up groggy and irritable but mostly sad. I’ve spent most of the night going over and over what happened, and I am alternating from being extremely pissed off, to acutely turned on, to incredibly, desperately sad. Most women my age would have jumped at the chance for such an encounter with the Freed brothers. A night of carnal pleasure. God, I have no doubt that it would have been pleasurable. It’s just I don’t want to be used like that. I won’t be used and discarded like my mother has been countless times. Besides, they promised not to touch me, to respect my wishes, and they’ve broken that promise, just like Mum has done time and time again when she assures me she’ll stopdrinking.
There’s a sharp knock at the door. “Louisa, I need to speak withyou.”
It’s Hudson. His voice sounds pinched, guarded, but I don’t care. He has no right to sound pissed off, none at all. I get up and pull the door open, wrapping my arms around mychest.
“Can I comein?”
“If I said no, you would do it anyway, so what’s thepoint.”
Hudson swipes a hand through his hair, narrowing his eyes at me. Today they look more blue than green, like a tempestuous sea. There are dark circles under his eyes too and I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing he hasn’t slept welleither.
“Well, what is it?” I snap. Defence is the best form of offense. I’d learnt that particular trick many yearsago.
“I see the Ice Queen is back on form again.” His voice is stiff,cold.
“Whatever.”
“I’ve just had a call from the resort manager, Bastian. He asked us how you were getting on. We ended up having quite an interesting conversation,actually.”
“Oh?” I say, shifting uncomfortably on mybed.
“Yes. Bastian explained there has been an unusual withdrawal of cash from the card that was given to you to buy supplies. He wanted to know whether we authorised it, given we are funding thecredit.”
“The money on the card belongs to you?” I ask, my palms clammy. Shawna had said that the company credited the cards, not the individual holidaymakers.OhGod.
“Yes, that money does indeed belong to me and my brothers, Louisa. Bastian may be the resort manager, but my brothers and I ownit.”
“Own what?” I say, feeling confused. What does hemean?
“Brothers Freed own the resort. We don’t like being stolenfrom.”
“You own the resort?” My eyes widen as my hands begin to tremble. It doesn’t gounnoticed.
“Yes. What I want to know iswhyhave you stolen from us?” Hudson settles next to me on the bed, watching me carefully, but he doesn’t try to fill the gaping silence that hasdescended.
I drop my head in my hands. “I’msorry.”
“So, you did take the money, then? Why,Louisa?”
“To give to my mother. She’s in trouble with a loan shark. She needed the money. I didn’t have any other choice,” I whisper. I feel completely and utterly defeated. Hudson has every right to have me sacked, or worse, have me arrested fortheft.
“We can come to an arrangement,” he says, laying a gentle hand on myknee.
My head snaps up, and through the haze of my tears, I can see Hudson staring at me. “What kind of arrangement?” I saycarefully.
“You come to the cabin with us today for Christmas and we forget about the money youstole.”
“What?!” I say, pulling my leg out from under his hand, cool air replacing the warmth of his touch. I stand, backing away from him. “You want me to come to the cabin today on Christmas Eve like some hooker, so you and your brothers can have your way with me over five hundred pounds? Is that all you think I am worth?”Five hundred measly pounds? I’m pretty sure my mother gets more than that for her ‘favours’, as she likes to callthem.
“No, that isnotwhat I or my brothers think you are worth. This isn’t coming out the way I planned…” Hudson stalks towards me, and I find myself caught up between him and the wall. “What I meant was, we’re willing to ignore the theft if you are willing to spend Christmas with us in the cabin. We have no expectations of you, apart from your company and friendship. I promise you, Louisa, that’s all wewant.”
I remember the previous evening and laugh almost hysterically. “That wasn’t the impression I got lastnight.”
“Last night got out of hand. It won’t happen again,” he says, taking another step closer to me. He’s got that look on his face, the one that makes me think he is going to devour me any momentnow.
“Where have I heard that before?” I laugh. Even now, even when he is trying to convince me that neither he nor his brothers will touch me again, he is still moving towards me as though he’s going to do just the opposite. And the most fucked-up thing of all is that a large part of me wants his touch, wants to be adored by Max and Bryce too, even after everything I’vesaid.