“You really should make an attempt to keep your hair out of your face, Kitten,” he scolded. “Your face is too pretty to be hidden.”
I nodded and forced a smile as I said, “I will do that from now on, Dom. I promise.”
“Ava, don’t you wonder why I went to all the trouble to get you back?” he asked in a tone that made my blood run cold in my veins. I knew that he had a plan, I just didn’t know what that plan was or why he was doing what he was doing.
“I thought it was because you loved me and you wanted me back,” I replied as innocently as possible.
“Oh my goodness,” he laughed as he grabbed one of my breasts and squeezed so tightly that I gasped. “Aren’t you absolutely darling! Naive, but darling.”
“Then why are you doing this, Dom?” I asked in a trembling voice.
“Because you humiliated me and I want that rectified,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You left me and you told lies about me and everyone thinks I’m a monster, and now I’m going to prove that I’m not only not a monster, but that you and I were actually meant to be together.”
There was no way to hide the terror in my eyes now. He saw it and it made him stronger. The only possible way out now was to fight, and I was well aware that this choice might end badly for me—and the others—but it was my only choice left.
“What…what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“You and I are going to take care of these problems together, and then we are going to go tell our story to the police,” he explained. “Your father hired a crazy bodyguard who held you hostage and abused you. I tried to rescue you from him, but he’d brainwashed you and convinced you that I was the enemy based on false evidence and lies.”
I stared at Dominic, wondering what had to happen in a person’s brain to make them believe the lies they told. He was living in a fantasy world of his own making and he had no intention of recognizing reality. All I could do was nod and listen to his grand plan for us.
“It took me a long time to track you down because he was very adept at hiding, but when I received a cryptic email from you inviting me to come talk, I knew you were trying to let me know your whereabouts. I came to the hotel, enlisted the help of the room server, and broke in just as Brian was about to allow Cheese to have his way with you.”
“What on earth?” I was truly perplexed by this.
“You thought I didn’t know?” he smiled. “Cheese got kicked out of the Fijis because of your little friend’s antics at the party. He wanted to get even with you for that humiliation and to have a little fun while he was at it, so your bodyguard agreed to give him what he wanted in exchange for a little cash.”
“You are twisted,” I couldn’t hide my disgust any longer and it seemed useless to even try. Dominic had planned everything and wasn’t going to deviate from his plan. Now all I could do was fight back.
“Ah, the kitten has claws!” he laughed as he forced his hand between my legs and grabbed my crotch so hard I screamed. “I knew they’d show themselves sooner or later. You’re no shrinking violet, baby.”
“Get your hands off of me!” I yelled in his face. “You are not allowed to do this!”
“Allowed? Oh no, no, no, my dear,” he grinned. “I don’t need to be allowed to do anything. I’m going to take whatever I want and you will have no choice but to let me.”
“You have always been a sick, sick man,” I spit as I twisted to try and escape. In an instant, Dominic had the gun pressed to my temple as he gripped my arm so hard I swore I could feel the bones beginning to crack.
“I’m not sick,” he growled. “I’m perfectly normal, I’m just angry at you for embarrassing me the way you did last year. I treated you like a princess, and you treated me like dirt.”
“Because you beat me,” I said in a flat voice. “You beat me until I couldn’t move. You are sick.”
“I beat you because you asked for it,” Dominic said in a casual tone. “You know you did. You misbehaved and I punished you. There was nothing wrong with what I did. In fact, you liked it.”
“I what?” I gasped. “I never liked anything you did to me. You beat me so badly I couldn’t leave the house for days at a time. Have you forgotten that?”
“Oh no, I’ve not forgotten anything at all,” Dominic grinned. “I’ve got it all on tape and I watch it whenever I’m in the mood for you.”
This revelation knocked the wind out of me. He had my beatings on tape and he watched them for entertainment. What kind of monster was he? And then another thought struck me; he has the beatings on tape. Evidence. All I had to do was escape and I could tell the police about the tapes, and they would put Dominic away for good. But first I had to escape.
“You’re so disgusting,” I said calmly. “Do your parents know that they’ve raised an absolute monster? If they don’t, they’re going to be sick when they find out.”
“You bitch,” he spat. I’d hit a raw nerve and I knew it. “You really shouldn’t be talking about parents who are disappointed, now should you?”
“My parents aren’t disappointed in me,” I said truthfully. “They just don’t care what I do. Unlike your parents who care about everything you do and every move you make. Man, this is going to suck when it comes out that you’re a woman-beater and a murderer. I’d be surprised if they didn’t totally disown you.”
The sting of Dominic’s hand hitting my face surprised me only a little. It was the way my neck snapped to the side that shocked me. He’d hit me many times before, but he’d never hit me this hard or with this much rage. For a moment I was frightened that he would unload the gun in my head, but then I remembered how much he enjoyed watching me suffer and knew that he’d be far more likely to kill the others and make me watch. Dominic’s sickness was ego and attention, and when I was forced to pay attention, his ego swelled. I had a good idea of what was coming next, so I closed my eyes and came as close to praying as I ever have in my life. Just let us live. Just let us live. Just let us live. I didn’t ask for any favors, just the gift of life, and hoped that someone up there would hear me.
The next thing I felt was Dominic yanking me up off of the bed and dragging me by my hair to the front room. The others were conscious now, but since they were tied up, they were also helpless. I bowed my head as Dominic pointed the gun at the room server and said, “Tell him you’re sorry, Ava. Tell him that it’s all your fault that he’s going to take a bullet to the brain. Tell him that you feel terrible about it, but that you appreciat