I see the gleam in his eye as he takes another sip. “Morocco must be crowded this time of year.”
I grin and shake my head.
It’s a game we play, never very seriously. Each of us poses seemingly innocuous questions or comments to get the other to slip up and accidentally divulge our secret hiding places.
“And you? That plot of land in Florence where you plan on building your villa? It must be a nice, warm time of year to dig and bury your treasure in the ground.”
I don’t even know if he has land purchased yet. I do know that he plans on living somewhere in the warm valleys of Italy, far away from the dreary, cold of northern Germany.
Ulrich laughs, lifting his bottle in salute at my attempt, as lame as it was. He turns his attention back to the simple pleasures of being a voyeur.
“You sticking around here?” I hint with a teasing smirk.
He looks back at me with one of his own. “No, I need to head back to Germany and make sure my mother is still alive and kicking. I’ll be on the next ferry back to Barcelona to catch a flight.”
“Ever the doting son.”
He chuckles. “At least she doesn’t ask where the money comes from. I owe her something for at least making sure I made it to adulthood alive.”
It’s a reminder that I have my own parents to think about. Soon they are having an anniversary party and expect me to be there. Marbella isn’t exactly my favorite place to go, despite how beautiful it is. But I am also the dutiful son.
In the meantime, my mind is back to focusing on something even more complicated in my life than my relationship with my adoptive parents.
Namely, what the hell I’m going to do with her.
Chapter Eight Leira
My eyes snap open at the sound of him entering the cabin. Frankly, I’m surprised I managed to sleep at all. I knotted the sheets around my chest and they somehow stayed put. My right arm is almost numb from hanging in place for so long.
Right now, I’d cut out my tongue and give it to him just to be free. I’m weak, hungry, thirsty, tired…and angry!
That last emotion comes roaring back to life, overtaking the others.
There’s still some fight left in me after all.
When he enters the bedroom, I’m steeled and ready for battle once again.
He stares at me like the headache I obviously am to him. He has a bottle of water in his hands and something in a bag. Probably food.
Even though my mouth waters at just the thought of either, I force myself not to even look down at them, lest I give away how much I want—need either. The last thing I want to do is give him any more leverage.
He still has my clothes.
He looks down at the bottle of water, and I see him debating whether or not to use it as a tool to pry some words out of me. In the end, he just sighs and tosses it and the bag onto the bed. Two bags of chips slip out of the bag.
I stare down at it, wondering what the catch is.
“Go on. I don’t need you dying of thirst while I still have you handcuffed to my bed. Even though that would make it easier to be rid of you.”
I glare at him before grabbing the bottle of water. I quickly unscrew it and gulp down almost a third of it before coming up for air.
When I look at him again, he has his hands on his hips and a deep crease in his brow.
“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to do with you.”
I just stare, giving nothing away, even though my heart is beating a mile a minute. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m hopeful that he’s just decided to free me, if only to be rid of the annoyance, or because he’s decided on a more final solution.
“I can’t very well let you go, knowing what you know, or at least having seen what you’ve seen. ”
I give him a pleading look and go through all the motions: placing my hand against my mouth and shaking my head, crossing my heart, making the sign of the cross. Anything to get him to see reason, or at least to see that I’m not a threat. After today, I’m never returning to that damn lagoon again—that’s if I even make it home so Dad can secure the chains on my life even tighter.
“You can drop that right now. We both know you saw what you shouldn’t have. And pardon me if I don’t exactly trust your word…so to speak.”
I sigh and fall back against the bed.
“I think I’ve settled on an idea. One that gives me at least a little reassurance. The question is, do you want out, or are you fine remaining handcuffed on my boat?”
I straighten up, giving him a direct look that tells him I’m ready to do whatever I need to do to convince him.
A sardonic smile appears on his face. “Don’t get too excited. You definitely aren’t going to like it.”
My confidence falters just a little bit. What does he have planned?
“Or…you could speak up now?” He offers.
My mind is still working around what this idea of his is. I’ve lasted this long without talking. Even the worst I can think of would be far preferable to staying here like this.
“Okay then, forever hold your peace, mi tesoro,” he says, twisting his lips in warning.
I stare at him, waiting for him to get to the damn point. Then I catch the way his eyes wander over me. Even though I’m covered by the sheets once again, I feel like he can see right through them.
I sit up and give him a hostile look, cutting right through whatever ideas he has going on
