The Price of Love

◆14 ◆

His hands were clasped together in his lap. Mine were tapping their fingers on the arms of the leather couch in a nervous staccato beat that matched my heart's pace. It was probably not a good idea to let my nerves show, but I couldn't help it. With 45 minutes left until the clock struck midnight, the sheer thought of what we were going to do was breaking every brick of the wall of willpower Tommy instilled in me. It was only the mental image of my mother's face that kept me going. 

We watched each other. Or rather, Caius watched me with a calculated gaze, carefully assessing, and I was staring at my bare legs. It was a little warmer in the manor lounge, but the goosebumps were still there. But again, I couldn't help it. For a few minutes after dinner, I looked for the thermostat but couldn't find it. Or a telephone whose lines weren't severed. Walking around for a bit helped, but now that I was sitting across from Caius, my heart was pounding so loud I thought he might have been able to hear.

But it was now or never. Tommy was going to help, but getting the keys was all up to me. My freedom depended on how well I could flirt with Caius. With years and years of practice, it shouldn't have been that hard. But then again, Caius wasn't some creepy billionaire friend of my father's that I could wheedle into loving me.

"What did you want to discuss, Daphne?"

Caius's sudden voice breaking the silence startled me out of my reverie. I looked up, meeting his gaze. He was staring at my tap-dancing fingers, so I promptly tucked them into fists.

And then I stood up. 

"I would like to have a conversation on the circumstances under which I am held." The words, quietly slipping out before I could formulate a coherent thought about them, felt too aggressive so I softened my tone. "Although I have no experience being held hostage, I am in full comprehension that the way I've been treated is more than generous under your condition. I, however, need you to give me a little more altruism than what I have already received. I need you to let me talk to my father."

"Take a seat, Daphne."

"Caius-"

"Sit. Down."

I sat, momentarily deterred from my plan. The iciness in his voice was stunning to the point where I almost decided to cut the whole thing off- instead of going through with this disastrous scheme of stealth, forcefully and loudly throwing a temper tantrum and punching a few guys in the face before trying to make a break for it seemed like a much better idea in that moment....but it was already too late. I had come too far.

"You could be bound and gagged and thrown into an empty room for hours. You could be shoved into the back of a car trunk while we made our way into the backwoods of this country, where you could have been raped, tortured, and left for dead. You could be in the bottom of an ocean right now, Daphne. Generous is not the word to describe the circumstances you find yourself in." He stared me down until I looked away. "Your father will pay the money, or you will die. He is a smart man. He knows what we can do. The video is enough proof. I will not give him anymore."

"I know my father, Caius. He would take the chance of believing I'm dead rather than pay. He will call your bluff on the video- it's not even fucking realistic." I stood up again, anger ebbing away the fear to the point where I had to remind myself of why I was even talking to Caius in the first place. This time, I walked over until I stood before Caius, his eyes following every move I made. In the dim light of the lounge, the darkness cast shadows across his face. "What's your end goal here, Caius? What are you trying to achieve?"

"Let me ask you something, Daphne," Caius leaned back on the couch, watching me through heavy lids. Even in the gentle darkness, he was breathtakingly gorgeous. I didn't miss the fact that he completely ignored my question, but it wasn't about picking a fight with Caius, it was about getting these damned keys. "Are you happy with your life?"