His Indulgence || Book Two

Dreams

I couldn't fall asleep good that night, it was nearly impossible for me to stop thinking of Scarlett and her haunting, soulless eyes.

Before we got in bed together, Eric assured me that I was safe and protected by him and his overly secured gated-house.

Still, with all of this, it just wasn't enough for me to sleep comfortably. The uneasiness was unbearable.

I awoke abruptly from a hellish nightmare at around 4 in the morning. It had still been dark outside, and I instantly noticed the twinkling stars far beyond our balcony.

I was feeling lightheaded, and so I decided to grab a glass of water downstairs, hoping it'd help me sleep better in any way possible.

Slipping out of bed, I glanced back at Eric which had been fast asleep. Luckily, my movements weren't enough for him to wake up.

As I made my way down the grand staircase and toward the unlit kitchen, I heard a noise coming from the fridge.

I froze dead in my tracks, only a few feet from the room itself, and instantly felt my stomach collapse in itself. The person who had been making the faint noises rounded the corner of the island, their eyes fixed on mine.

"Jeez Santiago," I gasped out wiping the light sweat that had collected on my forehead, "You scared me."

He had a bowl of warm oatmeal in his hand as he scrutinized me, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep," I shrugged as I continued my way to the fridge to pluck out a water bottle from inside, "I was feeling lightheaded."

Santiago sighed sympathetically when he caught onto my worried behavior, "Danica, you've already learned how to defend yourself. If Scarlett wanted to hurt you— she would've by now. But she's not after you, so ease up a little. Eric could take care of himself."

"Why'd she have to come back?" I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest.

"My guess would be retaliation. You know— an eye for an eye." He set down his bowl with a sharp exhale, "Has Eric told you the messy story about Scarlett and him?"

"Vaguely," I said.

"I expected that of him," Santiago scoffed, pursing his thin lips, "Well, I had been working for Rico alongside Eric, we had hardly known each other at the time. But, the scene was incredibly gruesome. I still remember how driven his bloodthirsty eyes appeared that night." He trailed off, shaking his head.

I didn't have any words, I couldn't believe what I had been hearing. It didn't sound like Eric, it left me baffled.

Santiago continued, "I seen her body, looked like a bear mauled her." he sighed, "She shouldn't have survived, and I'm sure she wished she never had."

"Why do you say that?"

He shrugged effortlessly, "If she had died, she would've at least been at peace. But, since she didn't, now she'll have to live with the horrendous trauma. And that'll definitely take a heavy toll on someone's mental state."

"I can't imagine what Eric feels like. The guilt must be eating him from the inside out."

A few thoughtful seconds later, he agreed with a nod. Just as we finished talking, I immediately noticed my cell phone on the bar counter across the kitchen.

I made my way to it and checked my notifications.

One missed call from Alessandra an hour ago.

That was a little odd, Ales wasn't a fan of calling. She always preferred texting. This had already given me a bad vibe.

I decided to call her back, but instead it rung for a while, and then sent me to voicemail.