Chapter Forty-Two
Grace
When I woke up, I opened my eyes groggily. There wasn't much light and I had to wait for my vision to adjust. I tried to sit up but was stopped when I realized I was handcuffed to a bed.
"Well look who finally opened her pretty eyes." A soft voice mumbled to my right.
I jumped in surprise, still under the effects of whatever he had given me.
I blinked slowly, trying to speak but no words came out.
Tristan was nestled close to my side and he ran his hands over my face lovingly.
My eyes widened and I forced myself to calm down, I had to be smart about this, I had no idea where I was or what Tristan was capable of.
"W-what are you doing?" I finally found the ability to speak.
"We're finally together," He mumbled happily, "ever since you left I knew you were the one I was meant to be with. We went through the same thing... both our families killed in a car accident... its fate." He said simply.
"Where am I?" I demanded.
"Oh, we're at my estate, it turns out my parents had some money in a trust fund for me when I turned eighteen- the same time I was finally released from my prison and that vile woman's hands."
"Where is your estate?" I croaked, hoping to get a sense of where I was so that I could escape if I managed to get out of the handcuffs.
He chuckled lowly, "now, now, Grace. We have plenty of time for your questions later."
I grimaced and he glowered at my expression. "You had better get used to this, sweet pea."
I shivered in revulsion as he raked his eyes over my chest.
"Why are you doing this Tristan?" I asked angrily, trying to keep my voice from rising. I didn't want to make him upset to the point he hurt me.
He smiled at me adoringly, "When I saw you in the magazines, I thought it was so ironic that you made it out of the foster system without a scratch. It was like your other life had been completely wiped away- you were living a whole other life."
I stared at him, too disturbed to speak.
He continued, "I didn't think it was fair that you could just forget about everything that happened," He stoked my cheek affectionately, "so I figured I would remind you about what you left behind."
I didn't know how to respond, so I sat there dumbfounded.
"Didn't you miss me?" He purred, grasping my hand tightly.
I nodded shakily, my eyes darting around the room for some sort of weapon I could use against him.
He laughed as he seemed to understand what I was searching for.
"Don't worry, babe. I've got it covered," He winked. His hand moved to his waistband and he pulled out a pistol slowly, letting the light glint off the deadly metal.
I jerked back with a panicked scream, "Why do you have a gun?"
He rolled his eyes, "Well, I've finally got you here. I can't let anyone take you away from me now, can I?" He kissed me behind my ear and I gagged.
His eyes narrowed at my reaction, "You'd better get used to this Grace, we're soul mates."
Oh my god, he's absolutely insane! I'm never going to get away!
My mind was racing, my heart beating erratically as I tried to calm down.
I wouldn't get out of here without being smart.
An idea formed in my head and I scrambled to come up with a good enough plan.
I blinked up at him innocently, "Tris?" I asked quietly, "can I go to the bathroom?" I tried out a nickname, trying to make it sound like I was warming up to him.
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open a little in surprise before he composed himself quickly, his lips turning upwards in a smirk.
I felt my eye twitch as I tried to remain calm. I could feel sweat beading on my forehead at the mere thought of the pistol he had in his pants.
He seemed to think for a long moment before pulling out a set of keys from the bedside drawer. He unlinked my hands from the cuffs and grasped my hand tightly.
"No funny business." He warned, leading me out of the small room I had been trapped in.
When we exited the room, we were faced with a long hallway with at least six more closed doors. I wondered if there were more girls trapped here other than me, but figured he would have bragged about it if there were.
Tristan's house was enormous and grand in every way imaginable. The white marble floors shone beneath us as we headed towards the grand staircase that was lit by an enormous crystal chandelier above us.
If it were any other situation, I may have marveled at how beautiful it was.
But it wasn't, and I needed to be fully immersed in the problem at hand if I had any hope in escaping without injury or death.
He led me down the stairs and down another long hallway where we stopped at another closed door. He opened it and shoved me through, following close behind.
I frowned at him, "How am I supposed to go to the bathroom when you're in here with me?"
He shrugged, continuing to wait for me to do my business.
I shook my head in response, "Tris, how am I supposed to feel sexy when you watch me?" I gestured to the toilet, "definitely not something I want you to see."
Tristan's face turned a deep red in what I assumed to be embarrassment.
"You have two minutes," He said gruffly, turning to leave.
I broke out into a smile of victory, but when he turned back around as he stood in the doorframe, my face fell as he narrowed his eyes at me. He moved his jacket to the side and flashed me the gun.
"Remember, I'm in charge here." He said wickedly.
I swallowed hard, trying not to panic. What was I going to do now? He purposely took me to a bathroom in the middle of the house where there were no windows leading outside.
I turned on the sink, searching the room for any sign of something I could use against him. All I found was a pencil in the cupboard, so I quickly shoved it inside the back of my shorts just in case.
I didn't want to jeopardise losing my weapon if he was prepared for an attack on the other side of the door, so I decided to go to the bathroom and gain a little of his trust, maybe it would present an opportunity to get away.
I washed my hands and slowly opened the door. Sure enough, the gun was out just in case I had decided to try to escape.
I gave him a nervous smile, "Do you mind putting that away? Guns freak me out."
He pursed his lips, seeming surprised that I hadn't attempted anything.
He slipped the gun back in his waistband and grabbed my arm again, hauling me back up the stairs.
"W-wait, I'm hungry." I said, pulling back a little bit.
He growled, "I'll bring you something later."
I shook my head, "I have allergies, and I'm starving. I promise to be good," I fluttered my lashes a little bit and nearly threw up when he smiled adoringly as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
I thought I could maybe reach around him and somehow grab the gun, so I went to wrap my arms around him in a fake display of affection, but he grasped my hand.
"No touching, sweets. I won't be able to hold back from touching you." He grinned at me.
My face paled and I stumbled a little bit, shocked he had just said that. I didn't want to tempt him in any way possible.
I had already been through enough in my life, I didn't need to add anything else to that list.
He started pulling me back down the stairs, his hand at the small of my back. My heart was hammering in my chest, afraid that he would notice the pencil there and beat me for it, or worse.
We headed in the opposite direction from the bathroom, and I struggled to remember where the different rooms were in case I was able to escape. I doubted going through the front door was a good idea, so I kept a watchful eye out for any other exits.
We ended up in an enormous kitchen. He sat me on a stool against the large counter and began rifling through the fridge. I noticed a block of knives in the corner of the kitchen but I would never be able to reach it without him noticing. A knife wouldn't do very well against a gun, either.
I was so frustrated; I didn't even hear when Tristan tried to talk to me.
"Grace!" He yelled, causing me to jolt in fright.
His eyes softened when he saw how scared I was.
"Sorry," I mumbled quietly, "what did you say? I guess I was spacing out." I said half-heartedly.
He shook his head in exasperation and repeated himself, "I asked you if you could eat an apple."
I nodded, hearing my stomach growl. He chuckled and I resisted the urge to spit in his smug face.
I snatched the apple from him and took a big bite out of it.
"You know," He said, his voice silky in an attempt to be sexy, "people say that how you eat an apple determines how good of a kisser you are." He stepped closer to me and I took one large step back.
I took a large, aggressive slobbery bite of the apple, "You don't say." I said flatly, letting apple hang out of my mouth,
I took a moment of satisfaction when his face portrayed disgust.
"I guess I'll have to find out for myself," He grinned, looking every bit the predator that he was.
I took a step back and pretended to choke on my apple. Maybe if I acted like I was hurt or sick, he wouldn't want to kiss me.
His faced flashed with concern for a moment and he hit my back a couple times to try to cease my coughing. I stopped after a minute and looked at him in panic.
"I think I'm going to throw up. I haven't felt well since I woke up." I lied, trying to sound convincing.
He frowned, obviously considering what I was saying.
"Are you sure you're sick?" He questioned me gruffly.
I nodded quickly, "I have low blood sugar and I tend to get sick easily." I grimaced, hoping he would believe my lie.
Thankfully he did.
"Alright, well I'm sure I have something around here that will help your stomach. I suppose you should eat more than an apple if you have low blood sugar." Tristan mused, opening the fridge.
When he looked back at me I swayed on my feet, trying to make it more believable.
He took a step towards me but I held up my hand, "Trust me, when I get something to eat it will help my blood sugar... but I probably have the flu as well. I think I caught it from a friend of mine."
He paused, considering this as he grabbed a container of what looked like leftover spaghetti and tossed it onto the counter.
"Actually, I'm allergic to gluten." I said, face paling.
"Really..." He said flatly, his face expressionless as he scrutinized me.
I nodded quickly, "It makes me poop." I blurted, hoping it would make me more unappealing to him.
He sighed, "Well I don't have anything gluten free in here, so I guess I'll have to make a trip to the store."
I tried not to let my face show the sudden burst of hope that surged through my body.
I nodded, "Sorry. I hope it doesn't inconvenience you."
He huffed, "it does, but I guess it can't be helped. Come on, I'm going to lock you back up so you don't try anything stupid while I'm gone." He tugged on my wrist and I pretended to wobble as I walked back to the room.
When we reached the room I had woken up in again he pushed me backwards onto the bed. He smiled slyly at me as he crawled on top of me, kissing up my neck. I gagged and began coughing, trying to get him to stop without making him angry.
He made a frustrated sound and grabbed my wrists as he locked them back into the handcuffs. I moved them the best I could to try and prevent them from being locked too tightly. I was hoping to be able to wiggle out of them.
He stepped backwards once he had put the handcuffs back onto my wrists he nodded at me, "I'll be back, sweets. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," He gave me another sly look as he backed out the door, making sure to give me a good look of the pistol that was still strapped to him.
I shuddered as he closed the door and I heard a click as he locked it behind him.
I began moving instantly, wriggling my wrists in an attempt to get free. I realized quickly that moving my hands around had somewhat worked on one, and tried to get into a position to wriggle it out. It was painful, and it made my wrist bleed, but I finally managed to get one hand out of the handcuff. I sighed in determination as sweat dripped from my forehead.
I turned and grasped onto the handcuff as I began to wiggle my hand out, crying out in frustration and pain as it scraped the skin off and made me bleed again. The blood seemed to help however, and made it easier for me to slip my hand through, crying through the pain. There was much worse in store for me if I were to be trapped here.
I jumped off the bed and began to work on the door. There were no windows, so this was my only hope of escaping. I had to hurry- I had no way of knowing how long Tristan would be- and he would surely be expecting an escape attempt.