Chapter 5 Who Hit You?

MIA

I don’t know exactly how long I have been in this room, but judging by the rotation of the meals they bring me, I would say it is already day five.

Five long, miserable days.

Five days of being locked away like a prisoner, with no explanation beyond a few words, I managed to get out of the bald man who came in here to intimidate me. No one has bothered to tell me why I am being kept here or what they plan to do with me.

The bald guy claims he hates me because I got his boss kidnapped and shot. According to him, I am the reason his boss ended up in that situation.

But I have tried explaining that I didn’t do it.

But what did all that explaining get me?

A black eye and a busted lip.

I sat on the floor with my back against the side of the bed, my legs stretched out in front of me, while my head rested against the mattress behind me.

I stared blankly at the wall opposite me, wondering if Rose and Ethan were looking for me.

They had to be.

Surely, someone must have noticed that I was missing by now. Surely, they realized something was wrong when I didn’t show up or answer my phone.

I dragged a hand over my face and winced when my fingers brushed against my swollen lip.

The door opened, but I didn’t bother turning around.

After five days, I already knew the routine. It would either be the woman who brought my food or the bald man coming back to remind me that I was still a prisoner.

Neither option exactly thrilled me.

“If I had any idea you would enjoy staring at the wall this much, I would have added a little character to the damn thing.”

That voice.

I remembered that voice.

My head snapped around so quickly that my neck almost protested. My eyes widened when I saw the man standing in the doorway.

Him.

The man I had abducted by mistake instead of Ethan.

For a moment, I could only stare at him. He looked nothing like someone who had spent the past five days recovering from being kidnapped and shot. There was no obvious sign of weakness on his face. No visible injury matched the way the bald man had described his condition.

“You’re fine,” I mumbled, my eyes slowly trailing over him, searching for any sign that he was hurt.

His head tilted slightly to the side. “Were you hoping I wasn’t?”

I pushed my hair behind my ear and took another cautious step toward him.

“You know everything that happened in that cabin was a mix-up,” I rushed out. “I never intended to abduct you, and you know that. It was a mistake. I thought you were Ethan, and by the time I realized I had the wrong person, everything had already gone completely wrong.”

He stared at me.

“And the men who shot us?” I continued, gesturing helplessly. “I had nothing to do with them. I didn’t even know they were coming. I swear, I had no idea they would...” I frowned. “Are you even listening to me?”

Nope.

He wasn’t.

His eyes narrowed as he studied my face more carefully. “What happened to your eyes and lips?”

“Nothing,” I lied. “I fell while trying to escape.”

“You fell.”

I nodded quickly. “Please, when can I leave?” I’m slowly losing my mind in here.

I have spent five days trapped inside this room with nothing but my thoughts for company, and I was beginning to understand how people could lose their sanity in confinement.

My eyes moved to the doorway, and that was when I noticed that the door wasn’t locked.

How far would I get if I decided to take my chances and dash for the door?

“Don’t think about it, Mia.”

My body stiffened.

“You won’t get far even if you manage to make it past that door.” His voice immediately killed whatever courage I had managed to gather. “A big if.”

I batted my lashes innocently before quickly turning my attention away from the doorway. “I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Of course you weren’t.”

He walked further into the room and settled onto the three-seater sofa. “Run me through the events of the days you’ve been here.”

Do I want to relive it?

Absolutely not.

I had spent the last five days trying not to think about everything that happened since I woke up in this room.

“I hate to repeat myself, Mia.”

My brows pulled together.

How did he know my name? Should I ask him?

No. I don’t think that was a very good idea.

“Well…” I cleared my throat and glanced around the room. “The older lady feeds me three times a day, and the bald guy comes in occasionally to check up on me. The other young lady comes in very early every morning to get my dirty clothes and towels. Then she replaces them with clean ones.”

His fingers drummed lightly against the armrest. “At what point did you fall while trying to escape?”

Shit.

My fingers immediately went to my hair, tucking a loose strand behind my ear. “The first day I woke up,” I answered. “I did try to escape, and I fell.”

His eyes narrowed. “You fell on your own, or someone pushed you, Mia?”

“I fell on my own.”

As much as lying to him made my heart pound faster than normal, I wasn’t about to piss off the bald dude who spent more time with me than he did.

I have no idea what would happen if he found out I told his boss the truth. The last thing I needed was another beating.

He studied me for a moment before slowly nodding, then rose to his feet and stalked towards me.

“Falling does not give you a black eye, Mia.” Before I could react, he reached for my face and I took an involuntary step backward.

His jaw tightened.

His dark gaze traveled slowly across my face, studying every bruise and cut, silently daring me to take another step away from him.

He reached for me again.

This time, I dared not move.

His thumb and index finger caught my jaw, and he gently tilted my head from one side to the other. His touch wasn’t rough, but there was something unsettling about the way he examined me.

“A fall does not give you a black eye,” he repeated. “A busted lip, maybe,” his eyes settled on the dark bruise surrounding mine. “But definitely not an eye as black as this.”

My throat tightened.

“And with years of experience, I can tell you that you were punched in the eye.”

My heart sank.

He knew.

There was no point trying to fool him.

“Which is why I’m going to ask you this question again, Mia.” He finally let go of my jaw and stepped back. “And I advise you to think carefully before answering.”

My pulse hammered against my neck as I tried to figure out what answer could possibly keep me safe.

“Who hit you?”