“Demi, shut up!” he hissed before he slowly pushed up my blindfold. I was staring straight into his green eyes. His facial expression immediately softened as soon as he looked at me.
“Hi.” I offered a trivial, dejected smile at my first love. The first and only man I had ever truly trusted in my life. The only man who made me believe someone cared about me. The man I thought I had poisoned and killed in the middle of an ocean when he betrayed my trust.
“Hi,” he replied and brushed his index finger against my face. “You tried to kill me.” My eyes widened as he said the words with no resentment, but complete despondency laced into each one.
“I trusted you, Bradley…even after everything your family put me through. You never mentioned you were Ian Ivory’s son.” I choked back the tears that stung my eyes.
He cupped my hands and pressed his forehead against mine. “I know, I know…but this is all I ever wanted for us. I dreamed of us getting to Ivory Island and eventually taking over La Gabbia. We could make it ours; we could end all of this and turn it into something you want.” His minty breath brushed against my face as a single tear rolled down my cheek.
Grabbing his hand, I looked into his eyes. “You want to end all of this?”
“Demi…” He took a deep breath in. “I missed the way you smell. I missed these brown eyes. I’m so glad I put the tracker on our boat for Uncle Alister to track. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I knew you were dead. Granted, I would have saved your dead body the same way…” He paused and pressed his lips against mine.
I turned my head and pushed him off my body. “Bradley.”
He had known all along that we were going to end up here, and that us being saved was never a coincidence or an accident. “You knew I’d see the photo album of you as a child with Ian and Conrad?”
What kind of sick game had he played with me?
“I wanted you to know the truth, Demi. Ian, my father, wouldn’t let me tell you. He told me he’d kill you after…after having his way with you.”
My head was spinning. Everything was starting to make more sense. “I loved you then, Demi. I love you now, and I’ll love you forever.” He brushed away the tears from my face.
“You are my soul’s mirror.” His dimple deepened as I broke my gaze and looked down the dark hallway. The walls were all black brick, and only one light behind us flickered.
“Bradley…” I blew air out before looking back to him. “What is this?” I shuddered.
“Tonight went terribly, Demi. Our resort has been compromised because of the incident with Todd and Kim. Alister wants to see us both to discuss some changes. I know we have much to catch up on, and I know we will, but tonight we have to go see what he needs. Demi, you married my brother; you are an Ivory. One day, I’ll finally get to make you mine as you were intended to be. This is our family business, and we must save it. I know you tried to kill me because you were scared, but the truth is, this was our only place to go.”
I was an Ivory. Granted, I had murdered my husband after we consummated our marriage, but I was still part of this sick family.
“Bradley, I’m scared.” As much as I had every reason and more to hate Bradley and not trust him, ultimately, he was the only person I was familiar with and knew. I also knew he was in love with me. Having someone love you held more power than any form of violence ever could. I controlled him in a way he didn’t even know, especially now that he knew I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if I had to.
“I know, my sweet Demi…but just play the game. We must.” I nodded at him as he laced his fingers through mine, and together, we walked down the cold, dark hallway. I let my hand brush against the black brick walls as we made our way down. There were divots that were no longer brick, but rather a cold steel to blend in.
“Bradley…” I whispered and stopped. “What is this?” I felt as if my eyes were closed because I couldn’t see anything. Tracing my fingers against it, I knew without a doubt it was a door. I turned and walked a few steps further and felt another.
“Before we have beautiful nightingales, we must have the caged girls.” His arm wrapped around my waist as he tugged me away. “You have to stay quiet.”
“They are kept in total darkness?” I was shaking as memories of Ian Ivory’s caged girls came flooding back. The stark, sterile bright white rooms, where the girls were deprived of senses and turned into obedient wives for the rich.
But this…this was the opposite. These girls were kept in total silence and darkness. This was far more terrifying because they didn’t know what evil was lurking.
“It’s different, Demi. Darkness helps us heal. It’s therapeutic to cleanse your soul and learn how to please and give, rather than to take.”
“We have to help them…” I knew I shouldn’t have said that—they were words Bradley would never agree with.
“We will. We will, my love.” He tugged me down the hallway until we reached the end. “Lift your palm and press it against the door. You’ll feel it.” We both did so, and suddenly, the door opened slowly. It was still too dark, but I could hear the door slide shut behind us.
“Do it again.” We both pressed our hands against the door I couldn’t see, and it slid open, revealing an enormous space with a gold chandelier hanging over an expansive conference table.
I knew they had the first door so no light would emit into the hallway for the caged girls to see.
Alister Ivory was sitting in a suit at the head of the table, with half the table filled with men in all white suits and the other in all black.
Two seats were empty.
“There’s my right-hand man and right-hand woman…” Alister chuckled as he stood. His eyes immediately dropped to where Bradley’s hand was holding my shaking one. “Why are you touching her, Bradley?”
