Free Twist Me by Anna Zaires Page B

mirror and look at my back. There are faint bruises on my buttocks, but nothing major. That’s one of the benefits of my golden-tinted skin—I don’t bruise easily. By tomorrow, it should look completely normal.
    All in all, I seem to have survived another night in my captor’s bed.
    As I brush my teeth, I think back to last evening. The dinner, my silly plan to seduce him, my feeling of betrayal at his actions . . .
    I can’t believe I had begun to trust him even a tiny bit. Normal men don’t kidnap girls from the park. They don’t drug them and bring them to a private island. Men who like normal, consensual sex don’t keep women captive.
    No, Julian is not normal. He’s a sadistic control freak, and I can never forget it. The fact that he hasn’t hurt me badly yet doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a matter of time before he does something truly awful to me.
    I need to escape before that happens, and I can’t take my sweet time seducing Julian. He’s far too dangerous and unpredictable.
    I need to find a way off this island.
     
    * * *
     
    After I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, I go downstairs for breakfast. Beth must’ve already been in my room because there is another fresh set of clothes laid out. A swimsuit, flip-flops, and another sundress.
    Beth herself is in the kitchen, and so are the pancakes I’d smelled earlier.
    At my entrance, she smiles at me, yesterday’s tension apparently forgotten. “Good morning,” she says cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”
    I give her an incredulous look. Does she know what Julian did to me? “Oh, just great,” I say sarcastically.
    “That’s good.” She seems oblivious to my tone. “Julian was afraid you might be a bit sore this morning, so he left me a special cream to give you just in case.”
    She does know.
    “How do you live with yourself?” I ask, genuinely curious. How can a woman stand by and watch another woman being abused like this? How can she work for this cruel man?
    Instead of answering, Beth places a large, fluffy pancake on a plate and brings it to me. There is also sliced mango on the table, right next to a bottle of maple syrup.
    “Eat, Nora,” she says, not unkindly.
    I give her a bitter look and dig into the pancake. It’s delicious. I think she added bananas to the batter because I can taste their sweetness. I don’t even need the maple syrup, although I do add a few slices of mango for additional flavor.
    Beth smiles again, and goes back to doing various kitchen chores.
    After breakfast, I leave the house and explore the island on my own. Beth doesn’t stop me. I still find it shocking that they’re letting me wander around like this. They must be completely confident there is no way off the island.
    Well, I intend to find a way.
    I walk tirelessly for hours in the hot sun, until the flip-flops I’m wearing give me a blister. I stick close to the beach, hoping to find a boat tied somewhere, maybe in a cave or a lagoon.
    But I find nothing.
    How did I get here? Was it by plane or helicopter? Julian did mention yesterday that he had originally discovered this place while flying a plane. Maybe that’s how he brought me here, via a private plane?
    That would not be good. Even if I found the plane sitting somewhere, how would I fly it? I imagine it must be at least somewhat complicated.
    Then again, with sufficient incentive, I might be able to figure it out. I’m not stupid, and flying a plane is not rocket science.
    But I don’t find the plane either. There is a flat grassy area on the other side of the island with a structure at the end of it, but there’s nothing inside the structure. It’s completely empty.
    Tired, thirsty, and with the blister beginning to bother me more with each step, I head back to the house.
     
    * * *
     
    “Julian left a couple of hours ago,” Beth tells me as soon as I walk in.
    Stunned, I stare at her. “What do you mean, he left?”
    “He had some urgent business to take care