Chapter 4

You crossed the threshold, dripping excitement and rain, pretending you’re not afraid.

Now you pace your new cage. You caress the velvet curtains like they’re the hairs on my chest, test the locks as if they might offer you protection. 

Foolish girl. There will be no barriers between you and I. No escape.

You peel off your clothes, trembling with desire, shivering with need. Don’t you know satisfaction is mere inches away?

Crawl beneath the covers, my little pet. They offer no sanctuary. Close your eyes, I’ll still be there.

Your fear is exquisite. It lingers in the corners, seeps into the floorboards, rises from your skin in delectable waves.

Pretend you’re alone. Pretend you’re safe. This is only the beginning.

Sleep, Annalisa. I’ll be watching through the keyhole. Always.

Chapter 5

The thought of being trapped in a cage had my mind spinning the entire night. That, and the man on the lawn and the footsteps outside my room. Paranoia even invaded my sleep. 

As I lay flat on my back, an unseen force pushed the key out of the hole, making it fall to the floor with a soft clink. Then the door creaked open, and a large figure stood in the doorway. 

In my dream, I was paralyzed, unable to do anything but gasp. He loomed there, backlit by faint moonlight, his broad chest moving up and down like church bellows. Dream man’s hips drove back and forth like he was testing how it would feel to split me open. 

I blame not having sex for several days after non-stop action with Gil. Scratch that. I blame Gil. And the crime family I refuse to name because they have the murder weapon with my fingerprints.

I tried to move, but the only thing shifting was the sick pulse between my legs. And his powerful thrusts. He kept rocking, like he already owned the rhythm of my body. Therapists would call it latent sexual aggression. I call it a bad habit of wanting the things that scare me most.

He edged forward, and something loosened in my throat. A scream that had him disappearing into the dark. Before I could even process what happened, the nightmare ended, and I was plunged back into sleep.