The tape was hot and sticky over my mouth, and the feeling of being smothered almost put me into panic-mode. I kept my mind focused on whoever had landed on Rafe’s doorstep, relieved that it wasn’t Zach. A woman, Jax had said. Whoever she was, would she find me here? The idea of freedom unsettled me. I’d never stood on my own two feet. Someone had always told me what to do, who to see, who not to see, even what to eat. That was especially true once Dad found out about the anorexia. Rafe imprisoning me on this island had sent my life into a tailspin, but it was the most free I’d felt in a long time.

If my captor had been anyone else, I’d feel differently.

The ladder dropped, and I tensed, wondering whose head would pop through the opening. Rafe climbed into the loft and pulled up the stairs, effectively shutting the door to the outside world. It was just us. No rescue person in sight.

He stomped toward me, and I tried not to flinch as he yanked the tape from my mouth. He released my hands and dragged me from the bed by my hair. “What’s going on?” I gasped, thrown off by his foul mood. Rafe wasn’t the happiest guy on the block, but something had him worked up. “Who was here?”

“You’ve been lying through your deceitful little teeth, and it’s gonna stop.” He let go of me long enough to pull his shirt over his head and shed his jeans. I was still trying to process that he’d stripped naked when he shoved me in front of him and propelled me toward the bathroom. He picked up his belt on the way, and I dug in my heels, shaking as images of all the things he could do with that strap of leather popped into my head.

“What are you doing?” I didn’t like where this was going, especially when he slammed the door behind us and bent me over the granite counter, wrenched my arms behind me, and wound that belt around my wrists. He moved away, and the sound of rushing water filled me with horror. I ran for the door.

He jerked me back, hand fisting my hair, and turned me toward the bathtub, my back to his front. His hand clamped down on my shoulder. The tub was huge, big enough for two and deep enough for an adult to drown in.