“Good. Family?”

“No M-master.” Not anymore.

“Friends?”

“A few girls at work.” She was beginning to be thankful she was alone. At least there was no one in the world he could use to hurt her further.

“You’ve got less to leave. That’ll make it easier on you.”

He didn’t know what he was talking about. Having nothing to leave was never easy. She’d been thrown into Miami’s foster care system when she was twelve. Her foster father had beaten her, and as she’d grown into a young woman, he’d attempted other things. A college scholarship in New York had been her escape hatch before he’d gotten a chance to succeed. Now her earned freedom felt unreal because this man would bring to fruition her foster father’s sick desires. Why else would he take her? Why else would he emphasize that he owned her? Leo wasn’t the first man to make such a claim, and this wouldn’t end any better. Only there was no ready way out this time.

She didn’t know how to be around people. How to talk to them and make real, close friends. She’d never learned how trust worked. Now all she was leaving was a too-small apartment and a few shallow friendships. Fresh tears flowed down her face, and she thought she might never exhaust her supply of them.

“I have a cat. She’ll starve without me.” The only being she’d miss was reliant on her for survival. She couldn’t stand to think of Squish suffering and dying alone in the studio apartment. That cat had seen her through her senior year of college and getting her first real adult job.

Leo’s hand was still at the nape of her neck. “I’ll send someone to retrieve your cat.”

Faith’s head snapped up, and she stared at him a moment, trying to determine if he was playing with her. “You’d do that for me?”

“I told you I can make your life easy or hard. Give me what I want, and I’ll make it so easy. When we get to the house, you can write down your address and make a list of anything else you want from your former residence.” He stressed the word former.

“My key is at Angelo’s. He took my purse.”

Leo nodded. “That’s no problem.”

Faith tried not to think about the price he’d extract from her for all this kindness. A tab had started, and there was no doubt he’d take it out of her body. Even so, she couldn’t help the instinct that made her want to cling to him for his protection, however irrational or foolish such an instinct may be.

When they arrived at the house, Faith’s mouth fell open. House was an understatement. It was like calling an ocean a quaint body of water. She was glad he’d gotten rid of the blindfold, ropes, and gag. With all the guards and household staff, it would be mortifying to be brought in like a prisoner, though that was her status. Slave, her mind whispered.