Bad idea (2)

CAT

It's official. I have lost my mind. How else can I explain the letter I sent to Ivan?

Strike that. I knew even before writing down the first word that my letter would be read by several people, none of whom would be Ivan. What was I planning to achieve, exactly? Did I simply do it out of spite, sending off a little threat in the direction of the De Santis?

Or maybe it was the way Will was staring at me before I could even ask him for what I wanted.

I'd been confident entering his office, counting on whatever attraction he has toward my body and the fact that he won't benefit from my defiance. But I didn't think about just how intense his stare would be.

I already felt naked when I put on this nearly nonexistent nightgown. With Will's eyes on me, I felt even more exposed.

All of a sudden, I couldn't get the words "I need to write to my family again" out. I ended up blurting out the first thing that came out of my mind–running.

Freaking running.

I don't even run unless I have to. Why would I ask for permission to do it?

When he said no, I felt even worse.

I guess that's why when Nico returned to my room later and brought with him a pen and paper, I couldn't wait to screw with William De Santi.

But now that I have poked the bear, I need to take a few steps back.

….

I hate that I have to train with Esteban today.

He is a pain in the ass and the creepiest of the De Santis.

I take that back. William De Santi is the creepiest. But Esteban is a close second.

He may not be as intimidating or snippy as William but if I had to get into a fight with one of them, I wouldn't want it to be Esteban.

The doctor.

A shiver runs down my spine at the memory of his nickname.

He's going to teach me how to use medical equipment as weapons, isn't he?

Since I wouldn't put it past him to use them on me as a demonstration, I hurry down the stairs and into the basement with a minute to spare.

I hear the huge grandfather clock chime just as I open the door and hurry in. I let out a sigh of relief. I'm right on time…yet Esteban beat me to it.

He is messing around with some tools on the table when I walk in, and looks up with a displeased glare.

"Anything later than five minutes early is late." He says.

That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all morning.

Well, it is the first thing I've heard all morning but I'd still think so if I'd spent hours with William before hearing it. Still, I nod once.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He shoots his gaze in my direction. "No it won't. Do you know why? I will not train you again. You better soak up all the wisdom you can gather from me in this one lesson."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. He makes it sound like I want to be here.

"Sit." He points at the only chair in the room. I almost didn't see it. It's a piece of old wood that looks like it would crash into smithereens if I so much as put a pen on it. I'm scared to sit on it. It certainly is going to snap.

But when Esteban picks up a scalpel and starts toying with it, the last thing I can do is defy him. So I walk over to the chair and carefully place my butt down.

I'm still basically hovering and my back starts to feel odd almost immediately but I would rather do this than fall.

The man shakes his head at me, walks over and pushes me into the chair. Surprisingly, it doesn't break under me.

"The human body is like this chair," He says. He still has the scalpel between his thumb and index finger. "You can chip and chip at it and it will not break, unless you aim for a fundamental part."

He lowers his voice and adds, "you can cause it as much pain as you want. Make it beg to die. And even then, you could keep it hanging precariously for as long as you want."

I blink a few times. Where did this psychopath come from?

"Are you…" I hesitate for a moment. But I should ask my trainer what I'm learning, right? "Are you doing to teach me how to torture people?" I ask in a shaky whisper.

He scoffs. "Of course not. I'm going to teach you how to withstand torture."

What?

The door opens and saves me from this lunatic's antics.

It's Nico.

Esteban doesn't seem to be as relieved as I am.

"We're in the middle of a lesson, Nico." He groans.

Nico looks over at me as if to check if I'm still alive.

He nods towards me. "I need to tell her something. It will only take a second" when it doesn't seem like Esteban will let me go, he adds, "It's regarding her training."

Esteban begrudgingly steps out of the room. But before he leaves, he pauses at the door and raises up two fingers. "Just two minutes. I'm counting."

I'm relieved when he leaves even if it's temporary.

"I have something for you," Nico whispers.

I'm more curious than I was a minute ago. "What?"

I thought he was going to bring me food but he didn't carry any tray here. He digs into his pocket and takes out an envelope.

A letter.

My heart skips every other beat as I frantically snatch it from his hands and tear the envelope open, quickly unfolding the sheet of paper.

My jaw drops when I see the familiar handwriting.

The lone word at the bottom of the page proves I'm not dreaming and it really is from him.

Rico.