I glance at Nero and he’s twirling the locket between his fingers, a little bit moody now as if he gets grumpy in the morning. “What does the M stand for?” I ask just to be sure and his eyes warm.
“Monique, what else.” His features soften with sudden gratitude. “I bought it as soon as I learned your name.” He drops the locket. “You never gave it to me in the dark.”
There he goes again. Talking about something that never happened. “Right...,” I say slowly, “the dark.”
He gives a serious nod before averting his gaze. Buckling his belt, he closes the closet and I steal a secret glare at the rifle in there. I can’t use it on him. Never been taught how to shoot and I don’t think I’m brave enough to give it a try. “You said something about a lake,” I murmur, “think I’ll go for a swim later on.”
Nero shrugs. “Might be too cold for you but if you insist.”
I definitely insist and I pinch my lip, hoping he’ll let me go on my own but then he adds. “I’ll just have to fix a couple of things around the house and then I’ll take you.”
Nervousness flares in me. “You know you can watch me from the window and you’ll hear me if anything happens.”
Stilling, he turns to me. “I don’t want to watch you from a window when I can watch you up close.” The frown on his face dissipates. “Patience, my little swan. I’ll take you to your lake soon enough.”
I force a smile when he grins...But at least now I have a chance.
****
I’m not sure if he knows I’m planning something but why is he then loading the shotgun? “Just in case,” he mutters, “I had an incident last year when a bear went through my trash and had to scare him off.”
I give an anxious nod, expecting him to take the rifle with him but he leaves it behind. Relief floods me. I was right, he doesn’t suspect a thing and why would he? In his twisted mind, we’re one. Taking my hand, he leads me out of the cabin and his body language is relaxed, his eyes soft but my heart’s frantic in my chest.
Thump, thump...I’m going to have a heart attack and I automatically squeeze Nero’s hand but he takes it as a sign of affection. I gulp, trying to pay attention to my surroundings and the sun is golden on the sky, the breeze gentle and the green grass cuts against my ankles as we walk over to the lake. It’s serene as a whisper, long but not wide and a wave of newfound confidence washes over me.
I’ll be able to swim across in no time, if I really make an effort and then I’ll run over to that neighbor. I’ll tell him to call the cops and then I’ll be free. And Nero...I don’t know what will happen to him. I release my lip from my teeth, only now realizing I’ve been biting into it. I throw a look at Nero’s profile and there’s trust in his eyes as if he’s convinced I’ll never betray him.
He thinks I care about him just as much as he cares about me and as bizarre as it is, I still feel a flash of guilt.
Swallowing, I stop by the shore and pull my clothes down until I’m in my underwear. Nero lets out a groan of approval, crossing his arms over his chest and despite everything I can’t help but blush. He’s all man there’s no denying that. Folding my clothes, I murmur,
“Are you coming in with me?”
“Not unless you want me to,” he replies, before dragging a hand down the back of his neck. “Never really been a fan of water, and I was pretty old when I learned how to swim.”
Strange. Most people learn in elementary school. I nod, stepping into the lake and it’s so freezing that my teeth chatter. I better not freeze to death and I dip one hand, then the other. The water swirls around me, rippling in circles and I take one more step.
“Stick to the shore,” Nero says, “it gets deeper quickly.”
Glancing at him, I nod and smile, playing the role of the obedient girlfriend while simultaneously trying to calculate just how long it will take me to swim across. Less than a minute probably, I just have to go fast and I already worry that Nero will jump in after me. He’s laid back for now but he watches me with an intensity that makes my limbs feel heavy when they shouldn’t be.
A slow, abrasive fever builds up in me and I don’t know where it’s coming from but this is not the time. Turning my back to Nero, I walk farther into the lake but Nero calls,
“Be careful, you don’t want to lose your footing.”
“Yes d...dad,” I call back, struggling to hide how bad my teeth chatter.
Nero chuckles but there’s worry in his laughter, then again he seems to be perpetually worried about me, watch where you going, be careful with the knee...he warns me about danger when he’s the only danger around. Bracing myself, I take my first breast stroke and immediately get a reprimand from Nero.
“Monique...”
“I’m fine, I’ll just swim along the shore.” I glance at him and he’s frowning but he’s not making any attempts to come after me. His arms are still crossed over his chest and he’s standing with his legs wide apart. He’s a little on the bulkier side which means he probably can’t swim that fast. Something snaps in me and I decide to go for it, throwing myself into the depth and then I start swimming like crazy.
My pulse pounds in my ears, the waves splattering around my face and I can barely hear a thing other then the sound of a loud splash. Did he...? I turn around, whimpering when I realize Nero‘s already in the water and I dive under the surface. The lake is murky, algae’s everywhere and I panic when something brushes up against my leg but it must’ve just been a fish. It still freaks me out and I swim to the surface, taking a much needed breath but almost give up on the whole thing when I notice how close Nero is.
I can’t get away and I’m only a couple of inches from the shore when Nero grabs me and my eyes flare in fear. “Thank fuck,” he groans, pushing me up on the shore and I almost fall flat on my face both from exhaustion and surprise. “I didn’t think you’d manage to get all the way across without drowning. And if you wanted to get me into the water that bad, then you should’ve just asked.”
He crawls on top of me and I sag, knowing my knees will cave if I try to stand. He doesn’t understand that I tried to get away from him, blocking anything that doesn’t fit his story again and my eyes roll back in my head. Breathing heavily, he wipes something off my cheek-dirt from the lake probably-before he frowns.
“Fuck, I’m so pissed at you right now for risking your life like that,” he groans and I freeze.
“N...no, don’t be angry. P...please...”
That intensity in his eyes deepens, until it almost cuts me in half, causing reluctant arousal to pool between my legs. “You don’t have to beg me for anything,” he rasps, “Everything’s yours anyway. And I’m not mad at you, my world. Just got scared, that’s all.”