Carmen's body turned to ice when Simon's words hit her, completely baffling her about their meaning. She quickly turned to glance over her shoulder, fixating her gaze on his large hand gripping her wrist tightly.
For some reason, she didn't like the way he sounded.
Dangerous.
A little off.
A voice inside her head told her to run, but her hand was in his possession, and she didn't know if her guts were right or if she had just imagined that first jibe of warning that seemed to be burning on the front of her skull. Her whole buddy was suddenly buzzing, but suddenly all the voices in her head dropped flat.
She raised her eyes from their hands to meet his gaze, and what she watched confirmed her intuition.
Simon appeared unchanged, still as attractive as ever, but there was something unsettling in his eyes—something unhinged—they seemed to be staring at her with a hint of madness.
She swallowed hard and attempted to pull her arm away.
A futile attempt that only led to his hold tightening on her, almost to the point she feared he would snap it into two. She suppressed a whimper.
"Simon!" she snapped, her face flushed as she struggled to suppress the agony and hold back her tears. "Stop it. You're hurting me."
For a moment, she thought she saw a change in his eyes, as if he had returned from wherever he had been. But just as she thought he might release her, she felt a powerful tug, and her body was pulled towards him. His strong arms quickly wrapped around her waist, pressing her tightly against his solid chest.
Carmen remained in a state of shock when the corner of his lips curled into a disturbing smirk. "I have a problem, Carmen," he sneered, sniffing her cheek and emitting a groan. "When I don't get what I want, not willingly at least, I take it by force." He grinned as if he were proud of this revelation, as if his words were some sort of achievement.
Simon," she struggled to create distance, pushing her palms against his solid chest with all her might. However, he remained immovable, as if he were made of unyielding steel. "Let go of me. You're talking nonsense."
He chuckled.
There was a time when his laughter would have charmed her, but not anymore—not when he appeared like a predator unwilling to let go of its prey.
And she was the prey.
In one swift motion, he spun her around, pressing her back against his chest, and forcefully restraining her arms behind her back. She squirmed, overwhelmed with fear and confusion about what was happening.
"I presented you with choices," he stated. "Because I wanted you to feel independent, like you had an equal say in this." He planted a kiss below her right ear, biting the flesh just beneath the base of her neck. "But now you're turning me down, Carmen. Rejection doesn't sit well with me. I thought you'd have picked up on that by now." He shook his head. "Never mind. You lacked focus anyway. We're going to go through this again. Okay, sweetheart? I'll be kind and give you one hour to make up your mind, and then I'll ask you again. You better give me an answer." He nibbled on her ear, causing her to cry out. "The answer I want to hear, understood?"
"You're sick."
"No." He shook his head, grinning. "I'm not sick. I'm simply driven by an intense desire for what I want." His voice lowered, sending a chilling wave of fear through her. "And I want you. Every part of you. Exclusively mine."
"You're making a mistake."
He laughed again, amused. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
* * *
Carmen racked her brain, trying to recall all the signs she had overlooked. Those signs which should have alerted her to who the hell Simon Walsh really was—a psychopath or just plain crazy.
She knew he was power-hungry; she remembered the time he warned her of the dangers in his dark world, but she never expected him to actually possess such a dangerous side—the side that scared her now, absolutely to the core. He had given her a choice, gaining her trust and giving her the wrong sense of comfort that he had her best interest in mind, that she was in control of how things would transpire between the two.
But that was obviously not the case.
It was like witnessing a whole new side of him, and needless to say, she didn't like what she saw.
I should have walked away when I had the time.
There was nothing like a clean breakup. Never.
A few minutes ago, he had locked her up in a tiny cabin devoid of any windows. Even though Carmen had never felt claustrophobic before, she certainly did now. She couldn't ignore the urgency of her situation or the fact that she was in deep trouble. She had to get out of this place. She had to get out of this fucking cruise.
Carmen anxiously paced the room, her mind racing with thoughts. She had already exhausted her attempts at banging on the door and screaming for help. But she had also noticed the narrow, desolate hallway he had taken her through. Something told her it was an area rarely frequented by others on the cruise.
She also couldn't afford to waste all her energy right away. She needed to conserve her strength and use it wisely. When he returned, she had a plan to strike him, aiming for his nose—well, that was the goal, at least. She had learned techniques in school, where they taught girls how to incapacitate a larger opponent by targeting areas that would buy them more time than a groin kick ever could.
Her heart was hammering against her ribs, but she was trying to stay calm. She couldn't lose her head right now. Not when her life seemed to be at stake. If she had to, she would say whatever the fuck he wanted to hear, so she could bide her time and escape him at the first chance.
It was impossible to keep track of time. Simon took her phone with him. And she wasn't even wearing a watch. Now that she thought about it, she never really liked wearing that thing. It always made her feel distracted and on edge, and Carmen was never into jewellery that much. She could tolerate them, but when she was alone, she preferred to keep things plain and simple.
Carmen sat down on the floor next to the door and kept her ears strained for any kind of sound. She hoped someone would arrive before time ran out. She hoped someone was looking for her.
* * *
Back at the pool party, Molly kept staring at her phone with a frown.
She had texted Carmen to inform her that she wanted to make a brief trip back to her room. However, fifteen minutes had gone by, and there was no sign of her best friend's reply. Molly couldn't help but think that it was highly unusual for Carmen. They had a rule since high school for situations like these, where they could easily get separated at parties: always respond within minutes, no slacking.
Even if they were in the middle of a make-out session (which was always her, never Carmen), she would interrupt it to text Carmen her location and plans. And as they say, old habits die hard—they still stuck to that rule, no matter what. Fifteen minutes without a reply felt like a significant stretch of time. Especially considering Carmen had gone off to deliver some breakup news.
Molly wondered if Simon hadn't taken the news well instead of understanding it. Could they be having a fight?
Nah, Carmen wasn't the type to yell. She usually preferred to leave the room rather than get into an argument that she knew would only make things worse. She would wait for the other person to calm down, and then they would have a mature conversation like two adults.
Molly decided to navigate her way through the lively crowd and find a spot close to the ship's railing. The crew members stationed there were on the lookout for any intoxicated individuals who might attempt to jump off the cruise. However, once they realized that Molly simply wanted to make a phone call, they allowed her to approach the metal rails.
But to her surprise, the call didn't go through.
What on earth?
She tried again, hoping for a different outcome.
Once again, the call failed.
She dialled the number once more, determined to establish a connection.
But once again, it failed.
Molly had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. There had to be a reason for this. Regardless, she felt an urgent need to check up on her friend. Who knew if Carmen was in some sort of trouble?
She desperately hoped that wasn't the case, but considering what Carmen had shared about the series of unfortunate events on this cruise since she set foot on it, it wouldn't be surprising if Carmen found herself in yet another troublesome situation.
She could swear that girl attached trouble like bees to the honey.
Molly had barely crossed the atrium when she heard someone calling out to her from behind. With a frown, she turned around, unwilling to waste another moment before reaching out to the receptionist.
It was Jasper.
Her frown deepened even further.
"Hey, beautiful," he quipped as he approached her. "Where are you rushing off to?"
Molly rolled her eyes and turned back around, intending to continue her walk. "I don't have time for this, Jasper."
She could hear his footsteps trailing behind her. "Time for what?"
"Nonsense."
"No way."
"Yes, way."
"My nonsense is the absolute best nonsense you'll ever encounter. There's no way you can resist!" She could hear the smugness in his voice.
Molly felt a wave of nausea. "Ugh."
She quickened her pace, trying to distance herself from Jasper's persistent presence. She had no patience for his flirtatious banter, especially not now when she was worried about Carmen's well-being.
Jasper, however, seemed undeterred as he matched her stride. "Come on, Molly. Now, don't be so serious."
She let out an exasperated sigh, momentarily considering whether it was worth engaging in an argument with him. But her concern for Carmen overshadowed any desire for a confrontation. "Look, Jasper, I appreciate your attempts at charm, but right now, I have something important to deal with. Can we please have this conversation some other time?"
Jasper's playful expression faded slightly as he picked up on the seriousness in her voice. "Alright. I didn't realize it was that urgent. Is everything okay?"
Molly hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should confide in Jasper about her concerns for Carmen. But she decided that she needed all the help she could get. "I'm not sure. Carmen hasn't been responding to my calls, and something just feels off. I need to find her and make sure she's alright."
Concern filled Jasper's eyes as he took a step closer to her. "I'm sorry to hear that. Let me help you. We can search the ship together and make sure Carmen is safe."
Molly paused, surprised by Jasper's unexpected offer of assistance. She had always seen him as a frivolous flirt, but perhaps there was more to him than met the eye.
With a slight nod, she reluctantly accepted his help. "Okay. Let's find her and make sure she's okay. But please, no more nonsense."
Jasper grinned, his tone shifting to a more serious note. "No nonsense. I promise. Let's go track down your friend."
A/N: Oops Carmen in trouble! :(