the solid piece of wood hit the floor inches from my bare feet with a loud thwack that rattled my body. Eyes lifting to meet black ones that didn’t hold a sparkle, a toothbrush slipped from my fingers. Cold fear paralyzed me to the spot. I stared at him, chest heaving with the expectation of his retaliation. Regardless of what he had in store for me, I refused to plead for my life. If pride sent me to hell, so be it. At least I would leave this world with my dignity intact. Ronan moved toward me, those expensive boots treading on the fallen door. The clank of metal brought my gaze to his hands, and as I watched him pull his belt from its loops, my heart fell through my stomach. He was going to whip me like Carlo beat his pregnant wife in The Godfather. Screw dignity. “Pm sorry!” The words escaped on an uneven breath. “No, you’re not, malen’kaya Igunishka.” Legs carrying me backward, he followed my retreat. The coolness of the stone shower floor met my feet. I was trapped, and he was closing in on me with that lax belt in his grip. I should accept the pain to bring me back to reality; to remember his company was nothing but a herald of death. It sounded good in theory, but in reality? It sounded like it would freaking hurt. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, I chucked it at him. “You deserved it!” He evaded it and all of the other objects I hurled his way. Catching me by the waist, his dark voice pressed against my ear. “Just as you deserve to have your ass whipped.” I pushed against him, trying to knee him where it hurt, but he grabbed my thigh with a punishing grip before it could make contact. “Knee me in the nuts again,” he growled, “and you’ll be soothing the ache.” “Let me go!” I continued to struggle, but he had my wrists in an unyielding grip while he wrapped his belt around them and tied a knot. When he stepped away, I tried to escape, but he yanked on the other end of the belt, and I collided with his chest. He secured the other end to the modern shower head on the ceiling, raising my arms above my head. Panting, I looked up warily. “What are you—?” The rest of the words escaped as a yelp when icy water rained down on me.