When I woke up, I realized my hands and legs were tied down tight. I strained against the restraints a few times, but they didn't give an inch.
"You're awake?"
That familiar voice sent a jolt of pure dread coiling through my gut, swelling until it felt like it was going to swallow me whole. It was Gideon, just as I'd feared.
The villa community had ironclad security, but I'd missed one tiny detail in all my planning. I'd forgotten to remove Gideon from the access system as my emergency contact. That was how he'd slipped right in.
His gaze burned like a laser, fixed so intently on my stomach I swear I could feel it searing a hole straight through my clothes.
He leaned over me, his eyes wild with that sick, unhinged glint I'd grown to hate. "Valerie, I really know I messed up this tim
