Lost & Bound Read Online Free Page A

and the area is as secluded as I remember.
A faint flickering of lights from a nearby property is the only sign of civilization,
other than that, my surroundings are pitch black.
    Finally, I hear the locks turn and the door
cracks open.
    “Callum?” He forces a smile. Well, I assume
it’s forced, I don’t remember what his smile actually looks like.
    “Hey, Dad.” I hear the trepidation in my
own voice.
    Act casual .
    I force myself to lean in for an embrace
and he reciprocates the gesture. He smells the same. Old Spice mixed with the
faintest touch of leather.
    “Good to see you, son.”
    This time there’s warmth in his voice. He
almost sounds genuine. Almost.
    I let my eyes sweep over him. He looks
good. His hair has gained more silver and he has lost a few pounds, but he
still looks like the same distinguished gentleman. I notice his eyes. They look
dark and shifty. I’d never noticed that about him— that his eyes dart all over the place when he’s nervous.
    “When did you get back?” He claps me on the
back as he steps aside letting me into the house.
    I open my mouth to answer, but hesitate as
I do. Don’t lie, I tell myself. If you lie, he’ll know. He’s a human
lie detector.
    I clear my throat. “This morning.”
    A look crosses his face and I immediately
think I’ve blown it.
    Fuck, I should have planned for this. He
knows I’ve been in the house. He knows everything.
    When I think he’s about to question me
further, he presses his lips together and nods his head.
    “Good.” He smiles crookedly. “Come in. Tell
me all about Italy.”
    My father is an obnoxious man. I’ve barely
said ten words to him and I can already feel the falseness radiating off of
him. He is a man who cares about two things. One is the township of Merling.
His family was one of the founding families of the town and he saw it as his
right to be the mayor.
    The second is what people think of him. He
always wants to appear better than everyone else. He wants to have more money,
own the nicest car, and host the most prestigious parties.
    In short, my father is a pretentious
bastard. Even his name proved this true. William Osborne
Mathers. Osborne wasn’t actually part of his given name. It was my
mother’s maiden name and a name he bestowed upon himself. Three names signified
he was someone important, or so he thought.
    I follow him through to the kitchen. The
room is spotless once again and there is no sign of Leila. I don’t know what I
was expecting, him to have her shackled to the oven while she prepared his
dinner? Of course she’s—hidden.
    “What can I get you? Wine, beer?” He walks
to the refrigerator.
    “Water’s fine.”
    He reaches for the canister from the
fridge. “Water it is.”
    He grabs two glasses from the cupboard and
places them on the bench between us.
    “So, how’s life in Italy? How’s Sofia?”
    He pours two full glasses of water and
takes a sip from his. I didn’t expect this—for him to act so normal. Part
of me wants to yell at him, to tell him I know about the girl he has hidden in
the basement, to tell him this charade is over, but I know I can’t. Patience is
key, he taught me that himself.
    I pause for a moment, adding some intensity
to my father’s hanging question. “I broke it off with Sofia.”
    He drops his glass to the counter. The base
landing with a loud clunk and water spilling out the
sides, but he doesn’t notice.
    “Why on earth would you do that?”
    She’s a spoiled brat. She’s too high
maintenance. She’s a horrible person. I don’t love her…
    “It just wasn’t working,” I say without
looking at him. I know he’s disappointed. I can feel his gaze condemning me
before I have a chance to explain myself. He doesn’t give two rats about Sofia
and I, he only cares about her family, their name and the power they hold in
the Italian social scene. To my father power is everything and what I found out
today proved that to be true.
    “She’s a good girl,