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Flopping back down on the bed, I lie flat and think about what I’m going to do to get out of here. First, I need to gather some more information. How long have I been here? Why is he keeping me alive? And what is Xander’s end goal?
When I hear soft footfalls approaching, I know who it is before I see her. I sit up and look out of my cell through the iron bars. A moment later, she comes into view.
Scarlet is wearing a light blue long sleeve form-fitting dress that goes to right above her knees; her bare legs are pale and soft-looking, and I wonder if they feel as silky as they seem. Her long blonde hair is cascading down her shoulders, so shiny they look like spun gold. In her hands she holds a tray with an array of breakfast foods and two glasses of orange juice.
“Hi,” she greets me in her sing-song voice. “Ready for breakfast?”
My stomach growls in response, and I realize she thinks I’m Ren. I force a smile on my lips. “Of course, I’d love breakfast with you, Angel.”
“Great, you came to your senses.” She smiles back at me sweetly before placing the tray on one of the chairs outside the cell. She doesn’t elaborate on her statement and since I don’t know what she’s talking about, I simply let it go for now.
She pulls her chair all the way up to the iron bars so I can reach through and grab something while pulling yet another chair up to sit on.
I move my cot closer as well, so we have the illusion of sitting at a table across from each other. Reaching through the iron bars, I grab one of the four croissants and pull it through to my side. I take a bite of the buttery pastry and chew it slowly while watching Scarlet take a sip of orange juice.
“I’m so glad therapy is going well. Dr. Stone says you are responding well. She’ll be here in about an hour and a half, so we have time.”
Alarm bells go off in my head. They brought in a shrink.Great.Ren is trying to get rid of me, of course. I shouldn’t be surprised by that or how easily Scarlet is fooled. I can fool the therapist the same and maybe I can get rid of Ren in the process. That would be a fucking plot twist.
“I’ll do what I can to fix this,” I say with a smile.
“I know.” Scarlet’s face lights up with happiness and contentment. I hate how beautiful she is when she smiles, but I know she is even prettier when she cries. I wonder if I can make her cry today. Weep for her Ren to come back, or for her daddy to protect her.
“How’s your croissant?” I ask as she takes a bite.
“It’s delicious,” she answers while her cheeks are full of pastry. “Want some jam for yours?” She moves the bowl of strawberry jam closer to me, and my eyes fall onto the small knife right next to it. She must have forgotten that I’m not allowed sharp objects. I could easily grab it and stab Scarlet in the neck. Her bleeding out in front of me, gurgling blood while her sad little eyes look at me in shock.
“I’ll have some jam,” I say, pushing my thoughts of murder away. Ren would lose his fucking mind, more than he already has, if I hurt her. Could that be the key to get rid of him or would that be the end of both of us? I can’t take that risk? Especially now that she is carrying his little spawn. I wonder if she’s toldhim yet. Surely she hasn’t told her family or they would have locked her up in her room for good.
I grab the knife through the bars. The cool metal lays heavy in my hand, provoking the beast inside of me once again. Instead of stabbing Scarlet, I use the knife to spread some strawberry jam over the pit of my croissant.
“Did Dr. Stone leave that for you?” Scarlet points at something on the ground.
My gaze follows where she is pointing, and my eyes fall onto a thick textbook lying next to my cot.Dissociative Identity Disorder for Patients.
“Oh yes, she gave it to me for homework, I guess.”
“Cool, did you start reading it yet?”
“No, but I will today. I was tired last night and went to bed early.”
“Are you sleeping all right here? Maybe, I can talk my dad into moving you into one of the guestrooms.”
“That would be nice.” It would make it ten times easier to break out of this hellhole. “I haven’t been sleeping great.”
“I’m sorry,” genuine concern laces her voice. “I’ll talk to him, but I can’t promise much. You know what I had to do just to see you.” She flinches as if she just caught herself saying more than she meant to.
Curiosity gets the better of me. “What?”
Scarlet sighs, biting into her croissant quickly. She chews slowly, like she is hoping I will forget my question. When I keep looking at her expectantly, she finally gives in.
“I didn’t want to bring the tracker up again.”
My first impulse is to shrug my shoulders, but then I remember Ren would give a shit. “Oh, yes, that.” I play it off like I already knew about it. “I still wish you hadn’t done that. You should be free of your father’s control.”
“It was worth it. I could not stand staying up in my room another day without seeing you.”
Another day? Worry fills my gut. How long have I been here and why has Ren been in control for that long?
