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And yet, even though I was sent there to seduce him, for a brief moment, I’d let down my guard. Actually believed him.
He’d seemed to genuinely like me.
And he—he didn’t hurt me like I’d asked him to. What did that mean? Was I really naive, or was he not attracted to me?
How was I going to convince Saul that I could do this? Would he give me another chance?
All these thoughts had consumed me as I’d made my way towards my car. I was so lost in them that it had taken me a moment to notice Olivia approaching. I stopped, immediately trying to come up with an excuse for why I’d failed.
“Olivia, I…” Words were lost to me.
Her sharp gaze took in my appearance—moving over my mussed hair and wrinkled dress. Shoes dangling from my fingers. There was a glint of triumph in her eyes.
I shook my head, “It’s not what you think.”
“It’s exactly what I think,” she’d grinned—the first time I’d ever seen a genuine smile grace her face.
Then—a movement behind me. I’d swiveled to see three men in gray suits. Fear and panic clawed my insides. My struggle was useless as two held me while the third put a needle to my neck.
The next hours were a cloudy and confusing blur. I vaguely remembered being carried, the scent of musky cologne pressed against my face. Warmth sliding over me. My eyes blinking as water hit my face. Rook holding me tight, his movements gentle as he adjusted me. His warm voice sliding over my skin, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” The scent of lavender soap. “You’re safe now.”
Even now, my eyes blinked sleepily, fog washing through my mind, though I knew one thing: the Magnolia had kidnapped me. And now, I was in Rook’s house.
In his bed, dressed in his oversized t-shirt.
His arm was curled around me, his bare torso pressed to my back. His musky smell surrounding me.
I was sinking deeper and deeper into this dangerous world of secrets.
And, as the darkness enclosed in on me, I couldn't shake the feeling that this embrace, this tangled closeness, was just the beginning of a much darker tale.
* * *
I awoke with another start.
I didn't have to move to know that he was gone.
The room was completely silent, except for the sounds of birds at the window. No dip in the mattress behind me. No warmth at my back.
"Are you okay?"
My eyes bolted open. A raspy, feminine voice.
I turned, shooting upwards at the sight of a woman leaning back in a sofa chair in the corner of the room. “You."
Lux, the woman from the bank.
"Are you okay?" she repeated herself. She was looking up from her phone, a concerned look on her face.
Grabbing the comforter, I pulled it up to my chest as I sat upwards, mentally assessing myself. "I think so. A little groggy, but otherwise..."
She nodded. "Good."
“What's going on?"
She sighed, standing up. "Welcome to the Magnolia."
"But," I jumped out of bed, the carpet soft on my toes as I followed her to the attached bathroom, “what does that even mean?"
