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“No. You’re not doing this, Dakota. He got what he deserved. You’re alive. That’s all that matters,” I told myself, and sucked back the raw emotions.
There wasn’t much I could do about the blood on my shirt, so I finished drying my face and met Paolo outside.
When his eyes met mine, the air left my lungs. He was so beautiful, a vision of fierce masculinity, standing there next to his bike. But that look…Something in his dark eyes gripped me deep inside and threatened to unravel the shred of sanity I clung to. Was it rage I saw? Or love? Perhaps both? Maybe it was the look of a man who simply wanted revenge.
“I bought this for you inside. Put it on.” He handed me a sweatshirt with a giant saguaro cactus on the front. It looked like a green pickle, and if we were in any other situation, I might have laughed. But we weren’t, so I didn’t. I slipped it on, and he handed me a Gatorade, which I chugged.
“Better?” he asked.
“Better,” was all I managed to say.
He put his hand on my face. His dark eyes still carried that look of turmoil. “Never again.”
He turned away and got on the bike. I got behind him.
Never again what?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
We drove for six more hours, a blur of cactus, gas stations, dirt, and road signs, until we reached a town called Lago Vista in Texas, somewhere North of Austin from what I gathered from the signs. The sun had already retreated, and I was shivering to the bone, though it really wasn’t cold outside. The autumn air was actually balmy and tropical.
Paolo pulled up to a modern, two-story, white house surrounded by trees and perched on a small hill at the edge of a large lake.
I looked around at the other homes off in the distance. “Is this the safe house?” I asked. I had imagined another rustic cabin hidden in the woods, or a broken-down old ranch house like the one where I’d been held captive.
He bobbed his head but didn’t look at me. “Come on.” He went to the side gate and reached over to pop it open. Although it was dark outside, the exterior was well lit, and I could see that the home was huge. I walked into the backyard and immediately noticed how the lights of the houses on the other side danced and sparkled in the early evening waves. I took a deep breath and savored the calmness. Paolo had taken me to the perfect place to lick my wounds and come to terms with what had just happened.
“Are you hungry?” Paolo’s hands gently squeezed my shoulders from behind.
“No,” I whispered. Food was the last thing on my mind.
“A bath then.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said, still looking out across the hypnotic ripples. “Thank you.”
“Come inside,” he said dryly.
I followed quietly, and began to wonder what was going on in his head. Maybe he thought the angry girl from back at the gas station was about to make an appearance and give him a bitter taste of her mind. But that girl was exhausted and unsure of what to do or how to feel.
The interior of the home was just as large and impressive as one might imagine. Everything—furniture, floors, and walls—were shades of white. Pristine. He led me upstairs and showed me the large master bedroom and bath. The steaming jet tub was already half filled.
“I had the service stock everything. There are toothbrushes and supplies in the cabinet. Extra towels and a robe are there, too. I can wash what you have and take you to buy clothes in the morning, but the robe will have to do for tonight.” He shut the door behind him and left me standing in the enormous, bright bathroom. Alone.
I shut off the water and stared at the tub. I didn’t want to soak. I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to get clean. I wanted answers.
My mind wouldn’t stop spinning with questions, trying to work out the problems. I wanted to know why he’d let me go, and how the hell he’d found me. I wanted to know if I was truly safe now. I wanted to know where my father was and if my mother was okay.
Damn it. I’ve had it.
I came to the conclusion that their rules about not sharing information didn’t apply to me anymore. I’d almost lost my life going along with “the deal.” Their deal sucked, and it was time to push my way out of this godforsaken rabbit hole.
I quickly showered and cleaned myself up. I burst from the bathroom in a white robe, ready for that rant I’d been holding inside.
Paolo sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a plain white T-shirt and jeans, facing the bathroom door, like he’d been expecting this moment.
