“There’s a place in Brooklyn.” She dumps the rest of her wine into her glass. “They have the best mac and cheese.”
“Mac and cheese.” Spencer sits on the bed and starts rummaging in the take-out bag.
“Stop ordering food.”
“I need to stock up—who knows when my kidnapper will feed me next.” She lies back on the pillows.
“Ma’am—er, Danielle.” Grayson steps forward.
“Dani.” She hiccups.
“I am so sorry for the pain and suffering my brother has caused you. We would like to compensate you for the emotional distress, the lost time—”
“And of course your silence,” Aaron adds.
“We have money invested in Graham,” Finn adds. “There’s a charity. He can’t go to jail.”
“It would be bad. For all of us.”
“Hey—you could take her as your date to your charity function,” Spencer jokes.
“Seems fair.” Dani nods. She sounds like she’s about to pass out.
“I cannot be her boyfriend,” I hiss.
“Fake boyfriend.” She holds up a finger.
“Fake kidnapper boyfriend,” Connor corrects, rummaging around in the sack of food and surfacing with an egg roll.
“No—it’s a real kidnapping and a fake relationship. No relationships.”
“Is she going to live here?” Aaron wrinkles his nose.
“No,” I snap.
“You kidnapped me—you don’t get to make demands.”
“I don’t want you in my house.”
“Then why did you snatch me off the street?” Dani hoists herself upright.
“She’s drunk and crazy—just grab her and throw her out,” I beg Grayson. “In fact, just send me to jail. She’s not living here. She’s mentally unstable. Who doesn’t call for help?”
“Got sucked into short-form content,” Dani slurs, waving her phone at me. “Did you see that dog video?”
“See, she’s a cell-phone addict!”
Grayson has his CEO face on.
“I think, perhaps, this has been an ordeal. It’s perfectly normal,” Grayson says smoothly, “for someone to think that theyhave a special bond with their abuser. Whatever he did to you, however he hurt you, I will personally make sure he pays.”
Dani opens one eye and peers at us.
“Oh, don’t worry—Graham made it clear there’s no special bond. The only abuse was the fur-covered chair in his closet.”
“I didn’t put that there—that was Spencer.”
“Dani, please. Can you just take the money?” Grayson begs. “Then we can forget this ever happened, and I’ll make sure you never have to see him again.”
