Page 67 of His Forbidden Obsession

“Yes,” Lorenzo agreed. He didn’t sound happy about it.

I felt something on my leg. When I looked down and saw a lizard, I screamed and grabbed onto Lorenzo. The lizard jumped off and scurried into the undergrowth.

“Remember how I said to keep quiet? Ambrose asked.

Lorenzo responded for me. “He’s not used to being out in the bayou. He’s been sheltered.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t like lizards.”

Lorenzo took my arm. “It’s okay. Those little guys are completely harmless.”

I shuddered. “But they’re lizards.”

“Just stay by me. You’ll probably see worse before we get there.”

“Snakes?”

“Or gators, though they don’t usually come up this far from the shore.”

I glanced around, sure one was going to run at me from the undergrowth. “What do I do if I see an alligator?”

“Just walk on past them,” Ambrose said. “Most of them will only eat you if I tell them to.”

I looked at Lorenzo, hoping he’d tell me none of this was true.

He shrugged. “I told you he was crazy. He doesn’t control all the alligators though. He just wishes he did. They really aren’t interested in bothering us, so you should calmly walk on past if you see an alligator. Never run in front of a predator.”

“Ambrose, I heard you have a pet alligator,” Alina said.

“I do, but we won’t see him today. When this is all done, I’ll introduce you.”

“That’s okay,” Niko said. “I really don’t need you to do that.”

“You might come to like it out here more than you think.”

Niko shuddered. “I doubt that.”

“It’s peaceful.”

A bird shrieked loudly, making me jump, and something rattled in the trees near us. This was the opposite of peaceful.

“How much further is the safe house?” Lorenzo asked. I was thankful, because I wanted to know, but I was sure it would sound like I was complaining.

“It’s right around the corner up here.”

The path took a sharp turn, and like Ambrose said, once we passed it, I could see the safe house. I was braced for a rudimentary cabin. I’d prayed for running water and at least some kind of fan, but the structure in front of us was surprisingly modern.

“This actually looks nice,” Alina said.

“Of course it does. Remington insisted I have it built to city-people standards. There’s solar power for lights and AC units, and it’s even got a real toilet and a stove.”

“Wow. It sounds luxurious,” Lorenzo said, sarcasm clear in his voice.

Ambrose glared at him. “You could stay in my old place.”

He shook his head, and I could only imagine how primitive that must be. “No, thanks. This is great.”

We followed Ambrose inside, and he showed us two tiny bedrooms, the bathroom—thank God for actual plumbing, though I had no idea how he’d managed that so far from civilization.