Page 37 of Craved

“I like that plan.”

He has a bag hanging over his shoulder, and he passes it to me. I open it and find sweat pants and a T-shirt. Immediately, I start dressing.

“We’ll get you into a safe house,” he says. “And then I need to go to the children’s benefit.”

I pause in the process of tightening the cord around my waist. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Short version,” he says, then fills me in, ending with the horrible takeaway that the bastard who fathered me is planning to kill at least a dozen kids.

“And you think I’m going to hide away in a safe house?”

“Yes.”

I shake my head. “Not happening.”

“We can argue later. We’ll get you out of here now.”

Since he’s right, I shut up. He opens the door and we step out together. We move down the hall, foregoing the main elevator for the service one. He pushes the button, and I hear the rumble of the car rising up toward our floor. The clank as it settles in place, and the then the soft swish as the door slides open.

I’m expecting it to be empty. What I find is my father.

“Cami, my precious,” he says, looking between me and Maxim. “Where exactly do you think you’re going?”

Chapter Seventeen

“I’m taking her to get dressed,” Maxim says. “You want her at the benefit, right? She’s going to need some real clothes.”

“Actually, I don’t see the need to have her there. Why add the burden of having to watch her? It’s not as if you can trust her not to misbehave.”

“With all due respect, Sir,” Maxim says, “I think Camilla knows just how much I’ll enjoy punishing her if she steps out of line.”

“You always speak about my dear daughter with such vitriol. One day, you must tell me what is behind the venom.”

“Happy to, Sir. Today, though, she needs an outfit. I’ll return her to her room if you disagree, but don’t you think she should understand what could happen if she misbehaves? It’s going to be quite a show.”

I remained stone-faced, but inside, I’m silently cheering Maxim’s acting skills.

A look of cunning crosses Killion’s face. “You have a point. And it’s only fair. After all, once you tranqed her and brought her here, she became part of our happy family. His smile is wide and cheerful and absolutely terrifying. “Shall I offer you a word of wisdom for tonight, daughter dear?”

I remain silent. He leans in so close I can smell his breath. “Don’t misbehave this evening. A little tip from your doting father.”

I fight a shiver as his he turns his attention to Maxim, his tone light and breezy. “Ask Sasha to run out to Macy’s and get her something appropriate.”

“Right away.” Maxim pushes the button for the elevator again, and when the doors open, we slip on as Killion continues down the hall. It’s not until the doors close that I can breathe again, but I dare not show any relief. The elevator cameras probably function just fine. And I need to remember that I’m a prisoner, downtrodden, and undoubtedly marked for death.

Honestly, even with my glee from having reconciled with Maxim, the downtrodden thing isn’t hard to pull off. Especially after Maxim explains to me exactly what my father has planned.

“Give me your phone,” I say once we’re back in my cell with a dress fetched by Sasha.

He passes it over without question. I open his text app, type in the number Brax gave me, put a question mark in the text box, and then hit send.

“What was that about?” he asks, and I’m suddenly struck by the fact that he didn’t ask that question before I sent the message. He’d let me use his phone. He’d let me send a random message. And he hadn’t hesitated for a second.

I pull him close and kiss him. “Thank you,” I say.

His brow furrows. “You’re welcome? But seriously. Who are you texting question marks to, and why?”

I explain about Brax and the promise to contact him, a little bit afraid that Maxim is going to worry that any action by Brax might interfere with whatever plan we come up with.