Page 71 of Inflict

She shook her head.

Connor wondered if Evelyn didn’t understand that she was allowed to leave the brownstone if she wanted, though he needed to be with her for safety reasons. Right then, however, he was doing nothing but sitting in his private, fenced yard where no one could see them. The fence was too high, and surrounded the backyard entirely. He’d purposely had it built that way. Despite having half-decent neighbors, he needed the privacy.

“It’s a nice day out, isn’t it?” he asked.

Evelyn didn’t say a thing or move.

Connor let out a sigh and pushed out from under the bike so he could sit up. “Get your arse out here, Evelyn.”

For a long while, she simply stared at him, a wariness in her features. Then, she moved forward, slow at first, but still sure of her steps until she was standing in the middle of the backyard. She stopped just a few feet away from him, and looked up at the sun.

Evelyn’s green eyes squinted hard at the sky. “It’s very bright.”

Her words barely broke a whisper.

His curiosity chewed at him, and the words spilled out before he could stop them. “How long has it been since you’ve sat in the sun and soaked it up?”

Evelyn looked down at him, unsure for a second as she chose her answer. “A while.”

Too long, then.

Long enough that she couldn’t give him even an estimated date.

“Come here, lass.”

“What?”

Connor patted the spot on the blanket beside him. “Come, sit.”

Evelyn shifted her weight from foot to foot, her fingers dancing together as she glanced back at the brownstone. “I don’t know.”

“You know that’s not your prison, love.”

“So you’ve said.”

“And shite, even inmates get yard time every day.”

Evelyn smiled a second before her laugher spilled out to the quiet backyard. Connor’s grin began to grow at the sight of her amusement and joy. It was a beautiful image, and he wished he had a camera to capture it for her. Too often, her silence and self-imposed loneliness took away her joy, even if she thought he didn’t notice.

Connor noticed everything.

Especially about Evelyn.

“Come here,” he demanded again.

That time, Evelyn didn’t argue. She came to sit beside him on the blanket, pushing away the tools he’d been using to tinker with his Harley. For a long while, she sat still beside him, staring up at the bright sun with a pleased, contended smile curving her lips upward at the edges.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Connor asked quietly.

Evelyn nodded without opening her eyes.

And when she did open her eyes, Evelyn was no longer staring at the sun, but at him. Connor only saw happiness reflected in her gaze, and he thought that was the image he wanted to capture. Or at least, keep for himself.

• • •

“Get dressed. We’re going out.”

It took him two weeks to finally work up to the decision to take her out after the day he found her sitting in the window, drawing him. He had told her she was free, yet he still kept her hidden away like a precious doll, even now that she managed to wander outside every so often.