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What she doesn’t know is that I come here more often than she thinks. She just spends a lot of time in her own bedroom that she barely notices when I check the camera and sneak into the room on the far side of the apartment that I keep locked. When I left Rose that first time, I made sure she understood it was off-limits, and Parker knew as well. No one goes into my room without permission, and that’s how I like to keep it. As far as I can tell, she hasn’t tried, at least according to the security cameras I have installed that cover every inch of this place.
I sigh and throw my jacket over the back of the loveseat. “I’m tired. I’m going to go grab a shower really fast, and then we need to talk.”
“What you said about a vacation, is that true? Are we leaving here, or did you lie to get her to go away?”
I don’t bother looking back as I unlock my room and step through the door. “I lied. I won’t be calling her again.”
It’s cruel of me to leave her with questions like that, but I don’t have it in me to explain myself right now. Adrian is the only person who doesn’t make me explain myself after almost every statement. Everyone else usually requires some explanation or direction. For once in my life, I’d love to meet someone who can figure things out and work them out in their own mind so I don’t have to break them down. It gets exhausting.
I strip off my clothes and throw them into a pile in the bathroom. Right now, all I want is the stench of that council bitch off my body. Even now, I can smell the scent of her perfume and cunt. I gag hard and clamp my hand over my mouth to avoid vomiting. She’s not here, but I won’t give her the satisfaction.
I turn the water as hot as it will go and step under the spray. It blasts down onto my shoulders, easing some of the tension I’d built there over my last week in lockup. It only takes me a few minutes to scrub myself down, but I do it twice and test the air to make sure all I smell is the soft scent of my soap. The clothes I’d rather burn than wear again, even if the suit cost a small fortune. Money is money. There’s always more to be found when it’s needed.
The bathroom is fogged when I step out and turn off the water. I brush my teeth and shave quickly too. I’m not sure how long we’ll be traveling, and I might not get another chance for a couple of days.
After I finish, I walk through the adjoining closet and find the clothes I want to wear. Not my usual suit, but a cashmere sweater, slacks, and dress shoes. Extremely casual for me but comfortable enough to travel in for a few days. Besides, no one usually sees me out of my suits. If the council is watching for me, they might overlook me if I’m wearing different attire.
I take the clothing to the bedroom and stop short with the hangers dangling from my fingers. Rose is sitting cross-legged on my bed.
I swallow hard, praying she hasn’t been sitting there long. If her scent has been imprinted on the bedding, I’ll never be able to get to sleep. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”
Her mouth hangs open as she stares at my bare chest, the towel tucked low around my hips. I dried off, but my short hair is still wet enough to send water drops down my body. Her eyes fixate on one droplet, and she tracks its progress from my collarbone to disappear into the edge of my towel. It’s more eye contact than I’ve gotten in the months she’s been in my care.
I snap my fingers. “Eyes up here. What are you doing in here?”
She shakes herself, and a flush crawls up her neck and into her cheeks, staining her face a bright pink. “You said…you said we were going somewhere. Are we leaving?”
I toss my clothing on the bed right next to her, making her jump. “We are leaving, but I’m not ready to discuss it until I’ve planned out the details. Besides, I need a nap first. I’ve been up for what feels like days.”
“Days?” she echoes. “Why?”
I pin her with a look. “It’s none of your business. Now please, go away so I can get some rest.”
Carefully, I strip the undershirt off the hanger and gently unfold the sweater. A hand clamps my bicep, and I react before I think.
When I blink again, Rose is on the other side of the room, clutching her arm to her chest with a fine sheen of tears coating her eyes.
Fuck. Fucking. Fuck.
“Rose…”
She dashes out the door, slamming it on her way out. I’m more tense than I thought if I shoved her away before realizing who touched me. And more tired since I know she’s the only one in the room with me. All I hear is that bitch’s laughter in my ears and her panting. It’s taking everything I have left to shut it all out enough to function.
I stare at the door. No. I need to make sure I didn’t break something or hurt her too badly. At the very least to ensure we can travel sooner rather than later.
She’s hiding in her room, as usual. I open the door and skirt the bed to find her on the floor on the other side. “What are you doing?”
She is clutching her wrist tightly in her other hand.
I crouch beside her, the towel splitting over my knee. She stares at my bare skin for a heartbeat, her face going redder, and then she glances away, refusing to answer.
“Let me see so I can make sure nothing is broken.”
With a huff, she shoves her arm at me. “You aren’t Superman or anything. I’m fine. I’ve had way worse than this.”
The tension stretches tight between us as if we both remember exactly how bad she’s had it. Her eyes glaze over as she stares off, and I drop her arm to catch her face in my hands. Without any struggle at all, she lets me cup her cheeks and jaw, but I don’t want her submission. I want her to fight for her freedom. That’s the woman I can see in her eyes. That’s the woman I want to do battle with.
I trace my thumbs along her jawline until they meet at her chin, anchoring my fingers behind her head. Then I ever so gently tilt her face back so I meet her eyes head-on. “Look at me, Rose.”
