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“I don’t know what I can do, Dad, but I’m going to get my answers. He won’t talk to me, so I’ll get them from other places.”
My father nods.
“Kayne was dragged into our lives, Sophia. But all he ever did was save us. If it were any other man I had sent to keep you contained so you wouldn’t defy me and give up your virginity, the unthinkable would have happened.”
His face darkens as he thinks about my uncle rotting in prison.
“He saved you. He kept you innocent because he knew the stakes involved. And then when he knew the full story, he singlehandedly paid off Strohamden’s debt to the Duke of Burkings which meant you didn’t have to marry Roger. And then when Roger… I think he relives the nightmare of you being hurt by that man’s hand over and over again. I don’t think he knows how to forgive himself as if he let that happen. I think he blames himself.
“No man on this planet will ever love you more. He is the best man for you, my sweet darling daughter. For that, I can’t tell you the relief I feel going to bed every night knowing you will be okay.”
I rise from my chair. My father puts his hand on my shoulder.
“As a wedding gift to him, I gave him the keys to a sealed-off part of the palace. The further part of the west wing. I called it my man cave. I thought he needed a place like that too. I don’t know if that will help you. If you don’t know the access code you won’t get in.”
My heart begins to pound as I race toward the west wing. I had no idea my father had such rooms. I had even less of an idea that Kayne now had those rooms to himself.
I finally come to a giant-sized door. There’s a keypad. I’ll need a code.
I desperately try random numbers but then it hits me. I click on the buttons until I’ve spelled the wordred. My safe word. It’s a long shot but fear slithers down my spine when the door clicks open.
I step inside, browsing the shelves of books, the priceless bottles of whiskey. The leather on the sofa is softly worn out. I walk in further and then I stop dead in my tracks.
Over twenty monitors stare back at me. They’re all feeding images from different parts of the palace. All areas I frequent the most. Including our bedroom.
That doesn’t freak me out. Not at all.
But then an image on another monitor catches my eye. It’s not in the palace. It’s a place I don’t know. Dark and eerie. There’s no movement from the feed.
Until there is.
I stagger backward, clutching my throat, afraid I’m going to stop breathing.
The secret my husband is keeping stares into the camera.
Chapter Twelve
Sophia
I’m shaking violently but I try to make sure my brain keeps its composure. I weigh the facts in my head. I do the calculations.
I know what I have to do.
I fiddle with the keyboard attached to the monitor. I strike gold when I add live coordinates to the feed. I punch it into my phone and slip my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
I make a stop back in my bedroom. My hands are shaking and I need at least three tries before I can open my safe.
I escape the palace through the kitchen without being seen, my hoodie is pulled low over my eyes. I don’t want to attract attention. I don’t need an entourage. It’s a quiet day at the palace today and that works in my favor.
I get into one of my cars and speed away.
I stay focused. I can’t fall apart at this point. But the image on the monitor is imprinted in my brain. Thoughts pop up that I shove aside. They’ll weaken me.
I pull into the empty parking lot. The whole area is dilapidated, and vandalized. Eerie.
There’s a roll-up door. Another keypad. I don’t hesitate. The code is red. My safe word. I find nothing on the first floor, except debris that makes me think mice are scurrying around my feet.
I see an elevator and I know instantly what I’ll see when it drops down.
