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“They have cameras.”
“What about mics?”
I shake my head slightly. “No, no mics. But we should still speak quietly. There’s no telling who might be listening in the hall.”
His jaw tightens, his eyes trained on me. “I thought you got away,” he murmurs.
“They nabbed me at the airport. My father bribed security to bring me in.”
I take in the sight of him, just as mesmerized as the first time. He is a force of nature, standing there like a brewing hurricane I can’t bring myself to look away from. Even from my side of the room, I can see how hard he’s trying to keep it together—not just for his sake, but for mine.
“Did they hurt you?” he asks, his tone dark and low.
“No. No, I’m fine, Zane.”
“This is the furthest thing from fine.”
“It is what it is,” I mumble with a shrug. “So, you’re… What? My bodyguard now? I mean, officially.”
“It looks that way.”
“Zane, there’s something you need to know—”
Theclick click clickof my father’s cane immediately silences me. Arturo appears, standing by the door but refusing to take a step inside. I feel very much like an animal at the zoo, while the invisible line between us is the fence that keeps us separated.
“You are not to let her out of her sight,” he says to Zane. “She’s a slippery one, my daughter.”
Zane is as stiff as a tree. “Is that so?”
“All of her meals will be eaten in her room,” my father goes on. “She is not allowed any visitors who I have not pre-approved, nor is she allowed to make any phone calls. She’s not to go outside, either.”
“Not even if she’s escorted?”
“No. She’d find a way to escape. Best not chance it.” My father reaches into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulls out a wad of cash. It’s difficult for me to say exactly how much it is, but I can tell by the thickness that it’sa lot. “A little signing bonus,” my father says under his breath. “If she so much as sneezes, I want you to report it to me. Understand?”
Zane takes the money, albeit while grinding his teeth. “I understand.”
My father gives me one last pointed look before retreating, the sound of that damn cane following him as he retires to his wing of the compound. He has an entire four floors all to himself while I’m relegated to this single corner room. I used to have a lovely view of the sky before he ordered the guards to install the bars. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I can pretend they aren’t there.
I watch Zane carefully, ignoring the queasiness in the pit of my stomach. Can I trust him now that he’s on my father’s and Esteban’s payroll? Vegas was different. We didn’t know each other, didn’t have ulterior motives to worry about. But now that Zane is officially an employee, who’s to say where his loyalties lie? Sure, we have a connection, but it’s like they say: money talks.
“You said there was something I needed to know,” he says carefully.
I bite the tip of my tongue. I need to warn him about the private investigator my father hired. If Arturo discovers Zane helped me in Vegas…
I’m about to bring it up, but then I think against it, recalling my father’s threats of violence. This is a dangerous situation for both of us. I curse my bad luck for bringing Zane back to me. If the truth comes out, my father will have Zane—and maybe even his brothers—put down like dogs.
But if Idotell him, there’s no telling how Zane might react. I may very well find myself in the middle of an all-out war.
“It’s nothing,” I murmur. “You probably shouldn’t linger too long.”
He lingers anyway. I’m kind of glad he does. I have to fight my instincts to keep from running to him. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed him this past month. I genuinely thought I’d never see him again, and now that he’s here, all I want is for him to hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay.
Our situation is a ticking time bomb.
I don’t want to know what happens when our time runs out.
“I’ve been instructed not to let you out of my sight,” he says. It doesn’t sound nearly as threatening when the words come out of his mouth. Zane sounds almost sad for me.
