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A strange emotion crossed his eyes, but it’s gone so fast that I might as well have imagined it.Was that sadness?
Why do I care? He’s the one who plucked me from my life and is holding me, prisoner, in a strange house with loonies and ghosts.
“Are you feeling better?” he asks, walking into the room. He sits in the same chair that Hex vacated just seconds ago. His eyes don’t leave mine as he patiently waits for my response.
“I guess,” I reply with a noncommittal shrug.
“Graveyard thinks you need to rest some more,” Pocus says. “I’ll have a room prepared for you upstairs so you can rest more comfortably.”
“So…I’m being moved to another cell,” I say with an ironic snort. “Fantastic.”
“You’ll be as comfortable as possible,” Pocus says quietly.
“Bull crap,” I mutter under my breath. He hears me, though.
“Look, I’m sorry about this…situation,” Pocus says with a sigh. “I can’t give you a comprehensive explanation right now, but I promise you I mean no harm. The MC is in a bit of a bind, and you’re right in the middle of it all. You seem to think you’re innocent, but your recent activities prove otherwise. It’s all confusing right now, but I can’t let you go until I can figure it all out. I’m sorry.”
At least now I know why he’s sorry. I swallow down quietly on the unsettled feeling nudging at the edge of my subconscious. Why do I feel like he’s telling the truth? Am I really guilty of all the things he accused me of? It’s impossible, right? Right.
“For now, you are free to move around the clubhouse and maybe associate with the club members,” Pocus continues in a leveled tone despite my pointed silence. “I hope you’ll understand the situation and try to stay put. If you make any attempt to escape, you won’t go too far.”
“Is that a threat?” I ask with a slow smirk.
“More of a warning, chérie,” Pocus replies.
“Yeah, whatever,” I reply with a scoff. A tense silence settles between us. I glance at my fingers, contemplating whether or not it was wise to keep fighting him. As it seems, I only have one option if I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I need to get him to lower his guard. Fighting him won’t work. “Can I ask you for a favor?” I ask, raising my eyes to his startling green ones.
He seems to consider the request for a split second. “Sure,” he replies quietly.
“Can you…uh…check in at Graceland Hospital for me,” I say, watching his face to gauge his reaction. “I need to know if my sister is alright.”
“If you’ll give me the full details, I’ll personally drop by and check in on her.”
I let out a small breath of relief. “Thank you.”
Laura means the world to me, and I don’t know if it’s wise to hand over my weakness to the enemy on a silver platter like this, but I can’t do away with the vague feeling that Laura might be in danger. And as odd as it seems, I feel like I can trust Pocus to keep an eye out for her.
“Can I ask why your sister is in the hospital?” Pocus asks hesitantly. He always seems to search my eyes when he asks questions. It makes me wonder if he can read the answers in my eyes.
I purse my lips and lower my eyes to my hands. Talking about Laura’s condition has never been easy for me. It’s bad enough that I’m at the mercy of this strange man whose gaze disconcerts me to my very core. I can’t let him see my pain...it’s worse when people can control your pain. I’ve been there over and over again in the past. It’s why I’ve grown so adept at hiding my emotions. I look into his eyes with the most detached expression I can manage.
“She has severe Schizophrenia,” I say tonelessly. I don’t elaborate, but I don’t think he expects me to either.
Pocus nods his head. He doesn’t give me any of those pitiful or demeaning looks that I get when people find out that I have a family history of mental illness, nor does he ask any of the disgusting questions that usually follow. Instead, he holds out my phone to me.
“Here,” he says. “I took this from you when I brought you here. I thought you might need it.” He clears his throat hesitantly and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I…I went through it, and I realized you only have your work and the hospital’s contact. Do you not have any other family or friends?”
My hand tightens on the phone. “That’s none of your business,” I say, not quite meeting his eyes.Family? Friends?When have I ever had any of those? It’s why I’ve been missing for days without hopes of being rescued. No one is coming for me. I raise my eyes to Pocus and arch a brow at him. “You don’t think I don’t know how to call the police because my contact list is sparse.” I raise the phone to his face and shake my head incredulously. “Are you stupid or something?”
Pocus snorts in amusement. “I thought you might say that,” he says with a snort. “Then I should let you know that I have concrete evidence of you trying to kill the Mayor of New Orleans. If I suspect one thoughtless move from your end, you’re on your way to prison, my dear. It’d be a shame.”
“I…I…I didn’t….” I swallow hard and shake my head. I raise my chin and glare into his eyes. “That’s not true,” I say with more bravado than I actually feel. “You’re just bluffing.”
Pocus lets out a humorless chuckle. He leans forward until his face is only a few inches from mine. There is none of his earlier amusement in his eyes, just a dark and ruthless expression that would make even the strongest of men quake in their boots. It’s the first time I’m seeing this side of him. I finally catch a glimpse of the devil behind that impossibly handsome face.
“You can go right ahead and dare me, my darling,” he says, his lips pulling up in a wide smirk. “It may be too late, but you’ll definitely realize that I never bluff.”
Despite the fears and uncertainty coursing through my veins, I hold his hard gaze. My heart is beating too fast and hard with the intensity of my emotions. I feel confused, hurt, and trapped all at once, and I owe all of that to the man sitting in front of me.Pocus.I’ve never hated someone with such intensity. It feels like the walls of my chest are closing in on me, and I’m gradually losing myself.
