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I’m about to step away from her when her hand reaches out, stopping me. I turn to look at her over my shoulder.
What I see takes my breath away.
Chocolate brown eyes meet mine, and the haunted look reflecting back at me reminds me of a skittish child afraid there is a monster under their bed. Her gaze darts to the door.
Is she looking for someone? Her jaw trembles, and she steps forward until our shoulders line up next to each other, then she leans in. Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“They’re bad men.”
I open my mouth to ask her what she means, but before I can, she shakes her head frantically and dashes away.
What was that?
Her words bounce around like a ball in a pinball machine.
“They’re bad men.”
Is it more than just the drugs? Did the maid mean something else? Was she hurt? An image of her being cornered in the hallway on my first day here flashes in my mind. The guard’s threatening pose and her cowering beside him.
Goose bumps break out on my arms as I pace back and forth like a caged lion.
“They’re bad men.”
I knew that, so why does what she says make me feel even more unsettled? My heart and my mind race.
I need to get out of here.
I weave through the atrium until I make my way over to the door, lift my hand, and fiddle with the handle.
With the amount of security Gideon appears to have around here, I don’t expect it to open. I’m surprised when it does.
It probably doesn’t bode well for my escape. If he’s not concerned about the doors being unlocked, it probably means he has plenty of security on the ground.
Maybe I should just ask him again if I can go back to my life. Would he really object?
Yes.
I can tell him I’ll take the fate of my life into my own hands; how can he argue with that?
He will.
Gideon is too stubborn and too caught up in his promise to Roman to listen to reason. I’m a grown-ass woman, but that doesn’t mean anything to a burly alpha male whose life revolves around ordering people around and killing them when they don’t listen.
“Ugh,” I groan into the silence of the room.
I don’t need protecting.
Especially when he’s not even sure who the enemy is or why they want me. Roman was an unreliable drug addict. How can he take his word seriously? There might not even be a true threat to my life, and here we are, wasting time and resources for nothing.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself to see my mission through. Get the lay of the land and form a plan in case Gideon decides to keep me here forever.
As I take a step outside, I can’t help but admire what a beautiful day it is. The warm air caresses my exposed skin, warming me from the outside in. It’s the first time I’ve felt anything but cold since arriving at this sterile place.
The path away from the manor consists of small stone pavers stretching out to form a walkway. Unfortunately, the full path is blocked from my view, making it difficult to know what lies beyond. Regardless, I follow it around the corner, prepared to come face-to-face with any number of unsavory characters.
Or maybe I’m just being dramatic, and it will lead me to the pool.
When I come to the end, I realize it doesn’t.
