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Zade’s brows furrow. “What are you getting at?”
“I just mean, if she’s not technically a prisoner and you only have her here to keep an eye on her, then why can’t you shove her in one of your spare bedrooms? You have about a million of them. Does she really need to be locked up like that? Like you were saying, it’s not particularly comfortable in there. You could just put her in a spare bedroom and install a lock on the outside of the door so she can’t slip out while you’re not watching. That way she’ll at least have a bed and a bathroom and will be able to feel somewhat human over the next eighteen days.” I explain, feeling as though I need to justify myself. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m furious with her. I should be the last person trying to advocate for her right now, but that’s a long time to keep her locked up like that. Especially when you’re not going to kill her.”
All eyes fall on Zade, and I watch as his face scrunches, clearly not having considered the comfort of his hostages. Everyone seems to hold their breath, waiting for his response when he finally shrugs his shoulders. “I guess that’ll be alright,” he says as Sawyer springs off the couch. “Just don’t put her anywhere near my room. I don’t wanna hear her banging on the door and screaming about how much she fucking hates me for hours on end.”
Sawyer gets a few steps away, a newfound liveliness flashing in his eyes before flipping back around and rushing into me, gripping my shoulders and crushing his lips to mine. “You’re fucking amazing,” he tells me, his eyes beaming with happiness as he takes off at a sprint across the penthouse, through the kitchen, and opens the hidden door.
He quickly hashes in the code before moving through to the steel door that goes directly into the cell. Easton and Dalton trail down the hallway, probably to go get a room set up for Cara—all sharp objects removed and the door lockable from the outside.
I can’t help but watch through the open cell door as Sawyer walks in and lets Cara know what’s going on. She starts to cry, begging him to let her go, and it only gets worse when he grips her arm and starts leading her out of the cells. Her gaze falls to mine, guilt soaring through her eyes before turning her stare on Zade. There’s heartbreak there, but also a lot of anger. On the other hand, Zade just looks at her like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
It’s all too much. I have to look away.
As Sawyer leads her down the hallway and toward her new luxury prison cell, I find myself staring at the empty couch beside Zade’s.
“You shouldn’t do that,” he murmurs when we’re finally left alone.
My brows furrow, and I glance up to meet his stare. “Do what?”
“You’re allowing them to get too close,” he says. “You should do them a kindness and keep them at arm’s length. They’re all getting attached, and when you . . . ya know, it’s gonna kill them.”
My brow arches. “That’s rich coming from the guy who threw me up against the wall of the tunnels last night.”
“We’re not talking about you and me. This is about them.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to find a reason to keep me all to yourself.”
Zade scoffs. “You think too highly of yourself,” he says. “I couldn’t give a shit who you fuck, but you’re allowing them to get emotionally involved. It’s no longer just physical, and that poses a problem.”
“For you maybe,” I tell him. “I enjoy their company, and I know this is a strange concept for you, but I like them, and it’s not just because they know how to get me off just right. They’re amazing guys, and I have a connection with each of them that I haven’t felt with anyone before. I’m not going to stop getting to know them. I don’t want to stop. Besides, you’re the one who’s taking my life, so really, it sounds like a you problem. I’ll be dead and gone, and that leaves only you to deal with the fallout of your own actions. That’s not on me, Zade.”
“Come on, Lamb,” he says, leaning forward and bracing his elbows against his knees. “You can’t think about it that way. Yes, I will have fallout from each of them when you’re gone, and that’s something I’m going to have to deal with, but what about them? It’s the same as what you said to me yesterday. You asked me not to kiss you because you didn’t want to fall for me, and that’s valid. But you’re doing to them, exactly what you asked me not to do to you. If you allow them to fall for you, they’re going to be the ones left broken and picking up the pieces.”
