AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I opened the mirror cabinet so I could see what they kept there, but it was nothing interesting. Expensive cologne, beard trimmers and over-the-counter painkillers, none of which told me anything about them as people. I wondered if any of them even used this bathroom, then looked up at my own reflection.
Of course. This was HQ. That meant that they did work here, and that I could probably find out everything I wanted to know from the environment around me. They seemed like careful, tidy people, but they weren’t perfect.
All I needed to do was play along.
I put my hair up in a messy bun with a hair tie they'd thoughtfully provided me and padded toward the door of the bathroom quietly. I hadn't had breakfast because I wasn't sure if Teo would have put anything in it and I didn't want to find out the hard way. My stomach grumbled and I held it with my outstretched palm, telling myself that I would eat later. I opened the door and peered through the small opening. I saw Teo moving around in the kitchen, near the spiral staircase, until he made his way to the double sliding doors that led to the balcony. There didn't seem to be anyone else around so I quietly, slowly, crept out of the room.
I was clumsy. Even at my best, no one would've considered me graceful. But I could be sneaky and I wanted to gather as much information as I possibly could as quickly as I possibly could. I looked around the hallway trying to find clues. The apartment was huge, and I assumed the guys all slept upstairs, so I couldn't go up there. But I could stay down here and find some things out.
My gaze darted around as I sought something that might be helpful. A phone, a laptop, even a family picture. Anything that would get me information.
I didn't like the idea of violating anyone's privacy, but the more information I had, the longer I would survive. That much seemed perfectly clear. As Teo stepped outside, I slowly approached the kitchen island. There was a MacBook on it, so thin that it had been practically imperceptible from where I had been standing before. I looked around to make sure there was no one nearby and then, taking a deep shaky breath, I opened the laptop.
And it was locked.
Of course it was locked. I didn't know who it belonged to or what I could've possibly found on it, but I knew that I didn't want to get caught. I told myself I'd skulk back into my room and pretend that none of this had happened when I heard someone clear his throat behind me.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
”You’ll need my password to get into that,” a soft, masculine voice said from behind me. ”And I don’t usually give my password out to strangers.”
I could see the outline of his features reflected on the darkened laptop screen. I remembered him from when they’d found me–he’d said something about ladies’ work and all of the guys had laughed.
Jace Roman.
I’d read about him, of course. I’d read about all of the guys. He was the youngest one, and at some point, he had been some sort of boy genius who’d gone to MIT. He was notorious because he was privileged. No one really understood why he’d fallen with the Blades, and it wasn’t like they gave interviews.
He was maybe the most delicate looking one of them all, tall and slender, with elvish features. He was lean, with a delicate bone structure. His skin was sunkissed, with high cheekbones and full lips. His lips were full and pink, with a slight curve that somehow looked playful and dangerous all at once.
Despite the softness of his appearance, I immediately knew I was in the presence of a dangerous man.
I turned slowly to face him, my heart racing. ”Sofia,” he said, his voice soft and terrifying.
”I'm sorry,” I replied instinctively.
”What are you doing?” he asked. There was a trace of amusement in his voice, but I could sense annoyance there too.
”I'm, uh, checking the time.”
Great save, Sof. He's definitely going to buy that.
He checked his watch. ”It's 9:30 in the morning.”
”Okay. Thanks.”
”Do you want me to open it up for you?”
”I wasn't snooping,” I said.
He approached me, a crooked smile on his face. I could see the sharpness of his canines, the glint of his shiny white teeth as he leaned forward to open the laptop for me.
He pressed his thumb against one of the keys and the lock screen went away. The desktop was almost completely empty except for a few programs and a couple of documents.
”What do you want to see?” he asked.
My mouth dried.
”I'm an open book,” he said, winking at me. ”You just ask and I’ll provide. So tell me what you want to know.”
