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Spring had officially arrived, but there was still a chill in the air. Sadly, I knew that my trembling had nothing to do with the weather.
Just as I heard the locks on the door, I took in one last deep breath to prepare myself.
A moment later, Patrick was standing in front of me. He shot a sinister smile my way and said, “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”
“Where’s Ainsley?” I asked, practically pushing my way inside.
I knew it was risky, but I figured it was best to make it seem like my only concern was my sister. I wasn’t going to entertain any of his nonsense before making sure that Ainsley was okay.
“We have much to discuss, Ellery,” Patrick noted, closing the door behind me.
“I’m not talking to you about a damn thing until I see that my sister is here and unharmed,” I told him, noting that nobody was standing guard at the front door.
Clearly, Patrick didn’t believe that he had anything to be worried about.
He tipped his head to the side. “Where was all of this feistiness before you decided to run away?”
I wanted to tell him that I’d learned a lot in the self-defense classes I started taking, but I knew that wouldn’t be a wise move. So, instead, I took another approach. “That’s just it, Patrick. You didn’t know it existed because you don’t know anything about me. That’s what happens when someone is all but forced to marry someone else. Now, I’ll ask again, where is Ainsley?”
“Relax, she’s fine.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to go roaming through the house to locate her, because I knew the guys were watching, and I wanted them to have a clear and direct path to wherever we were going to be.
“Where have you been all this time?” Patrick asked.
I put my hands on my hips and declared, “I will answer not a single question until I see my sister.”
He sighed. “Fine. Maybe I should let you see her before I kill the both of you.”
Oh, God.
I hoped Damon was accurate when he promised that they’d be inside in less than a minute once I located my sister.
Praying that Patrick wasn’t playing any games and was taking me to where my sister was, I followed behind him through the house and up the stairs. I was mildly reassured that he’d taken her upstairs, where even if she was scared, she’d at least be comfortable.
Before I knew it, we had stopped in front of the door to one of the many extra bedrooms in the house.
Patrick turned toward me, stepped close, and leaned in.
A vision of Kane flashed in my mind, and I shifted out of the way. “What are you doing?” I scoffed.
“What? It’s a problem to kiss my wife?” he countered.
“Stop calling me that,” I demanded.
He shot me a questioning look before he declared, “You are my wife, Ellery. You’re always going to be my wife. And I think it’s sad that you would ever look to change that.”
“Sad? Patrick, I was never in love with you. You know that,” I replied.
“Eight years I provided for you and gave you a good life, and this is how you repay me?” he asked.
This was not getting me where I needed to go. “Look, let me go in, check on Ainsley, and then we’ll discuss it.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asked.
“Of course.”
Patrick allowed his eyes to roam over my face briefly before he put his hand to the doorknob and pushed it open. I twisted my neck in that direction and my heart broke.
