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The temperature in the room seemed to drop. His expression turned menacing. Scary. No longer my lover, but the man who ruled the underworld of the city.
He spoke quietly, every word enunciated. “I will lock you up if it keeps you safe, Belle. Even if you hate me for it.”
“Oh, so now I am in the wrong? I won’t forgive you for this, Baxter. No matter what you do or say.You kidnapped myfather!”
“He deserves to be ruined, not sit in the mayor’s office.”
“Then why haven’t you ruined him? If that is what you’re after, then why not release your proof and sabotage his campaign?”
“I will, when I’m good and ready.”
“What’s stopping you?” Suddenly, my gaze flicked to the bed. Oh, God. No, no, no. Not that. I put my hand on my stomach, nauseous. “Was this about getting me into your bed? It was, wasn’t it? And I fell right into your trap.”
“Stop it. I kidnapped your father, but it wasn’t like that between you and me.”
“Every word out of your mouth has been a lie. I don’t believe anything you say anymore.”
His expression went blank, his eyes turning hard and flat. “I haven’t lied about anything, other than your father’s whereabouts.”
“Oh, my God. I’m a fool. You were trying to hurt my father by ruining me—and I let you!”
“You have it all wrong, Isabelle.”
My laugh was full of bitterness. “No, I’m seeing things clearly for the first time. You are truly horrible. I can’t believe I ever had feelings for you.”
“We’ll discuss this later, after you’ve sat with it awhile.”
“It doesn’t matter how long Isitwith this. I won’t forgive you. I’m leaving and I never want to see you again.”
His jaw tight, he pointed at me. “I’m not letting you leave until I know you’re safe. So wrap your pretty little head around that, while I go and kill every single person involved in hurting you yesterday.” He stormed from the room, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
I stared at the door, unable to believe his gall. Bax wasn’t letting me go and hadlocked me in. How dare he! Oh, this would not do.
I had to get out of here. I wouldn’t meekly await his return, then beg for his attention. No, I’d done enough of that in my lifetime. I was done letting others control me.
I ran to the window. It overlooked the front of the saloon on Forty-Fourth Street. I was too high up to jump and there was no fire escape.
But there was a drain pipe.
A small group appeared on the walk below, with Bax in the lead. He was shouting orders to his men, though his exact words were lost in the wind. I didn’t care where he was going or what he was doing. I would never forgive him.
Bax and his guards climbed into a carriage and the wheels started off, while a smaller group loaded into a second vehicle. Betrayal sat in my stomach like a rock, my chest burning with anguish and fury. I should’ve known better than to trust a man like Billy Baxter.
There would be time for recriminations and regrets later. Right now I needed to escape and find my father.
I opened the window and leaned out. The drain pipe ran the entire length of the building. It was thin, but it should hold. Besides, what choice did I have?
I threw one leg out and adjusted my skirts, trying not to get tangled in the layers of cloth. I reached for the pipe and held on tight, moving slowly out the window until I was completely outside. The metal was wet and slippery, so I dug in, clasping it as hard as I could, using my feet for support. I tried not to look down.
I went slowly, one inch at a time. When my arms began burning, shaking with the effort, I risked a peek at the ground.
It seemed miles away.
Swallowing my fear, I kept going. Finally, I was close enough to jump. My feet landed on the ground with a thud, and I bent over as far as my corset allowed to drag in a deep breath.God,I hope I never have to do that again.
I was free.
Now I had to find a hack—
