“I’m safe now, you can’t ever get in again,” he growled. “Ever.” The door slammed and locked behind her, the sound more threatening than the thunder.
“Emery!” She smacked her hands on the wooden door, but he didn’t come back. “Damn it!” She cursed and pressed her face against the door. Where the hell was Hans? Maybe he could let her in. Using her fists, she continued to beat on the door for a few more minutes, but no one came to let her in. Had Emery ordered his bodyguard to keep her out even in this weather? She sneezed and rubbed her arms. The icy water seemed to sink straight through her skin, deep into her bones. All she wore were those boxers and the t-shirt and they were now completely soaked through.
He’d just kicked her out in the middle of a freezing rainstorm. That was not good. But more importantly, he’d thought she was Fenn, and that he’d betrayed her because of something he’d heard while kidnapped. It was just as she’d expected; he’d overheard things during his captivity, things that could tell her who was the person behind this. As soon as she figured out what to do about being locked out, she’d think about what to do with this new information. The question was whether he’d let her come back tomorrow, assuming she could manage to find her way back to the Brighton Bed and Breakfast during the storm.
Shivering, she walked across the marble patio, slipping every few steps, her arms flailing as she struggled to find her balance. Cold water squelched against the soles of her bare feet as she straightened. Rain sluiced down her back, soaked her hair, t-shirt and boxers.
“Damn.” She walked back to the door and huddled against it for a moment, feeling stupid for hoping Emery was on the other side ready to let her back in. The rain was cold on her skin, soaking through to her bones. It came in heavy waves across the yard and up along the patio. It bent the grass in ripples and splashed on the marble steps ahead of her.
She could walk back to the B&B, but wasn’t Hans supposed to have picked up her stuff and settled her account? And her clutch. She’d dropped it in the hall, so she had no money to pay for another room. Staring glumly out at the rain-soaked forest before her, she vowed never to surrender to a rich man’s whims again. They had no concept of money, no understanding of survival. He’d taken away her ability to care for herself, and she despised him in that moment. She didn’t hate him, would never be able to hate him, but she was angry enough to wring his neck for doing this to her.
The gates were ahead of her, a mile off, black lacy specters silhouetted by moonlight as they rose from the thick mist. She’d probably have to climb over. What a pleasant thought. Sophie grimaced as she glanced down at the thin boxers. It was too bad the house seemed servant-less, otherwise she could have knocked on the door and gotten someone else to let her back in, at least until morning. If only she had her cell, she could call Hayden to come pick her up and she could bunk down with her for the night.
Sophie hugged her arms around her waist, keeping herself as warm as possible, and left the miniscule comfort of the overhang by the door. Rain clung to her hair, her lashes, sinking deep into her clothes. A shudder wracked her body and she chastised herself for getting into this mess. It was October. The air was far too cold during a thunderstorm for boxers and a t-shirt. She took her time descending the marble steps. Tension made her limbs ache as she navigated the slick marble.
When she finally got to the bottom she crossed the lawn and headed toward the distant gates. Her nose started to run and she coughed once, twice, trying to clear her throat. What a night. She’d never experienced such an amazing high as being in Emery’s arms, nor the low of being shouted at and kicked out like an unwanted stray cat. It certainly ranked as one of the top worst and best nights of her life and she’d had plenty of bad nights.
Snap!
Sophie spun at the sudden crack of something breaking in the woods off to the right. She squinted through the rain, seeing only flickering shadows from the trees swaying in the wind. For an instant she could have sworn she’d seen a person.
Chapter 6
AFTER BEING KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS,FRANCESCAESPINA, THE NANNY, CAME AROUND ONLY TO FIND BOTH CHILDREN GONE.SHE FLED TO THE OUTSIDE, WHERE THELOCKWOODS WERE HOSTING THE PARTY, SHOUTING FOR HELP AND TO CALL THE POLICE.
—New York Times, June 10, 1990
Emery reached the top of the stairs before he had to sit down. His chest expanded and flattened with each hasty inhalation. He’d done it again: flashed back to that awful moment when Fenn had demanded that Emery leave him behind and escape.
He dropped his head, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes so hard he saw stars. “I should have stayed.” His whispered confession echoed off the marble floors. He should have died alongside his brother; at least then they’d be together.
Emery remained at the top of the stairs for several long minutes.
Something was wrong. Something was missing.
“Mr. Lockwood?” A voice intruded on his dark thoughts.
A young man stood at the foot of the stairs, running his hand through surfer blond hair, pushing it out of his pale blue eyes. Cody Larson. Ever casual in a t-shirt and jeans, Cody looked at him in concern. His lips were pursed, brows drawn together.
“Yes, Cody?”
“You know that woman you brought home? I saw her wandering down toward the gates on my monitors. I wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be out there. Given the weather, and the fact that she’s only wearing boxers and a t-shirt, she could get pneumonia or something.”
A horrid buzzing started up in Emery’s ears, like the drone of a thousand bees.
“Sophie!”
He’d blanked out and hadn’t realized she’d gone. Then it all flooded back: his shouts, tossing her out of the house. He’d been near mindless with rage and misery at reliving the worst moment of his life.
The price? He’d shoved Sophie out into the darkness and the rain. Danger was out there. Maybe not in the same creatures he’d feared as a child, but danger was behind every tree, beneath every rock. He had to get her back inside, keep her warm and safe.
He ran down the stairs and called to Cody. “Call Hans, tell him to return with Sophie’s luggage immediately. If I haven’t returned with her by the time he gets back, send him out to find us.”
“You might need some pants. I grabbed these from your room before coming down here.” Cody held out a pair of blue jeans. “I saw on the cameras when you left your room you didn’t have anything on. I figured you might need them to go after her.”
“Fuck,” Emery snapped, and jerked the pants on before running to the door.
He left Cody and flung open the door, darting out into the rain. He cursed as he slid on the rain-slicked marble patio.
