“True.”I rubbed the back of my neck.“Except every stone seems to lead to more questions than answers.”
“We probably have a few days before anyone notices Schaffer’s missing and the police start sniffing around.I can sweep his house and office.See what I can find.”
I stared into the distance, unable to shake the feeling we were missing a giant piece of this convoluted puzzle.I doubted this had anything to do with why Victor paid the Bratva to abduct his own wife, but I needed to rule it out.
“Do it,” I ordered, shifting my eyes back to the monitors.
My attention caught on the live feed of the second floor as Ariana poked through her bedroom, opening and shutting drawers harder than necessary, pacing the length of the room.Every line of her body radiated frustration and barely contained fury.
Her hand slapped the edge of the dresser before she braced herself against it, shoulders rising and falling with a rough breath.When she turned toward the window, her posture was defensive.Coiled.
Like she resented every inch of distance between her and the freedom that existed on the horizon.
“Do I sense trouble in paradise?”Blake teased.
I exhaled, slowly shifting my eyes toward him.“She asked to leave.”
“Let me guess.You told her no.”
“What else was I supposed to say?”I threw up my hands in exasperation.“It’s not safe.But when I tried to explain that to her, she told me she feels like my prisoner.Which is ridiculous.She’s not my captive.I’ve told her so repeatedly.She needs to stay here for her own safety.Until the threat’s gone.”
Blake didn’t say anything right away.He didn’t need to.His silence said everything.
“You think I’m overreacting, don’t you?”
He gave a small shrug.“I think you should try seeing things from her perspective.Youdidconfess you’d planned to abduct her.And now you’re keeping her here, refusing to let her leave.”
“To keep her safe.”
Blake exhaled, long and slow.“I get it.Between her asshole husband and the Bratva, there are a lot of factors at play.But you can’t ignore how she feels and dictate what you believe is best.You know who else ignored her feelings and dictated her actions?”
I squeezed my eyes shut.“I’m not like Victor.”
“I know that,” he said evenly.“And deep down, I’m pretty sure Ariana knows that too.But that doesn’t give you the right to disregard her reality.You want to prove you’re not like that asshole?”
Blake gestured at the monitors.
On the screen, Ariana spun away from the window, grabbed the closest throw pillow, and hurled it against the wall, muttering something under her breath.
“Then give her the one thing Victor never did.”He paused.“Give her a choice.”
A cold, hollow ache opened in my chest.“Are you suggesting I let her go?”
“Not necessarily.”He leaned forward.“But right now you’re sacrificing everything, including her trust, for the illusion of control.And she knows it.Hell, she’sreactingto it.You two are at opposite ends of the same rope, pulling until one of you snaps.And if you keep tightening your grip,she’sthe one who’s going to break.”
I looked back at the screen, watching as she continued to pace, despite her limp.I wanted to go up there, tell her she needed to rest, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t go over very well right now.Not after our last conversation.
“You can keep her safeandstill give her room to breathe.”Blake’s voice cut through the static in my head.
“How?”I glanced his way as he stood, buttoning his suit jacket.
“You need to meet her halfway.If you want her to stop seeing you as the enemy, you need to stop acting like you are.That starts with giving her some semblance of freedom.”
ChapterFourteen
Henry
I’d barely left my office after my conversation with Blake.
