“Please, don’t make me beg.” I tried to make it sound like a joke, but I hated the way my voice cracked as I spoke.
He placed his hands on the top of the dresser, and his arm muscles clenched as he pulled himself up. A distant bedroom door clicked open asSebastiansilently swung his legs onto the top of the armoire. Thank God this was a three bedroom house. But I couldn’t depend on them not picking this room to come into next. I lowered myself into a tight ball in the corner.
Sebastian stared down at me from the top of the dresser. Why was he hesitating? Footsteps padded this way. With a grimace, he lowered himself into the corner beside me. The space was so tight that his corded arms were pressed up against me.
The bedroom door creaked open and light trailed into the room. I could feel the tension radiating off Sebastian:his arms were tensed like a coil that was about to spring. He was obviously anxious, which didn’t make any sense. If we got caught, the only person the police would take away was me.
There was a clicking sound and then an overhead light flickered on.
“I don’t see anyone here, miss.” The deep voice from earlier carried through the room.
Muffled footsteps moved towards our location.
“There were four suspicious men peakingin the windows. Iknowthey were casing the joint,”afeminine voice said.
Casing the joint? Did this lady think she was on The Wire? The closet door creaked open, and I held my breath.
“Well, we’ve searched through most of the house. And there’s no sign of a break-in,”the deep voice replied.
“Well, check again. I know I’m right.”
The door closed, and the muffled footsteps moved into another part of the house.
“Are you okay?” I whispered intoSebastian’sear. My words were quiet enough that they wouldn’t be able to hear. Although,I really shouldn’t be pushing it.
“Aww, are youworried aboutme?” he said.
The condescending tone of hisvoice senta shiver down my spine. No man had even spoken to me that way. My father’s men always spoke to me with a hint of fear behind their voices.Sebastian’seyes narrowed ashe watched my expression.
“Not at all,” I growled, slightly louder than I meant.
He let out a small chuckle, and the warm puff of air on my neck had my body tensing tighter.
“You might want to speak a little quieter if you don’t want them to catch you. Although, I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind watchingthe police force your handsbehind your back.”
An unbidden image peppered my mind: Sebastianlaughing mockingly while the police officer’s restrained my arms. Whispering in my ear as the police pinned me to the wall…A small part of me wantedto continue with the fantasy, but the more rational part of me prevailed.
“Fuck off,” I growled.
He shrugged, but there was a knowing look in his eyes.“If you say so.”
Before I could respond, the front door let out its telltale squeaking noise.Immediately,Sebastianleapedup from his position. Before I could tell him to wait a moment in case they came back inside, he'd alreadyvaultedover the armoire.
I knew he’d been at this less than a year, but he should’ve known better than that. With a sigh, I stood up. If our position was already compromised, there was no point in staying in this dusty corner.
I jumped up onto the top of the dresser, and this time he didn’t offer a hand. He was staring ahead, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that the sweat had nothing to do with physical exertion. As much as I hated to admit it, he was in fantastic shape.
The most obviousanswer was thathe was claustrophobic. If he hadn’t been distracting me when we were behind the dresser, I would’ve reached that conclusion much sooner.
I moved out of the closet, and he followed behind me. When I glanced towards him, his face was still uncharacteristically tense. In our world, we couldn’t allow ourselves to miss ourenemies' weaknesses. It was time to test my theory,so I gesturedup at the ceiling.
“It’s not worth risking them seeing us leave. We should go out through the air duct,” Isaid. I wondered if he’d noticed the through-the-wall A/C units underneath the windows.
He shook his head.
“Give me one good reason we shouldn’t,” I said, whilewatchingfor any shift in his expression.
“This apartment doesn’t even have central air, so there isn’t even ductwork for us to crawl through,” he said.
