“Sorry,” I mutter. “I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the table, I hurry to the bathroom at the back of the restaurant. I lock the door and lean against it, my eyes glued to my phone. Seraphina is standing in the middle of the room, watching a jellyfish take its last breath. She killed it. I don’t understand.
I mentioned the possibility of dinner, then had to cancel. I made it up to her with a gesture I thought would mean something. She destroyed it all.
What the hell is going on? She’s obviously not reacting to my canceling dinner. Did something happen?
Logan spoke to her moments before she went nuts. Maybe he knows.
I dial his number and press the phone to my ear.
“What did you say to her?” I growl before he’s had a chance to speak.
“Uhm. What?” His voice comes through confused, a little uneasy.
“When you went to speak to her just now. What did you say?”
“Oh. Uh… not much. Just that you had to cancel. Because she’d been waiting for you.”
“That’s it?”
“Well… I apologized.”
“What? Why?”
“Uh…”
I click my tongue impatiently. “You shouldn’t have done that. She’s my captive. She shouldn’t expect anything from me. And you shouldn’t have apologized in my place.”
“Right.” He sounds increasingly uneasy, and I have no idea why. But my mind’s not on him right now. It’s on her.
“I didn’t have a choice anyway,” I add defensively, even while hating myself for feeling the inexplicable need to defend myself. “It’s not like I can tell her what’s going on, can I? You know as well as I do that there would be no protecting her if Angel got even an inkling of it. And with the rat still in the building, they’d know, sure as shit. She’s already a target. If anyone even breathes the wordnanochipto her, I can’t answer for her safety.”
“Right,” he says again, this time almost choking on the word.
I hang up the phone, furious. There’s still no explanation for her reaction. I’ve already visited her today. That’s one visit more than she has any right to expect.
Seething, I open the feed again. She’s lying on the floor among the glass shards, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. What the hell? Does she have a death wish or something?
My anger dissipates, replaced by a creeping sort of anxiety. I have no idea what’s going on with her. And it drives me mad. Madder still because I’m not supposed to care.
Before I know it, I’m calling Logan again, this time on speaker phone so I can keep an eye on the feed.
“What should I do?”
“Huh?” His uneasiness has given way to confusion.
“What should I do about the girl? She’s lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. I’m three hours away. My hands are tied. And Vale has lined up about ten more meetings. She destroyed all the things I told you to get her. The aquarium is shattered and she’slying in the broken glass.”
He snorts in amused surprise. “She killed the jellyfish?”
I clench my fists, willing myself to stay calm. “Tell me what to do.” The words sound far too much like a plea, and I wish I could take them back. But desperation is tugging at me. She must be having some sort of mental breakdown or something. I can’t leave her like this.
“I don’t know, man,” answers Logan slowly. “I’m not a relationship expert.”
“This isn’t a relationship,” I hiss. “She’s my captive.”
“Well, I locked the door,” he mutters. “She’s not getting out. Let her lie on the floor. So what? I don’t see why you care.”
