"Silas," I sob, the relief of hearing his voice shocking me. "Silas, there are flowers. They’re from—"
"I know who they’re from," he cuts me off. "I’m looking at them right now."
He’s watching the cameras. Of course he is.
"How did they get in?" I whisper. "You said I was safe. You said the building was a fortress."
"There was a breach in the lobby screening. The courier was a plant. He’s being... debriefed... as we speak."
I hear a sound in the background on his end. A wet, dull thud. Like meat being hit.
"Get away from them, Ivy," Silas commands. "Go to the bedroom. Lock the door. Do not come out until I get there."
"When... when are you coming?"
"I’m in the elevator."
Ding.
The doors slide open again.
Silas storms out.
He looks like the wrath of God.
He’s discarded his jacket. His tie is gone. His white shirt is unbuttoned at the collar, and his sleeves are rolled up. There is a smudge of something red on his knuckles.
He doesn't look at me. He walks straight to the roses.
He grabs the vase—a heavy, crystal thing—and hurls it against the far wall.
SMASH.
Glass explodes. Water splashes everywhere. The red roses are decapitated, scattered across the floor like severed heads.
He breathes heavily, his chest heaving, staring at the destruction.
Then he turns to me.
His eyes are wild. The blue fire is blazing.
"Did you touch them?" he demands.
"I... I read the card."
He crosses the room. He grabs my hands, inspecting them, turning them over. checking for what? Poison? Dust?
"He knows," Silas snarls. "He knows you’re here."
"He said he wants to collect interest," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "Silas, I’m scared."
He pulls me into him. Hard.
It’s not a romantic embrace. It’s a collision. He wraps his arms around me, burying his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. He’s shaking. Not with fear, but with rage. Pure, unadulterated rage.
"Let him come," Silas growls against my skin, the vibration of his voice rattling my bones. "Let him try."
He pulls back, gripping my shoulders. His eyes search mine, intense and desperate.
