With his softmurmur lingering in my ears, it’s no wonder I dream of him.
I’m kneeling with rope wound around my bare torso and up my arms. The rope is bright red, framing my golden skin. It’s tight but not constricting.
The flat leather tongue of a crop trails over my chest, giving me goosebumps.
“You look so pretty, little bird.” It’s Rex, pacing a circle around me. His pant leg brushes my ponytail. He’s wound the rope around my head and down the length of my hair. I can’t move unless he wills it.
The weight of the rope and his presence are comforting. I’m bound but free. . .
“Swallow?”
A muffled squawk in my ear makes me jerk awake.
“Swallow? Are you there?”
I’m holding my phone. It must have rung, and I answered it in my sleep.
I recognize the voice. “Mina?”
“Shhh,” she sounds spooked. “It’s KittyBang.”
Why is she using our code names? I sit up and squint at the clock. It reads ten past three in the morning. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s onto me.”
“Who?”
“The subject.”
“You mean Rex?—”
“Don’t say it,” she hisses and lowers her voice. “Call him Kingpin.”
Adrenaline slices through me, more potent than caffeine. I’m awake now, standing by the bed. “What is going on? Where are you?”
“I was digging, like you asked. The next thing I know, there’s a SWAT team at my door.”
“What?”
“He swatted me, Swallow. He knew I was digging, and he wants me to stop.”
“Gods. . .”
“I must have flagged something when I tried to hack his servers. He toyed with me. Let me breach a wall or two, all while he was getting a lock on my location. Then, he blocked my connection and sent the SWAT team. He knew where I lived.” She’s close to hyperventilating.
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m on the run. I don’t know. . . A guy with these skills. . . nowhere is safe. Shit fuck, Inara!” she bursts out, then sighs. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. Shit fuck is right.”
“I’ll be okay. I’m okay.” She repeats it like she’s trying to convince herself.
I’ll get him to back off,I want to tell her. A sledgehammer of guilt slams into me. She doesn’t know I’m in contact with him. That I’ve been with him intimately. She’s freaking out, on the run, and I’ve been dreaming of him. . .
“We shouldn’t talk long,” Mina says. “I’m going dark. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Wait!” I scramble to my feet. “Did you get anything? Can you send me what you have?”
