I let out a shaky breath. It sounds so simple, the way he puts it. And stupid.
He turns fully toward me. “Then I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything.” The warmth is back in his voice, and it’s like turning my face to the sun.
“Really?”
“I can give you the truth.”
He wants me to know him.But I’ve been in this place before. “No games?”
He shakes his head. He seems weary, and I’m wary of that. The most dangerous man is one with nothing left to lose.
But I do trust him.
Gods, help me.
“All right then. Tell me.”
“Not here.”
I suppress a sigh. Here he goes, adding caveats.
He heads to the wall and opens a hidden panel. A button beeps, and an entire section of the wall—the part holding a section of implements—glides forward with a beep. It slides to the side, showing a dark doorway lit with an eerie blue-green light.
“What is this? Where does it go?”
“Somewhere we can’t be overheard.”
I glance around, scanning the corners of the room for cameras. If the room does have them, I can’t see. I look back at the door. “Do all the playrooms have secret passages?” I ask, stalling.
“Only the ones I designed.”
Am I really going to go down a creepy passageway with him?
I don’t think my curiosity will let me sleep tonight if I don’t.
Rex is right. There’s something about him. Us. I can’t deny it, even if I want to.
“Inara,” he calls my attention back to him. “Come.” He extends his hand. I don’t move. “Little bird. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Can I get that in writing?”
His expression lightens. He knows he’s got me if I’m snarking back. And he’s right. I’ve already made my decision. “Would it help you to trust me? I’ll call my lawyers at once.”
“Just like a billionaire to need a contract for any basic human interaction,” I mutter and clop past him through the door.
There’s a short hallway lit only with that eerie light.
“Careful.” He catches my elbow. “Stairs.”
I let him guide me forward down the dark stairs, another hallway, and another set of stairs.
I would make a “Is this where you torture and hide the other bodies” joke, but my throat has closed. The air has a slight chemical scent to it. Antiseptic? Poison?
Maybe this is where he keeps his victims.
We come out to an open area, and I gasp.
We’re in a cavernous room, the center of which is filled with a set of illuminated pools. The only light is from their turquoise depths.
