I don't have time to argue with him about the slight. Instead, I track Lila down to her room, where I can hear her crying behind the closed door.
"Lila, let me in." There's a pause, and I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Christ, princess. Let me the fuck in so we can talk about this."
I hear her stomping up to the door, and I get ready to grab it so I can push my way inside. When it swings open, she glares at me, tears streaming down her face.
"Seriously? I don't need this crap from you, too. Just go!"
Sure enough, she tries to slam the door in my face, but I shove past her, taking charge of the door and closing it behind me.
"Ugh! You're insufferable!"
Scoffing, I roll my eyes. "Yeah, the feeling's mutual, princess. Now, spill. What's going on with Sir Full of Himself?"
Lila throws up her hands, walks to her bed, and plops down. I suddenly realize that I'm in her room—all cream-colored expensiveness and overly fluffy pillows.
It looks like something right out of a Martha Stewart magazine. If they still make those things. I don't fucking know.
"He's an asshole, which appears to be par for the course with men around here." She glares at me. "And he's got it in his head that I'm going to marry him. Hell, it's actually been planned between him and my father since we were kids. He's some stupid protégé of his, and they're trying to form some dynasty or something between our families. Obviously, I hate it, and I'veprotested every step of the way. You can see how far that's gotten me."
I had to assume as much, but it still strikes me that this kind of arranged marriage thing is actually going on nowadays. Who does that shit?
"Well, you can't run off like that. I'll stay here. You won't have to go out and face him if you don't want to."
Lila looks downright flabbergasted at me, her little mouth forming a tantalizing O and her brows up.
"Umm...thank you. But don't think this changes how I feel aboutthisarrangement either. And you can waitoutsidethe door."
Scoffing and rolling my eyes at this woman appears to be something I'll keep doing forever. But I just shrug, shaking my head and going right back to the door I shoved through.
I really shouldn't be sticking my nose in her business anyway. She's a client, not a friend or a lost puppy.
Don't stick your neck out. This is temporary.
"Fine." The door closes behind me before I hear Lila's response, and I tell myself that I don't care, that I don't mind if she's pissy or still upset.
Which is a fucking lie.
I've been standing outside Lila's door for hours now, and the last time she poked her head out, it was to tell me that she was going to sleep.
That was about thirty minutes ago, after I heard way too much rummaging around to just be getting comfortable in bed. I have no idea what she was doing, but it's stopped now, and something about that doesn't sit right.
"It's nothing. Just leave it." I bounce my leg as I tap my thumb on my arm where it's crossed over my chest, chewing on my tongue. "Dammit."
Trusting that gut instinct, I knock on the door but get no answer. If Lila is really asleep, she won't mind me taking a quick peek.
I've told her not to lock it just in case I need to get inside, and the door creaks as I push it open.
But looking around her room, I see no sign of Lila and a perfectly made bed.
"That little brat. Goddamn it!"
Rushing up to what I now see is an open patio door that leads outside, I find a collection of pillows on the ground not far beneath me.
Lila must've thrown them over to cushion her landing once she got over the railing. Clever girl, butthisescaped resident is in a fuckton of trouble.
Even worse than a damned raptor.
Tearing after her, I swing myself over the railing, easily using the gaps between the bricks to scale down the building. I've climbed rock walls much harder than this.
