Ursuline’s lips twisted with the hint of a grin as they kept their arms crossed, staring him down until he slipped away into the crowd. Then their gaze landed on me. “Want to get out of here?”
I could cry with relief. It rushed through me in such a fierce torrent, but all I could do was bob my head. They tilted their head toward the back, to a different entrance than the one I’d arrived through with Arielle and the bodyguard, and I followed. After dealing with the drunk asshole, I refused to stay in this hellhole any longer.
They reached back to offer a hand, and once I grabbed theirs, the touch soothed me in a way nothing else had. I could breathe again.
We stuck to the side walls, veering around a few throngs of people as we headed for the exit sign lit in neons. I didn’t bother trying to call out to Ursuline, focusing on thethump, thump, thumpof my heart from the adrenaline hit. I’d been prepared to bolt and hope for the best, but they’d swept in and chased away the asshole in seconds.
They pushed the back door open, and the moment I stepped through, I almost sagged forward. The crisp night air mingled with the pavement and some residual cigarette smoke from the groups that loitered out here, the glow of the cherries making their smokes obvious.
“If that was presumptuous—” Ursuline started, and I shook my head.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice hoarse. “He wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
“Where was Arielle?” they asked, their gaze darkening as they glanced back. “I thought Frederick wanted you two to go out together.”
“She left me the second we got here,” I admitted. “She was dancing on one of the platforms for a crowd, last I saw.”
A growl left Ursuline, one that soothed me. “Why Frederick’s forcing this is beyond me.”
I scrubbed at my face. “I think I know why.”
They placed a hand on my shoulder and guided us toward a clear spot along the back wall. Out here didn’t trigger my claustrophobia like the club, and I could finally relax. I leaned against the wall, and Ursuline slipped their arm around my shoulder. I leaned in against them.
“I caught George on the way in,” Ursuline said. “Told him I’d get you home.”
“George?” My brows crinkled.
“One of Arielle’s normal bodyguards,” they said, a wry grin on their lips. “You’re on a first-name basis with most of the staff in the house, yet you don’t know the bodyguards?”
“I haven’t left the estate enough.” I shrugged. “And about the staff…did something happen to Jacques?” I chewed on my lower lip, the nerves percolating in me. “I feel like…we were talking, and now he’s not here, and I’m worried.”
Ursuline’s lips pursed, their stormcloud expression not exactly reassuring. “Jacques is gone.”
“Like, fired, right?” I asked, even though my stomach curdled.
They stared at me slow and steady. “Do you want the answer? Frederick Triton is a dangerous man. Trust me when I say you don’t want to cross him.”
And yet, here Ursuline was, risking everything for me.
I swallowed hard. Maybe I didn’t want the answers, at least not if I wanted to hold onto the hope of escape. “He warned me to get out while I could.”
“Jacques should’ve heeded his own advice,” they said, a somberness in their gaze. “Though he’s not wrong. They’ve started having me draft the prenup, and there are some clauses Frederick wants in there…”
I shuddered at the idea of signing anything that tied me permanently to this family. I couldn’t imagine spending a lifetime in that house, with those cold people. And knowing something had happened to Jacques…ice filtered into my bloodstream. One of Ursuline’s tentacles wrapped around my leg and squeezed, and I appreciated the comfort more than I could express.
“They own a contract on you, don’t they?” I murmured, remembering an earlier conversation we’d had.
Ursuline swallowed hard enough the sound was audible. “Yeah. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“If we’re both tied to the family, maybe we can…” I started off and then paused, because I couldn’t imagine keeping this secret for the rest of our lives. The enormity of it dizzied my mind.
“If you get the chance to run,” they said, their voice ragged. “Run. Whether I can come with you or not.”
I shook my head, loathing the idea of leaving them behind.
“Want to get out of here? Have a real night out on the town?” they asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “As long as it’s not at another club. I get claustrophobic in clubs and concerts.”
