At first, he didn’t answer me, and I figured I pissed him off. Whatever. At least I wouldn’t be the only one angry now. We had been in this estate for about a week or so, give or take, and it felt like everyone was on cloud nine while I stewed in the bowels of hell with my bruises and my memories and my need to get back to my life.
Is this how Marla felt all that time?
My eyes watered over with tears before I even realized Doc followed me.
“What is it, Miss Elizabeth?”
I gasped at the pressure on my shoulder as he got in front of me. He crouched down, his hands on his knees, staring into my eyes like he physically counted the tears daring to soak them.
I furrowed my brow and looked around. “Where the hell did you come from?”
He tilted his head, and that brow of his pinched itself together. “I left the office with you. Did you not hear me?”
I didn’t want to answer that question, but Doc was intelligent. I knew my non-answer was an answer enough.
“Come,” he said as he reared back up and ushered his hand out, “I’ll escort you to your room. It’s the least that I can do.”
I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that I was fine. I wanted to spit in his face and kiss his lips.
I didn’t understand anything any longer.
“I’m fine,” I muttered as I turned and made my way to the stairs.
“I’m sure you are,” Doc said as he fell in line beside me.
I thought about how Em had to help me down the stairs this morning. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, picking a room where I had to hike steps to get up and down. I didn’t want to be on the lower levels, though. Too many windows, not enough perch points, and way too many entry points for me to guard by myself. Especially with the condition my body was in.
Still, when we came to the steps, they seemed to stretch on forever.
I grabbed the banister and picked up my foot. “Maybe I should just put my room downstairs.”
Doc wasted no time in his rebuttal. “If something were to happen, I don’t want anyone infiltrating to have easy access to you guys.”
I paused and peered at him over my shoulder. “You think someone’s going to infiltrate?”
We stood there, eye to eye, and I was painfully aware of the fact that I was already up three steps while he still stood on the ground level floor. Fucking hell, this man was tall. I could still kick his string bean ass from here to Sunday. But he really did cast a shadow, so to speak.
I was painfully aware of the fact that my breathing was damn near audible.
“One should always be prepared for contingencies, Miss Elizabeth,” Doc finally said, breaking the silence between the two of us.
I leaned against the banister and grimaced as I pulled myself up a step. “Then install an elevator.”
“Get those fucking things away from me.”
The booming voice made me flinch so hard that I stumbled backward. I felt myself falling off the step before a pair of arms slid underneath mine.
“You’re okay,” Doc whispered. “That’s just Brutus.”
“Ooooh, come ooon,” I heard Anna say as I got turned around enough to see what in the fuck was going on.
“I’m serious, Anna,” the booming voice that I realized was Brutus said as he rounded the corner. “You’re gonna make me puke.”
“Awww,” Anna said as she trailed behind him, carrying the largest jar of pickles I’d ever seen in my life. She chomped down onto one as she scurried after the man.
“What?” she asked. “Is the big, bad wolf afraid of some itty, bitty pickles?”
“Get away from me,” Brutus growled as he stomped away from her.
