Oh. My. God.
I purse my lips. “Are you done giving me this little tour? I want to take a shower.” And get myself off so I can think rationally and not be tempted by my traitorous body. It doesn’t seem to register that this man is dangerous.
He doesn’t have hands that care.
He has hands that kill.
I wonder what his body count is, and I don’t mean sex. Well, maybe I’m a little intrigued by that number too.
No. Nope.Don’t go there, Kate.
“As I said, I’ll be gone tomorrow. If you need anything, you can ring Gretta. There’s a button on the wall in your room.”
I inject some enthusiasm into my tone, so he registers how happy I am that he’s leaving. “Where are you going?”
He regards me skeptically for a moment before responding. “Virginia.”
“What’s in Virginia?”
His head slants, flashing me with those thick cords in his neck. “Why do you want to know?”
I nod. “You’re right, I don’t care. I want to get on with this so I can get it over with.” Pointing toward the corridor where my room is, I ask, “Can I head back to my room now?”
He gestures ahead of me, and I start walking up the stairs to the second floor, completely aware of his constant presence. When I get to my door, I throw it open and walk in. So does he. He somehow sucks all the oxygen out of the air.
I turn around on my heels, grabbing the collar in my fingers. “You following me kind of defeats the purpose of this, Captain. Are you going to stalk me while I’m in the shower, too?”
He leans on the doorframe, knitting his arms over his chest. “Is that an offer?”
I disregard that. “You can’t expect me to live in these clothes for the next month.”
“Gretta will handle it. And as for the medical unit, Imogen will give you scrubs.”
“For being your hostage, you’re sure allowing me to have nice things. Does that mean you’re starting to trust me more?”
He doesn’t say anything; instead, he electrifies the space between us with something uncomfortable, making my skin crawl. Why is he glaring at me as if I’m plotting something? Preston has been looking at me with this spiteful expression since I asked why he is going to Virginia.
I’m not scheming anything.
If there’s a chance I can escape out of here with my life and not end up with his blade plunged in my stomach like that man, I’ll suffer through this next month.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it's that I can survive. Thriving, on the other hand, has eluded me for the last several years.
This won't be any different.
I can handle this, even if there’s a stabbing pain behind my ribs that tells me I’m being reckless, believing in hope.
Hope hurts. But there’s a chance I’ll hurt either way.
FIFTEEN | KATE
The evening sea breeze whips through my hair, blowing a lock across my lips. I tuck it behind my ear and close my eyes, inhaling what seems like my first deep breath since I found myself trapped in the walls of the Lachlan Estate.
I didn’t realize how fatigued I was until my head hit the pillow and my body sank into the cloud-like mattress in the guest room. I slept for almost fifteen hours, and I’m not sure whether it was the fear that took the most considerable toll on my body or the thought that if I slept long enough, maybe I would wake from this nightmare.
I didn’t.
I sat up in the same, quiet seclusion of my room with a collar adorning my neck.
