“What?” The question takes me by surprise, and I don’t have an answer ready for it. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before now, but clearly I should have.
Jema sits up, her eyes watching me closely. “How did we meet? It’s a simple question, right? I mean, from what I see, you work all the time, so it’s not like we could have run into one another if I was, say, working at a diner?”
Her choice of words makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge. Does she remember more than she’s letting on? When I cleared out her apartment, I found a uniform for a nearby diner. Could she remember her life before?
“Plus you have all these cooks here, and you never eat out. It’s not like you kidnapped me or anything,” she says with a laugh. “Right?”
There’s a long pause as the silence stretches between us. She blinks once, twice, then her smile begins to falter.
“Kitten,” I say softly as I move closer. “Meeting you was the single greatest moment of my life.” She swallows hard as I reach up and trace a finger along her jaw. I’m not sure if she’s testing me, but either way, I decide to tell her a partial truth. “I was down at the docks inspecting a shipment. You were lost, and we ran into each other.”
“Oh,” she says, and once again she seems weirdly relieved.
“I know you love running from me, and you know how much I love chasing you. If you want to throw in a kidnapping fantasy, I’m more than willing to play along.” My finger traces lower down her neck and along her collarbone. I push open the front of her robe and lean forward to place a kiss over her heart. “I’d do anything to make my wife happy.”
“You really are a wonderful man, aren’t you?” She lets out a contented sigh, and I feel the tense muscles in her body relaxing.
I laugh against her neck before I lick her sweet skin. “No, Jema,” I say, my voice deep and deadly. “I’m nothing close to wonderful.”
“But you’d never hurt me.”
When I pull back, I see the certainty in her eyes. “You’re right, I’d never ever hurt you.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t get a chance to say anything because Edward is at the door with our dinner.
* * *
Chapter 12 Jema
It's been two days since I saw Joey, and part of me wants to forget it happened. I want to pretend it was a crazy dream and that my husband is perfect. The man is sweet to me, and when I do get myself into trouble, it's enjoyable. He’s never really mad or upset with me, so how bad can he be?
I don't want to believe the man in the cellar, but I have this nagging sensation at the back of my mind that he's telling the truth about everything. It's not Salvador that’s giving off red flags; it’s the all-new staff.
People are skittish around him and never make direct eye contact. The way they shift their bodies away and avoid him is odd. It was so strange I started to casually ask the staff questions to try and get them to open up. As soon as I asked how long they worked here, they’d stop talking.
I had to ask a lot of people before someone finally answered simple questions. It wasn't like I was asking them if my husband kept people tied up in the basement. Their hesitation and sometimes fear made me unable to lie to myself any longer. There’s something going on in this house, and I’m at the center of it.
My bigger issue now is that I am struggling with my moral compass. I mean, what if Joey is a bad dude and Salvador is a sort of Batman? I mean, he does have a butler who can be very Alfred-like at times. Even I know that convoluted daydream is bullshit because people wouldn't shy away from him if that was the case.
The silent part in my mind screams for me to leave it alone, but what if all the memories resurface and guilt overwhelms me? There’s always the option of bringing it up to Salvador. I could simply ask. I don't believe he'd toss me down there too, or maybe that’s what I want to believe.
Salvador said the other night that he wouldn't hurt me. Yeah, I'd picked up on that, but that doesn’t mean everything that he does is so black and white. I still need more information, which is why I’m lingering in the kitchen. I’ve been waiting for another moment to slip back downstairs. If I investigate a little more, then I might find a solution to this whole situation.
This would be so much easier if my memories came back. Everything is still so foggy, but I have noticed that with each day that passes, my sense of self becomes clearer.
"Would you like a second breakfast?" Edward asks.
"I'm good. I'm going to head out to the garden soon."
"Don't forget your sunscreen," he says, in the same way Salvador had earlier.
"Did my husband tell you to remind me?"
"He worries over you." Edward's eyes flick to my empty plate. "Are you sure you don't want more?"
"Are you trying to plump me up?" I laugh, and he shrugs.
"You could be eating for two."
