I glance at the time. He’ll be back any second now.
I close my eyes, my cheeks damp with tears, when she cuts the clasp.
I hate the feeling of the collar coming off. I don’t like the way it looks in her hands, broken and clipped, as if it symbolizes our severed union. A bird with broken wings, unable to fly.
Before I go—and I have to go—I need to know one thing.
I know what I have to do.
I tell myself I’m free now. No longer encumbered with anything that will weigh me down.
But I don’t feel free. I don’t at all. I feel… alone.
I square my shoulders and face the doctor. “Alright, then. Let’s take that test.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Thayer
I checkthe time and watch the seconds tick by. I said ten minutes. Time’s up.
I’m walking toward my room to see if she’s okay when I hear my name.
“Thayer!” I turn to find Cosette in the lobby flagging me down. “Lyam says he needs you in the break room.”
Her widened eyes tell me something’s wrong.
“Is everything okay?”
Her brows draw together, and she shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
Dammit. I send Savannah a text.
Me:
I went to check on you, but Lyam called. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
She doesn’t respond.
I walk quickly to the break room, located behind the lobby. Lyam’s with our head of security and a few of our other guards. They have a tablet in front of them.
Lyam’s uncharacteristically grim. “Thayer, there’s been another security breach. You know we never discovered who it was last time and chalked it up to being a glitch in the system.” He scowls. “But it’s clear someone’s bypassed our security measures.”
“So someone’s in the club unannounced?” I ask, making a quick mental tally of the weapons I have on hand.
Lyam’s gaze darkens. He’s as ruthless as I am, only Lyam has much more creative methods than I do.
I shake my head. “Lock down all community rooms.”
“Already done.”
“I want a list of every guest we have on the premises as well as their partners, and every staff member who’s checked in today. If they’re here to cut the grass or dust the goddamn chandeliers, I want their names.”
“On it.”
Lyam flicks his finger across a tablet, and it springs to life. He taps and scrolls, pinches and pulls. Seconds later, my phone dings with a text.
“That was fast.”
