“Beautiful work, isn’t it?”
I spin around to find Blue standing behind me on the path, still in the same dark suit from the safe house but now with added splashes of blood on his shirt cuffs. His beard is as perfectly groomed as ever, that hint of blue catching the last light of sunset, and he’s fixed on me with an intensity that makes me take a step back.
“The gate was commissioned by the original owner,” he continues conversationally, as if finding me desperate at his locked gate is perfectly normal. “A man who believed that every story should have a proper beginning.”
“Let me out.” The words are steadier than I feel.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible just yet.” Blue takes a step closer, and I press back against the gate. “The men who killed your father are still looking for you, Saylor. Out there, you’re vulnerable. Here, you’re safe.”
“Safe?” I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “I’m locked up with someone I don’t even know, in a place I’ve never heard of. I don’tknow who you really are, what you do, if you actually knew my father, or what any of this has to do with me. How exactly is that safe?”
Blue’s facial features don’t change, but something glimmers in his eyes. He pulls out his cell and faces it toward me as I hear my father’s voice on a message. I don’t understand the context of everything being said, but I do hear this:“You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe. I owe you my forever gratitude.”
Tears form instantly, but I blink them away. I can’t show weakness... I can’t.
Okay, so he showed me proof, but that doesn’t change the fact that— “And your charming housekeeper who locks doors and acts like kidnapping is just another Tuesday.” I lift my chin, trying to appear brave. “So what’s the plan? I have to stay here forever?”
“No.” The word is quiet but certain. “I didn’t kidnap you, Saylor. I rescued you. You’re my guest.”
“Guests can leave whenever they want.”
“Not when leaving means dying.”
We stare at each other across the growing darkness. Even covered in blood, even standing between me and freedom, Blue is magnetic in the most reckless way possible. But I’ve already been stupid once where he’s concerned.
“I’ll take my chances,” I say.
“I won’t.”
“That’s not your choice to make.”
“Isn’t it?” Blue steps closer, and now I can smell his cologne mixed with the metallic scent of blood that makes my stomach turn. “Your father asked me to protect you. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“My father is dead.”
“Which is why someone needs to keep you alive.”
The casual arrogance in his comments makes me want to scream. “And you’ve appointed yourself my guardian?”
“I’ve accepted the responsibility, yes.”
“I didn’t ask for your protection.”
“You didn’t ask for your father’s death either, but here we are.”
For a moment I can’t breathe. The image of Dad’s body, the blood,the way his eyes went wide with shock and pain—it all comes rushing back.
Blue’s face softens slightly. “I’m sorry. That was cruel.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Yes,” he agrees easily. “But I’m a monster who’s going to keep you alive.”
He turns and starts walking back toward the house, clearly expecting me to follow. When I don’t move, he stops and looks back.
“You can walk back with me, or you can stand here in the cold until you change your mind. But that gate isn’t opening tonight.” He glances up at the darkening clouds gathering overhead. “And I don’t have an umbrella to offer.”
I want to tell him to go to hell. I want to climb the wall, spikes or no spikes. I want to do anything except admit that he’s right about one thing—I have nowhere else to go.
