Page 22 of Shai

She leaned in closer, her lips moving across to my right ear as if she had

some sort of secret to impart that needed to be whispered. Maybe she did. Maybe it might even be something useful. For that reason, I forced myself to stand my ground. “He drugs me. He thinks I don’t know.” She leaned back and tapped the end of her nose. “But a mother knows these things. What kind of son does that to his own mother?”

One that needs a rest from batshit crazy. But then, from what I’d seen so

far, he wasn’t exactly the poster boy for normal. I guessed the apple really didn’t fall too far from the tree.

The old woman stared at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I cast

about for something to appease her without appearing like I was on her side. There was a distinct possibility she could run off and relay the entire conversation to her beloved son. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She frowned. “Are you?”

I flicked a glance along the corridor. It lay silent and empty, no

interruption forthcoming. “Well, yeah, nobody should be drugged.”

“He’ll drug you too.”

My gut did a slow cartwheel and I swallowed against the sudden assault

of saliva that had crept its way up my throat. “I’ll be careful.”

She seemed to find something about that response hilarious, repeating

the word “careful” between bouts of hysterical laughter as she continued on her way down the corridor. Fighting against the renewed need to hide in my room, I squared my shoulders and headed in the opposite direction.

I’d learned my way around during the last few days, nothing seeming to

be out of bounds as long as it was within the building. The huge compound was an interesting mix of homely living spaces and more business-orientated rooms. They all held that same ostentatious flair, though. I took the stairs that led down to the kitchen. If Gustav was there, I would ask him to cook something for me, and if he wasn’t then I’d help myself to something.

I found him bent over a stove, his mostly bald head glinting under the bright lights of the kitchen. Despite McIntyre’s love of food, he hadn’t had a personal chef, the majority of his employees subsisting on a diet of fast food. But of course, Shai was different.

“Gustav?” He turned, his attention switching from whatever was bubbling away in the pan to me, and giving a nod of greeting. “I didn’t get breakfast today. I was hoping to be able to get something.”

He waved a hand at the large wooden kitchen table as an indication that I should take a seat. “Sit. I will get you something. Shai told me to let you sleep. Said you were very tired and I shouldn’t disturb you.”

Was that a glint of amusement in his eyes? Or was I letting paranoia get the better of me? He busied himself poaching eggs and toasting bread, minutes later sliding a plate in front of me. Gustav was a man of few words, so I didn’t try and engage him in conversation while I ate. Once the plate was empty, I thanked him and left. Now what? The rest of the day stretched in front of me, a never-ending succession of hours that would be exactly the same as the day before, and the day before that.

Making my way back to the main part of the house, I catalogued the men I passed. After all, what was it they said? Information was power. I passed Taylor first. He was the closest thing to a right-hand man that Shai had, his six-foot-five build making him tower above the other men, including Shai himself, who I’d put at around six-foot-one. Taylor was accompanied by his usual shadow of Wyatt, his red hair standing out sharply against his pale, freckled complexion. They were the two whose curiosity had been roused enough to pull me from the river. The jury was still out on whether I should be thanking them or blaming them.

Then there was Grayson, the meanest looking of Shai’s men, the long, curved scar that ran all the way from his temple to his collarbone, as well as the numerous tattoos that festooned his torso, doing nothing to allay the feeling that I should give him a wide berth. The largest room in the compound seemed to double as some sort of meeting place, its furniture minimal. I passed several more men whose names I hadn’t yet learned as I walked to its center. None of them spared me so much as a glance.

I stopped dead as Shai came into view, the mere glimpse of his lips

curled up into a smile as he conversed with a man who looked more like a mild-mannered accountant, bringing the previous evening into stark reality. It was the same smile he’d worn while tormenting me mercilessly. Instinct had me turning away, but it was already too late, Shai’s gaze fastening on me as effectively as if he was a heat-seeking missile and I was his target.

He said something to the man he’d been talking to before making his

way toward me. I focused on the tattoo on his chest, admiring the sharp, crisp lines that made up the gaping mouth of the cobra, preferring to look at that rather than the expression that I knew would be full of smug self-satisfaction and mockery. I didn’t lift my gaze, even when he stood directly in front of me.

Long seconds ticked by, silence stretching between us for so long that I

was convinced that everyone in the room must have stopped what they were doing to watch. Sensing Shai could keep this up forever, I gave up, lifting my eyes to his. He had the upper hand after all. The expected mockery was there. Of course, it was. Not just in his eyes either. It was in the tilt of his chin, and in the way that despite the fact he was standing, he still managed to give the impression of lounging indolently. I cast a quick eye around the room, surprised to find that life had continued as normal, very little attention on us. Either his men were too well-trained to take notice of what Shai was doing, or I wasn’t as interesting as I liked to think I was.

Shai held my gaze for a few moments, his scrutiny cool and assessing as

if he was taking my measure. Then he simply turned and walked away. It was like the end of the previous night all over again, my pride dented by the easy dismissal. So dented that when I should have stayed put, I followed him. He disappeared through the door of a room I’d somehow missed during my exploration of the compound. I hesitated for a moment and then stepped in after him.