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I jerked my gaze to him sitting behind the desk, head down, focused on the pages in front of him. Indignation seethed.Fuck you, do it your goddamn self…the words didn’t reach my lips as I took in the black leather gloves he wore. His jacket was gone, the white shirt rolled up against strong forearms.
I looked away, stepped in, and closed the door. The study was big…and breathtaking. A blood red plush velvet sofa sat toward the back of the room, facing the most stunning black gas fireplace I’d ever seen. Black filled the rest of the room, black furnishings, black steel everywhere else, except for a small section of books far in the back corner…no, they were pink. Everything was the same colors as my bedroom.
I turned around, catching his attention shift to me without lifting his gaze. I unnerved him with my presence alone. He lifted his head, dark eyes darting my way before he fixed on the massive iMac screen in front of him. One click of the mouse, and a printer started at the edge of the desk. He rose without a sound and turned. I was drawn to the paper upturned on his desk, the one he seemed so intent on.
I took a step, my pulse racing as I was drawn to that document. But the closer I came, the more I realized it wasn’t what I'd thought it was…it was some kind of—
“Help you?”
I jerked my gaze high. Those dark eyes bored into mine. I looked away, shaking my head. The moment I did, I caught the edge of a stack of pages peeking out from the middle of a leather embossed folder.Ooks,the word drew me. Unconsciously, I knew what it was. But still, I had to see for myself. I reached out…
“Vivienne…” the warning came.
But he didn’t move. Testing me. I glanced at the word…ooks…
My hand trembled as I reached out, grasped the edge, and jerked it free.
He moved fast, crossing the study in a blur to grasp my wrist from the other side. But it was too late…my own name was printed right there in front of me.
Vivienne Brooks…
I scanned the words.
The party must hand over the subject immediately or risk litigation and/or further unlawful consequences. Failure to do so will result in action against the party, including, but not limited to, harm.
Including, but not limited to, harm? Had London St. James just threatened The Order?
“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Vivienne.”
I stared at his hand clasped around my wrist, then met his stare. Yes, yes he had. “Aren’t we all?”
EIGHTEEN
Ryth
Tobias was finally asleep.His breaths were deep and steady, and it seemed that pain no longer had control. I waited for a heartbeat, then gently eased his arm from across my body and rose. The mattress dipped as I slipped off. But he didn’t stir as I quietly made my way to the stack of clothes piled in the corner of the room. Clothes that Caleb had pulled from the getaway sedan that morning. Clothes my father had brought for me.
Pinks and purples littered the floor at my feet, but at least he’d had the good sense to make sure the jeans were black.
I tugged off my shirt and boxers, still damp from Tobias’s shower, and dropped them on the floor before pulling on a soft cup bra, panties, shorts, and a t-shirt that looked like it was about two sizes too small. I thought about wearing Nick’s oversized black shirt but then realized they had even less clothes than I did.
So I tugged on the shirt, hating how it rode high, and gathered our dirty clothes. I wanted to make good use of the time we had in this place. Washing our clothes, learning how to keep us alive, those tasks would give me purpose…that’s what I needed now. Purpose. Momentum.Peace.
Peace would come, when we were safe.
When we wereallsafe.
My thoughts turned to dad as I moved quietly to the door. I tried to keep the image of his beaten face and gentle eyes from my mind. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. He was right there, smiling with that sad smile right before he strode toward the men who wanted him dead.
I twisted the handle and eased the door open before slipping out.
“Is he asleep?”
My heart leaped, driving into the back of my throat. I bit down on a cry and spun around, finding Kit standing in the hallway behind me.“Jesus,you scared the crap out of me!”
But her gaze shifted to the door and stayed there. “You sleep with your stepbrother, don’t you?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I swallowed the flare of heat and answered. “Yes.”
