I shut the closet door before he could jump me and pulled on a pair of jeans and a zip-up sweatshirt. When I came back out, he was in the bathroom.
I cursed softly to myself and lingered near the bed.
“Busy day today?” I called out and instantly wished I hadn’t.
We didn’t really make small talk.
“Busy enough.” He frowned at me as he started to brush his teeth. “Why, what’s the matter?”
I shook my head and gave him my best smile.
He looked skeptical, but shrugged and went back to his morning routine.
I distracted myself with a book I found in a bottom drawer. It was the novel version of The Godfather. Of course he had that book—what a cliché, but it was better than nothing.
Each second he spent in there was another second of agony. I wanted to grab that phone and get the hell out of the house, but I couldn’t do anything with Darren lingering. He took forever, even grabbed a shower, but eventually he emerged, got dressed, and lingered near the door adjusting his cuffs.
“Now that we’re married, some of your restrictions are going to be raised.”
I looked up from reading and rereading the same sentence on the first page over and over again. “Seriously?”
“You won’t have to wear the bracelet anymore if you go for a walk and the guards won’t follow you around.”
I let out a sharp breath. “So I’m free to run away then, right?”
“If that’s what you want.” He watched me carefully, giving away nothing. “I don’t think you will.”
“I guess this is how you’re going to find out.”
“Don’t disappoint me, Winter. I have big plans for you.”
“I bet. Do they all involve forcing me into marriage and fucking me on our wedding night?”
“Mostly just the fucking.” He smirked at me. “Don’t forget our deal. Cassie’s safety in exchange for your hide.” He left then and I was content to let him have the last word.
I counted to fifty in my head then jumped out of bed, ran into the bathroom, and grabbed the phone.
It was still there. Blessedly, mercifully, still there.
I powered it up and unlocked it with the code I used for our electronic gate back at the house in Sea Isle. There was a single number programmed under Cassie’s name in the phonebook.
I shoved it into my pocket then hurried outside.
Nobody followed me. The staff seemed more deferential, or maybe that was my imagination. There were no guards—Hyde and Jekyll were nowhere to be seen, probably off terrorizing townsfolk or something—and I was free to head down to the woods.
Exactly like Darren had promised.
My heart raced the whole time. I found a trail into the trees and walked it for a few minutes until I couldn’t see the house anymore. I stopped at a small clearing, leaned up against a massive oak, and took out the phone.
I considered throwing it into the bushes. I’d made my choice already. I’d married Darren and went down this path, and I wasn’t going to turn my back on it just because I was offered a new option.
This was my future. So why did this feel so hard?
I dialed the number. It rang and rang, and just when I was about to give up, Cassie answered.
Relief, shame, longing, and a thousand other mixed emotions flooded through me.
“Winter. You got my present!”
“Cassie.” I tried not to cry and failed miserably.
“Oh, shit, don’t get upset. I’m sorry! Don’t get upset!”
“I’m fine, you asshole. These are tears of joy. And anyway, aren’t you the crier?”
“I’m holding myself together.” She sounded good. Happy, steady. I could only imagine what her life was like with Roman, that hunk of a man.
Probably a lot like mine at the moment, minus the chains.
“I don’t know how long I have to talk. Darren gave me some more freedom around the grounds and I’m hiding in the woods.”
“Are you okay? Is he hurting you?”
“Not at all. I’m good, honestly. His family’s a little weird, but his sister Penny’s nice and they’re treating me good. And oh, I don’t know if you heard, but I married him.”
Cassie didn’t laugh. I was trying to make a joke out of the situation, but it wasn’t funny and we both knew it.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I never wanted you to go through this.”
“It’s not that bad. I chose it, at least.”
“Did you really have a choice?”
“He didn’t force me. We made a deal, actually.”
“I made a deal with Roman too.” She laughed softly. I could picture her smile, the way she shook her head, the way she chewed her lips when nervous. I missed my friend so much. “Look how that turned out.”
“I made him promise to protect you.”
Cassie’s voice finally broke. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“What else can I do? Darren wants to kill Roman and Roman wants to kill Darren.”