Descent (Black Heart Romance)

She doesn’t answer me, anyway. She turns around slowly as if she’s looking for something, but unable to remember what. She’s a bit scattered. I can see it aggravates her as her hand balls up at her side and her forehead crinkles as she looks around the room, unable to figure out what she’s left behind.

I know what I’m about to say is even crazier than anything I’ve already said, but what the hell? “I’d like to see you again.”

She scoffs and shakes her head, but doesn’t bother dignifying my statement with any kind of verbal response.

The door opens and her gaze shoots to it like it’s her last salvation. She runs over to grab it before it shuts, startling Hollis as he walks in.

It’s not wise to do that, but luckily it turned out okay this time. He flicks a gaze at me as she starts to flee.

I sit forward and reach for the shoes she forgot to put back on. “Hallie, I believe you forgot something.”

She’s halfway out the door when she darts a glance back in my direction. I hold out her shoes, wordlessly inviting her to come get them, but she refuses to move away from the door and let it close again.

Taking pity on her, I get up and walk the shoes over to her. I kneel down just inside the doorway and hold out her high heel like Prince Charming presenting a glass slipper to his intended.

Her eyes narrow with dislike, but she offers her pointed foot anyway.

I slide the shoe on, careful not to hurt her heel, then we do the same thing with her other foot.

Finally, she is as intact as she can be now that she’s met me. Her gaze leaves me the moment it can and shifts to Hollis. “You’re taking me home?”

He nods dutifully. “Yes, I am.”

She nods and brushes past him. I’m sure she feels safer out in the hallway, but she isn’t.

Not wanting any of the other visitors of this part of the club to spot her, I nod for Hollis to take her to the car.

She leaves me without another word. Hollis follows and the door closes, leaving me alone in this empty dungeon.

I suppose after what I just did to her, I couldn’t have expected a warm farewell.

Still, I don’t enjoy how the room feels colder the moment she has left it.

Chapter Five

Hallie

I will get out of bed.

I will get out of bed.

I will get out of bed.

Instead, I burrow deeper into my protective blanket cocoon and squeeze my eyes shut. They’re puffy and tired from not getting enough sleep last night. I suppose the crying didn’t help much, either.

If it were any other day, I would be kinder to myself. I would be gentle and practice self-compassion. I would remain curled up in this bed for the rest of the day if I needed to.

But it isn’t any other day. It’s Charity’s wedding day, and I have to get my shit together and show up for her regardless of what happened last night.

As soon as last night begins to flit across my memory, I swat it away. There’s no time for that.

Running from my own memories gives me the shove I needed to get out of bed.

My bedroom is dark, just the way I like it. On a normal day, I would open the curtains now that I’m awake and let the sun shine in. I would change into workout clothes, put my yoga mat down at the foot of my bed, and get the day started right.

Today I head straight for the shower.

My hair is still damp from the one I took last night.

When I made my empty threats in Hell, I told him I wouldn’t, but I couldn’t climb into my own bed and feel safe there if I still smelled him on my skin, felt the evidence of him inside me.

It was bad enough that his pushy bodyguard insisted on escorting me inside my apartment. I didn’t want a strange man in my home, especially after being trapped in that dungeon with his boss, but Hollis said those were his orders. When I told him I didn’t care about his orders and tried to shut the door in his face, he stopped the door with one hand and followed me in anyway.

I didn’t have the energy to fight him any more than that.

Luckily, he didn’t prove as twisted as his employer. He escorted me inside, checking each room as we walked in as if I were a princess under constant threat of danger and he the man tasked with keeping me safe. It didn’t make much sense, but I was too exhausted and depleted to expend much energy on it. I didn’t even wait for him to leave my apartment before shutting myself in my bathroom to undress and scrub the remnants of Calvin Cutler off my body.