Hunt

I left the car and continued to stare at the house as if it would disappear if I turned away. It was almost bigger than the entire apartment complex that I’d been staying in when Cain grabbed me.

This is some true rich people shit.

Outside of the car, I was able to truly take in the space. A long driveway circled the front and was done in dark yellow brick. There were sculpted rose bushes that spiraled upward and pointed into the air.

The whole place was stunning, breathtaking, and very much intimidating.

Cain got to my side. “Come on.”

I hugged myself and headed his way. I couldn’t help but glance down at my sneakers and jeans. It was hard not to feel like I was under-dressed and that I damn sure did not belong here.

Cain took my hand. I hated to admit how much his touch anchored me.

Leading us toward the house, he squeezed my fingers. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

“I do.”

“Then, hit me with one.”

“Where the hell are we?”

“Paradise.”

I stopped in the center of the circular driveway and stared at him in shock. “Paradise City?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He started us back toward the house. “I have a possible job here. That was why we took money from the last club you worked at.”

“To pay for this house?”

“And for my other siblings to have money while we were gone.”

I looked at him. “What is the job?”

“I’m still figuring it out.”

“You don’t know?”

“There is a middle man.”

“Someone you trust?”

He smiled. “As much as you can trust in our line of work.”

“But what’s the job?”

We stopped in front of a large door made out of dark wood.

He gazed down at me. “Why are you asking?”

“Clearly, I’m interested. This house is massive. Why would you need such a big place? What sort of job is it?”

“The big house isn’t for the job. My brothers and I could have stayed in a shitty little apartment.” Cain opened the door. “However, I wanted to take you somewhere nice. Something more. . .elegant than my chapel in the woods.”

Stunned, I took in the huge interior. “You got this for me?”

“Yeah.” He took off his shoes.

Still gaping at the space, I followed his actions and slid out of my sneakers.

My skin tingled. My eyes darted here and there.

The living room was bright, with a chandelier hanging a good distance above the furniture. It was polished marble and high end furniture. Where there wasn’t marble, Persian rugs sat. I spotted expensive vases in the corners as well as a large clock. Beautiful artwork decorated the space.

A glass wall was farther in front of us, showing a view of pool. A large forest lay in the background, stretching out miles and miles.

On the left, a long hallway led to only God knew where.

A large staircase was on the right. Yellow carpet covered each step.

This is the type of place where the owners wear special diamonds to go to sleep.

Cain watched me. “Do you like it?”

“I would question my sanity, if I didn’t like it.”

He curved his lips into a smile. “You’re stuck here so. . .I thought I should make sure it’s a palace.”

My excitement dampened.

That’s right. . .because this will be my jail.

He shut the door.

A beautiful prison.

I turned back and stared at the large door.

When will I get to go outside again?

The biggest question was if Cain would ever trust me to leave the house. Last time he’d uncuffed me by the lake, I’d seized the first opportunity and raced away.

And I would do it again.

Cain was no dummy. He would keep me close from now on.

I turned back and counted the blessings in front of me.

A beautiful prison is definitely better than the soul coffin.

Plus the bigger the house, the more places to hide and the more possibilities to escape.

Yeah. I’m getting the fuck up out of here.

I just had to figure out the neighborhood as well as get a feel of the property. I would also need to earn his trust back. That meant not trying to run for a while and staying as chill as possible.

Like last time, a moment would come.

Then I’m going to take it.

Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. “I’m tired. We can explore the place later today. We should get some rest.”

I had to admit that I didn’t have much energy either. Even with the short nap in the car. If I were going to truly run out of here, I would need food and all my energy.

I’m in fucking Paradise. Jesus Christ.

He gestured at the staircase.

I headed up. “Who has Noah?”

He remained behind me. “My sister, Erin. She’s the only one of the other siblings that’s not afraid of him.”

I continued up the steps. “Will she be staying in your chapel?”

“No. It’s hard for her to be inside of there.”

I remembered his story about how Cole shifted to Cain. The Reverend in charge of the chapel had sent him off for duties to keep him busy. Meanwhile, the Reverend spent his time molesting his siblings. Erin must have definitely been one of the siblings to be victim of this.