He kept his eyes downcast.
“Timothy.” I stood in front of him.
He wouldn’t look at me.
“Hey!” I snapped my fingers in front of his face.
He glanced at me. “I’m not to engage with your escape wishes.”
“You’re fine with keeping me prisoner here?”
“I’m not to engage.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “Your breakfast is ready downstairs.”
In his distress, his British accent came through stronger. I recognized it. Everything finally clicked. Anger roared through my bloodstream, poisoning all rational thought.
“Dr. Williams?” I hissed.
His eyes widened, but he didn’t respond.
He was the man who’d called and explained the Amazon expedition, the one who’d claimed my old professor recommended me highly for the prestigious spot on the team. It was all a set-up, just part of Sebastian’s twisted plan to trap me.
“You lied to me. Played along with his game to get me here. Why?” Fury welled inside me as his silence deepened. “What is wrong with you?” I stepped closer, though he was far bigger. I wanted to shake him. “What has he done to you?”
He finally met my gaze. “He set me free.”
“Leave the poor man alone.” Sebastian’s voice chilled me. It came from a speaker somewhere nearby.
He was watching me, could hear me somehow. I whirled and peered around the room, trying to find the camera. Even when I thought I was free of him, he was still here.
“I didn’t want to tell you this, but I have a camera system set up throughout the house.” Did he actually sound sheepish? I fought the urge to kick and slap Timothy just to get out some of my anger. But it wasn’t his fault. Not exactly. It was the fault of the asshole with the disembodied voice.
“You didn’t want to tell me about constant surveillance, huh?” I put my hands on my hips and stared at the black chandelier in the center of the room for lack of a better target. “Because it’s the most psycho thing you’ve done yet?”
“In my defense, I had the home wired quite some time ago.” The whir of the helicopter blades made a soft whomp whomp whomp noise in the background each time he spoke.
“Why?”
“I like to keep an eye on things.”
“Where are the cameras?”
“You won’t find them. No point looking.”
Horror crept up my spine at the thought of him keeping recordings of me. Then another thought smacked me right between the eyes. “Oh, god, are they in the bathroom?”
Silence.
More silence.
“Oh my god!” I screamed and covered my face. After several deep breaths, I dropped my hands. “Turn them off!”
“What will you give me in exchange?”
I didn’t want a deal. I wanted privacy. I wanted some semblance of my own space inside this cage he’d created for me. How dare he? Anger made me bold. I returned to Timothy and stopped only a breath away from him. “If you don’t turn them off in the bathrooms and this bedroom, I’ll kiss Timothy.”
Timothy blanched, and his gaze went to the chandelier. Busted.
A growl, followed by, “Turn the helicopter around.” Whomp whomp whomp.
“You won’t make it in time.” I threw what I hoped was a sexy look over my shoulder to the chandelier. “Maybe I’ll make it more than a kiss.”
Timothy swallowed hard.
“You wouldn’t mind, would you?” I ran my hand along his smooth cheek.
“Turn this helicopter around right this goddamn minute!”
“Agree to my terms or Timothy gets a taste.” I lifted onto my tiptoes and flattened my palms on Timothy’s hard pecs.
“Please don’t.” A sheen of sweat broke out along his brow. Pity for him tried to overcome my bravado, but I couldn’t let up. Not now.
“All right!” Sebastian’s bark startled me. “All right. I’ll turn them off in the bathrooms only.”
“And the bedroom.”
“No.”
“Pucker up Timothy.” I gripped his cheeks and pulled him down to me.
“Deal!”
I smiled and released the poor man, then turned to the chandelier. “Turn the cameras off now.”
“Done.”
Timothy sighed with relief and sagged against the doorframe.
“How do I know you aren’t lying?” I stared at the chandelier.
“Timothy, dismantle the cameras in my bedroom and all the house bathrooms.”
“Yes sir.”
“Good.” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling more than a little satisfied with myself.
“Keep going to the city.” Sebastian’s stern command could have cut glass.
Timothy pulled his black butler’s jacket down at the hem, though it was already straight. “I’ll set to work on the cameras while you’re eating break—”
A buzzing erupted from his pocket followed by a ringtone. He glanced at me. “Excuse me for a moment, please.”
“Sure.” I walked into the hall and turned toward the stairs as the door clicked shut behind me.
“And, Camille.” Sebastian’s voice floated along the hall ahead of me, planting a seed of worry. “I’ll deal with you when I return this evening.”
“I think I can get my hands on most of these.” Gerry pushed his worn baseball cap back on his head and surveyed the list of plants I’d given him. “Some of these scientific names I’m not sure of, but I’ll figure them out.”