Did she eat breakfast?
I saw her apartment—the bare cupboards and the empty refrigerator. Guilt tries to sneak its way in for not thinking of it sooner.
It’s not your problem.
But the more I tell myself that, I wonder what would have happened if Elena Reed had thought those same words that night in the alley, and I can almost hear her chastising me for even thinking it.
They didn’t need to take me in. Hell, they didn’t even have to stop the car that night. I don’t know how many days I’d been in that alley, still waiting for the woman who was meant to keep me safe to come back. A shadow had fallen over me, but instead of the monsters or whatever else I thought was after me in the dark, I’d blinked to see a woman standing over me. Elena Reed. She’d been so out of place in the dusty, dirty street with her silken dress and sparkling jewels that I’d thought her a dream. I hadn’t realised how cold I was until she laid her hand on my face, her warmth seeping into my skin as her brows wrinkled. There was another voice, and her lips moved as she spoke to it, or maybe she was speaking to me, but through the heaviness in my head, I could only focus on her. One moment I’d been on the ground, then I was in someone’s arms,her arms, as she carried me away from that place, not caring that I was likely ruining her dress with the filth I was covered in. The scent of roses had enveloped me as my eyes finally fell shut, but it was the sense of safety that had let me succumb to sleep.
My memories of that night are hazy, but I remember her. Because of existing malnourishment, it was hard for doctors to determine how long exactly I had been there, but they suspected it had been a few days. Even after saving my life, Elena didn’t leave me. Usually, adopting a kid you found on the street would be nearly impossible, but Colton had a lot of connections, and he used them. For her. Forme.
When my final attempt at working fails, I resign myself to the idea of going back to the penthouse. A quiet night without work might be good. Maybe that’s all I need to sleep off this exhaustion and come back recharged tomorrow.
That’s it—I’m doing this for myself.
Not for the enigmatic girl alone in my penthouse.
The handles of the plastic takeaway bags cut into the skin of my palms as the lift nears the top floor to my penthouse. I’m so used to Shadow greeting me when I get back, I’m surprised when I’m met with nothing but silence.
After flipping the switch for the kitchen lights, I place the food on the bench, listening out for any sign of Grace or Shadow. I know she’s here, I would have heard by now otherwise, but my heart lurches all the same. I can see the empty living area from the kitchen, so I head straight for the corridor.
Has she gone to bed?
It takes a moment to remember it’s not as late as it usually is after work, so it’s unlikely.
Like this morning, the door to the guest room is partially open, and I stop on the other side. Taking a deep breath, I steel myself against any conflicting emotions that seem to appear when I’m around her.
Knocking once, I push open the door and immediately find Grace curled up on the large round chair by the window, watching the last of the day’s sun slip below the horizon under a cloak of orange and pink.
Shadow jumps up from his place on the floor and runs towards me, but I don’t doubt he already knew I was home.
Traitor.
Grace whips her head towards me, but as soon as she locks eyes with mine, a blinding smile lights up her face, stopping me in my tracks. It knocks the breath from my lungs, crashing through the walls I just built up, leaving the rubble to pile at my feet.
It only lasts a second before she freezes in place, confusion overtaking her carefree expression. A flush creeps up her neck and onto her cheeks as her smile drops away. If I had blinked, I would’ve missed it, and that thought pains me more than I’d like to admit.
“W-what are you doing here?” she asks, her voice strained.
Thoughts of it beingmypenthouse pass through my mind, but nothing holds.
I can’t get the image of her smile out of my head. It was nothing like the masked wall she’d given me since the first moment we met, and for a moment, it was like she was an entirely different girl.
What the hell is going on?
I should leave, but I can’t make myself move.
My phone chooses that moment to ring, and I’m simultaneously thankful and irritated for the interruption. “Dinner is in the kitchen,” I blurt before exiting the room and answering my phone without looking at the caller ID.
“H—” I clear my throat. “Hello.” I close the door to my bedroom behind me.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” Easton’s voice roars through the phone, and I wince, pulling it away from my ear. “I’d really like to know. Are you trying to get yourself fucking killed as well?”
My blood freezes, and an icy chill fills the air around me. I know he’s referring to Colton and Elena. “Don’t you dare talk about them like that.” My voice comes out eerily calm. What happened to them certainly wasn’ttheirfault, and the fact he could insinuate anything even remotely close to that pisses me the fuck off. Not only that, but clearly, he doesn’t have much faith in me being able to take care of myself.
There’s silence on the other end before he finally speaks. “You’re right.” He pauses, and I can hear the unspoken apology in his voice. “But what were you thinking going back there alone?” I can tell he’s still angry, but his tone has lost some of its edge.
“I needed an early night.”