I stop on the employee residential floor to grab some things and stop short when I find Allecto leaning against the wall by my door. She’s Hades’s head of security, and she’s so beautiful I’d be jealous if I didn’t enjoy her snarky attitude so much. She’s got her long black braids up in a messy bun on top of her head and is wearing combat boots, jeans, and a black tank top that shows off her impressive arm muscles. She catches sight of me and straightens. “You have ten minutes to grab your shit, and then I’m escorting you to the exit.”
“Ten minutes and an escort.” I try and fail to keep the hurt out of my voice. “Hades really is pulling out the stops.”
Allecto shrugs, her dark brown skin gleaming in the soft light of the hallway. “Time to fly, little bird.”
“I hate all of you.”
“No, you don’t. You’re just pissed. You’ll get over it.” She motions to my door. “Clock’s ticking.”
As much as I’d like to stand here and yell at her until I can exorcise some of the horrible emotions tumbling through me, it won’t make a difference. Allecto isn’t responsible for this decision any more than I am.
I hurry into the room and bypass the racks half-filled with clothing from my last styling appointment and the compulsively organized corner of the room that houses my desk, sewing machine, and a small fortune’s worth of fabric and accessories. I might not trust Hades as far as I can throw him, but I don’t believe for a second that he’ll mess with my things. He wants me gone, not broken. The two things feel remarkably similar in this moment, but with distance, that will change.
I’ve already been intimately acquainted with being broken. This isn’t what it looks like. Not by a long shot. I’m pissed and my feelings are hurt, but that’s the worst of it.
I wade into my walk-in closet and dig through the garment bags to the spot in the corner where the pink suitcase sits. It’s shiny and new and has never been used. It’s also packed with enough clothes to see me through a week of whatever the hell life can throw at me, duplicates of all my cosmetics and hair shit, and six pairs of shoes. Oh, and of course, a taser and two cans of bear mace. A woman has to be prepared, after all.
I heft it out of the closet and do a quick circuit of the room. My phone charger goes into my purse, the stash of cash I kept in a little fireproof safe in the nightstand follows. It’s not everything I have, but it’s more than enough for a month or two of rent to get me started.
I stop short. Holy shit, I’m going to have to find furniture, do my own grocery shopping, do everything. The sheer number of things I need to take care of has me wavering. Would Hades really put me out if I hid in my room until further notice?
I know the answer even before my mind finishes the thought. He would and he will. No, there’s no option but to leave gracefully. Jump and figure it out on the way down.
I muscle open the door and haul the suitcase behind me. Allecto is exactly where I left her and she raises her eyebrows at the luggage. “Subtle.”
“It’s called character, asshole.”
“You better take a cab or something. Dragging that shiny thing behind you is like carrying a neon sign just asking to get mugged.”
As satisfying as it would be to tell her where to shove her opinion, she’s right. “I’ll call from the lobby. Wouldn’t want to give you any excuse to drag me kicking and screaming from the building.”
“Aw, Tink, you ruin all my fun.” She gives me a wide grin and, even with my world turned on its head, it has heat licking up my spine. Allecto plays just as mean as I do, and we’ve had a lot of fun together in the past.
Will we still do scenes if I’m no longer on the payroll?
I shake my head and push the thought away. I have larger things than my sex life to worry about right now. And I certainly will not be thinking about Hook’s offer.
Marriage. Fucking. Him.
It’s more than that, though. If I agree to his terms, if I let him fight this battle for me, if I agree to forever, it wouldn’t be as simple as signing a paper, putting a ring on my finger, and then lying back while I think of England. Hook would never settle for that. No, he wants me, body and soul.
I’ve only just gained ownership of both. I’m not in a hurry to give either away, let alone to a person I know I can’t trust. Hook is a goddamn villain, no matter how pretty he smiles.