Page 16

But we all have our off days. Sometimes our impulses win, and we have to live with the consequences.

All I wanted to do was talk. To get what was owed to me. What I got was a woman in my possession who damn near died because of the drugs Itoldmy men to give her.

A woman I had to watch being cradled in Victor’s armswhen the ketamine injection he gave her at the auction left her slumped instead of mildly sedated.

I never saw Victor scared, but all he had to do was look at me and say Silas’ name for me to understand shit was serious.

There’s never been a captive in this house before. These two halves of my life were never meant to intersect. That’s what the warehouse I have out in the sticks is for.

And it’s never been a woman. Never been someone who wasn’t afraid of me. But somehow, I got both of those things in Delilah Rose. Now she’s in my house, my only sanctuary. And she thinks I was there that night to bid on her like the other sick motherfuckers in that mansion.

None of that is more fucked up than the fact that she doesn’t remember me.

Her eyes bore straight through me when she woke up, no hint of recognition in their depths. All I saw when I looked at her was indignation that stopped me in my tracks before I remembered why she was here.

It doesn’t matter. I don’t need her to recognize me just because she’s lived in my head rent-free for a year. What I need to remember is she’s a Rose and nothing good comes from her bloodline. She wasn’t even fazed when she found out how much money her brother owes me. Which tells me everything I need to know. She’s just like him. The only advantage she has over Weston is that pretty ass face. There’s no telling how many people she’s manipulated with a head tilt and smile. Because it almost worked on me a year ago.

I don’t need her to remember me. All I need is for her to stay alive and be the bargaining chip she’s meant to be.

Shuffling footsteps break up my thoughts and I glance toward the kitchen door to see my housekeeper Agnes walkin with Titus at her feet. He heads straight for his water bowl while she tugs at the graying coils on top of her head. Her usual serene smile is missing, and the ghost of a frown touches her features.

“Something on your mind, Ms. Aggie?”

She pushes out a weighted breath, staring at me with warring emotions etched into her wrinkled face.

“I just…” She wrings her hands, shaking her head. “Something about this ain’t sitting right with me.”

“It’s temporary,” I remind her.

“Still, Donny. This ain’t like you. You told me you —”

“Can you take her something to eat?” I cut her off when my phone rings, not because I can’t answer it later, but because she’s right and I don’t need another fucked up thing in my head right now. As far as she knows, thisisn’tme. I know how to hide my sins and right now I have one of them living with me.

Walking out of the kitchen with Titus on my heels, I round the corner and walk to my office to answer Silas’ call.

“What?”

He snickers at my harsh greeting. “I just made it back to the hospital for my rounds. Is she still okay?”

“Don’t know.”

“Adonis.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. The censure in the way he says my name shouldn’t mean anything.

“I’ll ask Ms. Agnes after she comes back from taking her food.”

He hums lowly. “She should probably start with something like broth or apple sauce. I doubt she ate before the auction and solid foods might fuck with her…”

“I’m not really trying to make this a five star stay, Si. Ijust need the girl alive until I can figure some shit out with her brother.”

Silas exhales, and the distinct beep of the key fob tells me he’s parked and headed back inside the hospital. “Yeah, I know. But come on, Adonis. She’s not her brother.”

“She’s related to him, and that’s enough for me.”

“I really don’t think it’s what you believe. Just because she had coke in her system doesn’t mean she’s an addict like him. I would be able to tell just by looking at her nose if she did that shit on the regular. Her arms didn’t have any track marks either. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tricked her into this shit with The Society because he was desperate.”

I push the logic in his words away and grab the bottle of tequila on the edge of my desk. Filling a glass with a shot of it, I knock it back and swivel in my chair to look at my computer screen. “I gotta go,” I tell Silas.