Page 160 of Brainwashed

“Take your time,” he says politely.

I close the door and lock it, rushing immediately to the en suite. I go to open the door, but it’s locked.Smart.

I knock as softly as I can manage. “Felix, open the door.”

The words are barely out of my mouth as he’s opening it a crack, peeking through nervously. I push my way inside and close it behind me.

“What happened?” he asks, unease dripping from his tone.

“That was the Warden’s assistant. He wants me to go downstairs and meet him outside.” I rub my eyes.

“Now??” Felix starts pacing. “Oh, God… we’re fucked. He knows I’m in here. He’s gonna freak out!”

“Shh… calm down, baby.” I grab his hand and pull him to me, placing his palm down over my heart. He seals his body to mine, resting his forehead on my shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I just need you to stay in here and stay quiet. Can you do that for me?”

He nods, then lifts his head to lock our eyes. “What if they come in here looking for me while you’re gone?”

“They won’t. I’ll make sure of it,” I tell him with confidence, taking his jaw in my hands.

“How do you know?” he breathes.

Here’s a new sensation I’m only just discovering… When Felix is upset, or worried, it bunches my stomach up and fills me with a jittery need to do whatever I can to erase those angst lines from his forehead.

“Trust me?” I murmur, and he nods. No trepidation, no questioning.

He trusts me…

The notion fills me with warmth, but also some concern of my own.Why does his trust feel like an extremely fragile plate of glass I’m balancing on my fingertip?

I press a kiss on his lips. “Put some clothes on and just stay quiet. If you hear anyone coming, go inside the closet and hide.”

Letting go of him, I rush over to my desk, shuffling through the top drawer to locate my phone. Not my work one that they gave me, my actual phone, which I haven’t used once since I’ve been here. I power it on and hand it to Felix.

“If you need me, call the first number in the call log. That’s my work phone. And I’ll come get you, okay?”

He’s staring at the device in his hands like it’s some sort of foreign object he’s never seen before.

“Felix.” I snap my fingers in front of him, and he glances up, nodding.

“Okay. Sure.”

I hurry to get dressed in some slacks and a button-down while Felix just hovers in the middle of the room, looking tense.

I give him one last kiss and tell him, “It’ll be fine, killer bee. I promise.”

His lips twitch at the nickname. “Be careful.”

I wink at him, nodding for him to go back into the bathroom, which he does. Then I leave the bedroom, finding Yari standing out in the hall on his phone.

He looks up when he hears me and smiles. “Ready?”

I nod.Ready to get my ass chewed out by The Ivory? Sure, why not.

We walk the corridor, then down the steps. In the foyer, Kent joins us, silent as always, like a bodyguard. I know that’s his primary purpose. He and this other guy, Nestor, are like Manuel Blanco’s security team. They’re also drivers—though The Ivory has his own chauffeur for his Rolls, which is what drives him to and fro on this island—and the guys who fetch you whatever you need from off-island. I deal mostly with Kent, and he’s a good guy. He does a lot of running around for me, and he never complains.

But right now, I’m worried. Because of course his loyalty is to The Ivory, so there’s nothing stopping him from telling his boss all the things he’s been getting for Felix on behalf of me. I know I was given free rein of the island and Manuel Blanco’s resources, but I have to assume there’s a limit. Everything comes at a cost.

The three of us wander through the downstairs, and I can’t help but notice how eerily quiet it is inside. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard any partying noises from the guards’ quarters in at least a week, and I’m guessing it has to do with the lockdown.