Page 40 of Deceit

“We’re not living with Kai and Riley,”he gritted out as if the admission tooka whole lot of effort.

“We’re not?”

“No. We’ll be living in our own place.”

For some bizarre reason, butterflies danced in my belly at learning the newsthatMiles and I would be living alone, but they were quickly doused by a flood of disappointment.

I’d be on my own. Again.

Before I could ask any more questions, Miles took a turn off the main road,slowing down when a barrier prevented us from going any further, and four men, all armed with guns, faced us. Upon seeing it was Miles, though, one of them opened the barrier, and Miles drove through, nodding to them.

My body thrummed with nervous energy, and my eyes darted everywhere.Notthatthere was much to see, thick trees lined either side of the track we were on. When they opened up to reveal the house, my heart began to race.

The three-storey building was made entirely of glass, the sun glinting off theenormous windows. It was much smaller than Kai and Riley’shome, andevenmy old home, but I likedthatit wasn’t huge,evenwithout setting foot inside, the size made it feel cozy.

Homely.

Bringing the car to a stop in the circular drive, Miles got out. I followed hislead, my eyes trained on the house, taking in every detail. Despite it being made of glass, I couldn’t see through the windows to the inside, making me think it had some kind of coating to stop people seeing in and offering privacy.

“Sofia,”Miles barked, dragging my attention away from the house. When Imet his gaze, I realized two men had joined him, appearing from…somewhere.

I’d seen enough bodyguards to knowthatboth men were armed under theirsmart suits. Both remained stoic, notevenlooking in my direction when Miles introduced them.

“This is Connor and Rob,”Miles said, pointing to them in turn.“They’reyour appointed bodyguards. If you go anywhere, they go with you. Am I clear?”

I scoffed. “Where would I go?”

Miles shrugged.“Wherever you want,”he said as ifthatanswer wasobvious, before adding,“You’re not a prisoner here. If you want to go somewhere, go. So long as these two are with you at all times.”

My brows lifted as exhilaration rushed through me at my unexpectednewfound freedom. It wasn’t as if Papa never let me out of the house, but if I wanted to go somewhere, I had to seek his permission first, and if he refused, there was nothing I could do about it.

Aside from convincing my bodyguard to help me sneak out, of course.

“Come on, I’ll show you inside.”Miles stomped toward the door, and thetwo men, who were still to look at me, walked away to where a small building was tucked away in the cornerthatI hadn’t noticed before.

“Are there guards here all the time?”I asked as Miles unlocked the door.

“Planning your escape already?”

“Oh, no,”I said sheepishly.“I…I’mjustused to having guards outside thehouse at all times. It makes me feel safer. Especially after what happened with…”

I trailed off as my cheeks heated. I didn’t know why I’d volunteeredthatinformation, and I certainly didn’t want the reminder of the time my home was invaded and I was handed over to the enemy by someone I thought cared about me.

With the door half open, Miles paused, his brows furrowed.“You’re safehere, Jailbait. Not only are there guards stationed around the property twenty-four-seven, but there are cameras and infrared sensors all around the place. Plus, there’s a panic room inside. No one will hurt you.”

My jaw almost hit the floor. Not at the measures in place to protect theproperty, but at the sincerity in Miles’ voice. For a minute, it sounded like he genuinely cared.

As if catching himself in a moment of sharing something more than hate, hiseyes hardened as he shoved the front door open. I stepped inside behind him, looking around at my new home.

“Kitchen.”He waved a hand to the left before waving a hand to the right.“Living room.”He pointed to the staircase in front of us, the steps lined with a thick white carpet.“My bedroom is upstairs on the far left, yours is on the far end to the right.”

I couldn’t stop the snort from leaving me.“Ever thought of being a realtor,Milo? You have a real knack for selling places.”

My little quip earned me a scowl.“You’re belongings will be here in thenext few hours. I’m sure you will acquaint yourself with your new home while you sort through them.”

“I’m sure I will.”

His scowl deepened.“Right. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”