Page 71 of Deviant Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 5)

One look at Xander with nothing under his cut soon tells me whose it is.

Cruz and Xander flank my sides as we march as a unit into the hotel while the rumble of bikes continues outside—Cruz’s little army for his rescue mission. I have no idea where we are, and that’s good enough for me. Hopefully, Theo will be as clueless and allow me some time and space to figure all this shit out.

I keep my eyes locked on the ground as they lead me to a lift, and then we ascend through the building.

I pay no attention to the floor we end up on or what number room we eventually enter.

The whole thing is like a dream.

I trusted Cruz to get me out of this. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think he was capable, but I didn’t think it would be that easy.

I expected gunfire, fighting, shouting and screaming.

I have no idea how they managed to get inside the building without so much as alerting the Cirillo security that I’m sure that place was teeming with, but they executed our plan seamlessly.

It makes me wonder why. Did Theo know what I was planning? Did he find the burner phone that was stashed in my school bag? Has he read all the messages? Was he waiting for it all to play out while coming up with something better?

There was no way I was expecting him to just let me go like that. He might claim that I’ve changed him, made him less selfish, but never in a million years would he ever be this selfless and let me walk away.

He hasn’t locked me in his flat for the last few days just to let me go.

I fall down on the edge of one of the twin beds the second I’m inside the hotel room and drop my head into my hands.

I thought I’d feel free.

I don’t. I’m still trapped. Only now, it’s by my own doing.

I might have escaped his clutches, but I can’t go back to my normal life.

I can’t go home, go back to school, start my job at Mickey’s like I should be.

Nothing is ever going to be the same again.

And it’s all his fault.

He stopped hating me, he showed me another side of him that no one else gets a chance to see, and he made me want him in a whole new way.

A way I wasn’t expecting.

A way I didn’t even know existed.

Until I walked away.

“Tell me I did the right thing,” I beg Cruz as he leans back against the vanity unit with his thick arms crossed over his chest.

It takes a few seconds for me to realise we’re alone. I have no idea where the others have gone, but I’m grateful they have.

“Only you know the answer to that, kid. Only you know what really happened and why you called me for help.”

“Shit,” I hiss, torn in a way I’ve never felt before.

When I sent Cruz an SOS, I gave him the very basic details about my little issue. I told him Damien had married Theo and me and that I was locked in the penthouse.

I didn’t stop to consider how fucking insane that sounded, or how many questions it would have filled Cruz’s head with. But I knew I couldn’t tell him everything over text. Mainly because it just wasn’t the platform to do it, but also, I didn’t have time and didn’t want him jumping off the deep end and doing something stupid before we could talk properly. Especially where my grandfather is concerned.

I hold his concerned stare, and without knowing it, the truth starts rolling off my tongue.

“My mum’s father was a Papatonis.”