Page 28 of His Asset
Reuben’s eyes didn’t leave mine.“That.”
There was a flicker in his voice this time, urgency, definitely, but layered with resignation.Like he’d guessed this was coming.
I wanted to believe in him.To trust the strangely quiet way he made the world feel less sharp when he was near.My body, still warm from sleep and the lingering comfort of last night, didn’t want to question him.But the part of me trained to survive, the part Adam hadn’t broken, stayed wary.
I ran my fingers through the loosened strands of my hair and exhaled slowly.“Where would we go?”
His face softened, just a little.“Somewhere safe.Off the grid.No cameras, no one watching.I’ve got a place we can disappear to for a while.You can rest there.Heal from whatever trauma you’re running from.”
It sounded so easy.Too easy.But the way I’d slept, the way he hadn’t asked for anything more than I gave—those things counted for something.Still, I couldn’t quite let my guard down.
The helicopter circled again, lower this time.A warning.Or a search pattern.
I stood, tension coiling back through me.“Fine,” I said.“But we leave now.And I decide how long we stay.If I want to walk away, I walk.Got it?”
He gave a small nod, his expression unreadable.“Deal.”
And for a moment, I let myself believe him.Let myself want to believe that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t trying to control me, maybe he really was trying to keep me safe.
Chapter Eleven
By the time the armoredvehicle Reuben had ordered arrived, along with a dozen men and three other vehicles, the helicopter had already swung away and disappeared.
I’d dressed into black panties and a bra, the lacy fabric prickling my skin—perhaps because it was some other woman’s intimate underwear—along with jeans and a loose jade T-shirt.A cropped leather jacket with multiple zipped pockets helped to conceal my wings.Then I’d pulled on a pair of ankle boots with little spiked heels before I’d grabbed a small bag with some of Mimi’s clothes tossed in.
Reuben’s off-grid home no doubt already stored some of his clothes there, along with other supplies.I exhaled slowly.I didn’t have the time or energy to second guess myself, not while my freedom was at stake.I’d chosen to put my trust in him from the moment I’d agreed to his plan.
Reuben slung his arm around my shoulders as we sat in the backseat, but I wasn’t certain if I drew comfort from it.In some ways it felt like another chain around me, another prison.I pushed back a shudder and glanced out the side window as we left the city behind.
It was later in the morning, but light was barely visible thanks to zero streetlights and the fog that hung heavy over the road, making progress slow.
Neither of us spoke.I felt his tension as much as my own.He regularly checked the mirrors, but as the city faded behind us, he relaxed back into his seat.
I glanced at him.“I didn’t take you as the cautious type.”
He shrugged.“If it was only me I probably wouldn’t give two fucks.But I have you to protect now.”