Page 59 of His Asset
When he carried me inside, stepping through the corridor with its priceless objects displayed in niches behind glass, I barely resisted shuddering.I was just another Rembrandt, another meteor fragment, another Ming vase.A priceless commodity he owned.
When he stepped past my suite, confusion prickled through my exhaustion.I looked up at his unyielding expression.“Where are you taking me?”
He smiled, the strain in his face softening for a fleeting moment.“I have a surprise waiting for you.”He turned right, slowing near another set of doors.“It was going to be your birthday present.”
My throat tightened.Until I’d ran away.He didn’t need to say it.
The doors slid open, revealing a cozy lounge.A big screen flickered with a movie I didn’t recognize.Before I could take it in, a familiar blonde head looked up at me from the lounge.I inhaled sharply.“Angel,” I whispered.
She shot to her feet, her wings—unbound and radiant—flaring wide behind her cut-out white dress as she ran toward me.“Bella!”
Adam stepped back as I caught her in my arms.Laughter and tears blurred together, the sound filling the space and breaking something loose inside me.When I finally pulled away, I stared at her.She looked healthy.Whole.The startling white of her long dress showcasing the warm glow of her skin.
“I thought you were dead,” I said, my voice unsteady.
She grinned.“I almost was.”Her shudder rippled through me, echoing my own sentiments.“That facility...it drained the life right out of my soul.No wonder so many of us died.”Her gaze swept over me and narrowed.“Speaking of which, you look like hell.”
I glanced down at the mud and blood smeared across my clothes, skin, everywhere.I winced.“I guess my freedom came at a price.”
She giggled.“You never did do anything by halves.Remember when you punched that guard for touching me?You paid for it, big time.”Her joy died off, her expression sharpening.“I was so terrified when they dragged you off to solitary.The guilt nearly killed me.”
Adam stiffened beside me.“When did this happen?”
Angel turned to him, eyes wide in mock surprise.“What—you didn’t know?”She gave a low laugh.“I bet they never told you half the times she was disciplined and drugged, and sometimes even tortured.She was one of the few who ever stood up to them.”
I shook my head.“Don’t.It doesn’t matter.Not anymore.”
Angel frowned.“What about the others still there?What if they’re being punished, drugged and tortured...or worse?”
I closed my eyes.The guilt had lived inside me long enough to be woven into my bones.“I can’t bear to think about them,” I whispered.“Just, let me hold on to this moment.You’re free.You’re alive.That’s enough.”
“You’re right.”Her tone gentled.“You’ve been through enough.And I am freeandhealthy.”She brightened suddenly.“Remember that dream I used to talk about?Guess what?I lived it.I went to the beach.It was beautiful.And so incredibly healing.”
I blinked.“What—how?Who took you?How did you get there?”
She angled a glance at Adam.“Who do you think?His helicopter got us there in no time.”
Adam smiled faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching.“I’ll leave you two to catch up.”
I almost called after him, then stopped myself.I’d run from him, how could I reach for him now?
The door swung shut behind him.No lock clicked into place.No guard waited outside.Just quiet.The kind that made my heart pound even harder.It was like waiting for the silence to morph into a scream.
I looked away, refocusing on Angel.That was when I realized she had no cuff on her ankle, nothing to keep her from leaving.
A sharp, stabbing envy almost folded me in half, my breath hissing.What had she done to experience such...freedom?Why had I been subjected to the permanent ankle cuff that kept me imprisoned, like a dog on a leash?
“We have so much catching up to do!”Angel squealed, clearly oblivious to my turbulent emotions.“Go have a shower.There are plenty of clothes in my wardrobe.Then we’ll talk.”
I nodded, moving toward the bathroom on unsteady legs.Herbathroom.The thought hit sharper than it should have, stirring yet another flicker of envy.I’d run away, and somehow, I was jealous of the woman who’d taken my place.
Steam filled the air as I stripped and stepped under the spray.The hot water washed away the mud, the blood, the grime, layer after layer of what I’d become.And with it, I let go of my stupid, territorial ache.
I refused to be a victim ever again.