Page 101 of Retribution

Mav is next to me. Shade’s watching me from a chair. On my other side is a warm spot, probably just vacated by Blake.

‘You’re here,’ I say. ‘You’re really here. I was afraid…’ I let out a harsh breath.

‘We’re here,’ Shade says. ‘We found you.’

My blood runs cold. ‘How?’ I whisper. ‘Will anyone else be able to?—’

‘No one has any idea where you are,’ Blake says, coming back into the room and lying back down next to me. ‘Andwe’re on burner phones, so there’s no way anyone knows where we are either.’

He touches my cheek. ‘Okay?’

‘Okay.’ I relax a little. ‘Sauvage told you about the deal I made with him and…everything?’

‘He told us,’ Mav says.

Shade doesn’t move from the chair. It’s dark enough in the room that I can’t see his face, but I think he’s mad at me.

‘Where are we?’ I ask.

‘The penthouse of Sauvage’s hotel,’ Mav begins.

Shade stands and stalks over to the bed. ‘It’s yours while you’reworking for him.’

‘I’m not sure I’d put it quite like that,’ I say, my eyes narrowing.

‘How would you put it, Daisy?’

‘A mutually beneficial business arrangement?’ I say, tilting my head to the side.

He doesn’t look amused.

‘How could you do this?’ he suddenly yells. ‘We told you. We TOLD you how dangerous he is. But you came here anyway. You fucking got into bed with him.’

‘I did NOT!’ I gasp, my eyes wide. ‘I gotunderhis bed, but I didn’t sleep with him! How could you think that?’

‘I didn’t mean... What?’ He looks flabbergasted for a second but recovers quickly ‘It’s an expression! You’re doing business with him, I mean.’

‘Yes! What else was I supposed to do? Wait for some miracle? Were you going to come riding in on your white horses to save me from crazy Joe Banderville and his sadistic nurse?’

Tears come to my eyes and I blink them back, scrambling off the bed. I don’t want to talk about what happened in my room at the Novelle house. Not ever.

‘I don’t have to explain myself to you! You’re all right. No one’s making you marry a fucking monster!’ My voice breakson the last word and I clap my hands over my mouth so that I don’t let out the sob that is suddenly trying to escape.

My chest heaves as I try to control my upset, and all at once I’m furious.

‘You have no idea what it was like!’ I can’t help but say.

‘Then tell us!’ he booms. ‘Fucking tell us what’s been happening. You cut us out for days, Daisy, giving us vague stories of being sick. Were you sick? Or was that a lie too? You promised?—’

‘I promised you that I’d come to you if I couldn’t handle something,’ I interrupt, shaking my head at him, my body trembling.

I gesture wildly at the room around us. ‘I’m here. I’ve made myself safe. Clearly, I didn’t break it!’

‘You think this is safe?’ Shade snarls.

Blake gets between us.

‘Stop it. Go over there and cool off,’ he grates out at Shade, pointing across the room. ‘All this is doing is upsetting her.’