Page 43 of Retribution

I grin at him. ‘Thanks, Stephens.’

‘Of course.’

He opens the door for me and lets me into the foyer.

Nasty Nurse is nowhere to be seen. Good. I might have time to stash my razor and my underwear before she tries to take it.

‘I’m going to my room. Where is John?’

‘In his office, I believe.’

‘Okay. I need to see him. If I get locked in my room before I can, please can you make sure he knows it’s important?’

‘Yes, Miss Marguerite.’

I go straight up the stairs quickly and into my room. The door is open, so I quickly open my bag and put the things I’m allowed on the desk. The underwear I put in the closet behind the spare pillows. The razor is still in its plastic packaging, so I put it into the toilet cistern with my phone quickly.

When I go back into my room, it’s to find Nasty Nurse with her fingers on mylaptop.

‘This is contraband,’ she says smugly. ‘No screens, sweetie, remember?’

‘I suggest you call your boss,’ I say, mimicking her tone. ‘He told me this morning, while you were in the front of the car, that I would be allowed my laptop to keep up with my schoolwork.’

Her eyes narrow. ‘We’ll see. Until I can contact him, I’m going to have to confiscate this.’

I shrug. Even if she can get on it, I trust Blake to have hidden anythingsecrety secretvery well.

‘Fine,’ I reply. ‘I’m all caught up for now, anyway.’

She snorts. ‘And this backpack. What’s in here?’ She tears it off the chair and dumps it on the bed.

Only the sanitary products fall out, and she stares at them with a sneer, throwing the bag down when she doesn’t find what she’s looking for.

‘You’ve had a long day,’ she says sweetly. ‘Maybe you should take a nap.’

‘That’s a great idea,’ I say evenly. ‘But I need to speak with my stepfather, first.’

I’m closer to the open door, so I leave the room quickly before she can stop me, making it halfway down the hall before she catches up to me.

‘You need to go back to your room,’ she says, pulling out her phone.

‘Oh, are you calling my fiancé?’ I stop and whirl on her, making her jerk to a stop so that she doesn’t bump into me. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t begrudge me speaking to my beloved stepfather.’

She gapes at me, as if she never considered that I might not do as she says.

I turn back around and go down the stairs to John’s office. Stephens is already waiting there, and I see his eyes fall on something behind me. She’s right behind me, panting alittle as she hisses something over the phone. The butler opens the door for me and I slip through. It closes right behind me, and I know that Stephens has stopped her from following me in.

John looks surprised to see me in here. I don’t think I’ve ever been in his office on my own terms, actually. It was always on his orders, making me stand in front of him while he screamed at me for my behavior.

This time, however, I sit opposite him, on equal footing.

‘What do you want?’ he asks.

I sit back in the chair, making sure I look completely relaxed as I look him in the eye.

‘Thenurseseems to believe that I must stay locked in my room whenever I’m here,’ I begin. ‘She has also decided that I’m not permitted normal everyday items, like my laptop.’ I lean forward a little. ‘We had a deal. I behave and you let me go to school until the end of the year.’

‘Nurse Smith is Joe’s employ?—’