Page 23 of Stand: Part One

I took a deep breath to slow my racing heart at the thought of what might happen to Kayla. But then my heart stopped completely at the thought of what Darren would do to me if he found out I helped her. If he discovered just how much I had lied to him.

I could hear the rattling of my cage in the basement just ringing in my ears, echoing my name with a cruel, shrill laughter. My body shuddered.

No. I would not go back there. I would not.

I would strangle myself with my own fucking hair if he put me in that cage again.

I had to believe that Darren had zero evidence of my involvement and was only testing the waters yesterday by gauging my reaction to the return of my ring.

He clearly had reasonable suspicion for sure, but I prayed that was all he would ever have. If there was footage of her, my only hope would be to convince him that Kayla had to have stolen the ring from the same men I said took it from me and then made her escape.

Would he believe me? I doubted it. He knew I lied once already. My words would never hold credibility again.

I let a heavy sigh escape my lungs. I was so fucked.

When the sun began to bleed into the room from behind the cracks of the heavy curtains, I gave up trying to go back to sleep. Shifting back, I turned to look behind me and froze when I found an empty bed.

My eyes shot back up as they bounced around the dimly lit room, searching for the stealthy giant that snuck away without my noticing. I didn’t even feel the bed move.

Suspicion was heavy when I found nothing in the room, no movement, not even a whisper of air. He’d disappeared like the shadow he was. Feeling his side of the bed, I found the sheets were only slightly warm. Fuck.

Sitting back against my pillows, I rubbed my puffy eyelids with the palms of my hands. And then I felt the air shift to my right.

“Looking for someone?” Darren asked, interrupting my peace and making me jump. The involuntary movement had me wincing from the jolt in my hip, my glare evident as my tired eyes found his. I wanted to admonish him for it, but the stern look he was currently wearing made me think better of it.

He stared down at me with that hard expression, wearing only a pair of black sweatpants with his arms folded across his naked chest. I felt my stomach tighten just looking at him.

He was such a massive man, broad and muscled, tattooed and scarred, merciless and lethal. A beautiful monster that stalked my nightmares and haunted my days. God, I fucking hated him.

“I didn’t hear you get up,” I said, wincing at him.

He relaxed his arms and slowly approached my side of the bed, taking a seat at the edge, right beside my hips. His dark blue eyes held mine captive.

I feared if I looked away even for a second, I would lose track of the predator right in front of me. I was exactly where he wanted me, trapped in place, but that didn’t mean the hunt was over.

“You didn’t sleep well,” he stated, his eyes traveling down my body. It wasn’t a question. Just a factual observation.

I tried to shrug him off, quickly compartmentalizing my anxieties and keeping my voice even.

“My hip was bothering me throughout the night. Made it difficult to sleep comfortably.” It wasn’t a total lie. My hip did ache throughout the night. It just wasn’t the main reason I didn’t sleep.

Darren’s focused gaze traveled down to stop at my hips, making my skin warm under his scrutiny. I didn’t like it.

My eyes glanced at Camaro’s bed in the corner of the room, wishing she’d wake up already and cause some kind of intervention. The lazy dog couldn’t even guard me from awkward silences.

“What’s on your agenda today?” I asked with a yawn, hoping to change the subject.

“You are,” he replied, his eyes returning to mine.

“Oh?” I said, arching a brow, my arms raised mid-stretch.

“Mm-hmm,” he affirmed with a nod. “I cleared my whole day just for you.”

Joy.

I eyed him suspiciously. “I’m sure whatever you had planned is far more exciting than spending your entire day in bed with me. I’m pretty boring right now.”

He shook his head with a smirk. “Boring is the last word I would ever use to describe you. Besides, now that I have you back in our bed, I’m not feeling as inclined to leave it so soon.”