Page 16 of Taking Adalisa (Montgomery Syndicate #2)

ADALISA

I stare at Matthias in shock. How does he know I’m here? How did he figure out where I was so quickly?

“I thought you said you didn’t do anything to her.” Matthias looks behind him angrily. “I told you not to do anything to her.”

My eyebrows pinch together. What does he mean? He knew I was here the whole time? How is that possible?

“We did nothing but place her in the room,” the receptionist answers.

“You locked me in a room!” I raise my voice, but don’t get up from the floor.

Is Matthias going to get me out of here? Is he going to rescue me, or is he going to leave me here for hours?

I suck in a breath at the thought. I won’t be able to survive being in here any longer. No, I will go absolutely mad if he leaves me in here. But maybe that’s what he wants. Maybe Matthias wants me to go mad so that when he comes to finally collect me, I’ll do whatever he says.

“You did nothing to her?” Matthias repeats.

“We only placed her in this room. She asked about Margery, and then I saw the bracelet. You said to get anyone with the bracelet to a room and call you,” the receptionist replies.

“No,” he growls. “We did not say that. We said silver bracelets should not be placed in rooms. The only people to be placed in a room are people we bring in here.”

I look between Matthias and the receptionist. What is going on here?

“Bu-bu?—”

“No. From now on follow the fucking rules we gave,” Matthias glares at her before walking toward me.

I push myself up against the wall and stare at him. What is his plan now? He kneels in front of me, searching my body. Is he making sure they are telling the truth and didn’t do anything to me? Part of me wishes now they had so I could see him go off on them.

Matthias cups my face. “What did you think you were doing?” he asks, his face full of worry and rage. “What did you think you were doing by coming here?”

I open my mouth to tell him why I was there, but he stops me.

“No, don’t say anything. I don’t want to hear it right now,” he sighs. “We are going home, and then we will have a discussion about it.”

He grabs my hand, leading me out of the room and down the hall. I don’t dare look up at the staff, not wanting to see the smug looks on their face.

Home? We are going home? To his house or mine? I want to ask him, but I keep quiet. He is furious, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of it. Matthias told me he doesn’t hurt innocent people, but what is his definition of innocent?

I have done nothing wrong, but he could think that I have and try to hurt me.

Matthias marches me out of the building and straight toward his car, helping me in. Before I can even reach for my seatbelt, he has it fastened around me.

I messed up.

But how was I supposed to know going there would end up like this? How was I supposed to know when he hasn’t told me anything? I haven’t given him time to tell me anything, so it is partly my fault. I don’t want anything to do with him, and I’ve been trying my hardest to avoid him.

“What the fuck do you think you were doing there?” he asks, his voice is calm, but I can hear a hint of anger in it. “What were you doing there?”

“Looking for my friend,” I quietly reply, not wanting to anger him any more than he already is. “I recommended the place to her when I found it online.”

What was I thinking?

And I still haven’t found Margery.

“Your friend isn’t there. She is safe.” Matthias white-knuckles the steering wheel.

I turn in my seat, my mouth hanging open as I look at him. “You know my friend?”

“Yes, I do. She is safe,” is all he says.

“No, you don’t get to tell me that you know my friend and she’s safe. I’ve been worried sick about her! I need to know where she is. I need to see her with my own eyes,” I demand.

I haven’t been a good friend to Margery. Letting her go on a vacation alone. Letting her think that her dead ex-boyfriend was stalking her. I should have sat with her and asked her if everything was all right. I should have been there for her, but I wasn’t.

I wasn’t there for her when she needed me.

“You don’t get to stipulate things.” Matthias pins me with a glare. “You are not in charge here. I am. You won’t see her right now.”

“You can’t do that!” I raise my voice. “I am my own person. I am responsible for myself and her. You cannot tell me that.”

Matthias doesn’t reply, and I continue to look at him. Maybe if I stare enough, he will get annoyed and finally answer.

“You will not see her today or tomorrow, and I won’t change my answer.” Matthias pulls up to a house. “Now, we are going to go inside and have a chat before you are punished.”

“Punished?!” I gulp.