Page 22 of Abyss

“I’m not sure I understand.” I shake my head. “What do you mean, I need to be nearby?”

“Nearby, Ms. Jain. As in, not on the other fucking side of the Bay.”

Is he . . .? Is he expecting me tomove?

“But Iliveon the other side of the Bay. At the moment, my car is at the shop as well, so my office hours are dependent on the subway schedule.”

His head lifts defiantly. “That doesn't work for me. You’ll need to move to the city, at least for three months.”

I’m just about to argue when a loud buzzing interrupts us and a man’s voice comes over the speaker. “Hello? Is everything okay in there? The emergency stop was pushed.”

Oh, well, thanks for waking up, Edgar!

Keeping his eyes on me, Mr. Case responds, “We’re fine, Edgar. I’ll restart the elevator when I’m ready.”

Restart the elevator when he’s ready? He’s so casual in the way he says it, like this is just another Tuesday and the elevator is his personal conference room.

Has he trapped other women in here . . . and done things?

Something bitter rolls around my tongue at the thought before slithering down to my stomach as we both wait until Edgar clicks off with a, “Sounds good, sir.”

“I can’t move to the city, Mr. Case—”

“Call me Hudson. And yes, with the salary I’ll be paying you, you can.”

“No, I can’t.” I scoff. “You might be doubling my pay, but what would be the point of that if I’m just spending it on more rent? Plus, I need to be able to get to my mom and my brother in case they need me.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, silence stretching between us, before his eyes train on me again and something passes through his expression. Something he’s reluctantly weighing out as evidenced first by the way he swipes his thumb over his bottom lip before squeezing his eyes shut, as if his next words are about to cause him physical pain. “Fine. Then move into my apartment a block from here. You’ll haveaccess to my chauffeured car anytime you need to visit your mom and brother.”

My mouth falls open for what feels like the hundredth time throughout this strange ten-minute adventure while dangling in an elevator, somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors. “You can’t be serious.”

He shifts, taking a step back before pressing some button on the control panel that makes the elevator restart. “As serious as the extra income about to hit your bank account.”

“Hudson, I can’t live with you.”

“Why not?”

My face contorts as I look at him like he’s grown three heads. “Because you don’t like me. And I, for one, don’t want to live with a man who’s about as fun as a root canal and can barely even stand to look at me, let alone talk to me. I also refuse to live with someone who isn’t very nice.”

“Liking or not liking you is irrelevant to this arrangement. And Iambeing nice. It’s why I offered you more money, a place to live, and chauffeur service!”

My shoulders stiffen, and for the first time in my life, I watch my own finger jab the air. “No, you’re offering those things to me becauseyou need me. Don’t turn this around to make it look like I begged for it, Hudson. As you might recall, I turned in my resignation fifteen minutes ago.”

Hudson’s fingers plunder into his dark hair. “Fine, you’re right about that, but it’s not like I’m champing at the bit to live with you, either. However, given the situation, it makes sense. It’s just a mutually beneficial and temporary living arrangement. Nothing more.”

“Oh, wow.” I scoff condescendingly, rolling my eyes. “If those heartfelt words don’t convince me, I don’t know what will.”

The elevator comes to a stop on the bottom floor, the doors opening to an empty, brightly lit lobby, and I step out,untying my umbrella to be able to step out into the rain, when Hudson’s voice has my feet coming to a halt. “Kavi.”

The tiniest of flutters dance around my stomach at the sound of my name on his lips, and I turn around to face him. There’s a plea in his eyes. And while I don’t know him well, I’d say that’s a rare look for him.

His throat bobs with a swallow. “Stay”.

Chapter Eight

KAVI

The clatter of wheels over metal tracks provides a lulling rhythm as I watch the city float by through droplets of rain on the windows.

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