Page 40 of Captive

He stays there, buried in me for a long time before dropping to his side on the mattress. I'm still clutching the comforter as he pulls me to him, my back against his chest. I've never felt as secure as I do in hisarms.

We lay there for what seems like a normal moment, two people in a passionate relationship listening to each other's heartbeats, feeling each other'spulse.

"I know nothing about you." His deep voice flows over me like a soothing liquid. "Do you havefamily?"

It's the first personal question anyone has asked me since Yoli at the park. I briefly wonder how she is and what she is up to, then shift back to the question. I'd created a back story for Tawny, my undercover persona, but I can't remember much of it. My own story is dull enough that it wouldn't raise any red flags. "I have three brothers. They all teased me mercilessly. But they were also protective. My two older brothers were super athletes and excellent students. I always felt like I was scooting behind them, hidden in their vast glowing shadows, trying to get noticed. Do you have any siblings?" It's such a basic question, but it seems striking to think that a man like Kane has brothers and sisters, let alone any kind of family ties. In my mind, he's a loner, someone who has gotten through life virtually alone. I have no idea why I feel that about him but it's how I picture hislife.

"No siblings," he says, filling in half the picture I already have ofhim.

His mouth presses against the back of my shoulder. "And yourparents?"

He seems unusually curious about my past life. I dismiss it as just getting to know each other. Again, I somehow manage to convince myself that this is all normal, a perfectly average situation where I just happened to find a man who is so masterful in bed he can push me past any of the limits I had subconsciously set formyself.

"Only my mom is alive," I answer. "My dad died when I was fourteen." It's my standard response when someone asks me the question. I rarely allow details to come out because I like to keep them hidden. But between the drugging effects of the nectar and Kane's ability to make me feel and say things I normally don't, some of those painful details surface. My throat is tight as I speak. "We'd had a terrible argument that day. I'd only won two out of three of my track events. He was so busy telling me what I'd done wrong in the race I lost that he never found the time to congratulate me on the wins. It was like that with him. My brothers never lost. They were his champions. I was the little rusty haired girl who was born between his boys. He was leaving for the night shift at work. I took the time to stomp out to the front porch and let him know just how much I hated him before storming victoriously back inside. It rained that night and a semi truck lost control and cut his car in half. He died instantly carrying with him my last words. ‘I hate you,Dad'."

I have no idea why but I expect Kane to tighten his hold on me after my story, but there is no attempt at empathy. If anything, he loosens hisembrace.

"How did you end up on thestreets?"

It is the next logical question but it's jarring. I didn't stay in character and now I had to find a pathway back to Tawny. "I think that day changed me." That statement is not a lie. It helps me transition easily to the fantastical tale of my teenage downfall. "I started hanging out with the wrong crowds, took drugs, got arrested. My mom just couldn't control me. I hooked up with this older guyand—"

"Enough," he says sharply, startling me into silence. It seems he's grown bored of my story. Which is a good thing since it's all fabricated. But it's an opening for me to find out more about him. "What about your parents? Are they stillalive?"

The bed moves as he rolls onto his back and swings his legs over the side. I've asked the wrongquestion.

"Stay tonight," I say. "I want you to stay." But I know I'll wake up alone. I close my eyes and concentrate on falling into a deep sleep so I won't feel him stand up from the bed. If I'm deep asleep, I won't hear the door when he leaves mealone.

27

Maddox

Silvana dropsa paper on my desk. "The list of all the vacant warehouses within a two hundred mile radius. It's a long list. Apparently people don't look around for available warehouses before they build theirown."

I pick up the stapled papers. "Shit. Needle meet haystack." I drop the list and lean back on my chair. Silvana pulls a chair up in front of my desk. It turns out he's a decent guy. He's honest and he works hard. Probably not the best guy to have your back in a stressful situation but who knows. I might be wrong about thattoo.

Silvana looks around to see who is in earshot. It's no one who would give a damn about our conversation. The precaution is simply because I am not supposed to be working on anything that has to do with Ten's undercover assignment. But then being told what I can and can't do has never stopped mebefore.

"So I talked to my brother's friend, the structural engineer." Silvana leans forward more. "He says there was one big project about five years ago that was farmed out to a foreign engineering firm because stateside there were just too many regulations to dealwith."

My chair squeaks as I sit forward withinterest.

"The guy didn't know many details except some rich guy bought a dried up mine. Silver, I think. It's out near the desert somewhere. It was all pretty hush hush. The rich guy had plans to build an entire living compound below ground. As far as the engineer knows, the project went off without a hitch. He's going to text me the general coordinates of the site when he getsthem."

"Silvana, if we weren't sitting in the middle of the office, I'd kiss ya. Goodwork."

Silvana's cheeks puff out like pink balloons. Our bro moment is cut short when Clark bellows my name from his officedoorway.

"Maddox, get in here.Now."

I look at Silvana. "Do you think he's going to ask me tolunch?"

Silvana laughs then stops. "Hey, speaking of lunch—weren't you supposedto—'

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I pull out my phone. There was one text from Tiffany. A string of question marks followed by an exclamation. "Yes. I was supposed to meet her for lunch . . . with herparents."

"Oh boy, then you might as well go into Clark's office first. I think that'll be the nice portion of yourday."

I text Tiffany back. "Still at work. Captain Clark just summoned me into his office. Apologize to your parents for me." There is no return text, which speaksvolumes.

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