Page 17 of Never Bound

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Louisa in the doorway. It was the household’sothergirl.

“So your sister’s missing?That’swhat this is about? How awful. Tell me more.”

“Goddammit.” I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation as I turned around. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t suspected something like this would happen. But why did it always have to happen at the worst possible time? “Why couldn’t the master have taken you to LA, too?”

The maid emerged into the murky light of the shed, sashaying as usual in those hip-hugging jeans, though I only saw the sadness and desperation behind it now. But you could be sad and desperate and still dangerous.

“You know, I asked myself that same question,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. But he didn’t, so I’m stuck here with a shitload of time on my hands, and you’re still in the hole from the last one.” She stepped closer, and my eyes followed as she traced a thin, pale finger along my jawline and cheek, trailing up to the edge of the hat that in my haste I hadn’t thought to remove, its brim still twisted to the side. She grabbed it off my head and stuck it on her own.

“So if you want me to stay quiet about all this, you’rereallygonna have to make it worth my while.”

6

HIM

Asmylaceratedfingersgroped a pair of heavy pruning shears hanging on the wall behind me, I couldn’t help thinking how tempting it was to grab them, knock her out cold, and dash to safety. Of course that would just create more problems than it would solve, but one of these days, I hoped to get to use pure brute force instead of coming up with clever, elaborate plans all the time. It was becoming exhausting.

“Go ahead and say something,” I said, calling her bluff. “I don’t care.”

She wrinkled her nose and mouth in a way she probably thought was cute. At one point, I might have agreed, but at the moment, the effect was slightly demented. “So you really don’t care if I walk right in and tell the housekeeper what I just heard, and she calls the master? You’d be fucked six ways to Sunday.”

“Wait, what?” That was a new one for me.

Her green eyes flashed in annoyance. “Never mind. It’s an American saying. You’re telling me you don’t care.”

“Nope.”

I glanced warily over her shoulder and out into the waning lavender light of the gardens. I could do this. Just con her long enough to buy another day. No, I didn’t even need a day. Just a night would be enough. Hell, a fewhours. Not to mention, I had to extricate myself from this situation before Louisa came looking for me because the shed would be the first place she’d look. And yeah, maybe I would have been able to explain away the phone call alone. Butthissituation would require a level of finesse beyond that of mere mortals, and I could not, much as it pained me to admit it, actually turn water into wine.

To my relief, though, she had started to look somewhat disconcerted that her plan wasn’t working. “You’re playing games with me.”

“You know me. I don’t play games.”

She scoffed. “Oh, right, Mr. Chessmaster-rocket-scientist-brain-surgeon-whatever-you’re-claiming-to-be-today,” she said. “Well, in that case, you should have no problem explaining just why you don’t care whether I tell anyone.”

“Because by the time you tell anyone, I’ll be gone.” I swallowed. “And I want to take you with me,” I blurted out. “Baby.”

I cringed. Really?Thatwas the best I could come up with? I was disappointed in myself. But it was too late to do anything but double down.

“What?”

“You heard me,” I said, making my first small attempt to wriggle out of her shadow. “I’ll take you with me. Tomorrow morning, when I go to find my sister. The master’s away. It’s our best chance.”

“What about the chips?” Her voice gave nothing away.

“I know how to deactivate them,” I lied, ducking past her. “Someone showed me how. Someone from the SLA.”

“I thought the SLA was gone,” she said, blocking me with a hand on my chest. She couldn’t physically prevent me from leaving, butifI left and she chose to run to the housekeeper, where would I go to escapethat? “I thought they all got arrested and sent to the mines years ago. Or they’re in hiding.”

“Not all of them.”

“You’re shitting me.” The surprised expression was a new one for her.

I shook my head and smiled reassuringly. “I’m not,” I said softly, moving closer and lightly touching her hand. Was this laying it on too thick? “I know what I want, and I want you with me when I go.”

For a few seconds at least, it seemed to work. She appeared momentarily captivated by my words, her hardened gaze softening and her smirk replaced with curiosity.

A second later, the smirk was back. “Well, then you’ll have no problem showing me,” she said, shaking some dark hair out of her face and tilting her lips up toward mine.

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