Page 106 of Chandelier Sin
That would certainly add an extra dose of self-destruction to this equation.
And if Ben was once his friend, I could only imagine what he’d do to me. Or Eve. Keeping her out of this was essential to keep her safe.
I hoped that soon she would sense my true intentions.
“I’ll have a new contract drawn up,” he said flatly. “I hear you have a taste for expensive liquor. We’ll satiate that love of fine things. Anything else you want?”
“I’ll make a list.”
“And we will accommodate whatever is on it.”
Eve swallowed her repulsion, or maybe I’d broken her heart, and she wasn’t good at hiding it.
“See you at Pendulum, then.”
I ambled out of the room with my head held high.
Back in the foyer, I saw the maid again and gave her a dashing grin to reassure her. She shook her head with disapproval, as though she was watching another man make the biggest mistake of his life.
Back in the car, I texted Greyson that I wasn’t going to make it.
He didn’t reply.
Icould see why Atticus loved living on this sun-drenched beach.
It was such a breathtaking location, far enough from the city and yet close enough to commute to work.
A place where he could escape the world.
I imagined him walking barefoot along the sand, all the while ruminating on his life. Padding along the water’s edge, all pensive while plotting the downfall of Pendulum.
I saw through his intensity. If what he told me was true, he had integrity.
But yesterday evening, he’d lost his goddamned mind turning up at the mansion in Beverly Glen.
I didn’t want to believe his life was in danger. Lance was evil enough to do something like that, though. I’d heard the rumors.
Just as I had imagined Atticus doing, I slipped off my pumps and stepped toward the ocean. That first bite of cold shocked mysenses as the waves crashed over my feet. The rolling waves would be soothing if I allowed myself to relax.
But the problem was I refused to.
This constant ache in my heart never lifted. I’d judged the men around me who’d proven themselves to be monsters. Now, though, I’d become a crueler version. I’d unwittingly let Ben down. I didn’t deserve to feel anything but sadness. I’d made the hard decision and now I had to live with it.
Ben had given his life to save my daughter. Even when lying injured in the cottage, he’d told me he had shared nothing with Aemon.
For the first time since Ben’s death, my hope returned. There was another man capable of helping me get my daughter back.
I strode towards Atticus’ home.
When I reached his ground floor balcony, I opened the small gate and walked toward the door. After dusting sand off my feet, I eased my pumps back on.
I reached into my purse and pulled out a pin, picking the lock to the glass sliding door. It was a trick I’d learned from Ben when the key to my cottage had been confiscated as a punishment.
I’d been forced to stay in the main house for a month. Because of Ben, I’d managed to get into the only place I felt safe—stealing precious time to decompress from that intimidating mansion.
Nausea welled up inside me at the thought of what Aemon had done.
Don’t think about that now, not if you want to survive.
