Page 10 of Caution

And when I opened my eyes, Cassius was in front of me.

“How the hell did you get out of that room?” he bellowed. Confusing, since the damn door hadn’t even been locked, and I staggered backward, stricken with fear over the aggression in his voice.

And the sight of long silver fangs protruding from his mouth.

What the fuck…

I’d seen grills before, seen people's elaborate Halloween accessories.

But this wasn't that.

"Hey, listen," I said, pleading with my hands. “I didn't hear anything,” I lied. “And I haven't seen anything. I don't know what the hell is going on, I don't know anything. You can just—”

“None of that is necessary,” he interrupted. “You're not going anywhere. Especially not now that you've woken up and gotten yourself out of a locked room.”

“It wasn’t locked,” I insisted. “And more importantly…was I…not supposed to wake up?”

“Of course,” he replied. “Both in the sense that you're referring toandanother much deeper interpretation of the term. Why don't you tell me what you know?”

“I told you. I don't know anything. Why don't you tell me whatyouknow?” I countered. “You're the one who kidnapped me and brought me here.”

“For your own good,” he explained. “Because you were too… because you don't understand the gravity of the situation we’ve found ourselves in.”

“What situation?” I asked “And who the hell iswe?”

“Me and you. Our people.”

“Black people?” I asked and he chuckled a bit.

“A little more specific than that. But I'm guessing… you’re still in the dark about most of this.”

“Most ofwhat?” I shrugged. “This whole situation is flat outweirdand it honestly seems like it’s gettingweirderby the minute. I need some explanations and I need themnow.”

He smiled.

AndFather God help,it was so sexy.

Even with the fangs.

“Fine. Where should we start?”

Four

Ican see my house from here.

I’d never in my life felt as outrightdumbas I did now, realizing that for all myI have no idea where I ammusing, it turned out that I was—basically—down the street from my house. I wasn’ttechnicallya resident of the ultra-exclusive Blackwood Hills neighborhood like my captor, but the only thing separating my property from his was a thicket of trees and a couple acres of fields.

Amplespace for him to not have a problem with my damn roses, but that was here nor there for the moment.

Right now, my focus was on my lack of awareness and howclearlydangerous that was.

“Your obliviousness to your whereabouts was by design. No need to beat yourself up.”

Shit.

I managed, somehow, to not have a reaction to Cassius suddenly being in the room with me. I didn’t want to continue giving him the satisfaction of catching me off guard.

Instead of acknowledging him, I kept my gaze trained out the window of yet another room they’d stuck me in. The door wasdefinitelylocked on this one.

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