Page 62 of Rapunzel Unchained

Adam shouted my name again.

I released her, letting her body flop onto the ground as I backed away. My eyes locked with Gage’s. Even with his mask on, the anger that radiated from his eyes made me smile.

“Woof, woof.”

Chapter 30

Gage peered at the hole I’d made in the barrier with narrowed eyes. Every few moments, those dark eyes would dart to where I sat at the table, peeling an orange as if it were an average afternoon.

They had removed Beatriz’s body with a combination of fear and intrigue on their face. More like annoyance from Gage, but the effect was the same. They weren’t taking my threats idly anymore.

“You know, I wouldn’t have poked at the barrier so much if you’d entertain me.” I hung my head back and groaned. “It’s so boring here.”

“You should have thought of that before.”

“The least you could do is entertain me,” I pointed out, my fingers picking at the orange peel in my hands. “Tell me about yourself.”

“You know all you need to know.”

It was like pulling teeth with this man.

“Well, I know you’re a paid killer for the council.” That earned me a pointed look. “You’re a grumpy ass and have to hide your face because of how ugly you are. Seriously, babies would cry if you walked by.” I smirked and popped a piece of the orange into my mouth.

Gage snorted a laugh, shaking his head. “We both know that isn’t true.”

Ignoring his comment, I continued on my search to learn something deeper about this man that kept me at such a distance. “Do you have any family?”

He sighed. “I have a mother and a sister.”

“Do they live here?” I glanced around as if they would show up out of nowhere.

“No.” He paused. “I don’t really talk to them. None of us do.”

None of them talked to their families? With only a mother myself, I couldn’t imagine never talking to her out of choice. Especially, since my choice had been taken away from me.

“Why?”

“Why, what?” Gage snipped, dropping his hands from the barrier.

“Why don’t you talk to them?” My head tilted slightly to the side.

“It’s better that way.” He scratched his jaw line through his mask. “We all have prestigious jobs and if we kept in touch with our families someone could use them against us.” He gave me another pointed look.

Point taken.

We went silent for a few moments and then just as I was about to ask something else, Adam walked in with a broom in hand. His eyes darted between Gage and I, seeming to sense the tension between us.

“How did you even figure out how to make this barrier?” I asked, gesturing around with an orange piece in hand to distract myself.

Adam looked up from where he swept up the fruit from the ground and dumped it into a trash can. “Zane helped us.”

My heart clenched.

“Zane?” I choked out. “He helped you make this?”

Adam paused, his lips pressed tightly together before shaking his head. “Not in the way you’re thinking. After the party, we started looking for backup plans in case you... got out of control.” He shot me a look that said, “Like you are now.”

Huffing, I returned to my orange, biting into a piece before sucking on the juices. “I’m not out of control. I gave her a chance to do the right thing, and she blew it. If you do not inflictconsequences when someone breaks their word to you, your threats have no effect.”

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