Page 14 of Hideaway

“I-I don’t know. Would you?” Kara asked, her lips trembling—from cold or fear orneed, she couldn’t say.

“No, love, I wouldn’t,” Cade answered softly, the term of endearment unintentionally slipping past his lips as he continued to stroke her cheek. “You may have anything you wish, if it is in my power to give it.”

“My freedom?” Kara requested hesitantly, knowing she was treading into dangerous territory. As much as she liked this softer version of Cade, she knew gaining her freedom was worth risking his anger at the request, the jolting reminder of what exactly they were to each other—a captor and his increasingly complicit prisoner.

“No, Kara,” Cade responded sharply, his expression darkening. “Not that.”

“But why?” Kara pleaded. “Why keep me here? I’m of no use to you without the book, and I refuse to help you retrieve it. So why keep me captive in your fucking prison mansion if it serves no purpose for either of us?”

“I’m afraid it’s complicated,” he answered vaguely.

“Well, why don’t you explain it for me?” Kara responded, starting to grow frustrated. “I’m pretty sure I have the comprehension skills to grasp thecomplexitiesof the situation.”

Cade released a loud huff of exasperation, raking his hands roughly through his hair. The compulsive gesture didn’t escape Kara’s notice, and she studied him thoughtfully. “Fine, if you truly want to know the aspects of your current predicament that constitute an extended stay as aguestin my home—you are a liability, in more than one respect. Additionally, your life could be in danger from people far less civilized than I am.”

Kara stifled a gasp of disbelief. “Who thehellwould want to kill me? I’m no one. I’m alibrarian, for fuck’s sake.”

“Yes, well I’m afraid the little rebellion you pulled at the university—the whole putting sodding academic integrity before your own life and safety—made you very much a person of interest for the very wrong sort of people. Does the name Avery Reed ring any bells?”

Kara’s face contorted with confusion. “Yes, he’s a donor and patron of the university.The Canterbury Taleswas his most recent donation, an exceedingly generous one at that.”

“As it so happens, thatgenerous donationwas more of a short term lease. Reed is the one who commissioned my expertise.”

She scoffed at the insanity of Cade’s suggestion. “I don’t believe you. Why on earth would Mr. Reed do such a thing? I’ve met him on several occasions, and he’s completely harmless. There’s no chance he would associate with a criminal like you.” Kara’s last words were said scathingly, an attempt to injure Cade’s pride, if not his feelings, of which she suspected he had none.

“You’ll find good looks and charm do not equate a gentleman, Miss Caine.” His words were intentionally ironic, and he was rewarded with an eye roll from Kara. “Reed needed money. You’ll find even the most virtuous of men is tempted to the most desperate of things when money is involved. And let me assure you, Reed is hardly amongst the virtuous.”

“Regardless, that still doesn’t explain why my life is supposedly in danger.”

“Reed needs the book, by any means necessary. If I prove unwilling to deliver the Chaucer text to that extent, Reed can easily find others who will.” Cade’s hand drifted to Kara’s hair, his fingers possessively tangling themselves within the strands as he pulled lightly, just enough to get her attention. “I’d rather not let someone harm a hair on this pretty little head, so for your safety, you will remain a guest at Ashford Manor until I have decided how to resolve the situation. You will not leave the grounds. You will not contact the university or anyone on the outside. It’s for your own good. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Kara answered listlessly, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to as the tingling sensation of his fingers wrapped firmly around her hair obliterated any sense of reason she might possess.

“Good.” Cade loosened his hold on her hair, his touch turning gentle as he stroked the soft strands as pale and radiant as moonlight. The fairness of her hair beautifully complimented the creamy alabaster of her complexion, both strikingly offset by dark brows and lashes and eyes the rich, warm color of espresso. Cade’s fingers trailed along Kara’s hairline, shamelessly exploring her features as she shivered beneath his brazen touch. He brushed aside the blonde waves of hair along her temple, pausing to study her with a slight frown creased between his brows.

Kara stiffened, knowing what caught his attention—a thin, silver scar about an inch long running along her forehead and into her hairline. She styled her hair to help conceal the blemish, and most people never even noticed. Clearly, Cade was more observant than most people.

“How did you get this?” Cade asked, his voice rough as he stroked the small, raised scar gently with his fingertip. The thought of a violent lover or abusive parent marking Kara in anger had his fists clenched tightly in fury.

“A car accident,” Kara answered quietly, her lips trembling. “I have others, that one is just the most noticeable. I was lucky, though. My parents, they—” Kara took a shuddering breath. “They didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry,” Cade responded sincerely, and it was the second time he’d said those unfamiliar words to her in a matter of minutes. What was she doing to him?

“It’s okay. It was nearly a decade ago, so I’m used to the solitude by now,” Kara answered mechanically. She didn’t like talking about the accident. In fact, shenevertalked about the accident. The knowledge that Cade was pulling those excruciating personal details from her lips had her feeling uncharacteristically unnerved.

Cade felt the slightest twinge guilt at her confession. Admittedly, he’d been a right bastard to exploit a girl alone in the world. He had literally capitalized on the fact that no one would come looking for her. He didn’t typically feel remorse—and he’d done an enormous amount of shitty things with a clear conscience to prove it—but he felt the painful stabbing of something resembling regret as he considered his treatment of Kara. The girl deserved better than being a prisoner, a pawn for the sake of monetary gain.

Well, unfortunately for her, life wasn’t fair. And he had no intention of taking it upon himself to change that fact. Cade hardened himself, quelling the inconveniences of a burgeoning conscience, and brusquely asked the first question he’d thought of when she mentioned her loss. It was something he always considered when contemplating untimely death. “Do you ever feel guilty?”

“That they died?” Kara asked, a bit thrown by the question.

“That you lived,” Cade clarified, his expression stoic and cold.

No one had ever asked Kara if she felt guilty for surviving. Probably because that would have been a pretty cruel thing to ask someone who had just lost both their parents. But something told her Cade didn’t mind being cruel. In fact, he probably enjoyed it.

“I suppose I did at the beginning,” Kara answered after a long pause. She swallowed hard, trying to overcome the emotions that swelled in her throat and threatened to choke her words. “It’s hard not to when we were all in the same situation, all in the same car, but only one of us made it out alive.” Kara took a deep breath, agonizing as she revisited moments in the past that she would rather bury so far down that they never saw the light of day, but also feeling an unusual sense of peace as she considered, perhaps for the first time, how her parents would feel about the life that she continued to lead without them in it. “But now I realize that they would have wanted me to live. To enjoy life. So I spend my time making sure I don’t waste the opportunity I was given. That I make them proud. And most days, I feel like I do.”

“You are very fortunate to be so self-assured of the purposefulness of your existence.” Cade’s response might have sounded cruel if his tone weren’t so earnest. And he meant it. She was lucky to feel as though she survived for a reason. Cade had known loss as well, and there wasn’t a single moment in which he thought he deserved to continue breathing while others around him perished. Cade didn’t bemoan the fact that his existence was entirely self-centered and served no greater purpose. He merely recognized it.

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