Page 54 of Hideaway

“I donotthink I’m smarter than everyone else,” Kara retorted angrily.

“Oh, I think you do. I think you’re a spoiled little princess who thinks they’re too good for the rest of us.”

“Fuck you, Jace,” Kara said with a bitterness that was a front for her hurt feelings. She wasnotspoiled, and she didnotthink she was better than everyone. Jace was just being a dick like usual.

“Is that what you want, baby? You want me to fuck you? Or is Ashford already doing that for you?”

Declan looked at Jace in shock while Kara looked at him with nauseated embarrassment. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Jace answered smugly, judging the warmth flooding Kara’s cheeks as confirmation of his accusation. “I was wondering why he put you inherroom, but the answer is obvious now. He wants to use you like he used her.”

Kara blanched at Jace’s words, the breakfast in her stomach suddenly revolting. “W-what do you mean? Who isshe?” Was Jace talking aboutE? Did he know her? Did he know what happened to her?

“Hmm, I see Ashford didn’t tell you. That’s interesting,” Jace answered vaguely, nodding his head as though understanding something that no one else in the room did. “You are full of surprises, Dr. Caine. I didn't think you’d be into that sort of thing.”

“How did Cade…use her?” Kara asked softly, terrified of his answer.

“Well, it’s no fun if I tell you, Kara. You’ll have to figure it out,” Jace replied with a malicious smile.

Kara looked at Declan, but he was clearly just as confused as she was. As much as it terrified her, she was going to have to ask Cade about E. She didn’t like Jace making threats that she didn’t have enough information to understand. The general unease in the room was disrupted when Ortega barged in through the doors with an expression that Kara had started calling hisbusinessfacefixed sternly upon his features.

“Boys, let’s go. Ashford is already in the car,” Ortega shouted across the room, clearly not in the mood for patience that morning.

Declan jumped to his feet instantly while Jace downed the rest of his coffee and then followed suit. The three men hurried out of the room, keen to obey their precious dictator’s command, leaving Kara alone to enjoy the rest of her breakfast in unexpected peace. The silence of the dining room broke with a slight buzz that sounded distinctively like a phone vibrating with an incoming notification. Kara’s heart stuttered for a moment, overwhelmed with what was certainly false hope because there was no way in hell that one of her captors had left a phone within her reach. Already braced for disappointment, Kara searched her surroundings for the source of the buzzing, freezing when her eyes fell on Declan’s spot at the table. Lying forgotten on the table beside an unfinished glass of orange juice, there was a phone.

Declan had left his phone. And perhaps given her a chance at freedom in return.

Kara ran to the black device, not sure how much time she had before the men came back. She knew that she might have only minutes and needed to think quickly. After turning the phone on, there was a password prompt when face recognition obviously failed. Without unlocking the phone, she could still make an emergency call to the police, but that option didn’t offer much chance of success. The manor was gated and monitored by security. Cade would have more than enough warning before the police set foot on the property, he had enough men and resources to keep her hidden or move her to another location, and when he finally dismissed the police’s concerns, Cade would be fucking pissed at her. And since she didn’t have any other numbers memorized, the call option was basically useless. She would have to try to crack Declan’s code, knowing full well that the statistical chances of her success were slim at best. Just for the hell of it, Kara started with the easiest combination she could think of.

1-2-3-4-5-6.

Holy shit.

Against all fucking odds, the phone unlocked. What the hell was Cade doing with a kid who protected his phone with a password based onnumerical order? With a sense of urgency, Kara considered the best use of the lifeline in her hand. She wasn’t sure if she was in a position to escape Cade completely; he was too powerful, and the manor was too secure for her to be able to slip away again. Evading Cade’s clutches would take far more strategy and advantage than a mere phone could provide. In fact, the more she thought of it, the less convinced she was that the phone would be able to offer any form of escape. The best she could do was to ensure the safety of others threatened by Cade and his illicit affairs with Avery Reed.

She first sent a quick email to her sister to tell her that she was alright and warned her to be careful about anything shady or out of the ordinary in her life. She couldn’t be too careful about mercenary bastards using her sister as a weakness against her to retrieve the Chaucer text. Next, Kara drafted an email to Anne, her closest associate at the university library.

Dear Anne,

I am sorry to have not corresponded sooner. The literary conference in Canada has been very full-on. I recently became aware of a threat to our archived texts. As a precaution, I would like to implement extra nightly security and have identification checked before admittance to the library during opening hours. Also, please rescind Mr. Avery Reed’s access until further notice. Thank you for your diligence, and I hope to see you soon.

Kind regards,

Dr. Caine

As soon as Kara sent the illicit email, there was a rustle from the kitchens. Startled, she threw the contraband phone on the table and moved back toward her seat. She settled down just in time as Mrs. Hughes bustled into the room to clear the breakfast plates.

“Where has everyone run off to?” Mrs. Hughes asked, more in conversation than surprise.

“Work emergency, apparently,” Kara responded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at what Cade consideredwork.

“Och, it’s too bad they’ve left ye all alone. Would you like to join me in the kitchen? I can teach you how to make those scones you sneak up to your room after breakfast,” Mrs. Hughes offered with a kind smile.

Kara’s face reddened slightly at having been caught sneaking extras of her favorite treat at the manor. “How did you know that? I thought I was being careful,” Kara answered with a laugh.

“Not much gets past me, even if I am getting to be an old lady.”

And Kara was pretty sure that was true. “Well come on, old lady,” Kara joked as she rose from the table. “Teach me how to make those magic scones of yours.”

THE guilt of having gone behind Cade’s back left Kara on edge all day. Technically, she knew that she’d done nothing wrong. She had merely done what was reasonable, but she couldn’t get rid of that nagging voice in her head that said Cade trusted her, and she had betrayed him. Conflicted and frustrated, Kara found herself in the library trying to drown out the nettling guilt with Hardy, like an addict turning to their poison of choice. It felt good to wallow in misery amongst literary characters who were best acquainted with its bitter taste.

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