Page 55 of Hideaway

Suddenly, the library doors slammed open so violently that Kara literally jumped from the sofa she was lying on. Cade stormed toward her, flinging the doors shut behind him with such force that the room seemed to tremble. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen Cade so discomposed; his hair was disheveled as though he’d run his fingers through it one too many times, his typically perfect attire was slightly askew as though he’d actually run to library to find her, his face was darkened with fury, and his eyes bored into her like twin flames bent on her destruction. Clearly, Cade was fucking pissed.

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

He knew. Somehow, the fucking omniscient bastard knew what she’d done that morning. And he looked about ready to murder her for it. Cade halted his steps a short distance away from Kara. He wasn’t quite close enough to touch her, his hands flexing viciously like he was seriously considering throttling her and just barely kept his antsy fingers from wrapping tightly around her delicate neck.

“Kara,” Cade greeted her coldly, his voice soft and deadly. “Can you explain why I received a call from Avery Reed today saying he knew I was keeping you at Ashford Manor and demanding that I turn you over to him immediately?”

How the fuck did Avery know?

“No?” Kara answered hesitantly, the word coming out as a question as she shifted anxiously on the couch. She probably had a good idea of how Avery found out, but she wasn’t about to give Cade a reason to punish her. If he was asking her, maybe he didn’t know exactly what happened. She could work with that.

“No?” Cade repeated, his tone dangerous. “Care to take any guesses? I’ll give you a hint—apparently the university library changed their protocol for admittance, under guidance from their chief librarian regarding a threat to library property.” Cade threw her a glare that sent her insides liquifying with fear. “The chief librarian would be you, would it not,Dr. Caine?”

“Y-yes,” Kara answered, a nervous tremor in her voice. It wasn’t like she could deny blatantly obvious facts.

“So tell me, Kara, did you contact someone outside of the manor?” Cade’s resolved expression made it clear that she was doomed regardless of her answer.

“Obviously not. You have me under fucking lock and key. I don’t even have my phone,” Kara lied convincingly. There was no way he could prove that she had done it.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Cade threatened as he stalked toward her, stopping directly in front of Kara and grabbing her hair tightly in one hand as he made her look at him. “If you lie to me again, I guarantee you will not like the result.” In warning, he pulled sharply on her hair, causing her to wince. “Did youtalk to someone outside of the manor?”

“No,” Kara answered spitefully. She was sick of his threats and his demands and the way both made her traitorous pussy slick with misguided desire and need.

“Wrong fucking answer, Kara.” Using his hold on her hair, Cade flipped her onto her stomach, her knees landing roughly on the hard floor. Before she could think or protest or catch her breath, Cade picked up the novel beside her, threw her dress up over her hips, and slammed the hardcover book against her nearly bare arse.

Kara writhed beneath him, shrieking in shock and discomfort. Surprisingly, being hit with a book really fucking hurt.

“Now let’s try this again. Did you contact someone?” Cade asked sternly, his hand poised to deliver another swat with his weapon of choice should he not approve of Kara’s answer.

“Y-yes,” Kara admitted, flinching in preparation for his reaction.

“Very good. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Cade answered agreeably, staying his hand as long as she cooperated. “How did you do it?”

“What do you mean?” Kara asked in confusion, the humbling situation of being bared and bent over the couch causing her concentration to scatter.

“How exactly did you manage to contact someone? As you said, I confiscated your phone as a precaution. So how did you message the university?”

Kara bit her lip as she contemplated the best way to approach Cade’s question. She didn’t want Declan to get in trouble. She’d already brought Cade’s wrath against the kid once before, and she didn’t want to make a habit of using Declan as a scapegoat for her actions. So she conjured the most reasonable explanation she could think of without selling out Declan for leaving his phone within reach. “Your work computer. I snuck into your office and sent an email.” She whimpered when she felt the hard smack of the book against her ass.

“My office is locked and my computer is password protected. You never would have managed to access one, let alone both. Would you like to try again, or should I spank you until you remember?” Cade asked, emphasizing his words with another firm slap on Kara’s arse.

“A phone!” Kara cried out, desperate to escape another punishment. “It was a phone.”

“Good girl,” Cade praised, soothingly rubbing his palm over her stinging backside. “Whose phone?”

Hoping to protect Declan, Kara remained silent.

Smack!“Whose phone, Kara?” Cade demanded impatiently. He needed to know if one of his employees had betrayed him and willingly aided Kara. “Answer me.”Smack!

“It was Declan’s phone,” Kara admitted miserably. The bastard was going to beat the answer out of her sooner or later, so there wasn’t much use in fighting him. “It wasn’t his fault. He left the dining room in a hurry and forgot his phone on the table.” Kara felt herself growing angry that she even had to justify her actions to the man holding her prisoner. “You can’t exactly blame me for taking it when I had a chance,” she muttered bitterly with her face still pressed against the couch.

“I can’t blame you?” Cade reiterated angrily, his voice growing fierce.Smack!“Can I blame you for putting your safety at risk,again?”Smack!“Can I blame your blatant stupidity for essentially gifting your location to Reed on a silver platter because every message you send is traceable?”Smack!“Can I blame you for going behind my back and lying about it?”Smack! Smack!“It seems as though there is a great deal I should be blaming you for. YouandDeclan, but I’ll deal with him later.”

“No, please don’t,” Kara begged, her voice breathless and choked with tears. “Please don’t punish Declan. It wasn’t his fault. He was distracted and worried after you stormed out at breakfast.” Kara trembled with remorse and dread. “He’s just a kid.”

“Yes, akidyou seem to take great pleasure in exploiting. This is his last strike. I need to do something about his constant lapses in judgment before he endangers himself or my business.”

Kara gasped at the thought of Cade doing something drastic to handle Declan. She couldn’t bear to be the cause of his suffering. “Please, Cade, it was my fault. I’ll…I’ll take the punishment. I deserve it.”

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