Page 37 of Capture
Reality struck that I was in the tornado shelter, underground somewhere in Gothenburg. We hadn’t driven long enough to be too far out of the town center. It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, so I blindly felt in the dark for the hanging string attached to the light, and once I found it, I pulled and jumped in fright when it flicked on.
But who flicked it off? I didn’t hear anyone come in. The thought of someone creeping about while I was asleep was one concern, but the other was why I slept so profoundly that I didn’t wake.
17
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Ithink you need to move me to a new location,” I told Mikael when he arrived with my dinner, avoiding his eye because I was still a little embarrassed about him watching me having sex with Ronan. “Several hours of sex noises are starting to get on my nerves, especially when I’m alone.” A bashful chuckle exuded from my mouth, and I pressed my fingers over my lips to shut me up. Gosh, I acted like such a loser when I was in his presence. That’s what he did to me. His boss's man energy and killer stare rendered me weak and useless.
“Do you like seafood?” he asked, as the sweetness in his tone made me flinch because he was usually so severe.
And there was no sign in his eyes that he was reflecting on the last time he saw me. Or more accurately, the last time he saw my bare ass getting shagged by his loyal right-hand man. Jeez, what did I look like from that angle? Bouncy dimples ass. I bet he’s seen the most beautiful women in the world naked, then lowered himself to looking at my ass.
“Um,” I pulled my focus back to the covered plate. I wasn’t overly hungry because I stuffed my face with potato chips and haven’t used up the excess energy. I think the excess calories were still sitting in my stomach. “What sort of seafood? And any word on Gunner?”
“Crab cakes. And no. We’re conducting a plan,” he kept his answers short.
“Oh, I haven’t had crab cakes before,” I suppressed a cringe. The only crab cakes I’ve seen were the cheap frozen ones from the grocery store that didn’t look too appetizing.
“First time for everything,” he exhaled as if the world was on his shoulders, then retreated to the door, where I thought he was going to leave me.
“So,” I desperately wanted him to stay, just for the company. Riley enjoyed her own company, but Annika wasn’t that good at it, so she pretended. But there was a difference between being alone by choice and being alone by force.
But he stepped out, brought in a cane basket, and placed it in the corner. “Laundry. Clean and folded.”
“Wow,” I gasped. “That’s impressive. It was only…” He walked away as I spoke to him, reminding me of Gunner’s lack of manners. It ran in the family because Lars was like that too, and it used to infuriate Sylvie at times. “Okay, bye.”
The door shut behind him as I shook my head disapprovingly, not that he’d care if I disapproved of his behavior or not. But mymind was still on Sylvie, causing a physical reaction of nausea and skin crawls. That was why I worked hard to forget her the most, because she would be the most difficult to convince that I was worthy of forgiveness. She was my foster mom and saved me from a life of ruin. How could I possibly face her after what I did?
It occurred to me that Mikael didn’t lock the door after he left, or at least I didn’t hear him lock the door. It wouldn’t hurt to try the handle, I mean…I already decided I wanted to stay with them, maybe not as their prisoner as part of their empire, so I wasn’t going to run away. However, it wouldn’t hurt to test the handle to see if he, the big boss, screwed up.
Flinging the door open, I froze at the sight of narrowed eyes, looking down at me, not filled with fury like I’d expect, but amusement.
“You forgot to lock the door,” I pointed out.
“I’m aware,” he stated smoothly, gaze unflinching.
“Okay, so were you expecting me to escape, or…I mean, it’s a bit irresponsible for the actual boss to leave the door unlocked.”
“I answer to no one,” he asserted, shooting me a dark look.
“What about Sylvie? Do you answer to her?” I pressed, curious about his reaction.
There was a tiny flinch in his face. It was only for a second, but it told me that Sylvie held some weight in his life. She was his auntie and probably had little to do with her, since they lived in different cities, but I could tell that he also wouldn’t want to piss her off. And who would be dumb enough to piss the Kaiser Queen? Well…me. I was dumb enough to piss off the entire clan.
I pointed my finger at him after seeing the ever-so-slight recoil, and he was a little too cocky. “Ha! I knew it. Sylvie scares you.”
“No. She doesn’t,” he told me flatly.
“But you’re pleased you don’t live in the same city and work in the same club, though, aren’t you?” I challenged him.
He refused to reply, but his gaze shifted from warm fondness to icy cold suspicion, back to warm fondness again. Simmering Fall. I hate to think what thoughts were circling in that dark, beautiful head as his vibe turned icy cold.
I swallowed over a lump in my throat, suddenly thirsty for a cool drink.
“Why are you out there anyway?” It was a fair question, as he was lingering out here in the hall, but when a door opened and his gaze shifted to the woman who had just left the room, fear stormed through my body.
“Waiting,” he replied, levelly.
