Page 107 of Sage Haven
And then he was gone.
The door clicked shut. I stared at the empty space where he’d stood.
And realized—I wasn’t sure if I hated him.
Or if I hated the way he was the first person to ever see me like this.
24
REICH
Castor stopped me themoment I stepped out of Sage’s room. He was leaning against the hallway wall like he’d been waiting, but his casual posture didn’t fool me. His gaze was sharp, something urgent brewing beneath the surface.
“Reich,” he said, his tone low but edged with something tight. “Klay called. He wants to talk.”
My stomach tightened, but my face stayed still. I held Castor’s stare for a breath before extending my hand. “Phone.”
He handed it over without question, though his jaw flexed as I took it. He knew what this was. We both did. This wasn’t just a conversation. It was a game of inches. A chance to tip the scales or watch everything slip.
I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders back as I dialed. One ring. Two.
Klay picked up before the third, his voice sliding through the speaker smooth as oil, but beneath it was the ever-present menace. That coiled threat that lived in men like him. “Reich,” he drawled, pleased with himself. “I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me.”
I didn’t answer.
He chuckled. It was low and cold, a sound that clawed under my skin. “Thank you for finding my little pet,” he went on, lazy amusement woven through every word. “I was worried I’d haveto send someone to clean up the mess she made. But look at us—working together again. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
I kept my tone flat, professional, forcing the bile back down. “All in a day’s work.”
Klay hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll be back in the country next week. I want to collect her myself. Keep her warm for me, would you? You know how I like my things. Broken in, but not broken.”
I closed my eyes, grinding my teeth together until my jaw ached. His words slithered like rot in my ears. Broken in. As if she were a toy.
He thought he owned her.
He thought he had every right to.
And for now, I had to let him.
“If you can keep her safe,” Klay added, “name your price. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
I imagined tearing his throat out with my bare hands. I imagined the crack of his skull against the concrete. I imagined the slow draw of his last breath as he realized too late who he was dealing with.
But I didn’t say any of that. I swallowed it all down.
“I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement,” I said instead, every word carved from stone.
He laughed again. A smug, grating sound that made my skin crawl. “Until then,” he said, pausing like he was savoring the moment. “Have fun with her. Test her out.”
The phone creaked under the pressure of my grip. I forced myself to release the breath caught in my throat, counting to three before I answered.
“Will do,” I said coldly, then hung up before I could hear another word from him. Before I lost the thin thread of control I had left.
Castor was watching me when I lowered the phone. His arms were crossed, his brow furrowed. “You good?” he asked, though we both knew the answer.
“No,” I said, handing him the phone. “But I’ll manage.”
We stood there for a moment in silence, the weight of everything unspoken settling between us.
