Page 51 of Blood Money

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CARMEN

Iroll over and touch the bed next to me. My fingertips graze the cold sheets, and immediately, my heart sinks. I shoot up and glance around, seeing everything still in its place. Rubbing my eyes, I hear movement in the kitchen and realize he hasn’t left.

Relief sinks into me, relaxing my shoulders and calming my already pounding heart. I snag his T-shirt from the floor and put it on, then release a breath as I stand and make my way to the door. Leaning against the jamb, I stare through the kitchen doorway as he moves around, stirring things on the stove, rinsing dishes, and pouring drinks.

The sweatpants he wears hang low on his waist, giving me the perfect view of the deep V etched in his hips. His biceps and abs flex with every movement he makes, and I’ve never been happier to see a man without a shirt. Staring at him only solidifies my thoughts from last night. He’s beautiful. Inside and out.

I find myself smiling. What if I could wake up to this every day? The thought is fleeting as the reality of everything starts to set back in. Right now, I’m still his captive. His prey he caught and never intends to release.

He finally catches sight of me as I’m deep in my thoughts. His sexy grin quickly falls as he moves toward me. “What’s the matter?” His hands reach out and grip my arms, squeezing them lightly.

Releasing another deep breath, I move my eyes to his. “We can’t stay here forever, Cyrus. People are going to start worrying about me.”

His frown turns to a hard line as he nods. “I know. I just…” He trails off, letting go of me and running his hand through his hair. “I have to figure out how to fix this.”

He moves back to the kitchen, so I follow behind him. “I understand, but it’s already been, what, twenty-four hours or more? Considering how we left Lydia and Carter, I’m sure it’s only going to be a few more hours—if we’re lucky—until they realize we aren’t coming back and start to worry.”

The thought of how long he’s had me really sinks in. It’s been barely a day, yet everything leading up to this point seems to have happened a lifetime ago.

He places his hands on the counter, remaining silent for a beat before speaking and dragging me from my thoughts. “You’re right.”

Without another word, he exits the kitchen. I turn and watch him as he makes his way to the front door. “Wait. What are you doing?”

More silence as he storms out the front door. I follow, trying to catch up, but stop when I make it to the doorway. Tiny leaps from the porch and sticks close to him as he opens the passenger door of his SUV. I watch as he reaches inside, then finally pulls out the same duffel bag he brought to Carter’s and the briefcase I stole.

He walks back up the steps of the porch, Tiny in tow, so I open the door and hold it so they can enter.

He unzips it, then dumps all the contents onto the couch. Random things like a pen and notepad spill out along with a gun, a gnarly-looking knife, and my own purse. He gives it one last shake, and a few clothes fall out.

“I took these from Lydia before we left,” he remarks, pointing to the clothes and picking up my purse. “Here.” He hands it to me.

I grab it and look at him, but he doesn’t offer an explanation. “Thank you?”

He nods, then circles the couch and unplugs a big black box from the wall. “Call them and tell them you’re okay.”

“What?”

“Your phone is in there. Call Lydia so they don’t worry. Buy us some time.”

I unzip it and retrieve my phone. I hold the power button on and wait a moment for it to come to life. As soon as the screen lights up, missed call notifications and messages start to pop up. I unlock it and start going through them. Most are from Lydia asking where I am and what happened. She can wait though because I see two missed calls from William.

“I need to call William first.”

Cyrus tips his head and narrows his eyes. “William?”

I almost giggle because the jealousy he’s feeling is evident. “He’s our butler. Well, he’s more than that, but that’s the short explanation.” Without thought, I twist the snake ring on my pointer finger with my thumb.

Cyrus catches the movement. “He get you that?” he asks, pointing with his eyes.

I nod. “He’s like a dad to me. He’s nice and loving. All the things my dad isn’t.”

He releases a breath. “Okay. Just tell him you’re fine, but it has to be quick. I can’t keep the blockers down long. It risks someone we don’t want to find us finding us.”

I nod and click William’s contact. The line rings a few times as I bring it to my ear before he finally answers.

“Carmen?”

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