Page 43 of Hook

She smiles. “It’s Tilly.” She glances at the cook. “And this is Rosa.”

Rosa gives her a disapproving look. “You know the boss would be pissed to hear you’re befriending his fiancée,” she warns.

Tilly crosses her arms over her chest. “Are you saying you intend to tell him?”

“Of course not,” Rosa says, placing a hand on her chest. “But I can’t say the same for the rest of the staff here, especially Jensen. You know he’s in the boss’s pocket.”

Her lips purse. “Yes, unfortunately. If he says anything, I’ll merely say she was hungry and asked me to get her some food, no harm, no foul.”

“And I’ll back that up,” I add.

Rosa nods. “Fine, it’s your funeral.” She goes to the stove and lifts a heavy pot off of it. “Stew?” she asks.

Tilly licks her lips. “Sounds good. Have you got some bread?”

She rolls her eyes and fetches a freshly baked loaf. “Don’t eat it all.”

“Can’t make promises,” Tilly says, chuckling.

“How long have you worked for Cillian?” I ask, as Rosa dishes two bowls of stew.

“Too long,” she says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I think it’s been about five years now.”

“That doesn’t sound that long.”

Rosa chuckles. “No it’s not, I’ve worked for Cillian for eight years. And I don’t think he’s that bad. He can be an asshole when he’s angry, though.”

Tilly shakes her head. “Careful, someone might report you,” she quips. “The last time Cillian heard someone call him an asshole, he gutted the guy.”

“Gutted him?” I ask, choking on a mouthful of delicious stew.

“Yep, it’s as disgusting as it sounds. He did it in front of the entire staff to teach people a lesson.”

I swallow hard and nod as my appetite vanishes. Glancing around, I search for a clock. “What’s the time? Are there no clocks in this house?”

Tilly and Rosa exchange an odd glance. “Thought you would know about his problem with clocks as his fiancee,” Rosa says.

Despite knowing he does have an issue with clocks, I wonder if they realize I’m a prisoner here, not his fiancee by choice. “Do you realize I’m here as a captive and never agreed to marry Cillian?”

Rosa’s eyes widen. “No, I didn’t.” She shakes her head. “That sucks.”

“So I literally know nothing about him.”

“Cillian has a problem with clocks. The ticking gets to him,” Tilly says, pursing her lips together. “It’s scary actually seeing what happens when he’s in a room with one. He turns into a monster.”

I remember the way he freaked out about the clock in the hotel.

“Isn’t he already a monster?”

Someone clears their throat at the doorway, and when I see Cillian, I jump out of my skin.

“May I ask who exactly you’re talking about, princess?” His eyes fix on me with an intensity that makes me shudder.

Both Tilly and Rosa turn pale the moment they see him.

“No one,” I say quickly, realizing that they’re going to get into trouble for speaking to me.

“Rosa and Tilly, will you excuse us for a moment?”

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