e, Raffy. Not after

presence making the walls feel even closer together. He did

loor. My hands made small, jerky movements

r in a storm. "Leo isn't coming back for a long time. He owes people far worse than the thugs I just chased out. My

. A guest house. Security. It sounded like a dream. It sounded like a

ng just enough to make me ache. "Just the ess

he was there-tall, steady, and looking at me like I was the most precious thing he'd ever bought. I felt a flush creep up my neck. No one had eve

y tucked behind the iron gates of his estate.

?" I signed, my fin

t. But Raffy..." He paused, his gaze darkening. "You need to understand why you're here. Leo didn't ju

ickening roll in my ch

allowing mine. "But he's using you as a shield. He thinks because you're... quiet, you're a

olation. He was saying it was for my own good, but the word ech

with a single finger. "You have me now. I'm the

ing shut with a finality that made the "s

had a thread count higher than my monthly income. The fridge was stocke

shing against a small, black plastic ridge tucked into th

fr

my ribs like a trapped bird. I stood on the cushio

le

a, angled direc

nd the room. Another one in the corner. Another in the ven

r handl

r. I stood there, paralyzed, my bre

r damp from a shower. He didn't look like a savior anymore

g from the chair to my fac

e. The warmth was gone. Only the razor blade

oward me, his ha

from me? After everything