Chapter 19
June
A rush of excitement washes over me, but I know I can’t celebrate yet. I stand slowly, peeking out into the hallway. It’s empty, quiet.
I slip out of the bedroom, moving on tiptoes, careful not to make a sound. The house feels eerily silent, like it's holding its breath, and I do the same. There are no voices, no footsteps—nothing to tell me where they are. But I’m sure they’re not in Ryker’s office. I’d hear the creaky old wooden floorboards from up here if they were. I’ve heard it enough times when Ryker was pacing inside that room.
I glide down the hallway, the tension building in my chest with each step. I can’t afford to get caught. Not after how carefully I’ve behaved the past few days. No scenes, no backtalk—just staying in line, hoping he’ll let his guard down.
But today, I need to know what’s going on. I need to know what’s so important that I’m being locked away like some dirty secret.
As I reach the top of the stairs, I pause. Still no sound from the dining area. If they’re not there, then they must be behind the door to the library. That’s the only place left, and the voices I hear—muffled but unmistakable—seem to come from somewhere deeper in the house.
I take another careful step down, stopping to listen again. But just as I reach the bottom steps, movement catches my eye from the left. I freeze, my blood running cold.
There’s a man standing in the entrance area, and he’s staring right at me.
He looks like he might be in his forties, rough around the edges, the rugged, sleazy guy I’d expect Ryker to be doing business with. He looks like he was about to head upstairs, but he’s frozen in place, his eyes wide as he stares back at me, just as shocked as I am.
Shit.
“I… uh,” I begin, unsettled by the way he stares up at me. “I was just—“
“Yeah, me too,” he cuts me off.
Confused, I watch as he turns around on his heels and moves back in the other direction, most likely on his way to tell Ryker about his roaming prisoner.
I bolt back up the stairs, my heart racing in my chest. I run down the corridor, my footsteps louder than I’d like, but I don’t have time to worry about it.
I fling myself inside the bedroom, closing the door as quietly as possible. My hands are shaking, and I press my back against the door, my breathing shallow as I try to calm down.
He’s going to rat me out. I know it. There’s no way a guy like that is going to keep his mouth shut. He’s going to return to that meeting and ask Ryker about that girl he saw running around the house, creating a locker room atmosphere that will cause a round of lewd jokes—and Ryker will implode with anger.
Damn it. I was so close to figuring out what was going on, and now I’m screwed. Ryker’s going to find out. He’ll know I snuck out, and God knows what he’ll do to me for disobeying him.
I am so fucked.