Chapter 40
Chapter
Forty
ROSE
Present
My body stiffened in Caden’s lap as each fragmented memory detonated in sequence. The fog that had smothered my recollections had thinned just enough to reveal two important revelations.
First, my own brother tried to murder me, repeatedly roaring the words, You stupid bitch, as he drove a knife inside me.
I had stolen what he considered his birthright, and the injustice didn’t sit well with him.
Natasha said the exact phrase, You stupid bitch , and now I understood why I’d nearly blacked out with rage and attacked her.
The words triggered a response within me, unlocking a room inside that was slick with blood and betrayal.
Secondly, the man from my nightmares was none other than Caden.
How many times had my subconscious tried to warn me?
The nightmares had been haunting me for days, and the horrifying images hit me like a freight train.
Caden’s menacing face. His footsteps echoing in the ominous silence of the warehouse.
His hand wrapping around my neck before he threw me to the ground.
I finally knew why I had fled the hospital. Amelie said I was in a medically induced coma, and the only person who had access to me was Caden. One glimpse of his face when I regained consciousness, and something inside me snapped.
I ran only to end up on a boat with the same man I was trying to escape.
With a shuddering breath, I pulled back from Caden. Slowly, so as not to alarm him, I climbed off his lap and rummaged through the car for my underwear and dress that he had haphazardly tossed aside. All the while, I prayed my hands didn’t betray their tremor.
“What’s the rush?” he asked, barely coherent. His euphoria hadn’t subsided, eyes half lidded.
Carefully masking my expressions, I stepped out of the car with my dress and underwear in hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”
He chuckled. “That’s the same excuse you used when I announced our engagement. What’s freaking you out this time?”
I hated that he was so perceptive. It was impossible to pull the wool over his eyes. At least he was naked, and it would take him a few minutes to gather himself. It gave me an edge. I could run and disembark before he wised up. Poppy was in the Bahamas, I could go to her.
My smile was plastic as I stepped into my dress, forcing myself to stay calm. “I guess I have a nervous bladder.”
He watched me for a moment, dissecting me. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” I said a little too quickly, immediately regretting it.
Having me underneath him had momentarily dulled his killer instincts. But his calculating eyes narrowed at my hasty refusal, cutting through my defenses.
Despite Caden’s impassive face, I knew the exact moment when he figured it out. “How much do you remember?”
I bolted.
There was no point in pretending. My feet hit the floor, and I ran out of the dark showroom and into the harsh corridor leading to the grand ballroom.
I waited for the sound of his footsteps following me, for his voice calling my name in that possessive tone, but the only footsteps I heard were my own.
It was almost worse than being chased, because it could only mean one thing—I was already trapped.
I was proven right when Linda materialized behind me, power walking with long strides. She wasn’t actively pursuing me, simply closing the gap so she could tackle me to the ground if it came down to it.
The tactic surprised me until the boat seemed to lurch forward beneath my feet. The water turbulence was unexpected, given that we were docked at the port. At first, I thought it was the rush of adrenaline making me dizzy, but a glance through the oval window confirmed it. The boat was moving.
“No!” I gasped, watching the pier recede.
We weren’t supposed to set sail until tomorrow. No wonder Caden hadn’t bothered to chase me down. He had ordered the captain to move the boat away from the dock so I couldn’t disembark and track down my cousin.
My pace slowed as I realized there was no escaping Caden.
I bit the inside of my cheek in frustration.
God, I really wanted to get back at him.
I already knew I couldn’t get away from him, but I needed a small win, however petty.
A streak of rebellion, perhaps. I was just so tired of being bested by Caden Maxwell in both my past and present lives.
Unsure of my next move, I marched toward the bathroom with Linda watching me from a distance.
The area around the bathroom was jam-packed with women.
When a horde of intoxicated girls came out of the restroom, I ducked behind the giggling group without thinking.
I drifted into the pack, using their collective mass as camouflage.
I allowed myself to be swept along with them, hoping to shake Linda off my trail.
I could enjoy a few precious minutes of unwatched freedom if she assumed I had disappeared behind the bathroom doors.
When the girls blocking me from Linda’s view passed a set of swinging doors, I pushed through them and slipped inside a narrow corridor.
Satisfaction warmed my blood at the image of a confused Linda searching for me and a frantic Caden tearing through the crowd with the same desperate energy I had used to distance myself from him.
I hoped they felt just as helpless and powerless.
Finally alone, I braced my hands on my knees and panted.
The world outside was muffled and strangely distant.
Fragments of memory erupted over and over in my skull, a cascade of volatile chemical reactions I couldn’t contain.
Rage flooded my system, scalding and unstoppable.
It mixed with my sadness. The pressure behind my ribs built, and the dam finally broke.
I let out all my frustration and anger with a scream, while my vision blurred with hot tears.
My half-brother tried to murder me.
And Caden… I didn’t even know where to start with him.
He saved me.
He hurt me.
He made me hate him.
He made me fall in love with him.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, willing all the images to center around the day at the warehouse. Instead, other images continued to take precedence.
Caden sitting by my bedside for hours.
Caden tending to my wounds.
The sound of his laugh—the times he allowed himself to laugh, that is.
The way he always took my side, even the times I was in the wrong.
The way he centered his life around my happiness.
Even his possessiveness was starting to become endearing.
The tears finally stopped, replaced by clarity—I wouldn’t be free of Caden Maxwell even if I escaped this boat. He was tangled up in every part of my soul, impossible to separate from my own sense of self.
“You okay?”
My head spun when a voice broke my spiral. “What the hell?” I jumped, placing my hands on my chest.
Jace, the crew member I had met on my second day on the boat, put his hands up in surrender. My heart rate slowed at the familiar face. “Chill. Remember me? It’s Jace.”
“You scared me.”
“Sorry. It looked like you needed a minute, and I wanted to give you some space.”
Heat crept up my neck as I realized he had witnessed my entire meltdown from the banshee scream to full-fledged tears. “How long have you been standing there?”
“A while,” he admitted. His face was lit up for some reason.
I scanned the corridor. At least there was no one else here who saw my epic breakdown. It looked like I was at the service entrance, connecting the galley to the grand ballroom. The smell of bread and disinfectant permeated the air.
My eyes flicked from Jace’s uniform to the service cart beside him, realizing he was working the event. He had been in the middle of pouring champagne when I had rudely barged in.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.”
I let my arms drop. “Long night.” I tried to smile, but it twisted into a grimace. I was grateful when he didn’t press the topic.
Jace reached into the service cart and pulled out a bottle of champagne. “Looks like you could use a drink.”
“Thought those were for the guests.”
“You’re a guest,” he pointed out.
“I guess.”
“Which means you’re overdue.” He pulled two flutes from the tray, poured a generous stream of gold bubbles, and handed one to me. He clinked his glass against mine. “To my esteemed guest.”
The smile on his face was infectious. The champagne warmed my stomach, and I realized my hands had stopped shaking. “Is this what the crew does behind the boss’s back, drink his best champagne?”
“No.” There was a mischievous glint in his eye. “We also eat his expensive caviar and swipe the fancy toiletries.”
Despite myself, a giggle slipped out. The anxiety started to clear, and I pointed at the champagne. “Won’t you get into trouble for this?”
The smile on his face brightened. “Nobody comes back here except the crew. Come with me, and I’ll show you what else we get away with behind the boss’s back.”
He nodded at the door, where servers were filtering in and out with trays of food. The delicious smells from the kitchen called to me, and I followed my nose. Maybe they had lollipop chicken. It would make me feel a lot better than champagne.
When I cracked open the door, I heard the muffled thump of Latin music and the clang of pots. We slipped inside, emerging into the heart of the kitchen. It was pure chaos, but in the best way. Sure, the staff were busy plating hors d’oeuvres, but they were also running on adrenaline and laughter.