Chapter 50
Phoenix
Dragging myself upstairs after the longest day, the weight of today's errands still clings to my shoulders. Yet, stepping inside our cracked bedroom door, I think only of Roni. She's curled up beneath white satin sheets. I'm home far too late. Roni’s already peacefully asleep. Moonlight spills through the windows, which make up the walls of our fortress of a home, tracing silver patterns across her hair and cheek. She looks so peaceful, so utterly beautiful. Sometimes I still can’t believe she’s real.
I don't know what I would do without her, and the thought chills me more than an ice bath.
Instead of joining her, I turn down the hall to my office. Vic is sitting before a bank of security monitors, eyes sharp despite the late hour. I fumble with my phone, sliding it into my pocket, and Vic raises an eyebrow. At fifty plus years old, he still notices every twitch and hesitation.
“How was your afternoon?” I ask, forcing the question casually. Vic glances back at the screens.
“Roni spent most of the day in her studio again. She came out at one point looking for water, and then went back to it. Everything seemed normal. No visitors. No surprises.”
There's something in the way he says it.
I've known Vic a long time, and just something hits me differently tonight.
I feel a flicker of suspicion, though I know I have nothing to worry about.
Still, it drives me across the house to Roni's studio.
I bypass the biometric lock and make my way inside, where every tool is neatly stowed.
Every canvas and camera is in its place.
I cross the room to her desk and boot up her computer.
Her password is weak. Childish and easy to get around.
If it weren't for the fact I'm the only person besides her who can enter this room, we’d have to have a conversation about it.
For minutes, I'm scrolling through her files, folder after folder, until I find a new video.
She's performing for a professor, an intimate showcase of her talent, I'll say.
And my chest tightens with a jealousy I barely recognize.
Standing here in the dim light, I make a decision.
I must know everything she sends and receives.
Protect her if I have to. And I'll admit, satisfy the possessiveness I feel. I won’t be able to think straight if I keep letting her do this shit in the blind.
I plug my thumb drive into her computer and download the same spyware I'm using with The Sect. I make my way into the settings and arrange for it to run quietly in the background. She'll never know it's here.
I'm confident she won't be able to show one bit of skin, nor will she be able to send or receive a single missive without me knowing. I feel as satisfied as I'm going to. I shut the system down before slowly stepping back into the hallway.
It's been a long day and I need sleep. And I can think of no better way to end my night than with my Little Temptress.
I close the door to our bedroom as I quietly slip back in.
I shed my tuxedo and drop it to the floor.
I'll deal with it when I wake up. For now, I climb into bed, pressing my body firmly into Roni's, and then pull the covers around us both.
The scent of her citrus and lavender conditioner fills my nostrils.
It's comforting. It's pleasant. It sucks me in.
I listen to her breath. Long drags in before a pause and an easy release back out.
I can feel her heartbeat through her back, rested and methodical. She's peaceful. She is my comfort.