Page 39 of He Will Come for Me

I shrug as I play with a loose thread on my shirt. “I was just trying to make it through so I could get out.” I sigh. “I don’t even know why I was ready to get out. It seems, for the most part, my life was better while I was there.” I was so angry at my father for sending me to Brighton right after my mother died.

I hadn’t even had time to mourn before he was shipping me off. Everyone in that school had connections to the mafia, or government, or world leaders. I don’t even think they accepted anyone that didn’t have high connections.

“I’m so sorry your father sold you,” I whisper.

How could he do that to her? Especially when he has high ambitions for his career. Isn’t he afraid of getting found out?

She sniffs and pulls her knees up to her chest. “I’m sorry your father sold you,” she replies. “Who would have thought our first loves could do something like that to us?” A lump forms in my throat. I know my father isn’t a good man, but until my motherdied, he wasn’t horrible. He was a hard man, but I never thought he was capable of something like this.

“Did you know who bought you?”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and shakes her head. “I didn’t know him like you knew Phoenix. I knew of him. He was one of my father’s colleagues. I was with him for almost a year before I was kidnapped.”

My mouth drops open. “What?” That can’t be a coincidence that we were both kidnapped from the people who bought us.

She nods. “I think his wife planned it. She was jealous, even though I never asked for his attention.” I have so many questions, but I don’t want to upset her.

“Did he…” I trail off. She picks at the blanket.

“No, he never did. Well, except…” She shakes her head and trails off.Except what?I want to ask her, but she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it, so I leave it. “The only thing he ever wanted me to do with him was read while he was working in his home office. Or join him for dinner. His wife was never home. I think he was lonely. She didn’t care about any of that, though. It’s when he started buying me nice things that she got jealous and upset.”

She pauses, sighing deeply. “Now the people who kidnapped me…” She trails off again and my heart breaks for her. I’m okay with that part of my memory never returning.

“How do you know Rex?” I ask, changing the subject. I already know what Phoenix told me, but I want to hear it from Anna. A genuine smile lights up her face. She releases the tension in her muscles and sighs.

“He was my bodyguard before my dad sold me.”I knew Rex was older, but how much older is he?“He didn’t know anything about the auction. He knew my dad went to these secret meetings, but that’s all he knew.”

She pulls her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it a few times before leaning against the headboard. I can tell she’s beginning to get tired. “The first day I met him was the day I came home after graduation. I fell fast. I was eighteen, he was twenty-eight, so I knew he’d never want me. But we got close. He became my best friend.” I tilt my head at her. From the other night, it seemed like there was something between them, but maybe I was reading into something that wasn’t there.

“He even went to college with me. Dad got me an apartment and Rex stayed there with me.” She laughs. “Of course, that blocked me from having a love life.”

“My father took me to that auction without telling him. I had no idea it was an auction. I thought it was a masquerade party. He gave me a mask to wear and told me I couldn’t take it off the entire night. I listened until I went to the restroom. I took it off so I could touch up my makeup.”

She sucks in a breath and swallows hard. “Another girl came out of a stall. When she saw me, she took her mask off too. I recognized her from Brighton, but I think she graduated the year before us. Her mask was red and black, though. Mine was just red. She told me I needed to find a way out, then she put her mask back on and left.”

She shakes her head and covers her face with her hands. I lean close and wrap my arms around her. “You don’t have to tell me anymore.” I’m surprised she’s told me this much.

“That part is the easy part, but after. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk about that.”After? After what? She was kidnapped?There’s a soft knock on the door. We both look over and see Clara coming in with a tray. Rex walks in behind her and I can feel the relief that washes over Anna. I stand, giving Rex a small smile.

“I have lunch for you, Miss Anna.” Clara says with a smile. “Your lunch is ready in the kitchen, Miss Kenzie.”

“Thank you, Clara.” I walk out with one more glimpse over my shoulder. Rex sits on the bed and pulls Anna onto his lap like he did last night. I smile at their interaction.Is he doing that to comfort her or is there more?I turn and walk back to the kitchen. Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t remember everything, but everything in me wishes I could remember my relationship with Phoenix.

He and Anna are right. I was oblivious to how Phoenix felt about me. But I was not oblivious to him. I loved that he’d come to the library and sit at the same table as me while I was studying, or that he always ended up in the same classes as me. Even if I did try to pick classes I didn’t think he’d choose. Mainly because he made me nervous.

Walking into the kitchen, I watch Phoenix as he grabs two glasses and pours iced tea into them. Phillip is back in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving, but Phoenix doesn’t expect him to do everything. I love that. I rub my thumb and forefinger over my ring finger on my left hand.

I want my ring. Even if I can’t remember marrying him, I still want it.Phoenix turns to me, his eyes assessing me to see if my mood is a little better from when I walked out of the kitchen.

He approaches me slowly. Phillip walks into the pantry and I can’t help but wonder if it’s to give us some privacy. “You okay, love?” He stops in front of me and tugs on my braid lightly.

I step closer to him, my hands rubbing from his abs, which contract at my touch, to his chest and around his neck. I’m standing on my tiptoes so I can reach him. He wraps his arms around me and supports me so I don’t fall.

“I want my ring.”

He brings his forehead down to mine and brushes his lips over mine. “Okay.”

He releases me slowly. Grabbing my hand, he leads me through the kitchen, living room, and up the stairs to his—no,our—bedroom. I stop at the entrance as he walks to the closet door and opens it. I follow him and stop at the beauty of the walk-in closet.

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