Page 10 of He Will Come for Me

I roll my eyes. “Why? I’m sure your wife wouldn’t want me here.” I roll my lips between my teeth at my boldness, but don’t take it back. He doesn’t respond, simply crosses his arms over his chest and stares at me.

Sighing, I turn away from him and unplug the tub so the water will drain. “Why are you here, anyway?” I ask as I stand to face him again. He stares at me for several seconds before taking a deep breath and leaning against the counter.

“I came up here to see if you were hungry. I know you still can’t eat much, but Clara said you were able to keep a banana down, so I asked Phillip to make some mashed potatoes.”

“Oh. And you decided to just barge in here to ask that.” I wave my hand toward the door and he practically growls at me.

“I knocked. You didn’t answer. So here we are.” He really looks worried, so I drop it for now. I don’t miss how his eyes travel over my towel clad body again, and it takes everything not to say something else.How would his wife feel if she knew he was ogling his prisoner?

“I’d like some mashed potatoes, but I need to get dressed. So, if you could?” I motion for the door. He pushes away from the counter, giving me one last look.

“Alright. I’ll let him know. Come down when you get dressed.” He doesn’t give me time to respond before he’s out the door. Sighing, I dry myself off and stare at my pajamas. I don’t feel like changing into clothes again, so I pull on my sleep shorts and shirt. If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to look at me.

I’m not sure if he expects me downstairs right away, but I’m taking a few minutes to dry my hair. After spending months dirty, I have enjoyed getting to take luxury baths and showers. I’ve always loved my hair. It was the one thing about me that the girls back at school couldn’t take away from me.

Taking my time blow drying my hair, I enjoy the feeling of the brush gliding through my hair and the heat of the blow dryer. When I’m done, I turn the hair dryer off before I unplug it, wrap the cord, and put it back in its spot. Turning around to head back downstairs, I shriek when I see Phoenix leaning against the door.

“What? Now that you’re back, are you going to be around all the time?” I ask, annoyed.

He arches an eyebrow at me. “I came up here to tell you the mashed potatoes are ready. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

I rub one of my bare feet with the other, and his eyes drop down my legs.Maybe wearing pajamas wasn’t a good idea.“Well, lead the way, then.”

His eyes snap up to mine and it seems the ice in them has thawed even more. He turns and walks out, and I scoff. Typical.

Why is he looking at me that way? It doesn’t make sense after he said his wife is his soulmate.

I follow him out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, and to the hallway.He leads the way to the kitchen. There’s a tall man with tawny skin, dark hair, beard, and mustache, stirring something on the stove. He looks up when we walk in and his eyes brighten.

“Miss McKenzie!” he exclaims. “Clara told me you were up and about I hate I missed you earlier. Glad you’re beginning to feel better.” His enthusiasm catches me off guard, but it brings a smile to my face. He’s like a golden retriever. I glance at Phoenix quickly. I’m assuming this is Phillip, but I’m not certain.

“McKenzie, this is Phillip.”

Phillip’s smile falters a little, but he extends his hand and engulfs mine with his, then he pulls me into a hug. I’m surprised at the tears that burn my eyes. It only lasts for a few seconds, but I needed it. Blinking rapidly, I turn my attention to the pot.

“What are you making?”

“Pho. I think it’s something you’ll be able to keep down. The essence of the soup is the broth. If you wind up not being able to eat the meat and noodles, you can at least enjoy the broth.”

I don’t know what to say. I stare at the large pot as he stirs it again. “That’s so thoughtful. Thank you.”

He offers me a small smile. “It won’t be ready until tomorrow. The broth takes some time to make. I’m hoping by the time it’s ready, you’ll be able to eat the meat. If not, it’ll taste just as good with the rice noodles.”

He pulls a bowl and a plate out of the oven. “Come on. You need to eat, so you’ll keep getting stronger.” Phoenix and I sit at the end of the island away from the stove. I take a small bite of the mashed potatoes and hum. They’re buttery, creamy, and a piece of heaven.

“So good,” I murmur before putting another spoonful in my mouth. Phillip throws a smile over his shoulder as he tends to his soup. I stare at Phoenix’s plate with a little envy. He gets mashed potatoes, beef tips, green beans, and bread.

He scoops a small amount of beef tips onto my plate. My head snaps up to meet his gaze. “Just a small bite,” he whispers. I don’t look away immediately. This man confuses me.

Why is he being so nice to me? I’m scared to trust him. What if this is a ploy to get me to let my defenses down before he breaks me worse than the men where I was being held?

Looking away, I squeeze my eyes shut. At least they kept me drugged, so I wasn’t aware of some of the things they were doing to me. I wonder if the drugs caused my memory loss, or I chose to block some of the things out.

Opening my eyes, I spear a piece of beef on to my fork. Bringing it to my mouth, I savor the taste before chewing and swallowing. My stomach hasn’t cramped at all in the past day or so, but I’ve learned to eat slowly. It’s a little harder with this meal.

“Will your wife be joining us for dinner?” I ask Phoenix. Phillip drops something, but I focus on Phoenix. His fork hovers in the air before he brings it to his mouth and slowly takes the food off. He stares at me as he chews his food.

“Why are you so interested in my wife, McKenzie?” His jaw ticks as he places his fork on his plate.

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