Page 32 of The Woman

“Why won’t you open?” I mumble.

“Because I disabled it before I came inside,” Phoenix’s voice rumbles from behind me. I spin around, all hopes of my escape deflating at the sight of his imposing, arms-crossed figure and unreadable, handsome face. “Seemed a bit ridiculous at the time, but apparently prudent. Where were you going?”

My shoulders drop an inch. I had no chance of escaping all along.

Defeated, I decide to answer him this time. “I don’t know.”

He nods slowly and produces some sort of card, which he holds over the black panel above the button I was pressing, causing it to light up.

As he lifts a hand to press the button, his eyes flicker to my legs, and the thinning of his lips is a clear indication that he is not pleased.

“I told you to change into pants.”

I cross my own arms, the headstrong part of me showing itself despite the situation I find myself in. “They’ll just have to take me as I am.”

With a sound of displeasure, he takes hold of my forearm, forcing my folded arms to separate, then steps into the elevator when the doors open, pulling me along with him.

The firm grip he has on my arm is replaced by his hand on my waist as we ride the elevator down in silence. I don’t know why he’s bothering to hold me now. I can’t get away from him in here or while we’re in front of anyone else.

We step out on the main level instead of underneath, and he leads us to his vehicle parked out front of the building. Then he stands close and hovers by the passenger door until I’m seated and buckled in like he’s still on guard.

My insides lurch as we take the first corner. I don’t know exactly what happens at the place I’m going, but when one of the females like me at the facility that I had spoken to a few times in secret was discovered, she was sent away, and then when she came back, she was a different person. She was just like the rest and no longer “defective”.

I’ve heard stories of some who haven’t come back at all.

I feel his eyes on me every now and then, but I refuse to look at him. Instead, I watch the giant buildings that look like they reach into the clouds pass us by.

Unlike the other times we were in his car and rode in silence, a piano piece begins playing, and I turn to see him pressing some buttons until he’s satisfied with the volume. I’ve heard him play this one himself, and I thought it was beautiful.

It’s nearing its end as we pull into an underground parking area, and when I recognize it as the same one as where he works, I realize I haven’t been paying attention to the direction we’re going. My gaze swings over to him, a question clearly written in my eyes.

“I left my office in a hurry. I have unfinished business to attend to.”

“Oh.”

Whether or not that means he’s taking me afterward or he’ll have someone pick me up, I’m not sure.

He pushes out of his seat and rounds the car while I stay in place, unsure of what to expect next, and then opens my door and extends his hand to me for the second time today. I gingerly take it because if I didn’t, he would just force me out anyway.

With my hand clasped in his, he leads us up to his office with silence surrounding us. As soon as we step out of the elevator, though, he releases me and rushes toward his desk.

“Shit.”

He closes out of something on the screen, but not before I see what looks like his living room on there. My stomach pitches and my eyes widen. Was he watching me this whole time?

No, he couldn’t have been. Otherwise, he’d have known what I was a lot sooner.

Regardless, he was watching me today, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

One of his big hands glides through his hair as he stares down at his desk in thought, then he reaches for his desk phone but pauses, turning toward me.

“I need to get Thomas in here. Go sit down and keep quiet.” There is no please or pleasantness in his tone. It’s just a demand to do what he says or else. He must see me leaning toward finding out what the or else is because he stands a little straighter. “Or would you like him to know what you are as well?”

That has me keeping quiet and obediently shuffling to the chair on the other side of his desk.

If he’s not planning on telling Thomas, does that mean he’s keeping it quiet for now?

With his gray eyes on me, he lifts the phone to his ear and presses a button.

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