Page 70 of Royal Pain

I had to clasp both hands across my mouth to stifle a scream. As I blinked, trying my best to focus, I finally turned toward what I believed to be Gage’s side of the bed. He wasn’t there. A moment of horror flashed through me until I heard a slight noise.

Was that a snore?

When I noticed him asleep in the chair, I felt comforted. He was watching out over me.

It also meant he was nervous that the threat was real, especially since I noticed a weapon still in one hand positioned on his lap.

While seeing it made me shiver, it was also comforting that he had it in his possession.

And I hated guns.

I was still trying to control my breathing, my mind spinning with how I’d lived through what I had. I would help Gage in every way possible to get my baby back and keep him away from the monster. Make that plural.

I was so thirsty, my mouth cotton dry. Very slowly I threw back the covers, lowering my feet to the floor. I was still unsteady, hopeful there was a glass in the bathroom. I walked in, taking deep breaths. I couldn’t see one.

I needed something. I’d just go downstairs, grab a bottle of water from the kitchen, and return lickety-split.

I found a soft robe on the back of the bathroom door that smelled just like him. Something else that would comfort me.After sliding into it, laughing softly since it was basically a long dress on me, I tied the sash and returned to the bedroom.

Thankfully, I hadn’t disturbed him. I had to be grateful for some things.

He hadn’t closed the door all the way and I was thankful the hinges didn’t creak when I opened it. For some reason, the stairs seemed even more daunting. My grip on the banister was firm. The house was so quiet that it was odd. It had seemed there’d been so much activity with the cleaning girls, music, and the phone calls I’d slightly overheard Gage make. Now the quiet was deafening.

I managed to make it all the way down, my legs stronger than they’d been before. At least I felt I knew the house well enough I wasn’t disoriented. As I padded to the kitchen, I continued listening, but it was silly to think anything was going on. I’d been impressed with the security system. It was amazing and made me feel safe.

The kitchen was glistening, the light on over the huge Wolf oven. I couldn’t help but admire the oversized room. I could swear I smelled fresh bread. As I walked closer to the refrigerator, glancing at the counter, I realized I’d been right.

One of the girls had made homemade bread. When? Uh-oh. When we were fooling around in the lagoon. Oh, well. Hopefully, they hadn’t gone blind. I almost giggled, which was a good sign my resolve hadn’t been cracked. Fuck the past.

I grabbed a bottle of water, taking a longing look toward the pool. What an incredible afternoon. That I’d allowed myself to enjoy the day surprised me, but it meant I’d needed a mental escape. That was normal. Right? It had to be.

As I headed for the stairs, I wondered if Gage had a second gun he would allow me access to. After I’d left, taking classes and going to the shooting range had been one treat I’d given to myself, purchasing a small handgun afterward.

It was locked away where Damien had zero access to it, but at least I knew where it was hidden.

I was almost at the stairs when I heard a blip coming from the system.

Stopping short, a trickle of fear almost stifled all movements. However, I remembered what he’d said about wildlife. Maybe I could catch sight of something adorable on camera. If they had adorable feral creatures out here. I rolled my eyes, my stupid thoughts making me snort.

Yet I still wanted to see. It would make me feel more comfortable.

The system did seem easy to use and I flipped to the cameras, it only taking a second before I figured out how to scroll from one to the other. I didn’t know what the blip was about as I didn’t see anything.

Until of course the very last frame. I blinked as I tried to figure out what I was seeing. The one thing an infrared camera did was distort the subject. However, when I zoomed it up, I could swear what I was looking at was a dog somehow trapped in brush, possibly briars.

It was whimpering. That was for certain.

Ah, fuck. I might not have ever been allowed to have a dog, but I’d always cared so much about them, promising myself that one day I would have one for my sweet boy.

I chewed on my lip as I watched the poor thing struggle. Maybe I should awaken Gage. No, he’d make fun of me or act as if he didn’t care. It was silly to most but not to me.

Sighing, I placed the bottle of water on the table, trying to figure out where the particular camera was. Close. Maybe twenty feet from the house. I could do this. I could free the pup and be back inside before the blink of an eye. Maybe he’d be pissed but he would need to understand I couldn’t allow an injured animal to suffer. That wasn’t me.

I studied the system again, feeling confident I’d turned it off. I winced as I unlocked and opened the front door, breathing a sigh of relief when an alarm didn’t start buzzing. After clicking the two lights on, I headed out, lightly closing the door after me. I only hoped I could do this quickly.

Gage

Something jarred me awake, the feeling sickening as I jerked up to the edge of the chair. Shit. I’d fallen asleep. At least the weapon was still in my hand. After raking my other hand through my hair, I did what I could to shut down the disorientation.

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