Page 22 of Guarded By the Phantom

This was my only bargaining chip, and I refused to let it go. My plan depended on his cooperation. I was determined to get it.

His expression rearranged into a grimace, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Standing so close in bright daylight, I saw that the main structure of his face remained motionless. What moved were small parts that looked like bonelike yet mobile pieces of tissue in the hollows of his cheeks, around his jaw, in his forehead, and around his brow ridges. The entire thing was creepy yet mesmerizing.

“Please, don’t do it,” he said grimly, clenching his fists. “If I get one more strike for inappropriate behavior on my record, I’ll spend the next year guarding some boring, self-important old man who barely goes out and smells of feet. That’s what my boss threatened to do, and she always keeps her word.”

I bit back a grin, a wave of relieved joy flooding my chest. Finally, something went right, and I now had plenty of room to negotiate for what I needed.

“Oh, so you do that sort of thing a lot, huh?” I asked, folding my arms on my chest. I couldn’t help gloating. This small victory made me feel so big after a long time of feeling small and helpless.

Phantom sighed and looked up, seeming resigned. “This thing? Believe it or not, it’s the first time it happened. But yeah, I’m not exactly a choir boy. So, what will it take? You want something in return for letting this go, don’t you?”

“Don’t tell my mother what I do when she isn’t home,” I said fast, my heart drumming in my chest. “I’m not stupid. I know I can’t ditch you, and I won’t. You’ll come with me everywhere, but I need you to keep it secret. As far as she’s concerned, I attend my lessons and behave like a perfect lady.”

He studied me for a long moment, his black, armored fingers tapping against his bicep. I bit the inside of my cheek to keepmyself from squirming as he regarded me. Because what if he refused? Would I actually report him and risk losing his protection? I was terrified he’d call my bluff.

“Fine,” Phantom finally said, reaching into his pocket for a black cigarette case. He lit one, holding it between his teeth. I glimpsed something like dark flesh glistening in his mouth before he pulled the cigarette away, blowing smoke out through his nose hole.

“I’ll do it,” he continued before taking another drag. “But if you get yourself in danger or engage in risky behaviors, I’ll have to make a report. Your parents are paying me, doll.”

I bristled, shooting him a filthy look. He ignored it, blowing out so much smoke, his face disappeared in a cloud of it.

“I’m not your doll,” I hissed. “And I’ll be safe. I just don’t want my every step to be monitored.”

I couldn’t risk my mother getting wind of what I was doing. My plan didn’t even involve anything dangerous or bad, but I needed to do things I was forbidden and shielded from, like eating what I wanted, visiting public places, or mixing withcommoners, meaning normal people.

My goal was to learn how to function in the real world. I also wanted to find out if there was a way to resist mind control.

Because I was done being a puppet. I wanted to live on my own terms.

“Monitored,” Phantom murmured under his breath, puffs of smoke escaping his mouth. “Do they watch you around the clock?”

“Not so much now,” I said with a shrug. “She trusts me to act properly, and I mostly do. When I was younger… Ah, doesn’t matter. Do you have a car? Mine has a tracker, and besides, I’m supposed to always take my driver.”

He stilled, giving me a long look. “They track your car’s location?”

I shrugged. It wasn’t as bad as it sounded. “Yeah. For my safety, mostly. So? Do you have a car?”

He took a long drag, grinned, and blew the smoke right in my face. I gasped and inhaled out of shock, coughing. It was foul and scratched my throat, filling my lungs with fire.

“I have a ride,” he said once I straightened, my eyes watering. “Ready when you are, princess.”

“Don’t do it again,” I gritted out, my voice husky from coughing.

He laughed openly before taking another big drag from his cigarette, the tip burning bright for a moment.

“I’ll do what I fu—freaking please. You get one favor and that’s it. If you want another, wait until I fu—do something stupid again.”

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “Why do you keep stuttering?”

This time, I was prepared when he tried to blow smoke in my face. I ducked out of the way, giving him an angry look. “Come on! Stop being a jerk!”

“Then stop being so pretty when you’re angry,” he shot back, throwing the cigarette butt on the ground.

I gaped at him, lost for words. “How is that… What do you… What the fuck is wrong with you?” I exploded, my anger obliterating my manners.

My voice sounded shrill, and my entire body boiled hot with fury. He had no right to make fun of me that way! It was so humiliating. Like calling me pretty was such a big joke, because—what? No one would call me that seriously?

I was reasonably attractive. I had to be for the magazines and other media to like me so. Though, I usually appeared in public with my face full of makeup, and that had to make a difference. My face was bare now. Maybe that was why he made fun of my looks.

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