Page 20 of Tower

Peter told her if she went outside someone would be with her, but she didn’t see anyone when she stepped onto the bottom landing. No men guarded the front door, and she couldn’t see anyone in the large living room right off the stairwell.

She made her way to the front door, thankful her soft-soled shoes didn’t make any sound. After another look around and assuring herself she was indeed alone, she grasped the knob and sighed happily when she found it turning with ease.

The door opened silently, and she squeezed through a small opening and gently pulled it closed behind her. It had been dark when Peter drove her up to the house the night before, but she had a good sense of where she was. She needed to get outside the gates then down the hill to town. Once there, she could grab a cab home. Santos would pay the driver once she was there.

But first, she needed to get through the gate. All she could do was hope the mammoth from the night before wasn’t there. Unless she could find another way through. If he was there and she had to abort her attempt, she’d at least learn a bit more of the layout. She’d been sneaking out of her own house for many years; she could manage to get out of this place.

She slowed and tried to see through the slim windows of the security house. If the mammoth was in there, he was hiding pretty well. The next thing she’d need was to get inside the building and find the mechanism because she doubted the wrought iron gates would open manually.

Shielding her eyes from the bright afternoon sun, she checked the guard house again. Still no movement. Maybe it was only manned while Peter was away.

The door to the guard house was unlocked, and she made quick work of getting inside. She found the switch easily enough and reached for it.

But before she touched anything, she could hear the subtle creak of the iron moving.

Peter hadn’t mentioned leaving, but he hadn’t told her anything except he had work to do. Maybe it was just a visitor. She could still get out, get away from the house.

Pressing against the wall, out of sight through the window, she held her breath, waiting for the vehicle to pull through and continue up the drive.

Nothing.

Was it idling at the entrance?

A car door slammed, and heavy footsteps made their way to her hiding spot. She squeezed her eyes closed and turned her head away from the door.

A deep chuckle blasted through the silence.

“Azalea.”

She willed the voice to go away.

“Azalea, I can see you. Closing your eyes doesn’t make me actually go away.” Peter’s levity made her heart stop pounding or the hairs on the back of her neck stop standing on end.

Realizing she’d moved up to her toes in an effort to completely flatten herself against the wall, she lowered herself and opened her eyes. Peter hadn’t come inside; he was leaning through the open window.

“You were trying to run away again.” He pushed the door open and walked through.

“I—” There wasn’t much sense in lying, since he’d caught her. “What did you expect me to do?” she asked instead.

“I expected you to stay on the grounds like I told you to. I expected you to have more sense than to use the front entrance as a way of escape.”

He wasn’t wearing his suit. A simple buttoned-down white shirt tucked neatly into black slacks held up with a thick, worn, black leather belt. She could make out some of his tattoos through the thin material of his sleeves.

“If you hadn’t come home just now, it would have worked.” She thrust her chin up. Given the darkening of his scowl after she spoke, it probably wasn’t the best time to proclaim such a small victory.

“Did you honestly think I didn’t have men watching you? Did you really think you’d merely open the gates and walk out of here?” His voice deepened, sending a chill up her spine. The levity disappeared.

“I—” She snapped her mouth shut. She hadn’t seen anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. “So, one of your men called you? Tattled on me?”

“I gave you freedom of the house, the yards, everywhere, and still you try to leave?”

“You are so stupid!” she yelled. The events of the past day were too much. All of it had worn her down. “You can’t kidnap a woman and expect her to simply fall in line! I won’t stop trying to leave. I won’t stop trying to get home! You can’t keep me!” She lunged at him, shoving at his chest and trying to make it out the door.

His thick arm wrapped easily around her throat, yanking her backward until she crashed into his massive chest. Breath couldn’t come fast enough, her lungs heaved for air.

But not him.

He simply held her, his breathing easy and soft against her ear.

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