Page 67 of A Twisted Arrangement

That’s not true. I know he won’t hurt me.

One knock is all it takes for the guard to turn toward me, his eyes lowering to my tits before snapping up. “What is it?”

My hand cups my ear, and I mouth some words in my best attempt to fake the inability to hear him. Putting on a show, I huff dramatically and point at the front door. His eyes dart from the door to me, and he shakes his head no, turning away.

I pound the glass with my fist using all of my strength, making it rattle. The hard surface groans, and the guard’s eyes go wide. If I break it, I will definitely get hurt, and he knows it.

“Fuck,” he cusses and punches in the key code. The door cracks open, but I push against it, throwing all of my weight until it’s wide enough for me to fit through.

The clear night tempts me to make a run for it now, but that’s not the plan. No, the plan is to take advantage of this poor guy. I almost feel bad for him.Almost.

I lift onto my toes before he can stop me, and he visibly shivers when I bring my lips to his ear.

“I need some tampons.” I don’t. My period isn’t coming for weeks, but he doesn’t know that.

Pink flushes his cheeks. I’m playing dirty with this one, but hey, it’s not my fault this guy is embarrassed by girly things. “I’ll let Matthias know.”

Images of big bad Matthias standing in the store, flustered by the million options before picking out tampons, makes me smirk. I pull back from the guard, having acquired what I need just as his phone starts to ring.

“You better get that.” I step back into the house, smirking at the now pale guard.

He brings the phone to his ear and flinches as the door shuts, lock sliding into place. My heart’s thundering, sending my pulse rushing through my ears, elation building inside me, but I’m not done yet. I flip the sharp blade of his knife that I lifted from him so it’s pointed up, the flat side pressed against my wrist. The folds of my skirt engulf my hand. I can practically feel the cameras on me as I make my way back into my room.

Grateful that I had the foresight to leave the drawer open, I crouch, angling my back to the camera, taking care to keep the blade tucked so it’s invisible. This is the riskiest part of my plan. I knew I could get it away from that guard easily enough, but all it would take is a camera I didn’t locate coming from a different direction, and I’d be screwed. My throat tightens, making it hard to swallow as I transfer the knife to the back of the drawer, then take out an oversized sweater.

I pull it over my head, the hoodie dropping to mid-thigh and warming me. Matthias’s fresh scent envelops me and has a calming effect. I countdown the seconds with each inhale, waiting for a guard to come busting in and confiscate the blade. After what feels like forever but is only a few minutes, my shoulders drop. I did it.

There’s a bubbling feeling rising in my chest, one that sends shivers down my spine. I lean into it, wanting it to fill me completely. Brown eyes with gold centers have my chest aching. There will be no going back from this.

I scan the room. Everything is still in place, except for my laptop placed on my nightstand. How did he even get this? Stepping closer, I see the white note placed on top.

Behave

- Your husband

I crumple the note, head into the kitchen, and let out a long breath at the hundreds of emails waiting for me. It’s going to be a long night.

Chapter 33

Matthias

I groan,leaning my head against the sofa cushion as I search through Liam’s computer drive. I hacked in before killing him but haven’t been able to trace down who sent him the video. I’ve taken a deep dive through his email network, and it’s the first time I’ve had hope I’ll find anything.

Scarlet’s safety is my priority. Someone who had access to the security film of her killing her father took the time to set her up. I can’t brush it off, but that doesn’t mean I’m not miserable being away from her.

I want nothing more than to go home to my wife, pin her to the wall, and fuck her senseless until she understands exactly how serious I am. The sheer amount of willpower it took to come to my place in the city instead of following her into ours is something I should win an award for.

Not to mention how hot she was blindfolded and handcuffed to me. Did she notice the way she leaned her weight against me? Somewhere deep inside her, she instinctively trusts me to take care of her. Now, I just need her to feel that way all of the time.

“You look pathetic,” Bash says from the large leather chair beside me. I decided to escape to my house, not knowing this annoying ass would show up.

I glance up from my screen, glaring at my youngest brother. I miss when he looked up to me. Then I didn’t have to take his constant shit talking. I’m so looking forward to the day some girl puts him in his place. He won’t know what hit him.

Bash tilts his head. “What are you smiling about?”

Unable to hide my smirk, I say, “How much I’m looking forward to your downfall.”

He huffs through his nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?—”

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