Page 40 of Obsessed

Ten marches back toward me in her flouncy dress and nails me across the face with a stingingslap.

There is no way I expected the conversation to head so quickly south, but I can't let go of the idea that she's been with him in his underground sex den formonths.

She rubs the sting out of her palm. "You couldn't stand that your partner was on something big and you weren't going to be a part ofit."

I stare wide eyed at her, speechless for a second. "Really? That's why you think I did all this? You don't fucking know me at allthen."

"I can't think of any other reason. All I know is now you've put us both in danger. Your pretty fiancée must be going crazy without you there to help pick chinapatterns."

I scratch the beard that's sprouting on my chin as I try to figure out how to respond. "Yeah, well, that didn't really work out. Tiffany broke up with me. It finally dawned on her that she could do a lotbetter."

"She's a fool. But yeah, she could probably do a lot better." She smiles weakly. "I'm sorry, Maddox. I'm sure you were broken up about it just like I was—" She stops and seals her lips in a tight grin. "Anyhow, what's going to happennext?"

Maddox tilts a brow. "Shit, this isn't promising. I was just going to ask you that. Figured you had some insight into the man'spsyche."

Ten sits on the side of the bed. She is too skinny. The muscles in her arms and legs have all but vanished. She's a frail shadow of her former self, but there's still Tennyson spunk under the surface. It's in hereyes.

She crosses her arms against the cool ocean air in the room. "He's the most complicated man in the world. Must be the genius thing. I think there's something major in his past that shaped who he is, and whatever it is, it's not good and wholesome. There are times when I despise him, and other times when I look forward to seeinghim."

"That's the drug," I say quickly, more to appease my own jealous feelings than to explain her affinity for theman.

"No, I don't thinkso."

I'm not sure how to interpret her statement and decide to leave it alone fornow.

"Why do you think he brought us both to his yacht?" I ask. "Seemsstrange."

She nods. "I agree. Especially after the last time he brought mehere."

I sit down next to her. Her arm touches lightly against mine, but I resist throwing my arm around her shoulder. Everything seems tangled between us at the moment. I can no longer read her and predict her next words like I could for solong.

"So you've been on the yacht before? I'm almost afraid to ask, and if it has anything to do with passion or desire, please do your old friend a favor and spare thedetails."

"Old friend," she sighs. "How sexy thatsounds."

"See, there's that Tennyson sarcasm I miss. Just not the same having Silvana in the passengerseat."

She turns to me. It seems we've both temporarily forgotten how close we are sitting. We stop to exchange a long gaze, a long and impossible to interpretgaze.

"Silvana?" she asks after the moment passes. "They paired you withSilvana?"

"Yeah, I know. Poorme."

"No," she laughs. "Poor Silvana. Silvana's like a big, soft huggable pillow. He's the perfect partner when you're feeling down. You, on the other hand, are a completeasshole."

"Thanks. Guess I have to agree. And turns out Silvana is an O.K. guy just as long as he doesn't eat burritos at lunch." I comb my hair back with my hands. It's tangled from lack of a hair brush. "Seems like you're avoiding talking about the last yacht trip. Maybe it will give us some insight into what this guy has planned forus."

"It's a little embarrassing because I did something kind of stupid." She takes in a deep breath and seems to be thinking back to that day. "I haven't really thought about it again until you brought it up." The pink in her cheeks fadessome.

"Ten? Whathappened?"

She rubs her arms once for heat and then lowers them to her lap. She stares down at her fingers, as they fiddle with the hem of the dress. "I ran. My head had cleared up because I had skipped my injection. Blake, the guy who was sort of my personal assistant was busy flirting withJason—"

"Jason? Huh, never would have guessed. Goahead."

"Anyhow, it was the first time I was above ground and on a boat, no less. Kane had some business with a realtor. He's buying an island or something," she adds quickly. "Anyhow, I talked Blake, Oscar and Jason into letting me go on shore for an excursion through the market. I was nervous as hell and feeling like shit because the drug was wearing off, but when the opportunity presented itself, I ran. And let me just say, this skinny, buzzed version of Angie Tennyson is not nearly as fast as the old one. Oscar and Jason had nearly caught up to me when I asked a guy standing next to a truck for directions to the police station. He offered to take me there. I climbed inside with him and his buddy just happy to be able to lose the big guys. I thought luck was finally with me. Only it wasn't. Atall."

"Fuck. They werecreeps?"

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