Page 17 of Lily

She was shaking badly now. Was it possible Marco could really rescue her? She started crying harder than she’d cried in months. She tried to keep it silent, but her pulse was beating so hard she couldn’t be sure she was succeeding.

“Talk to me, sweetheart. I’m in my SUV now. It’s going to take me about thirty minutes to get to you. God, I’m so fucking glad to hear your voice.” There was so much emotion in his words. “I’ve been worried sick. I haven’t slept in months.”

More tears fell. “Hurry, Marco,” she whispered. “I’m so scared. If he finds out…”

“Tell me where you are in the house, sweetheart.”

“Third floor, on the back side. There are six bedrooms up here. Mine is the second one on the left. The rest are empty.”

“Who else is in the house, Rose?”

“Just Master.”

“He doesn’t have any guards, not inside or outside?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen anyone. People come and go, but no one who works for him. He told me he fired his staff and replaced them all with me.” She’d certainly done three people’s worth of work every day since she’d arrived.

“Where is his bedroom?”

“Second floor. Right at the top of the front staircase in the center of the house.”

“Are those the stairs I will take to get to you?”

“No. They only lead to the second floor. The stairs to the third floor are at the back of the kitchen.”

“Is there any reason you can’t sneak down to the back door or even out of the house, sweetheart?” He asked this so gently, not accusing her at all, though she knew by his tone he was wondering why she hadn’t done so before.

She shook her head as more tears fell. She would never get out of here. She hadn’t thought of this problem. Even if he came for her, she couldn’t get out without the key to her collar.

“Rose?” he asked softly. “Talk to me.”

“I have a shock collar,” she informed him, feeling the hope ebb. “It will injure me severely if I step out the door. I can’t take it off. He has the key.” A sob escaped before she could stop it.

His breath hitched. “Deep breaths, sweetheart. I’m going to get you out of there tonight. You hear me? I will get you.”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her, but she didn’t believe him. It was too painful to hope he might be right. She held the phone close to her chest, trying to block the light. She held her breath and listened for any indication that her Master might have discovered her deceit.

The house was silent as far as she could tell.

“Is there an alarm on the house, Rose?”

“Yes. The panel is just inside the kitchen next to the fridge.”

“Do you know the code, sweetheart?”

“Yes.” She blew out a breath. Finally, she knew something useful. She’d watched him enter it at night for weeks until she’d been certain she knew it.

“Good girl. Tell me.”

“Six four seven eight three two.”

“Six four seven eight three two. Got it.”

She was pretty sure he’d somehow written it down while driving. “But the door is also locked. It locks on the inside, too. I can’t open it.”

“Locks, I can pick. Alarms…I can’t silence easily. Stay with me, Rose. I’m getting close. Where are you exactly?”

“In bed, under the covers. He has cameras on me. I’m praying he’s asleep and hasn’t noticed me moving or heard me talking.” She’d kept her voice to a whisper, but her Master could hear everything she muttered when he wanted to. The fact that he hadn’t heard her meant he’d turned off the monitor to silence it while he slept.

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