Page 25 of Brutal Savior

His answer unsettles me. No evasion. No “That’s classified.” Happy to show me on a map. It’s a very clear message that he doesn’t think I’m getting out of here.

And who the hell has real paper maps anymore?

Jacob stands and starts to clear the plates. There’s an ingrained polite part of me that wants to jump up and help, to thank him for breakfast and tell him it was delicious. But fuck that. I’m his sex slave, not his maid. He can wash his own plates.

He does, tidying everything away with precision that has to mean either a military background or an OCD diagnosis. The more I watch him, the more likely the military angle seems. My foster dad served, and he was just as finicky about cleanliness. He could never relax after dinner until every dish was washed, dried, and put away.

Just as Jacob finishes his whirlwind cleaning mission, his cell phone rings. He frowns and holds it to his ear. “Hello?”

I can’t hear the other end of the call, but his eyes widen, and he strides out of the room. I ghost after him as he heads into the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. I can’t make anything out, even with my ear pressed to the smooth wood.

A few minutes later, I almost fall over as he wrenches the door open. He snorts as I regain my feet.Smoothly done.

“Change of plan, love. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave you alone today, but something’s come up. I’ll be sending a babysitter your way soon, so don’t get any ideas.”

“What? Who?” Surely it won’t be Brackis. “And I don’t have any clothes.”

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath and strides off, reappearing with my grimy outfit from last night. “Not ideal, but I don’t have time to sort out anything else. Get dressed. I have to go.”

“Wait. What babysitter?”

“Someone safe. Don’t worry.”

“Safe? What the fuck does that—”

Before I can finish, he grabs my shoulders, spins me around so my back is locked against his chest, and wraps his hand around my mouth, gagging me. He loosens my towel, and it falls to the ground as he holds me tight.

“You’re going to be a good girl whilst I’m gone. I’ll get a full report on your behavior, and you’ll pay for any disobedience. Nod if you understand.”

I’m frozen for a second, then my brain kicks into gear. Whoever he sends to watch me can’t be as scary as him. If I want to get out of here, this is my best chance. Slowly, I nod against his hand as my eyes scan the living room. There has to be something I can use as a weapon.

Chapter Ten

Jacob

The eyes of thecreepy old paintings in the initiates’ building follow me as I walk away from Quinn. Every step makes me more uneasy. Leaving any brand-new Ward alone at this point would be a bad move, but with Quinn, it’s a disaster. I call Gabriel for the third time as I exit the building.

This time, he answers, sounding breathless. “Hello?”

“Put some bloody clothes on and get over to my place. Kendrick’s called me to an emergency meeting, and Quinn’s by herself.”

“What? Okay, I’ll be a few minutes. I’ll bring Eve. She liked Quinn.”

“That’s the reason I rang you three fucking times instead of just calling Seb. Try and keep her happy. I put a code on the door for you. Three, six, nine, eight. Got it?”

“Sure.” There’s a long pause as I take a second to breathe in the cold air. “How’s it going so far?”

Gabriel sounds dubious, and I don’t blame him. He’d been obsessed with Eve for months by the time he took her. The idea of me taking a random stranger horrified him. I angle toward Kendrick’s office. “She’s a spitfire, but honestly, I think I like it.”

“Okay. I’ll go get ready. Good luck with Kendrick.”

I reach main admin and summon the lift. The big man’s office is on the top floor, always guarded by two of the Gilda. When the elevator doors slide open, the two young guards wave me straight through.

Kendrick’s office reminds me of an old stately home I visited on a school trip as a kid, except that place was falling into disrepair. Kendrick’s office is pristine, from the carved doors to the rich carpet to the shiny suit of armor that stands behind his desk.

Seb nicknamed it “Sir Fucksalot,” and now, every time I visit Kendrick, the stupid name is all I can think about.

Three men wait in Kendrick’s office. The man himself, a young nerdy chap I’m pretty sure is part of the IT support team, and Hadrian Glass. He joined a couple of months after I did, but I haven’t spent much time with him. He’s working on secretive AI projects and is supposed to be a bit of a dick.

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