Page 9 of Castle

“I did.” I lied.

I read through the entire file, and couldn’t help but think about the women that were hired here for this job before me.

Why were they fired?

She served me a very appetizing looking waffle topped with whipped cream and strawberries. I thanked her and knew this was my chance to do some investigating.

“Susan, is it alright if I asked you something about Castle?”

“Go ahead, honey.” She said, pouring me a cup of coffee.

“Does Castle normally stay up late after midnight?”

Her bright mood suddenly turned gloomy as she stared into the distance at a memory. “He likes to run free most of the time, so they let him. Mr. Montgomery thinks there’s no harm. There was a time when they used to lock him up in his bedroom at night because the Caregiver who was here before you, Tracy suggested that, and she…” Her eyes suddenly turned red, and she snatched a few tissues as she cried, “she harmed the poor boy. Tracy would beat him, and let him scream, and he kept banging on the door, wanting to be out. She was a disgusting woman. The caregivers that came before her weren’t any better. I often found wounds on Castle’s body inflicted by them.”

“That’s awful. I wish I was here sooner.”

She took my hand in hers. “Please do the right thing by Castle. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“I will, I promise you. Is there anything else that I should know about him?”

“He won’t talk much because he can’t remember some words. You need to figure out what he’s trying to tell you, dear.”

“I’ll make a note of that. Thanks, Susan, that was helpful.”

I left the cook alone after that since I didn’t want to upset her more than I already had. It was quite clear the previous caregivers failed to understand him on a personal level and abused him.

If I wanted to be his friend, I knew I had to at least try to make an effort, and for what it’s worth, I knew handling Castle would still be a piece of cake compared to living with my uncle where he treated me like an object, and nothing short of a maid.

I closed my eyes and let the memories flood me. I needed to forget that life!

This was a fresh start.

I went upstairs to his room after breakfast and found the door unlocked. I still knocked on it because that’s basic curtesy.When I didn’t hear an answer, I turned the knob and stepped inside.

The television was blaring, an old rerun ofTom & Jerrywas on.

Unlike the last time I was here, someone had put all the books back in their place. The room was dark, no lights were on, and the drapes were pulled shut, so I walked to the French windows and opened them. The natural sunlight flooded the room. I didn’t miss how there were bars on the windows.

I could hear the shower running, and a few minutes later, Castle walked out of the steaming bathroom with a towel hanging over his hips.

He stood frozen on the spot, surprised to find me in his room.

“I…I knocked on the door before entering,” I explained stupidly.

His hair was still wet from the shower, and his brown eyes looked almost golden in the sunlight. He had broad shoulders and a body that was sculpted like a Greek God; with a set of lickable abs and a trim waist. There was a faint dusting of light brown hair on his chest that looked so soft, I wanted to touch it. The trail disappeared into dangerous territory.

Castle might be cuckoo, but his body was right as rain.

Oh, God! It was so wrong of me to check out a man who wasn’t in his right mind, and I felt extremely guilty, but that didn’t change the fact that he was ridiculously gorgeous.

His dark eyes flashed towards me as if he knew what I was thinking. He looked at the open windows and back at me, his fingers curled and uncurled as he charged forward. I took a few steps backward in fear of what he was about to do, but he walked past me, and that gave me time to notice some scars on his body, darker on his wrists and a jagged line across his back.

Castle pulled the drapes almost harshly, bringing the room into darkness. He was facing the other side when the towel slid down and I had a perfect view of his round backside.

Heat crept over my neck, “I’m-I’m…sorry, I’ll leave.”

“Stay.”

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