Page 67 of Dirty Grovel

My last few texts went unanswered. Considering she’s been locked up in a room for ages, you’d think she’d have time to text me back.

SYDNEY:Sorry I didn’t text sooner but I’ve been busy coming up with a plan to break outta this place.

SUTTON:Whatever you’re planning, it better be smart!

Jesse’s text comes in at the same time that Sydney’s does. She’s assuring me that she’ll be home as soon as she can. I bat away the message and focus on my sister’s thread.

SYDNEY:I don’t know about smart. But it’s definitely big.

SUTTON:Then maybe you shouldn’t do it.

SYDNEY:I have to get out of here, Sut. I can’t stay trapped in this room forever. Now I finally know how Rapunzel felt.

SUTTON:I agree that you need to get out. What I disagree with is your grand scheme. Which is what, exactly?

SYDNEY:I better not put it in writing. Just in case.

SUTTON:Then call me.

SYDNEY:I’m not alone right now. Don’t bother.

That stops me from putting my worries in text. And the fact is, I have quite a few.

My sister can be impulsive and reckless when she’s not thinking straight. And considering she’s been trapped in one room for weeks, I’m willing to bet my pinky that she’s not thinking straight in the least.

The more important factor is the man who locked her up in the first place. Paul Lipovsky is an entitled, narcissistic idiot. He’s not a real player like Oleg or the Martineks, but he aspires to be one. And on good days, he thinks heisone.

Which makes him dangerous.

And if my sister happens to be in the crosshairs of his bad temper, then God help her.

SUTTON:Will you call when you’re alone again?

SYDNEY:I’ll do my best.

SUTTON:Just *please* be careful. Don’t do anything reckless or stupid.

SYDNEY:What you call reckless, I call bold. What you call stupid, I call dynamic.

SUTTON:You’re not making me feel any better.

SYDNEY:Don’t worry, little sister. I can take care of myself. Been doing it all my life. I’ve got this.

She has a point there. She has been taking care of herself for a long time now. She took care of me, too, for a good portion of it.

But her argument kind of falls apart when you consider that she went and got herself indebted to the asshole of all assholes. A man who beats her, manipulates her, controls her, and keeps her locked up in a literal tower.

Ironic, really, what with me and my love for fairy tales—Sydney and I have gotten ourselves entangled in two of our very own.

But minus the magic and the love and the happily ever afters.

SUTTON: *Be careful*!

SYDNEY:Aye, aye, captain.

Sighing, I put my phone away and check on Teo.

He’s sleeping soundly, wrapped up in his duvet so that I can only see the top of his dark little head.

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