Page 5 of Psycho

“I don’t know how to just sit here.” To reason with her, I tried explaining myself. “I’m not an idle person, P. I have a job and responsibilities and stuff I need to see to. And sitting here in the dark iskillingme!”

She chewed on her lip and looked off toward the house. “What if I made Dane update you?” She asked, and I scrunched my eyebrows at her in speculation. My sister’s desperation to get me to stay was evident, but I wouldn’t be fooled. “I mean it, what if we went upstairs right now, and he told you what he knew? Maddox is here and they’re working on it, and if he tells you what he knows, will you stay?”

My brain misfired on the name I only heard once that night I was rescued, and I fought to keep my face devoid of anything as I mulled her offer over. Did I want to know exactly what Dane knew about my royal fuck up with the Hell Eaters? Yes. Did I want to know when I could go back to my old life, if ever? Also, yes.

But was the main reason I wanted to go up to his office simply to see the bear that rescued me that night in the daylight? Definitely.

“It’s a start.” I feigned indifference, but as she rolled her eyes and then left toward the main house, I followed her in a trance.

I couldn’t tell if I was more nervous to hear what they found out about me and what I did, or to see the bear again.

Fucking hormones.

I slid my hands in my hoodie pocket and followed Peyton up the stairs and to the ominous door into Dane’s office. My sister looked over at me and gave me a reassuring smile before putting her finger over the scanner and opening it up.

“Women present.” She called out like the men were going to be caught doing something indecent as we walked in.

At his desk, Dane sat and talked with the bear that stood behind him, its weight on his shoulder as they looked at the screen to discuss something shown there.

Maddox.

The enigma.

My gaze drifted across his immense physique as he leaned down towards Dane, and I struggled to remember even a fragment of his heroic rescue from the basement. But it was all blank.

For days, the same repetitive questions had played out, continuing relentlessly in a monotonous cycle.

Did he carry me?

Did he fight his way in? Or our way out?

Why did he get involved at all?

And why was he still involved?

“Puppet, how’s Liv?” Dane asked as he stared at his wall of screens. A part of me was massively jealous of the spread he had. The amount of work I could get done with that layout—whew.

“I’m fine, thank you.” I replied, and both of their heads snapped up from the video they were watching and looked over at me.

“Hi.” Dane said, pushing his chair back, but not before locking his screens with a kill button. “How are you?”

I shrugged and leaned against the wall to avoid staring at the burly man to my right. “I’m going home.”

Dane surprised me, he just leaned back in his chair and smirked. “You don’t have a home anymore.”

I squinted at him, “What does that mean exactly?”

“It means,” He stood up and leaned on the edge of his desk to face me head on, “That I ended your lease. So, youtechnicallydon’t have a home.”

I didn’t particularly like my apartment, but it had been mine. Gritting my teeth, I looked over at my sister where she sat on the couch, “You’re actually into this domineering stuff?”

She pursed her lips and cocked her head at me. “It’s for your own good.”

“I can’t stay here.” I huffed. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of your help, but I’m suffocating here.”

Dane’s eyebrows dropped over his dark eyes and the bear crossed his arms behind him, finally tempting me to look up at him and the reaction was the same as the first time I saw him while I laid in his bed.

A bit of fear. A bit of wonder. And a whole lot of something else I wasn’t ready to admit to.

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