Page 49 of Obsession & Oath

“You need Carmen back to negotiate with,” I realize with a pang of something closer to fear. Strange as it was, it hadn’t taken me long to get used to the idea that we would be here for months. To have that time suddenly cut short…

But Rocco is shaking his head. “I just need evidence that Carmen is still alive.”

My brain short circuits. “That…that doesn’t make any sense. Surely Amos is desperate to get his daughter back? Why else would he take his rival’s wife captive unless to make the trade?”

“Unless Mia is more valuable to him off the board,” Rocco counters with a grimace. “It’s Leon that’s doing the negotiating here. I need evidence that Carmen is alive so that Amos has an incentive to keepMiaalive. He’s not interested in getting his daughter back yet.”

Objectively speaking, I can see that Amos has gained the upper hand here. No doubt Mia was making things difficult for him, and it wasn’t like Carmen could do anything for the Cartel beyond her betrothal to his closest ally.

But Carmen was hisdaughter.

Why wasn’t he moving heaven and hell to get her back?

* * *

Carmen didn’t acknowledge me as Rocco took the photos and collected the hair samples—entirely overkill, but Leon wasn’t messing around when it came to Mia.

In fact, beyond monotonously reading out the script for the video, she didn’t say a word to either of us, silently doing as she was told and returning to the dungeon when we were done.

At least Rocco seemed content in the knowledge that her obvious loathing of me had no means of escalating into something romantic. He said as much as he departed the castle the next day.

“It suits you, you know?” Rocco says as an afterthought, already one foot in the car he’s supposed to be leaving in. “This place.”

I follow his gaze up to the architectural wonder that is the face of the Iron Castle and can’t help but marvel a little at it, too.

“I’m not sure I’d ever be able to leave,” Rocco muses before throwing one last wave over his shoulder.

I stand and watch as his car drives through the front gates and linger a moment longer, something stirring deep within me that I’m not sure how to confront.

It takes a nearby songbird to pull me from my reverie, and I force myself to relax again. Rocco has gone. There’s nothing to suggest Leon needs us back so soon. Everything can go back to normal now.

Normal? Since when has staying here felt like the norm?

I shake the thought away as I beeline for the dungeons. An odd sense of excitement haunts my every step despite knowing, logically, that I’m about to pay dearly for my disrespect in front of Rocco.

When I arrive, Carmen is sitting motionlessly on the bed, pointedly ignoring my existence even as I unlock the cell door.

“He’s gone.”

She says nothing.

“Carmen. He’s gone.” I wait a moment to see if she’ll look at me. She doesn’t. “You know I couldn’t be seen being lenient on you. They would get the wrong idea.”

“And what idea is that, exactly?”

Her sharp words make me bristle with irritation. “You and I both know thatthiswill not end well. We can’t be anything to each other.”

“Okay, fine.” Her caramel eyes are blazing. “I just didn’t expect that I would benothingto you either.”

“You forget your place, Carmen. I care for you, but you are still my ward. You are myprisoner.”

The word rings out between us, deafening, despite the fact I never raised my voice.

Finally, she lets out a huff. “I don’t think I ever realized just how selfish you were.”

“Let's go back to your room.” I refuse to let her get under my skin and open the door to the cell wider.

She doesn’t move.

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