Page 65 of Cara
“Idid it?—”
I look up, my eyes widening as I see his discolored face quivering with rage, glaring at me. He is visibly discomposed as he brings himself to his knees, raising his arm against me.
Not too long ago, my first instinct would’ve been to cower before a man consumed by anger. I’m surprised that none of my muscles flinch, that my eyes don’t even shift from him when he resorts to strike me—and stops just before.
I nearly killed him. His outrage is justified.
However, beyond training purposes, I would kill any man who laid a hand on me. I would bend my world beyond repair to protect myself this time.
He drops his arm, feeling betrayed as anyone would when their feelings are used against them.
I'm heartless enough not to care.
I'm not here to satisfy a man’s loneliness.
“Congratulations,” he snaps before turning to leave me in this place. “You win.”
“Cara, the dining hall is open. Come on.”
Unwinding the tape that protects my knuckles, I climb the stairs, glancing toward Isaac’s room. The door is shut. At some point, I’ll need to apologize. Not right now. I gesture for the others to continue. “I’ll be right over.”
As I reach my room, I hear Victoria’s voice.
My stride lapses, my feet lurching to a stop.
“I did what you asked. I said what you wanted me to say. What more do you want from me? I want to go back. I want to see him. It’s been a year!”
When she turns, I’ve already pressed myself against the wall, hidden from view. “No, come on. This issofucked. This has gone way beyond us. Do you know how long I’ve beendealing with this? Lying? He already thinks she’s dead. What more are you going to do to them?”
Her voice sounds distinctly different. Desperate. Tearful.
“Tell my father to release him. I’ve done what he asked. I found her. I…” She lowers her voice. “Of course, I heard about Madrid. No, she’s not going to leave. I just told her about him. I'm leaving. I don’t care what you say. I'm not going to be here when you come for her?—”
My hand slips from the cold metal.
The clammy frost seeps directly into my veins, corrupting my composure. Disbelief and dread only last so long… then rage takes over.
She didn’t bring me here to free me.
She brought me to keep me hidden… hidden from Xavier.
I could laugh—if I weren’t so fuckingmurderous.
The years I’ve spent crawling through life, always running, trying to find the will to get through each minute, each second, settle in this moment. As she breathes frantic whispers in secret, I let the grief—the betrayal—inhabit my heart, allowing it to take shape. Mold into something that will change the course of my life forever.
The door swings open.
Victoria visibly recoils at the sight of me in the doorway.
My eyes drill into hers. With each passing second, I feel a little less human—a bit more monster.
I enter the room silently, forcing her to stumble into a corner.
“I had no choice, Sophie.”
My training is handy in moments like this, when despair could easily cloud my actions. As Isaac taught me, I breathe in and out steadily, lowering my heart rate until my hands stop shaking. This way, when she makes a frantic decision, like sprinting for the door, I can anticipate it.
My elbow slams into her back.
