Page 43 of Power
“Wait,” she says, putting her hand up. Archer and I peer at her when she doesn’t say anything.
Her lower lip trembles. I can see her gathering her courage to say whatever is on her mind. “Do you want me?” she croaks, looking at her feet. “Or has this all been about playing with me?”
My heart almost breaks. “Hey,” I say, lifting her chin up. “We want you. You have absolutely no idea how much we want you.”
“All three of us.”
I look over my shoulder to see Finn in the doorway, dressed in black combat pants and a tee. I don’t think I’ve seen him quite so casual before.
“Bailey,” Archer says, drawing her attention back to him. “We want you. I know we have played with you, but that is because we haven’t been able to keep our hands off you. The time wasn’t right to express our wishes. It still isn’t, but something has come up that has made your safety a matter of extreme urgency. Finn will protect you. He will stay with you no matter what happens.”
Her eyes shoot to Finn and soften considerably. He has pierced her armor with his dark soul. It’s sweet and beautiful to see. It also makes things much easier. Finn is the Court enforcer, and anyone who wishes to harm Alice will have him to deal with.
I don’t envy them, and I don’t understand why anyone would willingly go up against him. But Gryphon has made a serious error in judgment, warning Bailey away from us. I wish I could ask her what she thinks about the sudden reappearance of her father after all these years, but we aren’t there yet.
“Glad you made it,” Archer murmurs, crossing over to him and cupping the back of his neck.
Bailey’s gaze intensifies as she takes in the affection. She blinks rapidly as if she isn’t sure what to make of it.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Finn replies, tearing his gaze from Archer’s to meet Bailey’s.
Archer leans forward to kiss his forehead. “Good boy,” he mutters.
“Oh,” Bailey pants softly, following it up with a soft moan. They are arousing her. She wants to see more.Hearmore.
“The rush is almost over. We can take the stairway to the ground floor and leave via the fire exit,” Finn says, his voice returning to that of his usual cool self.
“Why all the cloak and dagger?” Bailey asks, pulling away from me to retrieve her bag. She roots through to find a tissue and blows her nose carefully.
“It’s a secret,” I murmur with a half-smile.
She returns it, but it’s shaky. She isn’t ready for this, which is why we wanted to wait, feel her out more, and get her ready. Friday was too soon. Wednesday, even more so, but it is what it is.
Down the rabbit hole, we go.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Bailey
Surrounded by the three men,my clothes torn from Archer’s passion, I’m hurried down the stairs in complete silence. I have no idea what to think. This is strange, and scary and I’m seriously questioning my choices right now. I should’ve just left. I should’ve told Archer a definitivenoand run from his office, away from him, away from all of them.
This is mad.
Completely mad.
What am I doing here?
How did my life suddenly become this rollercoaster of emotion and gut-wrenching wondering of what will happen next? I’m spiraling; falling down, down, down with nothing to stop the crash land at the bottom of the pit I seem to be headed towards.
We scurry across the lobby of the building, and I’m rushed into the idling Mercedes at the curb—the same one from this morning. Archer gets in first, with me next and Owen on my other side. Finn gets in the front, next to the driver, who doesn’t say a word. What must he think of me? First this morning and now this. I guess he is trained not to react, not to listen, not to look.
I hope.
My tied-up blouse is uncomfortable, but at least my boobs aren’t on show for the whole world to see. Not that I seem to be having many problems with showing them off lately. All three men in this car, driver excluded, of course, have seen them in the last two days.
The night is dark already, the only light coming from the display screen on the dash. My three companions are quiet. Everyone is lost in their own thoughts. I have no idea where we are going or what to expect when we get there. All this talk about danger and not being ready. Ready for what? In danger from whom?
I’m going crazy with all these unanswered questions. At least I asked the one that was bugging me the most. At least I know they aren’t just messing with me, or initiating me, as Trish says.
