Page 70 of Ensnared
“I love you, too,” he murmurs into my hair.
He helps me with the last of my baggage, stacking my two suitcases and Princess Penny’s carrier by the door. He picks up the box of mementos Alice sent me, and that’s when I feel something strange.
“Hold up.”
I’m not wearing my bracelets—there’s not much for me to destroy anyway, and I’ve been feeling more relaxed and in control than ever, so I didn’t bother putting them on. It’s how I sense that something battery-operated is hidden inside the box.
Jack sets the box on the floor and steps back to give me space. I kneel and open it, then peer inside. It’s chock-full of things, and it’s difficult to see what’s what. What the hell is giving off that buzz of electricity?
If it was just a gadget with a battery, like a vibrator, I wouldn’t have felt it if it was switched off. Not to mention it would be completely mortifying to think that Alice had to packagethatup. I should text her and say she shouldn’t open that pink zippered pouch she probably found at the bottom of my underwear drawer.
I rummage through the box and take items out one by one. An untidy pile of old and forgotten things forms at my feet. Then I come across a small metal box, decorated with a cherry blossom pattern. It’s probably something I picked up at a drugstore for my hair ties, then forgot about the purchase only days later.
It rattles, though, and weighs more than I would have expected. I pop the lid, and find… Whatisthis?
Jack peers over my shoulder. “What’s that?”
I take the small black device out of the box. “Uh…I have no idea.”
I turn it over, shake it, then listen to it closely to see if it’s ticking or whatever. It doesn’t emit any noise, and only a blinking green light indicates it’s on.
“Is it yours?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Shit.” He takes it from me and studies it. “We need to show it to Aiden immediately.”
“Whatisit?” I demand, standing and peering up at him.
He grimaces. “I’m not sure, but if it is what I think, we’re all in deep shit.”
Twenty-Four
Skye
I’m nota fan of running, but you better believe I do my best to keep up with Jack. I clutch his hand to keep from stumbling in the dark. We reach the Lodge in record time and rush straight to Aiden’s office.
“What—?” He starts, already halfway out of his seat, when he realizes it’s us. “Hey, you two.”
There’s an awkward pause, and we all stare at each other. The last time I saw Aiden, his pants were undone and his t-shirt splattered with the evidence of his pleasure. Now, there’s no time for that.
“We found something in one of the boxes my sister sent me,” I blurt out without preamble. “It’s a device of some sort.”
Jack produces the black gizmo and hands it to Aiden. “This is it.”
Aiden takes it and puts it on the desk between us. “It’s a tracking device. Fry it. Immediately.”
I blink at him. “What? Why? Don’t you want to know what…?”
“Fuck,” Aiden curses. Then he clenches his fingers into a fist and slams it with incredible speed on the device.
It shatters, black plastic flies everywhere, and I shriek, recoiling. The force of the blow makes an indent in the desktop; it now bears the rounded imprint of the device. The buzzing I heard from the device stops immediately.
“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, my voice growing shrill.
Aiden stalks from behind the desk. “You tell me.”
I back away from the force of his anger. “I didn’t do this! I never saw that thing before. Why did you destroy it?”
