Page 83 of Cruel Master
“You’re right. Her early speech was childlike. It’s possible. It could be her.”
Juliet frowns. “If it is, then who is she trying to warn you about? Has anything else happened since you shut her down?”
My gym bag moved.
Someone coughed in the woods.
I haven’t told anyone because the thought of sitting in front of Kendrick or Jacob and telling them that my gym bag moved is mortifying. But Juliet will get it. She’ll understand.
“I need to go back a bit. Do you need a glass of water? This could take a while.”
Two hours later, we’ve worked through every possible iteration of the problem. Juliet asked for a pad and pen, and papers are covered in her neat, round handwriting. She’s practically glowing, and there’s color in her cheeks as she makes a bullet point list.
“So, see if we can get a recording of the actual call with the person who was supposedly Candice. I can’t believe you didn’t do that right away.”
Neither can I. When Kendrick and Jacob took me into the woods, I was so blindsided by all the information they threw at me and so shocked by the recording of Candice speaking to Juliet that I didn’t think to make the most basic requests. I was already concerned about Candice, and they confirmed my worst fears.
Quinn was right. No trial. No chance to prove herself. Guilty until proven innocent. I’d never have let it happen if I wasn’t so distracted by Juliet. I never learn from my mistakes. I got so caught up in my obsession to create Candice that I destroyed my marriage. Then I became so wrapped up in Juliet that I failed to protect Candice when she needed me.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath while I let myself feel the guilt. I jump when Juliet’s hand rests on my knee.
Since I took her, every touch between us has been deliberate—sexual, delivering punishment, or practical in nature. We haven’t touched each other for reassurance, as she’s doing now. The last time I felt that sort of touch would have been when we were still married.
God, I’ve missed her.
I lay my hand on top of hers as she says, “She’ll be okay. From what you’ve described, you built her tough.” She pauses, then adds, “I really want to meet her.”
I open my eyes and search Juliet’s face for signs that she’s faking interest. I’m primed to expect a lot of false acceptance over the next few weeks. She’ll pretend to be happy in her role as my Ward in order to gain freedom to plan an escape.
All Wards go through it. Maybe I’m naive, though, but this feels genuine. I look right into her wide, green eyes. “Why?”
She frowns at the question. “Why wouldn’t I? You did it. This is amazing!”
Amazing? No, I don't buy it. She never thought my work was amazing. I shake my head. “You hated it. It hurt, Juliet. It hurt more than you can imagine for you to be so afraid of what I was doing. You reported me—”
“I wasn't afraid of what you were doing. I was afraid ofhow. It was dangerous! Rushed. You had no safeguards and didn't want to hear a word I said." She pauses and looks away. "Believe me, I tried. You didn't want to hear it.”
Instant denial flares up, ready on my lips, but I hold it back. We’re not a married couple bickering. I’m her master. I need to be better than this.
And…
She has a point.
In those early days, when I first caught hold of the edge of what might be possible with Candice, I barely slept. I worked into the night, every night, chasing what I’d just started to believe might become reality. If I force my mind back, I can remember worried questions from Juliet. Pleas to listen. Arguments. Slamming the door so I could get back to what really mattered.
Shit.
Her face is tight when she meets my gaze again. “Turning you in was the last thing I wanted. It made me sick, Hadrian. Physically sick, but I didn't know what else to do." Her eyes glisten. "And then you were just…gone.”
I shut down every attempt she made at contact. I tried to erase her from my thoughts. But the more I tried not to think about her, the more she crept into my brain. And look where we’ve ended up.
Not that I can pretend I regret it.
Juliet takes a deep breath, then asks a little too brightly. “So, if Candice didn’t poison you, who did? Who is the bad man?”
“That is a very good question.”
Bad man. Like the man Juliet was supposed to meet up with the night I took her? We still haven’t found him, and at this stage, I don’t think we will. He hid his tracks so effectively even Brotherhood resources couldn’t trace him.
