Page 32 of Blood Lust

“Is your dad here?” Again, his reply was a shake of his head. Was it my imagination, or did he look increasingly sad with each question?

Then the panic set in. Shit. Did they leave him alone with me? Fucking hell, I didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a kid. Wouldn’t a good parent want to ensure their kid was going to be safe with whoever they left them with?

Wait. I’d heard noises in the apartment. Maybe the nanny was here—unless the noises had been the boy. That’s when I realized I had another problem.

I’d crawled into bed naked. So until he left, I was stuck in my bed.

Great.

“Charlie? Who else is here?” I whispered.

He darted a glance toward the door, then jumped to his feet and took off running down the hall.

Aaaand he left my door open. Great. I had raised my head to witness his departure, but didn’t think about asking him to close the door.

Shit.

When I finally got up, I hurried to my still-packed suitcase to throw on another pair of PJs. Once I was safely covered, I stretched and yawned. Then I wondered what I should do.

Jesus, should I stay in my room? Should I go see who was here? Maybe it was Gabriel. If so, he had some explaining to do. I’d ask to have a private word with him. Decision made, I put my slippers on and ventured back out into the penthouse.

The place was huge.

I mean, it encompassed an entire floor of a Chicago high rise. Maybe two, since the main living area had ceilings so high, they had to be at least fourteen to fifteen feet tall. There was also an outdoor patio that had stairs leading to what seemed to be an observation deck above the bedrooms.

If I was truthful, the place was impressive—and must’ve cost a fortune.

Perks of running the mafia, I supposed.

I peeked around the corner at the end of my hall. The same woman seemed to be dusting as Charlie sat at a massive table, coloring. He glanced up at me, then at the woman.

She paused and turned to face me. “Are you feeling better?”

Warily, I nodded.

“You obviously met Charlie.” She sent a stern look his way, and he ducked his head.

“He didn’t bother me,” I assured her. The last thing I wanted was for the poor kid to get in trouble because his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

She set down her dusting wand. She motioned for me to follow her. “I’m supposed to show you this.”

Feeling awkward, I didn’t move until she glanced over her shoulder and lifted her brows.

I scurried after her.

She brought me to the tall doors I’d noticed next to the office that Pietro and I had entered the apartment through. It was the craziest thing too. A smaller bookcase that matched the one down in Gabriel’s main office hid a three-to-four-person elevator connecting the two floors. I’d noticed another button that went lower than the main office too. I could only guess that it was a secret escape route.

Smart, really.

Once I was behind her, she gave me a small smile and made a production of opening the doors wide. Then she stepped back.

I gasped. It was a library. I’m talking amassivelibrary. Complete with a rolling ladder, the bookshelves seemed to go on forever. The ceiling was as high as the one in the living area, and books filled the shelves from the floor nearly to the ceiling. I slowly spun as I took it all in.

There were two couches and two chairs, paired with ottomans, positioned in the center of the room complete with side tables. Classically elegant lamps were strategically placed around the seating area.

In awe, I slowly strolled along, trailing my fingers over the spines of book after book. Everything from classical literature, non-fiction, mysteries, romance—you name it and they had a section. It was breathtaking.

Realizing the woman was still waiting by the door, I turned to face her. “It’s incredible,” I breathed.

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