Page 52 of Kept

My fingers rise to cover his, the memory rushing back in. “I panicked. When he blocked off the windows. I couldn’t breathe properly, and he slapped me. I think that was the first time he’s ever actually touched me.”

“Because he had a… sensitivity to touch.”

I look at Maverick. His face is twisted with something. “What?”

For the first time, he looks away from me, his voice strained when he responds. “Zella… Ethan didn’t have an aversion to touch.”

I frown. “Yes, he did. He never touched me. Only my hair. And anytime I got close, he would freak out. He even had gloves on when he put the iron around my ankle.”

A lifetime of isolation, of being told no when I asked for a hug, of bandaging my own scrapes and bruises.

Maverick clears his throat. “Zella,” he says carefully, almost slowly. “We’ve been following him. He definitely doesn’t have any issues with touching. Ryder witnessed it many times.”

I yank my head back, staring at him with disbelief. “That’s not true.”

This is the one thing I know with certainty. There’s no way.

“You must have the wrong person,” I shrug. “I promise you, he does.”

Maverick’s lips thin. “Maybe. Don’t worry about it for now, though.”

He looks back down, his eyes scanning the page. “You spent your whole life in the apartment? You didn’t live anywhere else when you were a child?”

Shaking my head, I take a breath, inhaling the faint musky scent of his skin. His arms are around me as he makes more notes, the warmth of his skin soaking into mine through his shirt. “No. I mean, I can’t remember when I was a baby, obviously, but all of my memories are in the apartment.”

“What are your earliest memories?” he presses. “How old were you?”

Frowning, I try to think. “Maybe… six? Seven? I’m not sure.”

He makes a considering noise. “And nothing before that.”

I try to think harder, even scrunching up my face as though that will magically create a full set of memories inside my head, but all I feel is blankness and an ache forming behind my eyes. “No.”

He sighs, leaning back and running a hand down my braid. “Okay. I think that’s all I need for now.”

“What will you do?”

He grimaces. “Ryder and Enzo left a camera behind in the apartment, and there’s a tracker on his car, so we’ll know when he comes back. We tracked him to the airport, so he was telling the truth about going on a trip. When he gets back, we’ll re-assess.”

They’re tracking his car.

“Is that allowed?” I ask curiously. “To just… follow someone around like that?”

Maverick’s lips tilt up, and his hand comes up to cup my neck. “Everything is allowed, as long as you don’t get caught.”

I press back against him, soaking in the contact. After a lifetime without it, I’m cherishing every touch they choose to give me. When he pulls his hand away, I can feel my face drop.

“I have to work,” Maverick murmurs. “You’ll be with Enzo today.”

He sounds a little hesitant, but my pulse spikes, a flip of excitement inside my chest. “I am?”

His eyes scan my face, his shoulders relaxing. “You don’t mind?”

Mind? I’m nearly bouncing in place, and I scramble off his lap with a smile. “I don’t mind. Where?”

“You can go to the dungeon for today. He knows you’re coming. But remember–,”

“No going down without permission or on my own. Got it.” I nod vigorously, my feet already turning towards the door.

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