Page 74 of Cruel Betrayal

The voices—and the footsteps—are following me. The two men don’t sound alarmed, so I don’t think they spotted me. But they will if I don’t get the hell out of here.

I take off, running through the mansion at as fast of a pace as I can manage in these damn heels. It puts some distance in between me and Ludo’s men. Unfortunately, my current path is only bringing me closer to Ludo’s office—the worst spot in the house to get caught. How the hell am I supposed to claim I got lost when I’m heading toward the other side of the mansion now?

Shit, shit, shit. How am I supposed to get out of this?

I rack my brain, thinking of another way to get back to where I need to go. But all I can think of is the second staircase that leads downstairs. It’ll put me in the wrong section of the first floor, but it won’t be as suspicious.

Thanks to Aubrey’s request to keep security light, I shouldn’t run into any more of Ludo’s men up here. As long as I can stay far enough ahead of the two guys behind me until I get to the staircase, I should be golden.

Okay. Second staircase it is.

It’s pretty much a straight shot from here. All I have to do is run for a minute or two. As long as I can make it before Ludo’s men turn down this hallway, I’ll be golden.

When I come up on the staircase, I almost cry with relief. The hallway opens up to a large balcony on my right with the steps after that. Below, there’s a large foyer with a pair of French doors that lead into the greenhouse I remember seeing in the blueprints.

In the foyer, there’s a man nervously pacing. I’m about to find a place to hide, but he turns, and our eyes lock.

Rhett. Oh, thank god.

“What are you doing on this side of the mansion?” he hisses. “Get down here.”

I step toward the stairs, but then I freeze. Someone is whistling. The tune is familiar, and I recognize it instantly as the same one I heard Ludo whistling when he left me in the pool that night in Florida.

It’s him. He’s going to catch me near his office, out of breath, with absolutely no reason to be over here. Oh no no no no no.

The whistling is getting closer. There’s definitely not enough time for me to get down the stairs before Ludo sees me.

Quickly, Rhett moves so he’s below the balcony. “Jump.”

“W-what?”

“Jump, Wren,” he whisper-shouts.“Now.”

My heart is beating wildly as I gather up the skirt of my dress. “You’ll catch me?”

“Always, sweetheart.”

The fall is barely even a full story, but it’s still intimidating. As I climb over the banister, I keep my focus on Rhett.He won’t let me get hurt. I know he won’t.

I take a shuddering breath before I let go.

For a split second, I’m falling, and then I’m in the safe hold of Rhett’s arms. He barely even grunts before steadying himself and setting me down. Somehow, I’m able to gain balance quickly, which is a miracle considering these heels.

Ludo’s whistling is much closer now—too close. There’s nowhere to hide. Getting caught in this area of his mansion isn’t as suspicious as getting caught upstairs, but we’re right by the steps, and—

“Just follow my lead,” Rhett murmurs, cradling my face with one hand and pulling me close with the other. His arm locks around my waist, and I don’t realize what he’s doing until his lips meet mine.

I let out a surprised squeak before almost dropping the makeup bag. Then I grab onto his suit jacket, stumbling when he walks me backward and into a wall.

“Rhett,” I gasp. He shoves my legs apart with his knee until his thigh is pressed tightly in between mine. The skirt of my dress pulls tight as I moan into his mouth.

His kiss is heated and greedy, and it’s almost enough to make me forget that it’s just a performance. One of his hands grips my waist as his tongue dances with mine. I let myself get lost in the kiss, in the way the scent of cedar and sage envelops me and his body shields me from view.

Ludo’s footsteps sound close, and then his whistling stops. There’s an unsurprised chuckle before he says, “Can’t keep your hands off each other for a single night, I see.”

I jump, but Rhett barely moves back at Ludo’s words. His eyes hold a warning for me: play it cool. Problem is, my nerves are so frayed, I don’t know if I can.

“Saw her walk by and had to steal her away for a minute.” Rhett manages a cool smile before turning to face Ludo. “Suppose I should let you go, though.”

---