oor, I could feel the tension hanging thic

but it was the kind of silence that screamed of unsp

bag down before he was on me

was a low growl, the kind that sent a shiver down

his. "What was I thinking? I was doing my jo

e lives," I shot back, the words

ust stand

eep your head down and stay out of trouble. Not to get involve

y throat, but I swallowed it down, r

, the anger in my chest burning

girl, hiding from God knows what, and you showed

nt. But then he was back, the

fferent, and

flooded back, vivid and sharp. "You broke into that house, Caleb. You

ace, the cold grip of Caleb's hand around my arm as he pulled me away. My heart pounded in my chest, the fear I felt b

hed, his eyes nar

have you forgotten what that

ng feeling of his hands on me, the smell of sweat and fear. I hadn't forg

g just slightly before I steadied it. "But that doesn't

hand. "You were a mess. Alone. Vulnerable. And now look at you safe,

itter on my tongue, the t

around as your obedient wife, when we bot

nd twitching at his side. For a moment, I thought he might act

y," he warned, his vo

uld think to stop them. "I won't. I'm tired of this, C

snarled, his voice rising, the anger boiling over

l than I intended. They echoed through the room, bouncing off the

broken through to him. But then his face twisted into a mask of cold fury, and he to

idea how good

e trembling with bar

urself. You're done at that hospital. No more work, n

. I stared at him, my mind reeling, trying to process what he'd just sai

ed, his voice like ice

one thing that kept me sane, that gave me a sense of purpose in this twis

out at him, to do somethin

dy trembling with rage and fear, my mind

he one thing that made my life bearable. But as I looked

lders slumped, and I could see the satisfaction in his smirk, the way his lips curle

sound cut through the air, drawing both of our attention. He pulled the phone out

shoulders released, he was avoiding my gaze enti

d answered the call, his voice dropping int

ir. Und

I could see the way Caleb's posture stiffened, the way his hand t

s quick and jerky, like a man on the edg

ver this mysterious boss of his called, lik

ended the cal

turned back to me, his fa

something cold, detached, like he'd

that made the hairs on th

and devoid of the anger that

et dr

off guard by the

tand, What? Whe

dead-eyed look that made my skin crawl. The silence str

ur new

nfusion swirling in

ce barely above a whisper. "

his presence looming

heavy with an unspoken meani

s boss. The man I'd never met, never seen, never even heard of outside of Caleb's cryptic mention

with me?" I asked, lifting