to the ground as I walked the perimeter. There were no signs of a breach of any kind, no footprints either. I moved in through the back of the house, cutting the security system then carefully checking every room and window for signs of an intrusion. Being cautious had kept me alive on several occasions. I would be forced to evaluate just how long we could stay in this location.
But for a few hours, we would be safe.
I checked the lock for the hidden room as well, breathing a sigh of relief that everything was exactly as I’d expected. I would never forget how I’d laughed at my father’s insistence every safe house have a secure and hidden room. I’d thought the idea alone was overkill, a waste of time and money. Perhaps my father had been right after all. I had learned a hard lesson with regard to Javier. There were always people waiting for the king’s power to be sabotaged. Then the truth regarding loyalty would be revealed. This particular situation would prove the theory.
Finally satisfied, I moved toward the front door. There was nothing but the indication the caretaker had indeed performed his job recently.
Panic.
The intensity of the unusual feeling wrapped its claws around my heart, leaving me unable to breathe easily at first. Savannah hadn’t remained exactly where I’d commanded her to. As I moved through the forest, my mind had difficulty processing that she would have dared defy me. Did she not understand what was at stake? Could she not comprehend the kind of danger she was in?
Fury reared its ugly head as I stormed back toward the house and the moment that I noticed her sitting on the front porch, I almost lost it. I grabbed her arm, yanking her into the house. I took the time to engage the security system as she struggled in my hold.
“Jesus. Let go of me!” she insisted, managing to jerk her arm free and tumbling backwards several feet.
“You didn’t follow my rules. I told you to stay right there! Right. There,” I huffed, locking the door and raking my hand through my hair as I calmed my breathing and my anger.
“You were gone for ten minutes. Ten. What the hell was I supposed to think? I had no way of knowing whether something had happened to you.”
“And what were you going to do if that had been the case? What weapon do you have to take out an assassin?” With two long strides, I’d closed the distance, looming over her as I fumed. “You’re a stupid little girl if you think you’d have a chance against any of Calleja’s soldiers. They would enjoy tearing you apart after using you in any and every manner they so desired. Do you understand me? Do you?”
While she stood her ground, her eyes narrowing, I could see the slight quiver of her lower lip. I allowed my gaze to fall, noticing the dirt covering her arms, the smudge on her face. The woman had been through hell and back.
“So you’ve told me more than once. Would you like to go into graphic detail about how they’d use me? Would that make you feel any better, or do you prefer simply punishing me again because I was actually worried about you?”
Her words cut through the bullshit and the anger. Hissing, I backed down, even taking a step away. “You just don’t understand what we are facing.” I would never have expected to hear that she cared. How the hell could she after what I’d put her through? This entire situation was getting out of hand. I wasn’t going to stay on the run for long, which meant I needed to find a truly safe location for her to stay until Alviro and his men were taken out. The only problem was I had no idea where that would be.
If my brother had found out about her, I had to guess that one of Calleja’s soldiers had managed to as well. I could put nothing past him. Nothing.
“What we’re facing is your enemy, Rafael, and from what I can tell, one that has gotten to you personally since this jerk is responsible for the death of your brother. I get it. I really do. I’m not a stupid woman, no matter what you think, and I am certainly not a little girl. Before I dared to come onto the porch, I made certain that I did a quick five point search of the