I look up to find him watching me closely as I sink into a chair. “Sorry… I saw him put the code in. I know it.”
“But you might be wrong.”
“I’m never wrong.”
He grins at me as he sits down next to me.
“Stop grinning. Your look of happiness while all of this shit is going on is irritating.”
“I can’t! That’s what happens when someone says something hilarious.”
I narrow my eyes at this horribly annoying yet strangely charming man. “It’s not funny. I know I’m right because I tried.”
“How long ago was this?”
We’re both in a staring contest now. “What would you say if I said it was about a year ago?”
“I’d say that this is going to go amazingly well. I’m so glad I risked my life for this.”
I give him a huge smile. “Me too. Now don’t let me down. You’ve been slacking a little and I really hope you’ll pick up the pace.”
He nods vigorously. “I will, sir. Thank you. Now I’m going to find us something to eat. Try not to get abducted, killed, or eaten while I’m gone.”
“Who the hell is going to eat me?” I ask before glancing at the beast at my feet. I shudder as he stares at me with his calculating eyes. “The dog?”
Shepherd shrugs. “You’re kind of cute all disheveled. I wouldn’t cross it off the list just yet.”
I wave him off. “Get me some Cheez-Its and a Mountain Dew.”
“And… where is your money?”
“Your money is my money.”
“Sure, sure,” he says as he hurries out the door, leaving me in the room alone. There’s a small bench, so I go over to it and curl up so I’m lying on my good arm. My other arm throbs and I feel unbelievably tired. Maybe I’m just mentally tired or maybe my body knows how fucked I am.
As I listen to the near silent noise of the hospital and the dog’s panting, I can’t help but wonder if I’m going to be okay. Am I going to get away from all of this? Is Shepherd the answer to escaping?
But maybe I don’t deserve to escape.
After all, I know the answer to what Tony is looking for.
Age Seventeen
I jump when I walk into the kitchen and see a woman I don’t recognize sitting at the breakfast table. I guess I just wasn’t expecting anyone when I came down the stairs at ten o’clock at night.
“Well, hello there. I didn’t know anyone else was here,” she says with a huge smile. She’s pretty in a Hollywood kind of way. A lot of makeup that accentuates her big eyes and high cheekbones. Her shirt is cut low, breasts nearly tumbling out as she shifts on the barstool chair to face me.
“It’s my house.”
She looks surprised. “Oh? I… thought we were alone.”
She couldn’t have thought that. If she knows anything about my father and his money, which is probably why she’s here, she knows my mother is upstairs lying in her bed.
“Get out,” I growl.
She raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think you were the one who invited me or owns this house.”
She only has to look around the house to see how much money my father has. She seems to think she’ll get a piece of it if she can hook him. Hell, the necklace she’s wearing covered with real diamonds that sparkle even in the dim kitchen lighting probably came from my father.
“You’re not welcome here,” I say as I step into her space. It immediately makes her uncomfortable, even though she’s older than me, probably mid-twenties. She sits up straighter and her eyes narrow.
I step past her as her eyes follow me. The moment I grab a knife that’s lying on the counter, I turn to her. She slowly gets up from the chair.
“William?” she calls.
“He’s not coming for you,” I say as I step into her space. She immediately takes a step back, and I realize I’ve got her.
There’s stubbornness in her, but fear of what I’ll do is overriding it as I keep moving forward. “William!”
“Get out of my fucking house!” I yell.
Fear fills her as she turns around and rushes for the front door. I don’t stop following until she’s through the door and I’ve switched the lock in place. Then I return to the kitchen where I see she left her phone.
Fuck.
“What’s going on?” Father asks as he comes into the room. I quickly grab an apple