Secret Beast - Amelia Wilde Page 0,20
Constantine is crying, but she’s doing a damn good job of pretending she’s not.
From the shadowed hallway I can see inside her room. See her pacing back and forth in front of the door. Her rolling suitcase—a cheap thing, nothing like what another Constantine might own—is open on the floor, and she places her feet carefully to walk by it every time.
She hasn’t noticed me yet because she’s on the phone. I notice her. I came up here to notice her. The phone call is not what I expected. I expected tears, or sullen staring out the window, or any number of things other than a conversation with her daddy. It’s a bit late for that.
“No,” she’s saying, her expression soft. She’s not sniffling or sobbing or doing anything to give away the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m safe, Daddy. It’s not—no, this is where I should be.”
A sigh. She pads back across the carpet. Haley’s changed out of the dress she came here in, which is a shame. She’s now barefooted in a pair of skinny jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that hugs her body. The shirt is a dusky red color that goes with the room. I wouldn’t have thought a Constantine could ever look right in a room that I own, but we’ve arrived at that impossible moment.
“Dad.” Haley puts a hand up over her eyes and keeps walking. The gesture makes my heart ache. It’s so sudden and out of place that I put a hand to my chest. The pain is there, a dull hurt, and gone again. So Haley covers her eyes when she doesn’t want people to know she’s crying. It’s information, not a reason to have an emotion or a fucking heart attack.
“Daddy, please. You’re making it—” She swallows hard and when she speaks again her voice is level and sweet. “This is the only way. I know. I know. It’s the only way out of this, and I promise, it’s not so bad. I’m all right. I’ll be home soon, and this will all be over.”
Hearing her promise it is a knife somewhere in the vicinity of my ribs. That, and something else, too. A feral animal desire. If Haley Constantine thinks that this will ever be over, she’s wrong. Even if I stick to the terms of our contract and let her walk away after thirty days, she’ll live with this every second for the rest of her life.
The pain in her voice is what I wanted, anyway. There’s no point in playing games with the Constantines if they don’t hate it.
“Get some rest,” she says. “Yes you can. You can’t spend the next month in your workshop. You have to eat and sleep, and I’m going to tell Cash the same thing. Do not tell Petra. No—Daddy. Don’t tell her. The fewer people who know, the better. Did you delete his messages?”
My messages. She’s talking about me.
“Good. Now go to bed. It’s late, and I’ll call you again when I can. Don’t worry.” The hand comes down from her eyes, a few last tears shining on her skin. “I love you. Bye.”
I’m moving as soon as she hangs up the call. Haley senses it, and her eyes go wide. She scrambles to put the phone in the pocket of her jeans and is already backed up against the bed by the time I’m in the guest room. Haley wipes away the tears with her sleeve and stands up straight.
It’s too late. I saw her body trying to hide. Good instincts, but I’m going to take them to pieces. I step over the suitcase and get closer, closer, crowding her against the bed. Her lips part, breath coming faster, and it’s enough for now to watch her bend and shiver. I lean in. Let her feel the brush of my lips against the side of her neck.
And take her phone out of her pocket.
Her eyes follow it when it disappears into mine. “No—”
“Don’t argue.” I circle the suitcase, then stand over it. “Don’t fuck it up when you’re being such a good girl.” Haley’s cheeks redden at the sharp tone, and she looks down at the floor. “Giving me what I want. Saving your daddy. Fuck, you’d be perfect if you didn’t make me help you.”
Her blue eyes meet mine. “Help me with what?”
“Unpacking.” I kick at the suitcase and some of the clothes inside tumble out. I wasn’t particularly kind about the way I demanded the suitcase from