39

39
Kaela woke up to emptiness. She blinked groggily, her body sore and warm from the night before. She was in her room, but for some reason, she felt like she shouldn't be here.

Her heart pounded as last night's events came rushing back. Oh no, no, no, no, she groaned, sitting up and clutching her hair.

How could she mess up so badly and actually beg him to stay after all the horrible things he had done to her? She was definitely under the influence of something because no other explanation could suffice.

The sheets pulled around her bare skin as she turned and stared at the empty space beside her. He hadn't even given her the courtesy of waking up beside him. A hollow ache formed in her chest.

Of course he had taken her to her room before the crack of dawn, like she were someone he couldn't afford to be seen with. She should have known better than to lose control. Now her last shred of dignity was gone.

Clenching her jaw, she swung her legs off the bed and forced herself to move.

There was a fresh set of clothes at the bedside table, right beside her birth control pills. Her maid had come here, and she had refilled the pills she figured since they were finished before.

Pushing down the sting of rejection at how easily he dismissed her, she got herself dressed. First off, she had to speak to Dante, to tell him to cut the crap and stop avoiding her like he was a child.

And most importantly, she wanted to ask him about Jayden. She needed to know what he was doing here, where, and if he was in any danger. She should be able to know and warn him beforehand. Anything to make his job easier so that he could get her out of here quickly.

One glance in the mirror told her that her hair was looking like a bird's nest. With an angry grunt, she grabbed the brush and forced it through roughly.

She managed to have the hair up in a messy bun, and then she practically ran out of her room. She wanted to see him before he ran off to work again like he usually did—that is, if he hadn't gone already.

There was no guard in front of her room, just as there was none yesterday night. That was really strange, but at least today it would be to her advantage. In her rush, she had a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something—something important.

But she had no time to sit and think about it. She had bigger things to worry about.

Dante stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows of his home office, phone pressed to his ear. His entire body was tense, his mind locked onto the conversation.

"This is risky," he muttered.

"Risky is an understatement," Sasha replied smoothly. "But I had no choice. If I didn't take it, they'd have used it against you today. Consider it me saving your sorry ass."

Dante rolled his eyes, ignoring her jab. He knew it was more than that, Sasha. You didn't do things to just be nice. What's in it for you? Why are you going through this much trouble for me?"

"Thank you for the reminder that erasing evidence for you is not in my job description," she snapped.

"Fine," Dante sighed, resigned. Whether she was just being nice or not, his establishment was in her hands at the moment.

"I'll be on my way to burn the papers immediately after I get off this call," she informed him. "But we need to talk, Dante. Sit and talk."

"I don't have time for a meeting right now, Sasha," Dante countered, "especially not one that's impromptu."

"Well, I guess I'll be returning these"—on his end of the phone, he heard the rustle of papers; she was teasing him with them—"back to Caius's vault."

If he hadn't seen the documents already and realized how they would implicate him, he would not be giving her the time of day. "Fine. Where?" he demanded.

"Highwaters Lounge. Usual time," she replied. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Done."

As he ended the call and spun around, he blinked, surprised by the woman standing behind him with a frown on her face.

"What do you want?" His tone was clipped, dismissive. Kaela did not like that.

"We need to talk," she replied.

"We don't have anything to talk about."

Her stomach twisted at his cold words, but she held her ground. "You've been avoiding me and treating me like a prisoner. Do you know how that feels?"

Dante exhaled sharply, already losing patience. "I don't care about your feelings, Kaela. They won't fetch me money, and they won't help me secure my businesses."

"You can't keep doing this to me," she cried as he stepped around her.

"I thought we made your place here clear enough," he asked.

"And I told you what to do if you don't want me anymore," she replied. "You can't discard me and pick me up at will."

"Actually, I can." He smirked. "And last I checked, you can never resist me."

The reminder hit her like a blow. "You're a bastard, Dante."

His smile only widened. "I know."