FOR THE ENTIRE drive back to Montague Manor my mind was filled with Nox. These weren’t the same images I conjured in my bed. These were real.

Lennox Demetri was more than sex, though I adored everything that man did and would do. Together we’d continued to search for my hard limit, but as of yet, no matter what he suggested or what we tried, we’d failed to find it. Though I always knew that no was an option, thus far, I’d not found the reason to say it.

In the last few months, Nox had become so much more than the man at Del Mar. He’d become my best friend. It may be too soon to say soul mate, but he was close.

He’d not only filled my days and nights with passion, but also with love and security.

I looked to the front seat. The men Alton employed didn’t create the sense of safety I felt when with Nox, or even what I’d felt during the few minutes I was with Isaac. To the man driving the car, I was a job, an assignment. With Nox I was half of a whole. From the way he’d ask me about my day, to the way our fingers intertwined as we walked, we completed one another. I’d read about connections like ours, and they sounded like a fantasy—ours was a reality. The phone buried in my backpack proved it. Even separated, we were one.

I rolled the platinum diamond-covered cage between the pads of my fingers and sighed, knowing that Nox hadn’t given up on me. He knew what was happening and was still trying to help me.

Of course he knew: he had Deloris. I didn’t know how she did what she did, I was just glad she did. Not only that, they’d figured out my clue, letting them know that Isaac had avoided Alton’s radar.

As I watched the passing scenery and contemplated calling, I found my cheeks raising, bringing a smile to my lips. I needed to get myself under control, but the anticipation had me almost giddy. For the first time since I’d entered the limousine last week, I had real hope, knowledge that soon I’d hear Nox’s deep voice. I thought about my explanation. I wasn’t naive enough to think he’d like it, but he would accept it, as I had accepted his explanations.

My smile grew shy as I considered how things might be different if we were talking in person. I fidgeted against the leather seat as I imagined his hand reddening my behind. The phantom sting shouldn’t turn me on, but it did. I’d taken real punishment in my life, and what Nox delivered was not the same. I’d willingly take his hand or belt, because when they delivered the burn, it was but a precursor for the high that would follow.

I squeezed my thighs tighter as my mind filled with sensual thoughts.

The scenery alerted me that Montague Manor was near, lessening my fantasy and smile. I would explain everything to him, from the will to the engagement ring. I’d tell him the truth and share my plan. In the days that I’d been in Georgia, I’d spoken to those around me. I’d answered questions and made small talk. I’d agreed to a life I didn’t want and I’d even indulged Suzanna in her quest for planning.

When our paths crossed, as they occasionally did, I’d said a few words to the person I’d considered my best friend. And whenever possible I’d talked in small snippets to Jane. However, since our heartfelt reunion that preceded her dismissal, we’d kept our discussions generic and focused on the household activities.

Through all of that, I hadn’t shared. I hadn’t opened up.

At first I was worried that my room was monitored. After all, my new tablet was. When Alton gave it to me, he’d said it was only for use with classes and made it clear that he’d know if I used it to contact anyone else. I hadn’t, but I had done a search for microphones and monitoring devices.

I had a plan that if questioned, my research was for a class case study. The truth was I’d wanted to see what the devices looked like, how small they could be. I was overwhelmed. The average person on the street could purchase small almost-undetectable cameras. ‘Nanny Cams’ is what many of them were called—outlet covers, clocks, picture frames, and even light bulbs. Some were fitted in electric razors, belt buckles, and makeup mirrors. If the possibilities were that limitless for the average person, I couldn’t fathom what a professional could obtain.

It took me an entire evening, but I searched every square inch of my room. I unplugged my clock and unscrewed every light bulb. I even unscrewed outlet covers. My mind told me I was paranoid, but my heart wouldn’t let me stop looking.

I didn’t find a thing, nothing unusual.

That didn’t mean that I planned to talk to Nox in my room. Fighting back the smile, I decided that a nice long walk in the gardens was definitely in my future. First I had to learn why I’d been summoned back to the manor.

We passed through the gate, leaving our trailing SUV behind and approached the manor. As we came closer, Bryce stepped onto the front porch. A quick check of my watch told me it was only a little after three in the afternoon. He should be at work, not here. Quickly, I fumbled for my new ring and shoved it on my finger. With the excitement of the cell phone, I’d completely forgotten.

As the tires rolled slowly over the cobblestones, I searched for answers. Why was he here? What had happened? Since I’d just left my mother, I knew she wasn’t the issue. As the car got closer, I made out Bryce’s expression—his rigid features, ruddy complexion, and clenched jaw—and knew that something had.

The car had barely come to a stop when my door opened. It wasn’t the driver who’d opened it; he was still in the front seat. The man at the door’s handle was my fiancé, barking orders as he opened the door wider. “Alexandria, get out of the car now.”

What the hell?

“Bryce? What the—”

“Now!” He repeated, shoving his hand my direction.

Rebelliously, I avoided his touch, reached for my backpack, and eased myself out of the car. Before I could ask again, he gripped my upper arm.

“Tell me you’re not that dumb.”

“Tell you what?” I asked, turning toward him while trying to free my arm. “Bryce, let go of me.”

“Get used to my hands on you, darling, and take my advice.” He leaned down, his menacing whisper spewing warm, moist breath close to my ear. “Don’t say another word. I sure as fuck hope you’re not as stupid as he thinks.”

My heart raced with my possible crime. I’d played their damn game. I was wearing the ring. Had the driver told them about Isaac? No, James. James Vitoni, that was his name.

Pulling me forward, Bryce dragged me into the manor and through the entryway. Digging my heels in did little to slow his process. The marble floor created a skating rink for my flat-soled shoes. “Stop it!”

Bryce’s steps stalled and he looked down at me. His hold of my arm didn’t loosen though his glare took the pain away. Blood drained from my cheeks as I stared at this man, the one I thought I knew. My circulatory system forgot to work as the world wavered and I fought to remain conscious. This stare, this expression, wasn’t Bryce. This was my stepfather reincarnate. Rage and wrath surrounded him, oozing from his every pore. It wasn’t only visible in the depths of his gray eyes. It was palpable. The sting returned as more of my arm’s circulation was cut off.

“What, Alexandria? What is your excuse this time? I’ve stood up for you. I’ve fought for you to see your mother and take your damn classes, and this is what you do?”

The air around us was filled with a sickening scent. It was like the heavy, calm dampness before an intense electrical storm. The tiny hairs upon my arms and back of my neck stood to attention, small soldiers prepared for a battle. It was coming… I just wasn’t sure why.

“What? What do you think I’ve done? I’ve done everything you and Alton said. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His jaw clenched as he stared down at me. “I fucking hope you’re telling the truth. Not only for your own sake.”

Goose bumps materialized like needles pricking my skin as my tiny soldiers prepared for battle.

Bryce didn’t wait for a response as he pulled me toward the office.

Alton’s expression matched Bryce’s as we crossed the threshold.

“Alexandria, sit.”

Bryce shoved me toward a chair at the long table.

Rubbing the feeling back into my arm, I stumbled toward my newly assigned seat. “What the hell is—?”

I hadn’t noticed Suzanna; however, as our eyes met and the sting of her slap resonated from my cheek, she had my full attention. I stood taller. “If you ever strike me again, I will see you on the floor.” My threat rumbled through the regal room.

“You are a Montague,” she began, undaunted. “It’s time you started acting like it. Crude language will not be tolerated.”

“And who the fuck do you think you are?”

This time I caught her hand before it connected, squeezing her wrist.

“Alexandria…”

She didn’t finish her plea as Bryce seized my shoulders from behind. “Sit,” he said, pulling out the chair he’d shoved me toward earlier. “Mother, step back.”

I turned in time to witness Alton with my backpack, unbuckling the main compartment. I hadn’t even realized I’d dropped it.

“Would someone tell me what you’re doing?”

“I recognized him,” Bryce said.

“Who? You recognized who?” As I voiced my question, I recalled Isaac with me at the hospital when Nox and I’d gone to see Chelsea. Isaac had stayed with me while Bryce wanted to talk.

“Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you,” Bryce said, his arms crossed over his chest as Alton turned the backpack over and emptied the contents onto the table. The pink pouch Isaac had handed me was like a beacon under the glowing ceiling lights as my tablet and book slid to freedom.

“What are you doing?” I asked Alton. Turning toward Bryce I said, “I don’t know whom you’re talking about.” I scrunched my forehead. “Do you mean the man at Magnolia Woods? Are you all this pissed because I had a conversation with a brokenhearted son of another patient?”

I waited, but the cell phone didn’t appear. The inner pocket where I’d placed it had a zipper. I prayed I’d closed it.

Alton handed Bryce the pouch. “Make this easier,” Bryce said, holding the pouch. “Alexandria, tell us what he gave you. You can still help your mother.”

I sat taller. “I will help my mother. That man, James… somebody… Vitoni, I think he said, is the son of a patient at the facility. He said his father doesn’t even remember him. I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”

“He works for him,” Bryce said. “I remember him from when I visited Chelsea.”

Though the way he worded that made my skin crawl, I remained focused. “I guess he does look a little like Lennox’s driver.” I’d been forbidden from saying his name, but damn it, I could throw words with the best of them. “Call the facility. Ask. His last name was Vitoni. I’d assume that’s his father’s last name too. That’s usually the way it works.” I said the last part while eying Alton.

The pouch was still in Bryce’s hand.

“Open it,” I prompted. “It’s my lipstick holder. It must have fallen out of my backpack while I was sitting in the courtyard. That man saw it and brought it to me.”

“And he just happened to know where you were headed?” Bryce asked.

“Do you people have nothing better to do than watch surveillance footage day and night? You should get a better pastime. I promise I’m not that exciting.”

Bryce handed me the pouch. “Last chance. Tell us the truth and you don’t have to open it.”

This time I stood. “I don’t have to do anything.” I unsnapped the pouch and dumped two tubes of lipstick and one of lip gloss onto the table. “I’ll do it to prove you’re all assholes.” I quickly turned toward Suzanna. “Don’t even think about it.”

She pursed her lips and shook her head.

“Sorry, dear,” I replied, my tone mimicking hers as I sat again. “I didn’t sign up to be your daughter-in-law, but since it looks like that’s the plan, maybe you should fucking get used to me.”

“Alexandria!”

Bryce once again seized my shoulders from behind. “Apologize.”

What the hell?

Though his grip tightened, I remained mute.

Finally, I said, “I don’t think I’m the one who needs to apologize. Let go of me and tell me you were wrong. That guy wasn’t whom you thought. The pouch is simply a lipstick holder, and this whole interrogation was unnecessary.”

Alton spoke over everyone. “I just sent an email to Magnolia Woods. If there isn’t a patient there with the name of Vitoni, this isn’t over.”

I started to stand, but was quickly pushed back down. “Stop touching me!” I yelled at Bryce.

Leaning close, he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Now’s the time to stop talking, but don’t worry, darling…” His threat dripped in syrupy sweetness. “…when I do touch you, you’ll enjoy it.”

My stomach rolled.

“Well, shit.”

We all turned toward Alton.

His chest widened with a deep breath. “Dennis Vitoni has been a patient at Magnolia Woods for the past seventeen months. His son, James, was recently located and has been with his father for the last two days.”

I shrugged away Bryce’s hands. “If we’re finished, I have more schoolwork to do.”

“No,” Suzanna said. “We have a driver waiting to take us to a quaint little boutique in Brooklet. They have the best wedding dresses in the South.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You can’t be serious? I’m not going with you to look for wedding dresses.”

“Would you prefer if Chelsea joined us?”

“No.”

“You do realize that the wedding is in less than two months and nothing has been decided. We’re going to meet with the planner tomorrow. He needs colors. You need a dress. Who is standing with you? Bryce, who is standing with you? The church is set, and given the time constraint, your father and I have decided it would be best to have the reception here.”

I was trapped in an alternate universe. Only minutes ago I’d been screaming at this woman and now she was chatting on and on about wedding plans.

“The party is Saturday night?” I tried to deflect her quest.

“Yes,” Suzanna answered.

“Shouldn’t that be your concern right now? The other stuff can wait.”

“We’re leaving,” Alton announced, picking up the backpack off the floor where he’d dropped it and throwing it onto the table. When he did, the phone’s charger sailed across the hard surface.

As Bryce started to reach for it, I stood and reached for his hand. “Can we talk before you leave?”

His eyes narrowed as he stared down at me.

My heart beat erratically as I searched for anything to divert his attention. “Please.” I tilted my head to the side. “I don’t want you to leave upset. I understand that the man resembled the driver at the hospital, but as you heard, he’s just the son of an ill patient. He’s distraught over his father. You can understand that, right?”

I reached for the tablet and one by one put everything back into my backpack, including the phone’s charger.

“Now, Bryce,” Alton said, “or take another car. I’m leaving.”

I put my hand on his arm. “Alone?”

“And then you’ll go with my mom?”

I nodded, hating myself for what I was doing, yet thankful I’d saved the phone.

“I’ll be to Montague Corp. soon.”

“Hurry, dear,” Suzanna prompted. “The driver is waiting. You can freshen up in the car.”

I didn’t respond to Suzanna, keeping my eyes on Bryce. The room lost its life-giving air as Alton and Suzanna stepped from the office. It was the first time either had done as I’d asked, and in doing so, they were leaving me alone with Bryce.