Page 52 of Tied

Chapter 25

Riley

No funny business, he said.

Does that include eavesdropping? Did he even consider that possibility?

It doesn’t seem so because I hear him talking surprisingly well as soon as the door closes behind him. I have just enough leeway to move close enough to the door to press my ear against it. His voice is muffled, but I can still tell that he’s tense and stressed. He speaks fast and clipped, only giving quick responses to whatever the person at the other end is telling him. I can’t make sense of it because there’s too little to hold onto.

But then he says something that strikes me.

Because it seems that he’s talking about me.

“Yes, she’ll be ready.”

He’s moving away from the door, his voice becoming more distant and too faint for me to understand.

Then he comes back. He’s pacing up and down the hallway, seemingly unaware of how well or poorly I can hear him behind this door.

“Yes, the deal is still on.”

My heart skips a beat and I stop breathing, my ear pressed firmly against the door when he says something that shocks me down to my very core.

“She’ll be yours,” he says. “I’ll get her to you once this is done. Just like we agreed.”

I freeze in panic, my eyes widening as my lips part in a silent cry for help.

And it doesn’t get any better when he adds an even more frightening prospect.

“That’s up to you,” he murmurs vaguely. “You can do whatever you want with her.”