Page 111 of Sharing Silence

It does make me feel better. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled it, and I wolf it down, and two glasses of water. Bullet sits and watches, head tilted, like he’s making sure I eat, too.

When I finish, Ryker collects the tray and asks if I want any more. I do, but I shake my head, eagerly waiting for him to take me to the brothers.

“Now?” I ask, and he nods.

He leads me upstairs, and I pause when I realize we’re heading back to the room I woke up in. “Where are we going?”

“You should shower and put clean clothes on.”

Fury overtakes the pain in my head. “No. You’re delaying me. You’re doing this on purpose!”

“Silence, you haven’t showered properly in two weeks. You need to get clean, get into fresh clothes. Zayden is in the other wing, and he isn’t going anywhere.”

We stop at my door. I clench my toes into the carpet, glancing down the hall as if I could somehow see through brick and glass to finally lay eyes on the men I love after what feels like an eternity.

“Promise me you’ll take me to them,” I say, and I hate how weak I sound. “Swear on what we had.”

Ryker’s shoulders soften. “I swear, Rose. On everything.”

Something uncertain curls in my gut. I want to run, but I don’t know where, and judging by the size of this place, I’d get lost. But if I step into that room, he could lock it behind me.

“I’ll wait in the bedroom,” he says, as if reading my mind. “Is that better?”

I nod stiffly. “Come on, Bullet.” The dog follows as I go back into the bedroom. Ryker takes some clothes out of a bureau for me, and I go into the bathroom with Bullet, locking the door.

My shower is fast and in no way a relief. Despite the lock, I keep my eyes on the door at all times, and Bullet lays in front of it. I scrub my hair, clean myself, and then I’m out, dry, and dressed. But the clothes aren’t mine. They fit, but the jeans and sweater aren’t something I’d usually wear.

Ryker is waiting by the door, hands in his pockets when I exit the bathroom. I’m thrown back to the night at the hotel. How charming he was. How he’d kissed me.

“You lied to me.”

He tenses. “And I hate that.”

“No, you don’t. Because you’d have already apologized for making a fool out of me. What if I’d slept with you thinking you were someone else? Do you know how violating that is?”

He flinches. “I wouldn’t have allowed it to go that far.”

“Don’t lie!”

“I was in love with you!” he bites, cheeks flushed, and I back up slightly. “Yes, it was fucked up of me to kiss you, but I allowed myself a moment of weakness for a woman I looked for for a fucking decade.”

I close my fingers into fists. “That’s not an excuse.”

“No, it’s not.”

“And you still haven’t fucking apologized.”

“Would you believe me if I did?” He locks eyes with me, and I say nothing. “I’ll take you to see them.”

With Bullet on my heels, I follow Ryker through the house. I’m glad I at least have socks on, because some of the hallways aren’t carpeted. The wooden floor is chilly, even through the material, and I rub my hands together. The home is … strange. Some doors have no handles, others have bolts on the outside. I pass several indoor windows, the glass painted black, and when we pass what looks like an indoor greenhouse, I can’t help but stop.

“Unusual, right?” Ryker asks, but I say nothing. “The property was previously used to hold particular prisoners.”

Curiosity gets the better of me. “Particular?”

“Ones with information. Ones that acted out.” He pauses at the greenhouse door. Inside is a jungle of plants, the glass sweating, the rich smell of soil meeting my nose. “Certain medicines were grown here. Ones illegal if brought in from other countries.”

I frown. “Like what?”