Reaching for her hand, I link our fingers. My eyes are glued to her face while she stares blankly ahead of her. “What are you thinking of?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Life. Work. Going back to the penthouse.”
A frown forms on my forehead. The penthouse. Not home. “How do you feel about going home?”
“The sooner, the better, right?” Her mouth curves up, but that’s where the smile stays. It never reaches her eyes anymore.
“We can stay here if you’re not ready,” I offer. “I don’t mind.”
Dash turns her gaze to mine. “Do you want to stay here?”
She’s been doing that for the past couple of days. Every time I ask her a question, she turns it on me.
I tighten my grip on her hand. “It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together.”
Lowering her gaze, she stares at her lap, where her other hand lies curled in a fist. “We can go if you want to. I don’t mind.”
Leaning closer to her, I use my free hand to nudge her face up until her eyes meet mine. “Do you want to stay here, Dash?” There’s a flash of panic tightening her features, and it makes me tilt my head. “What’s wrong?”
She nervously wets her lips, her eyes darting down. “Nothing. We can go home.”
Leaning back, I take a deep breath, then I ask the question I’ve been avoiding. “Will you tell me what happened?”
I’m surprised when Dash turns her body toward mine. She scoots closer as if she’s cautious, and it guts me. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her against my chest. I lower my mouth to her hair, and then I whisper, “Tell me what happened.”
She shakes her head, her hand gripping a fistful of my shirt. I expect her to keep quiet, but then she whispers, “He thought I cheated on him, and… he… punished me for it.”
Dash hasn’t asked about Josh, but feeling now’s the right time, I say, “He’s gone. He’ll never be able to hurt you again.”
“Gone?” Her voice sounds small as she cowers closer to me.
I close my eyes from the intense wave of protectiveness I feel. “Yes.”
“Did he get arrested?” she asks.
I’m surprised that she wants to know anything about him.
“No,” I answer honestly. I can’t lie to Dash, but God, I don’t know how she’ll react when she finds out he’s dead. “He’s just gone.”
“Where?” she asks, this time lifting her head to look at me. Then she adds, “I need to know.”
“He’s dead.” I watch her closely, and when there’s no reaction on her face, I ask, “Did you hear what I said?”
She rests her cheek against my chest. “Yes.”
Needing to know where her mind’s at, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“I’m… glad… that he can’t get to me again,” she whispers. “Who… killed him?”
“Alexei.” But I gave the order.
Dash nods, but it feels like the news doesn’t really change anything for her. I want to tighten my hold on her, but her back is still healing.
Deciding it might be best to get back to our regular routine, I say, “We can go home tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispers, no emotion in her voice whatsoever.
We sit in silence for a while, and it makes emotions bubble in my chest. When it becomes too much, I murmur, “I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
She only nods.
Moving my hand to my pocket, I dig the engagement ring out. “Miss Sebastian found this on you. Want me to keep it?”
Dash lifts her head, and for a moment, she only stares at the ring before she slowly looks up at me with fear alive in her eyes. “Do you want to keep it?”
I can only stare at her as it begins to sink in – Dash isn’t sure of anything anymore. It’s like she lost her ability to make decisions.
“Why would you ask me that?” I probe.
She begins to pull away. “I’m sorry.”
Tightening my arm around her, I keep her from pulling away totally. I tilt my head, trying to catch her eyes. “Do you want to wear the ring?”
She nods quickly. I slip it onto her finger before placing a hand under her chin, nudging her face up. When our eyes meet, I ask, “Did something happen to make you doubt us?
Her gaze lowers to my throat. “No.”
“So we’re good?”
The corner of her mouth lifts slightly but then her chin quivers, and the meager smile fades.
Moving my head closer to hers, I keep my voice soft as I ask, “Nothing has changed between us, right?”
She lets out a burst of air. “Nothing has changed.”
Aunt Leigh assured me Dash wasn’t raped, so sexual assault never crossed my mind. Before I can stop myself, the words rush from me, “Did Josh force himself on you in any way.”
Dash freezes but then shakes her head. I keep staring at her, taking in how she keeps her shoulders hunched, her head down.