“You were coming for me?” he asked.
“You’re still surprised about that?” She turned toward him.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. “You had a chance to escape. To be away from here.”
“Yeah, still the pesky problem of no passport, money, or any identification. No job either. I’m limited in what I can do. I didn’t sell my body back home, and I’m not going to start now.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and she moved toward him. “I was surprised you were still a virgin.”
“Now you have it. I’m yours. Did Sarah ever come here?” She felt him tense up. “I have my answer.”
“Your parents are looking for you, Tulip. They want to find you.”
“Ah, so the first daughter is dead, now they have a replacement.” She stepped away from him. “Kind of like you.”
“I don’t have a replacement.”
“Yeah, you do.” She blew out a breath. “Wow, I can’t even believe I’m feeling this way. You know what, I don’t even want to think about this right now. I … they can look all they want. They’re not going to find me. They messed up and they can pay that price.”
“You’re angry at them?” he asked.
“Of course, I’m angry at them. They gave me up. I don’t care about their reasoning for it. They decided to keep one of us, their most precious one. You know what? I don’t want to think about it.”
“You’re hurt.”
“When I think about them, Landon, I want them dead.” She turned to look at him. “I’m not like this Sarah person. I don’t care right now that you’re covered in blood and you killed the guard downstairs.” She shrugged. “I’m not precious or sweet, or innocent. I know how the world works. I’ve lived in it and I know you have to do a bunch of bad shit to survive. They left me. They pushed me to one side as if I was nothing. The only thing I want is for them to die.”
She moved toward the window. It was dark now—or again. She didn’t know how long they’d been at the Denton Family’s house. The yard was lit up and she saw the guards patrolling. Their guns clear even from the window.
Landon moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said, kissing her neck.
“You must think I’m some kind of monster.”
“Not at all. I know you’re not. I know you’re hurting right now and you have every single right to be angry. I’m angry for you.”
“It’s not normal. Nice people don’t wish for people to be killed. I’m messed up, Landon.”
“Really? Because I kind of like you messed up. It’s hot. You don’t judge me.”
She spun in his arms. “Why would I judge you?”
“I’m not perfect. I fuck up everything I touch.” He captured her chin. “I need to shower. I don’t want to get that fucker’s blood all over you.”
She took his hand, the one soaked in blood. “Come on.” She led the way into his bathroom. The door was open and the light was on. “If you haven’t been here for some time why is everything so clean?”
“Maids,” he said. “We pay them to clean everything. Each room in the house in case we have guests.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, in case you didn’t know, we’re rich.”
“I don’t care about money.” She really didn’t.
“Even if I could give you a nice big check, a way out of here, back to your life, in luxury?”
She stopped at the bathroom door and turned to look at him. “Is this some kind of test?”
“I’m telling you the way it can be. You don’t have to stay here. I can talk to Rick. He’ll give you what I want. A life away from this. Away from me.”