“Then pull up a chair,” I tell him. “You’re probably going to be really bored from here on out. I’m not allowed to do much.”
“They make you sit here all day? Your father and fiancé.”
“My punishment,” I say flippantly, “for running away.” I glance at him. “Don’t give me that look. It could be a lot worse.”
Zane’s eyes grow impossibly dark. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
My gut instinct makes me think this is some sort of test, a setup designed by my father to trick me. Trust cannot exist in this prison they’ve created. But if anybody can help me, it’s Zane. My previous escape attempt aside, of course.
“Esteban Becerra,” he says slowly. “That’s who you were supposed to marry?”
“Still have to,” I say, taking a seat by the window. I make sure to keep my back to the camera installed in the right-hand corner of my room. The last thing I want is anyone on Esteban’s team to read my lips—not that I think they’re clever enough to do so, but you never know.
Zane is quiet for a long time. So am I. What is there to say?
“You won’t get any trouble from me,” I whisper after a while.
“That’s disappointing to hear.”
I arch a curious brow at him. “Is it?”
“The girl I met in Vegas had trouble written all over her.”
“Yeah, well… That girl’s dead and gone.”
“I disagree. She’s still in there somewhere.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because I know you, darling.”
Darling.
A warm shiver races down my back. Even after a month, hearing him call me that makes my heart skip and the butterflies in my stomach flutter.
I shake my head, every ounce exhausted and frustrated and defeated.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” he says again resolutely.
“No, you’re not. I know there’s nowhere in the world I can hope to go without Esteban or my father dragging me back.”
“Do you want to marry him?”
I shoot Zane a glare. “Of course not.”
“Do you want to remain trapped here for the rest of your life?”
“No.”
“You’re my principle now, Willow. Your wellbeing is my priority. As your bodyguard, I will protect you. Even from your family.”
“At the risk of death?” I challenge. “The Becerra Cartel is no joke, Zane. If they find out you’re trying to help me… If they find out who you are to me, they’ll kill you on the spot.”
“They can try.”
My heart thuds loudly in my chest. He sounds so confident, so sure in his convictions, it’s easy to be swept up in the excitement of it. Do I dare let myself hope? I’ve had my dreams dashed once before. I don’t know if I could survive another close call.
“What if they find me again?” I whisper.