She blinked, as if surprised by his honesty. Carter had to wonder if she expected him to lie, which would be completely against everything he thought he'd proven about himself from the very beginning with her.
But he had more to say. “I was smitten the moment that you came up on stage. I was stunned by how graceful you were, even though you were clearly out of your element and you were intriguing during our date.” He lifted his shoulders, hoping that this complete transparency wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. “But yes, I did originally win you to stop Devon from having you. But you’ve got me all wrong. I didn’t just want to stop him from getting what he wanted or to win the bet. I didn't want him to have time alone with you because I knew he was stalking you and he’s dangerous.”
She didn't say a word, but he continued.
“And now I'm fond of you, and I want the best for you.” She could believe him or not, but it was the absolute, complete, honest truth. “Was that Devon's way of trying to poison you against me, by convincing you that I just wanted towin?” Carter said the word win with such disdain that he could see her physically flinch as if he’d struck her.
“Look, I don't need to deal with your judgment right now.” As quickly as they'd come down, Kaitlyn's walls went right back up.
“I'm not judging you. I'm just not surprised. The part that surprises me is that you'd fall for anything Devon said to you.”
He could see from the curl in her lip that she was disgusted by his words. “You are absolutely judging me. You're making it a point that you didn't expect me to be so stupid as to fall for something that my kidnapper would say to me.” Closer, pointing a single index finger at him, the other arm still crossed across her belly in a protective gesture. Her voice stayed strong as she continued. “But here's the thing you're not thinking about; he has a phone. He recorded your conversations. He allowed me to listen to those conversations and read those text messages. So yes, I absolutely did believe him and didn't fall for a damn thing.”
Carter snorted. “And do you really think I'd be completely honest with Devon of all people? Really?”
This time she blinked, as if seeing the flaw in her reasoning. Whatever words she wanted to say next dried on her lips and she inhaled as if to pull them back in.
Carter stood up across the distance between them and gently took her shoulders in his hands, ducking his head to look her directly in the eyes so that she could trust what he said. “Look, I don't give a shit about Devon. But I do care about you.” As soon as he said those words, she stopped trying to dodge his gaze and paid full attention to him. “I want to help you. I don't want to watch you fail. That's why I'm offering my support. Can you just trust me and everything I’ve done to prove who I am to you?”
One thing Carter knew that maybe Kaitlyn didn't understand is that he didn't often bear himself to someone else. He didn't open himself to rejection. He didn't give anyone the opportunity to know who he was or to have any sort of power over him.
And yet, here he was, giving her all of that control.
Chapter11
Kaitlyn
Carter had already leftfor work and Kaitlyn glanced at her bank account, seeing the transfer had dragged her balance down that much more.
If she had to keep making payments to save Fawn, she would end up completely going through all of her savings. As she stared at the number, she could feel her dreams of buying her own place and living her own life slipping away.
How could she live with herself if she stopped paying and they killed Fawn? Kaitlyn didn't like the rabbit hold of questions that pressed into her mind like unwelcome men at the club she no longer worked at. She wasn't sure what else to do. The time would come when the kidnappers would ask her to make a transfer, and she'd have no money left to give them.
Then what? Then they had all of her money and they’d kill her friend.
Kaitlyn set her phone on the floor outside the empty clawfoot tub she’d sat in, as if she could find some protection from the world in the cold embrace of porcelain. Burying her face in her palms, she tried to think of a solution.
How could she buy her friend's freedom when she had no money left?
Kaitlyn looked up at the expensive, high-end shower head, wondering if she should get undressed and turn the water on so at least she wouldn't feel like an idiot for hiding out in the bathtub. Still, this felt like the safest place to be, with Carter gone and his arms not an option.
She didn't like how dependent she felt on him, or how safe she felt in his arms. She wasn't used to not just solving all of her problems on her own, but some of the problems she was facing seemed bigger than herself, bigger than even him, and she just wasn't sure what to do.
Trying not to think about it all too much, she got undressed and took a shower, wishing she could enjoy the luxury of Carter's place. An impossible feat with all the stress and the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders.
The day passed slowly as she waited for Carter to come home.
She wasn't sure what time he'd be home, but later in the afternoon she got a phone call. She recognized the number right away and answered with her heart sinking and fear filling every inch of her body.
“Kaitlyn?” Fawn sounded like she was speaking through a mouthful of food and Kaitlyn knew she’d likely been beaten.
“I'm here.” Kaitlyn stood up and wandered over to the windows, looking out over the hustle and bustle of the city below, wishing that there was something more she could do to help save her friend.
“They got the deposit, but they want more money.” Fawn sounded terrified, and Kaitlyn winced.
“Fawn, I got fired last night. I'm not going to be able to keep doing this.” Kaitlyn could feel her heart fracturing in her chest as her friend began to cry on the other end of the line.
“They're going to kill me. Is there anyone else you can ask? Anyone that might help?” Fawn spoke through tears, her high-pitched voice filled with panic and Kaitlyn squatted down, putting her hand to her forehead and feeling her life fall apart.