“Sarah—”
“No, Eli,” she snaps. “You’ve made it perfectly clear what you think of me. Maybe I’ll stop breaking the rules for a while and be a good girl. You can all find some other slut to fuck. I’m sure there are plenty in here.”
My face falls. She notices. A smug smirk plays on her lips. Bitch. She’s playing me, and I’ve shown my hand. She knows I need her just as much as she needs me, if not more.
I grab her throat. “You will never stop breaking the rules, Sarah Acacia.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Eli?”
I let go of her with an exasperated sigh. Questions. Questions. More fucking questions!
“We’ll tell you when the time is right,” I say. “Isn’t that good enough?”
“I’m not very patient.” She taps her foot. “I did everything you asked. I searched my father’s office. I listened to his conversations. I recorded his calls. And, for what? What exactly do you expect me to find?”
“Someone has to stop him!” I explode. “We need to find evidence that’ll put him behind bars!”
“So he does hurt you,” she says. “The scars. The injuries.” Her face pales. “I know what he does to Mom, but if he’s hurting his patients too…”
“This goes beyond beating,” I say. “What he does is… twisted.”
“Tell me,” she says. “I’ll speak to the sheriff and report him anonymously. I?—”
“No!” I yell, making her jump. “You can’t. Not yet. I’ve already said too much.”
“You can’t expect me to sit back and do nothing.”
“This is bigger than you,” I say. “It’s complicated. We have to get this right. There are dangerous people here who can hurt?—”
“I don’t need your protection,” she interrupts. “I want to help!”
As strong as she thinks she is, Sarah’s lived a sheltered life. Despite growing up in the house of a monster, she’s had the best of everything. Her fragile mind won’t be able to comprehend such brutality.
“You are helping,” I insist. “Just do what Aiden says.”
“Fine,” she relents, realizing it’s an argument she won’t win—not tonight, anyway. “But I want to know the whole truth.”
“And you will,” I say, stroking her soft cheek. “Soon.”
Her eyes light up and flood with desire. That look will never get old. I’ll never get enough of her and her body.
Suddenly, a bang from behind makes us freeze as our lips meet.
“Sarah!” Doctor Acacia yells, bursting in and causing us to spring apart.
“Dad,” she stammers, “i-it’s not what it looks like…”
It’s the first time he’s returned within an hour of leaving her. We’ve gotten cocky. Reckless, even. The only solace is my coming to see her alone, hoping it’ll spare Aiden and Lex any punishment.
“Twenty-Five,” he addresses me. His glacial stare makes me shiver. “How did you get in here?”
I have to think fast. Thankfully, I covered the vent opening behind me. If he finds out we’ve been crawling around in the ceiling, it’d ruin everything.
“An orderly left my cell unlocked by mistake,” I lie. “I was exploring and heard a girl in here. I thought…”
His eyebrows lower menacingly. “You thought you’d take advantage of my daughter?”
“He didn’t do anything,” Sarah intervenes. “I’m the one who tried to seduce him.”
