“Who the fuck are you?” His voice cracks from disuse, but the hostility is unmistakable.
I stand frozen, processing this unexpected variable.
Jade Bustly belongs to the Rockford household, the cocky son of the frightful housekeeper who runs the manor and instills fear in the powerful Alphas. We had played chess together, and he had modeled for me.
And he has no idea who I am.
“I said, who the fuck are you?” He straightens in the cage, fingers curling around the bars, and he studies my face. “You with these assholes?”
I should leave. Right now. My job is done, the painting I came for secured, the forgery hanging in its place. Whatever is happening here is none of my business. There are no altruists in my line of work, only survivors.
But I find myself stepping closer, keeping my movements slow and non-threatening. “What happened to you?”
Jade barks out a bitter laugh. “What do you think? I’m enjoying five-star accommodations courtesy of Halcyon’s owner?” He rattles the bars once and winces as the movement jostles his bruises. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I work for the event organizer downstairs.” The practiced lie slides from my tongue without thought.
“Bullshit. Staff don’t come through hidden doors.”
Smart kid. He was always observant, so how does he not remember me? My disguise isn’tthatcomplex.
“You’re right,” I concede, moving around the cage to check for security cameras. None that I can see. “I’m not staff.”
“Then why are you dressed up as a waiter with that stupid wig?”
I don’t react. The wig is perfect, as is the makeup that softens the angle of my jaw and the altered shoulders on the jacket to give my shoulders more breadth.
So, how did he call out the disguise?
I take another step toward the cage, searching Jade’s face for any sign of recognition. There’s none. Only suspicion and hostility hide the brittle edge of fear.
Thirty-one days. I’d lived in his home for thirty-one days. Eaten at his table. Listened to his crude jokes. Watched Ezra ruffle his hair, the same way he’d do to a little brother. I’d even helped him to his room one night when he’d had too much to drink after losing a bet with Caleb.
And he doesn’t recognize me at all. Up close, the mask holds. The knowledge should comfort me. Instead, it leaves me empty.
I was a ghost in their lives, as forgettable as my grandfather once they locked him up. I’d crafted Professor Knox so well, the shy art history scholar with the gentle and unassuming manners, that I’d completely erased myself.
It shouldn’t hurt. It’s proof of my skill, the ultimate testament to my ability to blend in and disappear.
But it burns regardless, the uncomfortable heat spreading through my ribs. To be forgotten by someone who once insisted I call him “the Jadester” and demanded I teach him how to spot forgeries.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, the professional part of my brain still working, still gathering information despite the emotional undertow.
“What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
He counts on his fingers, lips moving. “Five days, give or take. Hard to tell in this fucking coffin. They dropped me off with the rest of the lot for auction.” His eyes dart around the room. “Look, whoever you are, can you get me out of here? I’ve got people who’ll pay. Serious money.”
I turn back the way I came, ears straining for the sound of the security on their rounds. I’ve been in here too long, my entire timetable ruined. I should already be back downstairs, helping with final cleanup.
Every second I stay increases my risk of discovery. But Jade tracks my movements, desperate despite his attempt at nonchalance, and I can’t bring myself to leave him to his fate.
I crouch beside the cage. This close, I can see the dehydration cracking Jade’s lips, the dark circles under his eyes. He’s been roughed up, but there’s no systematic torture. This is containment, not interrogation. Someone wants him out of the way but intact. My mind catalogs these details while my chest tightens with an emotion I don’t have time to examine.
I search his slender frame for signs of serious injury. “They feeding you?”
“Enough to keep me alive.” Jade shifts, wincing as he straightens his legs. “Twice a day, some tasteless protein bar shit and water. You didn’t answer my question. Who are you? How’d you find this place?”
