His head nodded once. "Stay here." And then he left.

Carter was gone for a long time. I waited, but after I ate a little bit more, I curled up on the bed. As soon as I pulled the comforter over me and snuggled into the pillow, I was out. I had never fallen asleep so fast. When I woke, the penthouse was still dark. He hadn't come back. That affected me more than I wanted to admit, even to myself. But, with a stab of disappointment and something more, I looked around for my phone. When I found it along with my purse, I headed out.

I didn't know what to do. He said to wait, but for how long. I couldn't sit around for too long. What if he never came back?

I sucked in my breath as pain sliced through me. He said he'd protect me, but if he never came back, did that mean I was on my own? Either way, I'd been away from Mallory for too long. She needed to know that we would need to make our own decisions. We'd have to leave. That was all there was. It was the last resort, but we were out of choices. Carter had been a long shot. I could see that now.

When I stepped out of the penthouse, there was no guard. That only reaffirmed my decision. Carter had changed his mind. We were on our own.

When I got into the elevator, I remembered that we hadn't come from the lounge so I wasn't sure which b.u.t.ton to push. There was a B and a 1, so I pushed the B to take me to the bottom floor. We had come in from the nightclub, a back entrance. I didn't think I could find my way back that way, but when the doors slid open, I saw that I was still lost. B didn't stand for bottom floor. It was the bas.e.m.e.nt. I stepped out but then thought better of it-too late. The elevator closed behind me, and when I pushed the b.u.t.ton again, it didn't open back up again. After waiting another five minutes, I realized the doors weren't going to open so I turned to peruse the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Standard bas.e.m.e.nt. Grey cement, big posts, and lots of shiny expensive-looking cars. I walked down an aisle and caught sight of a red sign in the far corner. Exit. With a sigh of relief, I headed that way. When I got to the door, it was ma.s.sive and heavy, but I pushed through. I found another small set of stairs in front of me and felt a bit like Dorothy with the yellow-bricked road. However, as I went up two flights of stairs, I heard sounds from the street coming from behind an un-marked door. I shoved it open, slipped through, and found myself in a back alley. Heading to the closest road, I was where I had been two nights ago. There was a line to get into Octave. I recognized a few of the same people in that line, even the two girls who had hoped to get picked up by celebrities. They had the same eager look of desperation on their faces. One of them eyed me up and down, but as a sneer came to her face, I turned and walked the other way. I didn't need to return to Octave. I had already gotten my answer.

I took a cab, and when it pulled in front of Ben's, I heaved a deep breath. I didn't want to go in there. I didn't want to look in her eyes and see the agony that Jeremy had put in them. I didn't want to tell her that we would need to leave, but I had to. There was no other choice.

Since the door was locked, I knocked.

Ben swept open the door, a fierce scowl on his face. "Where the f.u.c.k have you been?"

I cringed.

He had a butcher knife in his hand with a death grip.

"Have you had problems?"

"Oh, you mean Mallory's nightmares and blood-curdling screams? No. No problems at all, except wait. You! Her roommate and best friend took off, didn't tell us where you was going, and she thought you had deserted her." After I stepped inside, he slammed the door shut. His scowl deepened. "Nice f.u.c.king friend you are, Emma."

"Emma?"

A timid whimper came from the living room. Mallory stood there, wrapped in a blanket. Her hair was messed, some of it stood up and the other side was frizzy. There were bags underneath her eyes and her lip, still bruised from him, started to tremble.

"Mallory." I wrapped my arms around her. I wanted to rea.s.sure her that we'd be alright. No matter how far we had to go, we'd be alive.

Her whole body started to shake as I hugged her. More sobs came out, and I could only hold her tighter. My hand smoothed her hair as I rocked her back and forth.

She grabbed onto me. Her hands formed into fists around my shirt. As tight as I was holding her, she clung to me even tighter. "Please don't leave again."

I shook my head. "I won't. I promise."

Ben stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching us. His scowl softened and showed his fear. Then his eyes darkened into something that looked like panic before he turned away. The sink was turned on later and sounds of doing the dishes came next.

"She hasn't been sleeping much." I saw Amanda in the bedroom doorway. She gave me a sad smile, but I saw the same exhaustion that Ben had. She was in a blue tee shirt and a different pair of jeans. When she noticed that I was looking at her clothes, she lifted a shoulder up before she crossed her arms over her chest. "I went to work yesterday and grabbed some clothes for everyone." She glanced towards the kitchen. "Ben didn't go in. He was too scared to leave her. Every time she tries to sleep, she only gets an hour. Always wakes up screaming from what...," she hesitated, "he did to her."

Ben cleared his voice behind us. A towel was clenched in both of his hands now. "Can you get her to sleep a little?"

Amanda looked back at me. She shifted on her feet, uncomfortably. "She needs you or me to be with her. I've been..." She glanced over her shoulder at Ben. "Ben's tried, but she won't let him touch her. So I've been..."

I got it. My stomach twisted, but I nodded and led Mallory towards the bedroom. After an hour of lying in bed with her, holding her, she fell asleep. I waited another hour to make sure she stayed asleep. Her breaths were even and deep so I snuck out. When I went to the kitchen, Ben looked exhausted in a chair. His shoulders drooped down, and he had bags under his own eyes. A cup of coffee sat in front of him, but when I touched it, it was cold.

His coffee pot was empty. "You want another pot started?"

He jerked his head up, as if seeing me for the first time. "Oh. Uh. Yeah. Thanks." He ran a hand over his face, waking himself up. "She's asleep?"

I dumped the little bit of coffee left down the sink and refilled it with water. "Yeah. It took an hour."

He nodded.

"Is Amanda still here?"

"No." The exhaustion had turned into a glaze over his eyes. "She went home for a break. She'll be back tomorrow. I think she said something about getting new clothes or something."

After pouring the water in his coffee pot, I rummaged through his cupboards, looking for his coffee grounds. "And maybe food." His cupboards were spa.r.s.e except the huge bin of ground coffee beans. I put two healthy scoops in the machine and hit the b.u.t.ton. It wasn't long before it started to gurgle to life.

"Yeah, I haven't gone to the grocery store in awhile. I've been too nervous..." He trailed off, lost in thought as he stared at the table.

"Too scared to leave?"

He jerked his head in a nod. "Yeah." A sad laugh left him. "I'm a grown man, and I'm terrified. I can't step out the door. I'm afraid they're out there, that they know, they're watching. And her." He glanced in Mallory's direction. "I can't touch her. I tried to help her when she asked. She didn't want his touch, but now it's mine that disgusts her."

"No, it's not. It's his. Trust me. You did help her. You are helping her."

He lifted stricken eyes to me. "I've been an a.s.shole to you. Why are you being nice to me?"

I shrugged but huddled back in my chair. I understood. "Because you want to help her but don't know how. I understand. Believe me."

He shook his head with his eyes closed. "I have no idea what to do, Emma. None whatsoever. She has to go to work. I have to go to work. I called and covered for us, but that'll give us a week. We have to figure out how to clean this mess up in a few more days." He looked towards the door again. "I'm so scared to go out there. You have no idea."

"I do. I really do."

Then he sighed. The momentary truce ended as he pushed up from the chair. "I'm going to clean up. That's all I've been doing. I just clean. Clean the dishes, clean the table, clean the floors. I have to do something." A bitter laugh escaped him. "I gotta clean myself. I'll be in the shower if you-if she needs me."

He was scared to step outside that door, but that was all I wanted to do. "I'm going out on the patio for some fresh air." Maybe a new idea would come to me, but as he ignored me and left, I didn't think it would come to me.

As I sat on his small patio, curled on one of his loungers, I couldn't shake the idea that maybe I should go on the run. Mallory didn't kill him. I did. He'd been hurting her. He hadn't been hurting me. She could offer me for her safety, and I would be long gone.

My stomach rolled over and over. I felt nauseous, but I hugged myself harder. My arms pressed tighter to my stomach. It didn't matter. I wasn't going to stop the unsettled feeling inside of me. It wasn't going to go away. I had tried with Carter. He left me so that gave me one other alternative. I would go away. Mallory would be safe.

With my new decision made, I was in no hurry to leave. I stayed in that chair for a long time. The night air was cold and I knew my body was shivering, but I didn't feel it. I couldn't. All I could focus was on the next step. Where would I go? How would I go? I needed money. I knew that much, but I didn't have enough set aside. My job was better than all of theirs, but it still wasn't enough. The little in my savings wouldn't be enough. Ben and Mallory both worked at a fancy clubhouse. They didn't make enough to help me at all. Amanda was a teacher. She might've had a little bit, but I knew she worked in the cafe during the summer to make ends meet.

I was on my own.

I sat outside for a long time. Ben came to the patio door and peered through it. When he saw me, he came out and gave me a blanket, but I didn't leave the chair. I didn't want to move, not yet, but I took the added warmth he offered. I wrapped the blanket around me, and he went back inside. The lights turned off and I was left in the dark again.

"I told you to stay put."

I gasped and jumped in my seat.

Carter appeared around the patio's corner. A fierce scowl was on his face and his eyes glittered in the moonlight. He was furious as he sat across from me. He was dressed all in black, black pants and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. It shadowed his eyes. It made him look even more dangerous.

My throat went dry. As he had turned to pull out the chair, I saw a bulge from his back. Was that a gun? Of course, it was. This was Carter Reed. He killed. That's what he did.

"What are you doing here?" My heart picked up. If he was there, did that mean...?

"I came to get you." He leaned forward. "I told you to stay put. I came back and found you gone. I don't like that, Emma, not one bit."

I glanced towards the patio door. What if Ben came out? I didn't want him to know about Carter.

He sighed from irritation. "Are you worried about your boyfriend?"

"Ben?" I was stunned. He thought, but no-Carter was here. He was sitting across from me. I couldn't wrap my mind around that. "How did you get here?"

Determination gleamed from his eyes, but there was more. A darker intent was in there, one that made my heart beat even faster.

"You came to me for help, then you left. What did you want, Emma?"

"What did I want? I wanted you to help me."

"Why'd you think I left?" he remarked. "So I could help you."

Oh.

I fell back in my chair. Of course he had left to help me. I was an idiot. "But when I woke up, you weren't there. I..." How long was I supposed to have waited? My heart skipped a beat. What if he set me up? I was in the perfect place, left alone until he led Franco Dunvan to the front door.

"You what?" he snapped. "Let's go. You're coming with me."

"No!" I shoved back my chair and surged to my feet. I couldn't leave. Mallory-Ben-Mallory. "I can't leave, Carter. I have people depending on me."

He was around the table in a flash. His hands grasped my elbows, and he pulled me against him. He was tense. His body was hard, but I couldn't stop the soft intake of breath as I touched all of him and the same yearning from before started inside of me. I wanted to press back against him, get even closer, but I shook my head. I needed to clear those thoughts.

He bent down to me. "You think he's going to help you? You came to me, Emma. Not him." His breath caressed against my skin.

I closed my eyes. I was already softening against him.

His hands tightened and pulled me closer to him. Every inch of him was pressed against me. I felt him between my legs. He whispered as his lips were pressed against my neck now, "You killed Dunvan. It's your hands that are dirtied. Your boyfriend won't save you. Come with me. I'll protect you. I can keep you safe."

I shuddered in his arms. I wanted to go with him. Was it that easy? But no, what about Mallory? "My roommate. He was hurting her."

He shook his head. His lips clamped together on my skin. I felt his teeth sc.r.a.pe against my neck, just slightly.

I gasped and arched into him. I couldn't stop myself.

"She'll be safe. She didn't do anything. It was you. They'll want you and I can't protect you unless you're with me. Come with me, Emma."

Oh G.o.d. He hadn't left me. I thought he had. I thought he abandoned me, but he hadn't. The relief of that weakened me. I felt myself crumbling, but Carter held me up. His hand shifted as he slid one around my back. It moved underneath my shirt and slipped inside my pant's waistband. He kept me anch.o.r.ed to him with that hand.

I wanted it to move. I wanted his hands all over me.

I wanted him.

I needed to stop thinking like that. I couldn't forget my situation. My head was pressed against his chest and I opened my mouth. My own lips brushed against his sweatshirt. He shuddered from the touch as I murmured, "They'll hurt Mallory. He was hurting her, Carter. I killed him to save her. She didn't turn me over. They'll know that and they'll come for her."

He shook his head. His other hand wrapped around me. "They won't. They won't know, but you have to come with me."

"But Mallory?"

"My men have already taken care of it."

Wait, what did that mean? I tried to pull away. He wouldn't let go of me. "Carter."

He tightened his hold. His muscles twitched against me from the movement. "I have men watching your roommate. Your apartment has been cleaned. Your friend can go on with her life. Franco Dunvan won't connect his son's disappearance with her."

"So I'm free too?" My voice hitched on a sob. Hope flared inside of me.

He stopped talking. His chest moved up and down against me. His hands tightened their hold. "You need to stay with me-"

I shoved back to force a few inches of breathing s.p.a.ce as I looked up. "You just said-"

His cold eyes glittered in the dark. They narrowed, and a shiver went over me, but I couldn't look away from his intensity. I was starting to crave it. His mouth was flat as he spoke, "I can't protect you if you're not with me. You can live your life, but I want you to live with me."

"With you?"

"Until it's over."

"Until what's over? You just said it was over."

"We don't know for sure. My men will watch over your roommate and your boyfriend, but not you. I want you near me."

"But-"

Then he clipped out, "I won't protect them unless you come with me."

"You won't?" Panic stirred inside of me again. He had said, but we needed his protection. They needed his protection. His hand reached up to cup the side of my face. I flinched. It was so tender, so gentle, but his words had been so harsh. I needed Mallory to live.

Then he whispered, "You're AJ's sister. I have to protect you, Emma."

Guilt speared me. He was right. AJ would've wanted that. But Mallory-I looked up. "You'll watch over my friends? Mallory will be safe?"

He nodded.

"Your men will watch her? I won't go with you unless you promise to protect her. That's my final word."

He nodded again. He was so tense. "My men will watch with her, but as long as you're with me."

I knew what I had to do. "Okay, Carter. I'll come with you."

Carter jogged back to the car and slipped into the backseat. He didn't look over, but felt his a.s.sociate's disapproval. He didn't care. When he didn't say anything, the older a.s.sociate asked, "What did you tell her?"

His reply was short. "She'll live with me."