He stands and puts his things on the table next to him before coming over to me. “Talk to me, princess. What’s going on?”
“I really just need to leave,” I reply, doing my best to keep my voice even.
He does that thing where he searches my face, trying to figure out what’s going on in my head, but I keep my lips together and stare at a point over his shoulder.
“Okay, let me get you untied and—”
“Can you just cut me out?”
When he doesn’t answer, I force my eyes to his dark blue ones.
“Please,” I implore on a whisper.
An emotion flashes over his eyes quicker than I can catch, but he nods. “Yeah, I can do that. Can I take a few photos before I get the shears? Is that okay?”
With relief surging through my system, I nod. Another thirty seconds will be fine.
As Darcy goes over to his cabinet to get his camera, Hudson turns in his chair, the ropes pulling a little. I can feel his stare on the side of my face.
“Kitten, can you look at me?”
Swallowing, I clench my jaw and turn in my seat enough that I can see him.
The way he stares at me makes the protective shell around my soul feel like it is tearing apart.
“I wish we had been given more time to get to know you before everything went to shit. I’m so sorry, kitten. We didn’t protect you enough.”
My mouth pops open, but no words come. His words leave me speechless.
Footsteps interrupt our moment, and I quickly turn back around so that Darcy can take the photos he needs.
It doesn’t take long before I feel the cool metal of his curved safety shears pressing into my skin, then, so fucking slowly, making their way down my arm. Every cut eases the tension around my arm but increases the heavy weight sitting on my chest until I can barely breathe.
The moment my hand is free, I’m up and out of the chair, detangling my hand from Hudson’s faster than is probably necessary, but I need out. Now. There is a crash of furniture hitting the floor behind me, but I don’t look back as I dash toward the privacy screen.
Not even bothering to take Darcy’s outfit off, I simply pull my clothes on over them and open my backpack to stuff myunderwear into it. Except, my gaze snags on the notebook Hudson gifted me, the thing I have been pouring my heart into for the past week.
His words play back in my mind.
I wish we had been given more time to get to know you before everything went to shit.
Yanking it out of my bag, I finish stuffing my things into it, zip the whole thing together, and march back out to where the two men are standing near the chairs, barely having moved. Hudson looks ridiculous with the ropes still hanging from his arm.
They both turn to face me at my sudden re-entrance. Heat is flooding my body, but I manage to not actually sprint at them and thrust the notebook into Hudson’s chest before I can change my mind. His eyes go wide, and his not-roped hand comes up to hold it in place.
Before he can say anything, I start backing away so I can get around them and out the door. “I’m assuming you have the other key?”
I catch his nod in my peripheral vision as I make it to the door.
I don’t look back.
I can’t.
I can’t.
I can’t.
Chapter 61