Whatever he was holding had my attention. “What is that?”
Rett brought it up and let the material unfurl from his fingertips. “For your well-being.”
I took a small step backward, my shoulders bumping against the car door. “What is that?” It was a rhetorical question. I recognized a blindfold.
Rett stepped closer, his voice a steady whisper. “There are things that you aren’t ready to learn.” His hands came to my shoulders, applying pressure and encouraging me to turn.
Instead, I remained steadfast as my head shook. “No, Rett. I don’t want to be blindfolded.”
With an exhale, he tipped my head forward and left a lingering kiss on my hair. “Humor me.”
Why?
Why should I humor this man I didn’t know?
“Because,” he responded, answering my unspoken question, “this is the last thing I’ll ask of you tonight.” He lifted my chin until our gazes met. “Not because of my rule, Emma, but because you have entrusted me with your life.”
“But why a blindfold? This is your house, right?”
“Sir, we...”
Rett raised his hand toward the driver, silencing the rest of the driver’s sentence. “Emma.”
Closing my eyes, I exhaled and turned, silently giving Rett access to place the blindfold over my eyes and secure it behind my head. Once he was done, he lifted my hand. “Go with Ian. He’ll take you to your suite.”
With my head held high, I nodded. Rett placed my hand on a sleeve.
“Miss North, watch your step.”
Ian meant that figuratively since with the blindfold, I wasn’t watching anything.
As we began to step up, I heard the closing of car doors before the SUV departed. While I couldn’t see Rett leave, I felt it. A strange connection between us had formed in a short period of time and with his departure, I felt as though there was a part of me missing.
“Miss North,” my new bodyguard said, bringing my attention to him.
I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m Emma, Emma O’Brien.”
“Please continue to step up. We’re almost to the top.”
“What is Mr. Ramses hiding from me?”
Making no attempt to answer my question, Ian continued his directions. “We’re to the top. Now we’re turning right.”
Ian’s directions continued through a labyrinth. With my vision obscured, my other senses kicked in stronger. Different textures of floors. We started on concrete, crossed hardwood, and now we were walking upon carpeting. Since leaving the concrete stairs, we’d climbed one staircase and then after walking, we went up another. The air around us was the steady cool temperature of air conditioning, and the only sounds I could distinguish were of our footsteps, Ian’s directions, and our breathing.
He finally stopped. “Miss North, this is your suite.”
Emma
Letting go of Ian’s arm, I reached for the back of the blindfold.
“Miss North, please—”
I pulled on the tie, loosening the material as a large door before me opened inward.
“Please step inside,” Ian said with a sigh as he reached inside the room and hit a switch.
Despite the lights, the room seemed dark, in need of an open window or doorway to the outside. Since it was nearly midnight, that would only add the artificial illumination of streetlights, but any additional lighting would help.
Before stepping in, I took a quick look to the left and right. The hallway extended one way with another closed door on the other side. The other way led to what appeared to be a landing for a staircase. The tall walls were covered in wood wainscoting with ornate trim to almost my height; above that was dark green. I lifted my chin, taking in the high ceiling and glowing sconces upon the walls.
“How will I find my way out of here?” I asked.
“That won’t be necessary. The suite is well stocked. Beyond the main room are others: a bathroom, an exercise room, and a small office or sitting room.” He tilted his head toward a large armoire. “There is a refrigerator in there with water and food for snacks. Your meals will be brought to you. There’s no need to worry about getting lost.”
As he spoke, my nerves from earlier returned, twisting and tightening with each phrase. I stilled outside the entry. “Wait, are you saying I’m supposed to stay in there?”
“Yes, Miss North. This is your suite. You’re perfectly safe in here.”
“No.” I crossed my arms over my breasts. “I didn’t agree to be a prisoner.”
“I’m not privy to what you agreed to, ma’am. I get my orders from Mr. Ramses. If you have any problems with the arrangements, he’s the one with whom you should discuss them.”
Peering inside, I took in the heavy drapes over what I assumed were large windows. This was New Orleans. Weren’t there usually balconies? It’s two stories aboveground—a third-story suite—from what I could assess from all our walking. It was a long way, but maybe I could climb down if I needed to.
“Ma’am.”
I let out a breath. “Tell Mr. Ramses I want to see him as soon as he returns.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Seconds after I crossed the threshold, Ian began to pull the door shut. Before he could, I stepped in the way. “Ian, I had things at the hotel, and there’s my phone and purse. I’d like to be able to contact Mr. Ramses myself.” Not that I knew his number but still. “Will you please get me my things?”
The man nodded. “I believe you mentioned that to Mr. Ramses.”
“Now I’m mentioning it to you, too.”
“I’ll inform Mr. Ramses.”
It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Thank you.”
Before the door was fully shut, Ian’s gray gaze met mine. “You are safe. No one will touch you here. You can rest knowing that.”
With that the door closed.
Before I could take a step away to look around, the locking mechanism clicked, echoing in the otherwise silent room. My head began to shake from side to side as my hands trembled. Without taking in any more of the room, I turned, seizing the doorknob and twisting.
The fact that it didn’t move wasn’t a surprise. My overreaction to that realization was. Immediately, I balled my fingers to fists and began to pound on the solid twelve-foot door. “Ian,” I yelled. “Ian.”
It didn’t take long before the lock clicked again and the doorknob moved.
“Miss North.”
“Don’t do that.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried to regulate my breathing. “I don’t like locked doors.”
“Ma’am, I’ll be right outside the door—or another guard will. Mr. Ramses wants—”
“He wants me to stay here, for now.” I hoped the last part of the sentence was correct.
“Yes.”
“I will. I won’t even go onto the balcony...if there is one.”
Ian’s forehead furrowed. “The lock is to keep you safe.”
“Who would break in to Mr. Ramses’s home?” When Ian didn’t answer, I went on. “And if someone did, would they get past you?” My new guard’s lips came together in a straight line. “You may keep it shut, just don’t lock it...please.”