My bare feet pad slowly down the hall.
Today is the first time in the week since the attack that I’ve stepped foot outside of my bedroom and not found Ginger sitting in a chair, in the middle of the hall, telling me to go back to bed.
Taking that as a sign that I’m recovered enough to finally wander, I continue to the stairs.
Between long bouts of sleeping, I’ve been walking laps around the bedroom, so I’m not too unsteady on my feet. But the stairs…
I shove away the urge to be sick at the thought of the stairs.
If I can sleep in that bed alone for a week, I can walk down these stairs.
Except I wasn’t completely alone.
King never came to bed. King never came to see me at all.
But every night someone would come to the room and put Duke inside. Shutting the door behind him. Giving me a protector.
It had to be King.
I don’t know why he’s been avoiding me. Since he won’t talk to me, or even get close enough to look at me, I can’t ask him.
But if there’s one thing I know about King, it’s that he takes safety seriously. And since I’ve had a week to dwell on it, I’d bet all my worldly goods that he’s staying away because of guilt. Out of some misplaced sense of failure. And he’s probably twisted that around until he’s convinced himself that I hate him.
But that’s stupid.
He’s stupid.
I could never hate––
The air leaves my lungs because I’m at the top of the stairs, and…
I have to clutch the railing.
They’re carpeted.
Tears…so many damn tears stream down my cheeks.
Carefully, I place one foot on the first carpeted step, and the material is so soft and plush it almost feels springy.
I choke out a sob.
He’s so fucking stupid.
I hold the railing the whole way down, and I don’t experience any of the fear I expected to. I don’t relive any of the horrible memories of the last time I came down these same steps. Because they aren’t the same steps. Because King did this. For me.
When I reach the bottom, I feel shaky from exhaustion and emotion, but I stay focused and make my way to the kitchen.
I woke up an hour before Cici usually delivers the first of too many meals, so I thought I would try to beat her, and eat down here.
“Oh my god, Savannah!” Cici rushes around the counter the second she spots me. “You fool, what are you doing?!”
Even though I can feel sweat on my forehead, I smile at her calling me a fool. “Needed a change of scenery.”
I think she says something about me being just as dumb as him but I’m too busy being herded to the living room and deposited on the couch to pay attention.
Blinking, I see a plate filled with scrambled eggs and fried potatoes on the coffee table in front of me. And next to that, a plate with a sandwich that looks like a BLT. And two different flavors of bottled electrolyte drinks.
“I’d recommend skipping the breakfast,” Ginger’s voice startles me from across the room and I jump.
“Jesus.” She’s just sitting in one of the armchairs, phone in her lap. “Were you watching me sleep?”
She lifts a shoulder. “Basically. King lost his shit when he found you sleeping on the couch.”
That makes me sit up. “King was out here?”
“Yeah, and I happened to be in the kitchen grabbing lunch when he saw you. So I get to sit right the fuck here until she goes to bed.” She deepens her voice on the last part. “So looks like I’m back on Savannah Duty.”
I don’t know how to feel.
Him worrying about me means… Well, it means something. That he cares about me. At least a little. But him not willing to sit out here with me himself…
“Why didn’t he just sit out here?” I can’t stop myself from asking.
Ginger lifts a brow at me. “Because he’s avoiding you.” Her tone says duh without her having to actually say it.
“I don’t understand,” I admit.
Ginger looks toward the kitchen, and I turn too, but no one is there.
“Okay, here’s how it is.” Ginger lowers her voice, so I lean forward to hear her. “Cici told me that we shouldn’t get involved. Because King is the boss and we owe him our loyalty. But the way I see it, you’re our boss too. And women should stick together.” She smirks on that last one. “So, a few things that have happened since, well, the incident.” She widens her eyes when she says it. “I’m assuming you noticed the carpet already.” I nod, pressing my lips together at the memory. “Well, he’s also had the entire property swept for some jammer thing, and then had anti-jammer things installed all around both houses.” At my confused look, she rolls her eyes. “Something about cell phone signals not working. I don’t really know. Jamie wasn’t making a lot of sense when he was telling me. And then…” she snorts, “King had those installed all over the house.” She points to the wall, and it takes me a second to find what she’s looking at.
“Is that a wall phone?” The black plastic looks new, mounted to the wall, but the corded style is straight out of the eighties.
“I know, right?” Ginger confirms. “Those are in case the cell phone non-jammer thingys don’t work, so there’s still a way to reach people in the house. There’s one in your bedroom, too.”
I blink at her. “How?”
“I had to sit against the bathroom door to let King know when you were getting out of the shower, so he could drill the holes and run the wires. Good thing you take forever in the shower.” I ignore the dig, since it’s not like I’ve had anything better to do with my time. “Didn’t know the boss had it in him to wire stuff.”
“But…a landline?” I still can’t believe it.
“You’ve missed a lot of Jamie’s kids these days jokes, so consider yourself lucky.” I smile, thinking of her goofy husband and can just imagine. “But that’s not even the craziest thing he did.” I’m almost afraid to ask, but Ginger doesn’t make me. “He got two more dogs, too.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
“Yep. Same breed as Duke, but younger.”
“What…” my chest tightens. “What are their names?”
She rolls her eyes. “Earl and Baron.”
It’s so stupid. And funny. And I don’t know why I’m all of a sudden crying.
“Aww, girl, don’t do that!” Ginger hurries out of her chair and comes to sit next to me on the couch.
“Sorry,” I brush the tears away. “It’s just… In the closet…” I sniffle. “I don’t get it. He’s doing all of this,” I gesture in front of me, meaning the whole property, “but he won’t come near me. Or come check on me.”
“Well, first…” Ginger hands me a tissue. “He’s the one that’s been putting that dog in your room every night. And if I was a betting woman, I’d put all my chips on the he stands there and watches you bet.”
I’d already assumed it was him doing it. But it’s nice to have it confirmed.
I take a second to blow my nose. “I mean, I know men are weird.” Ginger scoffs. “But even if he feels bad about me getting hurt, I still don’t understand why he’s avoiding me. Like why wouldn’t he at least sleep with me at night?”
Ginger blows out a breath. “Okay, so here’s the part that ethically I probably shouldn’t tell you.”
I turn to face her. “But you’re going to anyway?”
“Obviously. Okay, so, like two nights ago I was working late, because I took the afternoon to babysit my nieces. Anywho, I may have seen King coming down the stairs, after what I assumed was him putting Duke in your room. And I may have been cleaning the picture frames in the hallway outside of his office door, and he may have been on the phone…”
“You were eavesdropping?”
She gives me a look. “Do you want the story, or do you want to judge me?”
I fold my hands together on my lap. “Story please.”
“Well, as I was saying, he was on the phone with someone. I can probably guess who, but these doors are too solid to really hear much, so it was mostly just muffled noises. But, I nearly knocked one of the frames off the wall when King suddenly shouted she’s scared of me.”
“Scared of him? Me?”
She lifts a shoulder. “After that it was back to muffled nonsense, and I figured I’d lingered long enough.”
“How could he think that I’m scared of him?” I toss my hands up, forgetting about the crumpled tissue clutched in my palm, and we watch as it lands on my cold plate of breakfast.
I stare at the brace secured around my wrist, while I try to figure out his reasoning. And only come to one conclusion.
“Men are idiots.”
Ginger lifts a brow. “Took a concussion for you to figure that out?”
An awkward laugh bubbles out of me.
It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve laughed.
“Well,” Ginger slaps her hands on her thighs. “Now that you’re awake do you want me to help you upstairs?”
So I can sit in solitary silence for another week? No thank you.
My stomach growls, so I lean forward and pull the sandwich plate toward me. “I would like two things.”
“Okay…”
“First, I want to meet the new dogs.” I take a bite of the bacon goodness.
“And second?”
“I need a mattress.”
“Uh…” Ginger looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“If my husband isn’t going to sleep in our room, then neither am I.”
“And just where do you want this mattress?”
“My studio.” I stand, taking the plate with me. “I have work to do.”
