Page 63 of Perfect Liar

“Okay, you win. But just toast and coffee. Maybe some fruit.”

I flashed her a smile and went into the bathroom.

After my quick shower, I headed down the staircase, passing John as he came up. He smiled, and a trickle of blood from a cut on his brow mixed with sweat and ran down the side of his face.

I stopped short.

“You’re hurt?”

He dabbed at the small laceration with his fingertip.

“That’s nothing. It happens.”

I squinted.

“Which one of your brothers did it?”

Will and Thomas were massive compared to him.

“Thom. Hey, did you see how the rain cleared out?”

I nodded.

“I did. The sunshine’s beautiful this morning. Where is Will…still in the gym?”

“Yeah, with Thomas.”

John continued up the stairs, three at a time, just as the sunlight moved into the hall.

Eastridge was such an amazing house, but I craved more, craved the outdoors. I needed sunshine to touch my bare skin, to walk along the sea and absorb its energy.

I’d heard about South East England’s lush green landscapes and quaint villages and the charming coastline—and I wanted to see everything for myself. But for now, the Hastings estate was all I had, so I hit the foyer to grab a quick breath of fresh air before going to the basement.

One of Will’s soldiers stepped in front me. His expression was sober, though he had kind eyes. He smelled like evergreen and new leather.

“I can’t let you pass through the door, Miss James.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Sorry. I need approval from Mr. Hastings first.”

It wasn’t his fault, but I snapped anyway.

“Great. Let’s just go see him about that.”

We headed for the door beneath the main staircase to the basement. Down there, closed doors lined the concrete corridor. The first three doors had no visible handles. Farther down, two sets of steel doors led into the gym.

The soldier opened one door and waited for me to walk through, following me as I made a beeline to the far end, where Will stood with Ben and Thomas.

With the towel hanging around his neck, he wiped sweat off his face. When he saw us, he sprinted across the pale wooden floor and met us in the middle.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” he asked.

I pointed at his damn guard.

“This happened.”

He titled his chin to dismiss the guy as he glared down at me.