Page 33 of Close Your Eyes
I’m glad she quit.
Bane doesn’t deserve having someone as great as Greer working on his case, trying to set him free. And he definitely doesn’t deserve a woman like Posey as his wife.
But here we are.
As I navigate the winding roads that lead to the secluded Delgado mansion nestled in the picturesque hills of Saint Pierce, a sense of unease creeps over me, sending a shiver down my spine. The grand estate looms before me, its wrought-iron gates standing sentinel at the entrance.
As I pull up to the front gate, the imposing structure towers overhead, casting long shadows that seem to dance ominously in the fading light of dusk. The air is thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze.
Despite the beauty of my surroundings, an unsettling feeling gnaws at the pit of my stomach, causing my pulse to quicken with each passing moment. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.
I reach out to press the intercom button, the sound of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears as I wait for a response. The minutes stretch on, each one feeling like an eternity as the weight of uncertainty hangs heavy in the air.
Finally, a crackle of static fills the silence, followed by a voice on the other end, sharp and authoritative. As the gates slowly creak open before me, revealing the sprawling estate beyond, I can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding wash over me, like a dark omen looming on the horizon.
I enter the house, my eyes scanning the place like there’s a test on it later. Actually what I’m looking for are signs of Posey. That this is as much her home as it is his. Any trace of her is nowhere to be found, and it makes me wonder about the dynamics of their relationship.
I’ve only met Bane once in passing, but as his butler leads me to a study, my mind wonders what this is all about.
Has he found out about Posey and I divulging in a somewhat friendship? Did she mention that I took things too far?
“What are you doing here?” Posey’s voice echoes from above me and I glance up to the second-floor landing.
God, she’s fucking beautiful.
She stands there in jeans and a beige sweater that hangs off one shoulder. Her long hair is swept over one shoulder in a braid that hangs down her left side. Her eyes sparkle from the light pouring in from the skylight above, and her lips are ruby fucking red.
I want to taste those lips.
Badly.
I want to bathe in that color.
The fact that she doesn’t know why I’m here makes me think Bane didn’t find out about us, unless he’s confronting me first.
“Bane asked to meet me here,” I say back to her as she descends the stairs.
My attention’s fully on her as she takes each step slowly that I don’t even hear Bane walk in.
“There you are my precious flower,” Bane says. He crosses the floor, his arm snaking around Posey’s waist as he kisses her cheek. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She turns her attention to Bane, and smiles. “Why is Ledger here?”
“I have business to discuss with him.” Bane says it with a little laugh, as if he’s explaining something to a child.
It pisses me off.
His arm around Posey pisses me off too.
But I don’t show my annoyance, and smile instead. “What’s up?” I ask him, like Bane and I are lifelong friends, and whatever he’s asked me here for is simple, and easy.
“Let’s head into my office,” he says, dropping his arm from Posey. He turns his attention toward her briefly. “Posey, to your room,” he orders her, and she bows her head and takes off up the stairs, and I’m left wondering, waiting, for some sort of I don’t even know. Is he always like that to her?
I follow after Bane, giving one last glance over my shoulder at Posey. I don’t know what’s going on, and I’m sure it’s not going to be something good.
I’d bet my life on it.
Bane leads me into his office, and I stand as he moves toward a bar at the far end of the room. “Drink?” he asks, holding up a bottle of whiskey.