Page 48 of Cage
If only she knew.
“Baby, I didn’t get to where I am by taking it easy on myself.”
“What is it you do exactly? And how did you end up here with all these men and Rowie? You said you were adopted, but I get the feeling it’s not the type of adoption I pictured.”
I knew at some point I’d have to tell her my story. The longer she’s here, the more she’ll learn. Then she’ll decide for the both of us that she belongs in DC. As much as I hate that thought, I won’t hide who I am, even if she hates me for it. I didn’t want to start this morning out with this conversation, though. Guess we may as well get it out of the way so she can decide if she still wants me to be her temporary Daddy.
“I never knew my real parents. I was dropped off at a church when I was a baby. From there, I went to seventeen foster homes throughout my childhood. Most of the families were abusive in one way or another, so I ran away often. Got into trouble. Did some really bad shit. I went to juvie nearly a dozen times from the time I was nine until I was thirteen.”
Ember’s bottom lip trembles, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she reaches out and takes my hand in hers. My throatgoes tight. She’s comforting me. This precious Little girl, who had a nightmare in the middle of the night because of the shit she went through, is trying to comfort me. Fuck me. I don’t deserve something so damn precious.
“I’m smart. Like genius smart,” I say, smirking down at her. “You knew that already, though.”
That gives me the reaction I’d hoped for as she smiles widely and rolls her eyes.
“So humble, too,” she says.
I nod. “The humblest.”
She snorts and shakes her head.
“Anyway, I didn’t know it, but someone had been tracking me for a few years. A company called The Agency.”
“The Agency? I’ve never heard of them.”
“It’s not the type of organization known by the public.”
Ember squints, her nose scrunching in confusion. If only she knew what that does to me. At least I have blankets over me to cover my forming erection.
“Why had they been tracking you? I’m confused.”
“One particular person in The Agency was tracking me. Deke Black. He showed up at the juvenile detention center I was in and told me that because of my genius and psychopath tendencies he had an offer for me.”
“Psychopath?” she squeaks.
“Yeah, baby. Pretty sure you already knew that, though.”
The pink flush returns to her cheeks as she ducks her head. “Well, I mean, I might have called you that a few times, but I was joking. Mostly.”
My chest warms, and fuck, if only things were different. She’d have my last name already—on paper and tattooed on her.
“Good thing for you, I’m not actually one. They tested me. I just havesomeof the tendencies.”
She laughs softly. “That makes me feel so much better.”
Reaching under the blankets, I gently pinch her thigh, although instead of letting out a yelp, she whimpers and squirms. What the fuck? My girl likes some pain.
“Watch it, brat. I’ll have you face-down over my lap in a heartbeat if you keep being sassy.”
She nibbles her bottom lip, her eyes sparkling, and my heart starts to pound harder as I stare at her. I’m utterly and completely fucked when it comes to Ember Elizabeth Adams.
“So, what happened? How did you end up here?” she finally asks.
“Deke made me an offer. Family, money, and freedom to do things that quiet the monster inside of me without spending the rest of my life in prison.”
Seconds pass, and I wait for her to pull her hand away from mine. To decide she’s heard enough and kick me out of her room. I wouldn’t blame her. Nothing about my life is ordinary.
Ever so slowly, she lets go of me, and a pain blooms in my chest that is nearly intolerable. I’ve been rejected by a lot of people in my life, but this will be by far the most painful.