Chapter 6
"You played that well," Gerhardt said, closing the door to the guest suite. "Or maybe you weren't playing."
He loosened his tie, tossing it onto the armchair.
"I did what I had to do," Isa said, turning away to hide the shaking in her hands. "Helena likes ambition."
"Helena likes predators. Don't confuse the two."
"I'm going to take a shower," she said, grabbing her nightgown. She needed to get away from him. She needed to think.
She turned the water on high in the bathroom, then slipped out the side door into the hallway.
The house was quiet. She moved like a ghost, her bare feet silent on the parquet floor. She needed to get a sense of the house's layout, to find where the physical vault might be. She had the digital key; now she needed the lock.
She turned the corner toward the east wing, where she knew Christopher kept his private study. The heavy oak door was closed, but not quite latched. A sliver of light and sound escaped.
She pressed her ear to the cold wood.
"...she has Alvina's eyes, Christopher. It's unsettling."
Isa froze. Alida's voice.
"It doesn't matter," Christopher's voice rumbled. "She's a pawn. Once Gerhardt produces an heir, we can dispose of her. Just like we did the mother."
The air left her lungs.
Dispose of her. Just like we did the mother.
Her mother didn't die in an accident. They knew. They were involved.
She pressed her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. She wanted to burst in there and scream. But she had no proof. Just a conversation she was never supposed to hear.
She backed away slowly.
She returned to the room, her mind racing. She was sleeping in the den of the lions who killed her family.
The bathroom water was still running. She turned it off and walked into the bedroom.
Gerhardt was sitting on the edge of the bed. He was shirtless.
She stopped.
His back was to her.
It was a map of violence. Thick, raised keloid scars crisscrossed his skin. Burn marks. Lash marks. Some looked old, fading into white. Some looked newer.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
Gerhardt flinched. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on in one fluid, angry motion. He turned to face her, his eyes blazing.
"Did I say you could look?" he snarled.
"Gerhardt... who did that to you?"
"No one," he said, standing up and advancing on her. "It's none of your business."
He was breathing hard. His pupils were blown wide. He was having a panic attack.
She didn't back down. She stepped forward.
"You're shaking," she said softly.
"Don't touch me," he warned, but there was no conviction in it. He looked like he was about to shatter.
She reached out and placed her hands on his chest.
The heat was there again. The furnace.
He groaned, a low sound of pain and relief. His resistance crumbled. He slumped forward, resting his forehead on her shoulder. His heavy arms came up to wrap around her, crushing her against him.
"Just... a minute," he muttered into her hair. "Just give me a minute."
She stood there, holding the son of the man who might have murdered her mother. She should hate him.
But as she felt his heart hammering against hers, syncing with her own rhythm, she realized something terrifying.
He was just as broken as she was. And for tonight, they were the only glue holding each other together.
Chapter 7
"Welcome home," Gerhardt said.
Isa looked up at the building. It was a glass monolith in Tribeca. The Penthouse.
"The Glass House," he corrected. "My architect has a fetish for transparency."
They took the private elevator up. The apartment was stunning, she had to admit. Floor-to-ceiling windows offering a 360-degree view of Manhattan. But there were no walls.
"Where are the rooms?" she asked.
"The partitions are glass," Gerhardt said, walking into the kitchen. "They fog up when you hit a switch. But essentially... privacy is a myth here."
"Great," she muttered. "A fishbowl."
"Sterling sent over your schedule," he said, sliding a tablet across the marble island. "Charity gala on Tuesday. Flower show on Wednesday. And the Obsidian House auction on Friday."
Isa's head snapped up. Obsidian House. Her auction house.
"I'll go," she said quickly. Too quickly.
Gerhardt paused, a glass of water halfway to his mouth. "You're eager."
"I like antiques."
That night was the first true test. The bed.
It was a California King, thank god. She built a wall of pillows down the center.
"Is that necessary?" Gerhardt asked, watching her from his side.
"It's the Great Wall of Isa. Cross it and die."
He snorted and turned off the light. "Goodnight, wife."
Isa lay awake for hours, staring at the city lights. The events of the last few days swirled in her head. The necklace. Christopher's words. Gerhardt's scars.
Around 3:00 AM, a sound woke her.
A whimper.
She turned. Gerhardt was thrashing in his sleep. His brow was furrowed, sweat slicking his skin.
"No," he mumbled. "No... please... dark..."
He was having a nightmare. Probably about whatever caused those scars.
She reached through the pillow wall. "Gerhardt?"
She touched his arm.
He gasped, his eyes flying open. He didn't recognize her for a second. He looked terrified.
Then, his gaze focused. He saw her.
He didn't pull away. He lunged.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her through the pillow fort. He buried his face in her neck, his breathing ragged.
"Stay," he commanded, his voice thick with sleep.
"I'm here," she whispered, despite herself. "I'm not going anywhere."
He tangled his legs with hers. He was heavy, warm, and solid. The shaking stopped. Within seconds, his breathing evened out. He was asleep.
Isa was trapped. Pinned down by a two-hundred-pound billionaire.
She sighed, looking at the ceiling.
"You owe me a chiropractor," she whispered to the sleeping man.
But she didn't push him away.
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