Broken (The Captive #5.5)(62)

Atticus climbed the stairs to the second floor of the manor and followed the call of his blood within Genny's veins down the hall. He found her kneeling before her trunk with her clothing scattered around her as she rearranged the things within it. He smiled when he spotted the parchment rolled up within. "Will you ever let me read what you have written?"

She smiled up at him and replaced the false bottom. "You never know, it's going to be a long journey," she replied teasingly.

"I have something else planned for that time," he told her with a wink.

She laughed as she rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her tunic. She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're incorrigible."

"Especially when it comes to you." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her a step closer. "We'll be ready to leave tomorrow night."

Her hands rested on his chest. "How will we get to the ship?"

"Merle and I have identified all of the men watching over me and he's discovered a few following him too, which is no surprise. When the sun sets tomorrow, we'll take down the ones standing guard and we'll move as rapidly as possible to the ship. Merle already has everything ready to go for when we arrive there."

"Will your father be able to follow us once he realizes we've left on Merle's ship?"

"He won't know we're gone until the following morning or hopefully even the afternoon, and by then there will be no way for him to follow us. He'll never expect us to go anywhere outside of the continent, or perhaps Asia."

She nervously bit into her bottom lip. He wiggled her hips back and forth playfully in an attempt to ease the worry lines from her face. He finally succeeded in bringing a smile to her lips and then a laugh as her eyes began to twinkle.

"Much better." He kissed her and took a step away before he could be swept up in the passion she so easily ignited within him. "My father has sent for me again."

Alarm flickered over her features but she quickly covered it up. His father had sent for him a handful of times over the past few weeks and he'd always played the role of dutiful son and gone. He resented every minute he was away from her but he would play the game for as long as it was required of him. It wouldn't be much more time until he was able to get Genny safely away from here and he'd never have to be apart from her again.

"I'll be back soon," he promised.

"Please be careful."

"Nothing will get to me," he told her with a cocky grin. "It would be best if you stayed in the house though."

"I'll just go to retrieve Camille, and then I'll come right back," she promised.

"Take Arturo with you."

"I will." She rose on her toes to kiss him again. "You're my heart."

He smiled down at her as she spoke the words they always exchanged when they parted now. He pressed her hand against his chest and held it there. "You're my soul."

***

"Going out milady?" Arturo asked as she approached the front door.

Genny stifled a groan, she had given up on trying to get him to stop calling her milady, but she still disliked it. "I am Arturo; my sister will be done watching the children soon."

"I'll come with you," he offered though Atticus had probably already told him that he had to join her.

She suspected that he felt it was better to offer to walk with her than to tell her that he was going to walk with her. Arturo knew how to handle women better than his squat exterior, beady brown eyes and powerful body would have let on. It amused her to see such a suave man emerge from one that looked far more capable of ripping someone's head off than romancing them.

"I'd like that," she told him, following the roles they had each established since he'd started standing guard over her.

He held the door open for her as she stepped outside. Walking side by side, they descended the steps to the dirt road. They could always take the horses into town but she found she preferred walking. She'd been spending a lot more time inside since they'd moved to the house and she missed being out in the fresh air. She had hoped to get back over to the human town to say goodbye to Matilda before leaving but she didn't think that was going to happen. Maybe tomorrow, she thought as she lifted her tunic to avoid some horse dung in the road.

"How long have you known Atticus?" she inquired.

"Since he was born. I was in his mother's employ before then, but I was assigned to Lord Atticus upon his birth."

Genny turned toward him. "His mother must have had great faith in you to let you watch over her child."

"She did milady."

Genny grew quiet as they approached the village. She could already see Camille down by the house with a group of children playing outside. A smile broke over her face when Camille looked up and waved enthusiastically. Camille had been nervous and uncertain about their course of action for the first week, but the more they prepared for it, the more relaxed about the plan she'd become. She'd even managed to make three blankets since then. Genny had succeeded in finishing her first blanket last night and though it was a little lopsided, she was extremely proud of it.

Camille said something to one of the women that Genny recognized as another worker at the orphanage. Turning away, Camille took three steps away from the woman when a distant twain reverberated through the air. Confusion filled Genny as she tried to place what had caused the noise and the strange whistling sound that accompanied it. Her head tipped back, her eyes latched onto a wave of arrows rising high into the air. The fading sunset glinted on the metal heads and turned the feathers the color of a peach as the arrows began their downward descent.