In The Darkness (Project Artemis #1)(31)
“About that. They brought in Clayton Berger a couple hours ago after the FBI raided a house where most of the group was staying. His men didn’t take long at all to roll over on him and tell the whole story about what they did for the past few weeks. You two must have gotten out just before the raid.”
Persephone watched Nick wince as her father explained the men in the house had told everything about the kidnapping. She knew what he was thinking.
Would he ever be able to forgive himself for what he did?
“I want to go home and take a long bath, Dad.”
Her father smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Of course. Mr. Hanson and I can talk when we get to the house.”
He returned to his seat next to his driver, leaving Persephone and Nick to sit in the back seat of the town car. Even though her father rarely said much at all since he tended to be a quiet man in his private life, he seemed to have words to spare now as he carried on a conversation with Nick while the car rolled toward the Gilmore estate. Persephone wanted a chance to talk to the man who saved her life, but her father never came up for air, so the opportunity never presented itself.
When the car pulled up in front of the house, she reluctantly got out without saying what she wanted to and Nick exited the car to go into the house with her father. Her mother and sisters ran out to greet her, full of hugs and tears on her return, so she was forced to watch him walk away before she could pull him aside to tell him what was on her mind.
He never looked back once.
A voice next to her asked, “Persephone, did you hear me? Are you okay?”
She turned her attention to her mother. She’d seen her a few nights before the kidnapping, but now as she looked at her, she saw the past few weeks had changed her. Still stunning with shoulder length warm brown hair and the same brown eyes as all three of her daughters, now worry seemed permanently etched into her normally delicate features.
Wishing she could erase that from her beautiful face, Persephone forced a smile for her benefit. “I’m fine, Mom. I swear.”
Cradling her face, her mother searched her eyes for the truth, not believing Persephone was truly okay. “Are you sure? I thought I’d never see you again, honey. Thank God you’re back safe with us. Your father told me to trust in the man he hired. He said he’d bring you back to us. I wanted to believe him, but I was so worried.”
Her sisters sobbed in happiness to see her safe and sound again, but all Persephone could think about was how she would get a chance to see Nick before he walked out of her life forever. She couldn’t let him do that before she could speak to him once more.
After rushing through a shower to wash away every remnant of her captivity, she hurried down to her father’s office at the back of the house and waited outside for Nick to come out. She heard voices inside, so she hoped she hadn’t missed him. Pressing her ear to the door, she strained to hear the conversation, but all she heard sounded like her father talking on the phone to someone.
Finally, after waiting fifteen minutes, the door opened and Nick walked out into the hallway. Surprised, he immediately stepped back away from her.
“What are you doing here, Persephone?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “My family lives here, Nick.”
“I meant here outside your father’s office when I came out.”
She took a step toward him and stopped. “I wanted to talk to you before you leave.”
He didn’t say anything, but his expression told her he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she needed to tell him. Before the past couple weeks, that may have stopped her, but now she needed to speak her mind.
Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and pulled him toward the back door to the garden. “Come with me so we can talk in private.”
He reluctantly agreed and walked out with her without saying another word. She guided him to the gazebo at the far end of the gardens and sat down just as the sun began to rise. Nick remained standing and folded his arms across his chest.
Confused by his standoffish behavior, she asked, “Is something wrong? Did I do something that makes you think I deserve such coldness?”
He shook his head and softened his body language, but still he remained standing. “No. Nothing’s wrong.”
But everything about him seemed wrong now. Gone was the kindness he showed her all those times he came into that room to feed her. Gone was the concern for her. Gone was everything in him that had given her hope.
“Then why won’t you even sit down next to me again?” she asked, hurt from the way he insisted on staying away from her.
“Your father’s driver is supposed to be taking me home. I’m sure he’s waiting for me right now.”
God, his words sounded so hollow now! Why was he acting like this?
Her hands shook as she tried to find the words she wanted to say. “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did to protect me. I told my father this and I meant it. You’re the reason I’m home alive again. Whatever he paid you isn’t enough.”
Instead of accepting her thanks or saying anything kind like he had all those times when she sat there tied to that chair in front of him, he merely nodded but remained silent. Persephone didn’t understand why he was treating her like this—like they didn’t know one another any better than two strangers.
Anger and hurt rose inside her until she couldn’t stand it anymore. Jumping up, she walked across the gazebo and stopped in front of him. “Why are you acting like I don’t even deserve a kind word now? What happened to the man who was back there at that house with me? Where did he go?”