Terms of Surrender

Assessing the East Wing: Tess

I listened carefully for the elevator doors. Darian was gone. The whoosh of them sliding shut behind him was followed by an overwhelming and suffocating silence. I finally rose from the stool and my legs shook beneath me, but they carried me back into the main living area of the penthouse.

There was a keypad on the wall next to the elevator, not the typical buttons. It’s basically locked, requiring a code for me to use it. I was too high up to worry about if the windows open. Not unless I wanted to plummet to my certain death.

Darian’s words kept bouncing around in my head. Nonsense about “biological imperatives.” There had to be a plausible explanation for his superhuman speed, the way his eyes glowed, and the changes in his voice. Drugs, perhaps?

He’s a monster, but what kind? Certainly not the kind with fangs. The kind with resources. He’s dangerous enough to be insane, and rich enough to be right about the law not governing him.

I picked my briefcase up off the floor, and went through the penthouse, headed for the east wing.

I found it, and opened the first door. A bathroom with a massive claw-foot tub, spacious vanity counters, a small linen closet, and a shower with frosted glass doors.

There was another door that opened into the bedroom, connecting the two rooms. This room was somehow more luxurious than the penthouse’s common area, and yet colder at the same time. Plants sat in the bay window, ivy crawling up the wall to create a curtain. The furniture was a mix of dark wood and gilded surfaces. A large rug covered the marble floor. The oversized bed was tucked into the corner, a large canopy hanging over it with velvet curtains tied back. The bedding matches, black and gold velvet. Ultra soft pillows. I almost didn’t hate it. The walk in closet was massive, but nearly empty. There was a small handful of basic items hanging in it, and I couldn’t help wondering where they came from. The dresser was pretty empty too, just a small stack of loungewear in one of the top drawers.

The sharp ding of the elevator pierced the silence and I froze. Was he back? Could it be a rescue? I’m torn between hiding and rushing forward. The ding sounded again, and I was quite certain I was once again alone in the penthouse.

I set the briefcase on the foot of the bed and walked back to the main area, finding my luggage had been dropped off.

I dragged it all back to the east wing feeling an ache in my chest. There was a hollow sense of hopelessness that had been carved out. I wanted to smash something. I wanted to tear apart the suite.

My lips pinched together instead in a thin line of professional discipline. Destruction was pointless. It would only give him more information regarding my emotional state. Besides, my grandfather raised me to behave better than that. Instead, I set my resolve to use Darian’s resources against him.

I took a long, hot shower, and while I was in there, I finally allowed myself a moment to break down. The water couldn’t wash away the terror that had me in a vise grip, but it did wash away the scent of pomegranate and rain.

Before I turned the water off, I realized that Darian seen me as an asset. He claimed that he needed me to survive. That meant I have value. Assets can be leveraged. I just had to figure out what he feared more than my escape.

I got dressed, putting on a pair of black cotton pants and a cream sweater that lands mid-thigh. My hair was still wet when I brushed it back and secured it with a clip. I didn’t really care though. I take out the audit notes for Whitmore Terra Acquisitions and I start reviewing them for anomalies.

He thinks that I’ve surrendered. He’s wrong. This is reconnaissance. He wants me to eat, to rest, to trust his protection. I will do none of that. I will be ready when he returns though.