"How did she die?" I asked softly.
"How did she die?" He repeated my words softly. "She died from drugs. A broken heart. Desperation. She lost her way." His voice dropped. "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Not always in that order and not always fun."
"I'm sorry." I grabbed his hands and rubbed his palms in mine. As we sat there in silence I realized how odd this moment was. I was sitting na**d with a man I'd met the day before, comforting him. Though that wasn't the oddest part. The oddest part was that I felt like I was meant to be here. The oddest part was that my whole being felt like my life had been building up to this moment and this man. This man I'd never met before yesterday.
"You ever feel like there's one moment in your life that defines you? One moment that will change the path of your life forever?" He sighed and I nodded. I knew exactly what he was talking about. "My sister's death was that moment. When she died, I vowed that I'd be a different person. I vowed that I wasn't going to let society dictate the way I lived my life."
"Is that when you went to work for Grant?"
"Grant's not the man you think he is." He looked into my eyes. "He's not the guy I thought he was."
"We should leave. We should report him." I said earnestly. "We don't have to stay here. You don't have to work for him."
"I can't leave, Evie." He shook his head. "You can't leave. Don't you understand?"
"Understand what?" I exclaimed. "I don't understand what you want me to understand."
"You don't get to just come here and leave. Grant chose you for a reason."
"What do you mean?" I shivered and pulled my hands away from him. "I'm not with Grant anymore."
"You came here with Grant." He sighed. "He has a plan for you."
"What plan?"
"It's not for me to say." He shook his head and stood up. "I should go."
"Where are you going?" I whimpered, not wanting to be left alone.
"You trust me right?" He pulled me up towards him and kissed my lips.
"I think so." I kissed him back softly.
"I can't just change how everything operates Evie. There's a plan in place. Grant is the one that makes the decisions."
"But you said I'm with you now."
"He won't touch you again."
"What will he do then?"
He looked at me silently and then turned his head to the side.
"Is he going to do to me what he did to Eugenie?" I grabbed his head and turned him to look at me. "Just what have I gotten myself into Tyler?"
"Do you want to leave?" He bit his lower lip. "I can let you go now. I can let you run away."
"But what about everything?" I asked slowly as he ran his fingers down the valley between my br**sts.
"Everything like what?"
"Eugenie. The truth. I could tell from the look on your face that you didn't know about the letters or that Eugenie was being given drugs." I stared at him as his face contorted. "We shouldn't let Grant get away with this."
"I don't know what happened with Eugenie."
"Don't you want to know the truth?" I took a deep breath. "I don't want this-"
"Are you prepared for what happens if you stay?" He cut me off and pulled me towards him urgently. "This isn't a game Evie. This is real. There's a possibility that..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "No, you should leave. I want you to leave."
"What about Grant?"
"What about him?"
"Won't he ask where I went?"
"I can deal with him." He pulled me towards him and hugged me tight. "There's a woman that once told me that you are what you are and you only are if you do and if you don't do then you're nothing."
"What?" I frowned, confused by his words.
"There's nothing more important to me than you leaving here safely." He stroked the top of my head. "Unless you think you can handle staying."
"What do you mean?"
"If you stay … " He paused. "There are things that you might have to do."
"What sort of things?"
"I don't know." He grabbed my hands and pulled me towards him and whispered in my ear. "There are things you might have to do that might make you uncomfortable."
"What?" I asked and I felt his hands digging into my side hard.
"Don't move." He whispered again. "He's back."
I didn't need to ask who. I froze as I heard the door open slightly. The room was dead quiet as we all stood there waiting for someone to speak.
"Someone found her wings." Grant's voice was husky and I heard the rustle of chains in his hands. I stood there next to Tyler and shivered as his grip tightened.