Page 23 of Please Open Me
“No. Her room’s in the basement. That makes you uncomfortable.”
Cameron once said it reminded him too much of the family he’d lost before Dale kidnapped him, and I didn’t push the issue.Ever.
He hesitated. “I was gonna put her in my bed.”
“She sleeps better in her room.”
I shifted her in my arms, adjusting her hands around my neck.
“That theonlyreason?” he asked.
I stopped cold. What kind of question was that?
“She’s not feeling well. And I love her. She needs to rest,” I said sharply.
The basement made the most sense.
No cats. No kids. No partners stomping around.
Cameron smirked. “What?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said. “You’ve matured a lot since Rosie.”
I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.
So I said the obvious: “Being a dad does that to a person.”
Chapter 7
Sebastian
Consciousness hit me like a truck—suddenly and all at once—followed by a breath that sounded too close to a sob. I shot upright, bracing on my elbows as I scanned the room.
Everything was soaked in burnt orange and blood-red shadows, lit only by the slice of moonlight cutting across the floor. Something loomed in the corner—too tall, too broad to be Dale.
My mind went straight to Mattie.
Did Mason wake up?
Did she let her in?
... Did she even need to?
I scrambled back a few inches and patted blindly at the nightstand for my glasses. Even with them on, the world wasn’t fully in focus, which made it hard to breathe.
I grabbed my phone and flicked on the flashlight. The beam shook with the tremble in my hand as I swept it across the corner.
Just a pile of folded clothes in the rocking chair. Nothing else.
I exhaled slowly, then killed the light and fell back into the mattress. Only then did I notice the damp sheets clinging to my skin, again.
For the hundredth fucking time.
I groaned and sat up fully. Cameron snored beside me, oblivious.
Lucky bastard.
