Page 75 of The Monster I Am
“It could have taken longer to extend them,” Ry answers. “But they needed you out of the way and an excuse to connect them to Cedar Heights.”
“But why?” I shake my head, perplexed. “What would anyone have to gain by targeting Cedar? No offence but surely Willowbrook would be the cash cow.”
Arch crosses his arms, turning to me. “We need to find out where the tunnels lead to. It’s the only way we can figure out who is behind this or why they wanted to burn our school down.”
“Hold up,” Tai interjects. “You can’t possibly be suggesting what I think you are about to.”
I grin at him sheepishly. “Cover your ears then because I hate to disappoint.”
Ry looks over at me. “I’m with Bexley and Archer on this one. We need to investigate the tunnels. It’s the only way we can be sure.”
“I agree,” Hunter responds. “The sooner, the better. Especially since our fathers are on Bexley’s ass every chance they get.”
Arch’s head snaps toward me and I scrunch up my face. “I’ll fill you in soon,” I promise. “But let’s start assembling a team. Anyone and everyone we can trust. We’re going on an underground adventure this week.”
Chapter twenty-four
Hunter
“No peeking,” I mutter, holding the blindfold securely to Bexley’s face as she takes slow baby steps in front of me. “And no… That’s not a challenge for you to prove you’re stubborn and defiant.”
“It’s a bit hard for me to peek even if I wanted to,” she points out with a quiet snort. “Where are we anyway? You’re being awfully secretive. It’s very suspicious and worrying.”
I smirk deviously. “You’re ridiculously impatient. You know that, right?” I drop my hands from her face, double checking the tightness of the blindfold knot at the back of her head before taking a hold of her waist. I help steady her, directing the two of us into the awaiting room.
Bexley laughs softly. “And you’re just figuring that out now?”
“No,” I answer playfully without missing a beat. “I’ve known that for some time. Just ensuringyouknow. Self-awareness is a powerful tool.”
“How generous of you. Guess that’s your one good deed for the day.”
“I guess I’m in a surplus then.”
Running my hands intentionally up her sides to make my way to her hands, I guide them to the seat of the plush leather recliner. She feels around blindly, mapping out the space with her fingertips before planting herself down and crossing her legs.
Even with her face covered, there’s an air of authority that resonates from her.
Bexley relaxes into the seat, resting her forearms on the sides. “A surplus, you say? Well, color me curious.”
I sense her curiosity heighten as I move away, my footsteps echoing. “Don’t move,” I order, slipping into my spot. “Or you’ll ruin all our hard work.”
“Our?” She repeats, muffling a laugh. “Shit—now I’m definitely concerned.”
Like always, my hands fondly glide along the keys in front of me, settling on their starting point. “Just do me a favor and shut up for once,” I say teasingly.
Without waiting for her response, I start playing, the piano loudly coming to life.
I’m not entirely sure if it’s just my imagination—maybe even the unfamiliar nerves—but the sound seems louder than usual. The reverberation dances around the timber room, making it almost seem like the tempo is controlling the shadows that are being cast from the candles.
Bexley has gone completely still, my eyes glued to her as I devour her raw reaction to the music.
It’s not the first time she’s heard me play—courtesy of the little stunt she pulled at my house. But it’s the first time I’ve playedfor her.
The blindfold was a nice touch. By removing her sight, every other sense will be intensifying more and more with eachpassing note. Now, she can truly focus on the melody and feel the song.
I know it must be killing her not to see what’s happening, and if anything, I’m actually a little enraptured that she let me do it. It’s a small gesture, probably seemingly insignificant to most people. But the fact Bexley allowed me to take away one of her key senses speaks actual volumes. For people like us, we’re conditioned to always remain on alert, scanning our surroundings to make sure we’re two steps ahead of any impending threat.
Her allowance is a sign of trust…
