Free Uncovering You 2: Submission by Scarlett Edwards

to hide?
    Other than you? a cynical voice asks me.
    Every once in a while, Rose stops seemingly for no reason at all and glances back at me. Each time, a small gesture on her part alerts me to the presence of another camera. I get what she’s doing, and couldn’t be more thankful for it. Rose is reminding me that our entire interaction is being monitored by Stonehart.
    “Does Mr. Stonehart entertain often?” I ask almost an hour later, when we return to the lobby.
    “Oh, no,” Rose shakes her head. “He never invites people here. He has an apartment in the city for that sort of thing.”
    “Does he spend a lot of time there?”
    “Not since you came along,” she tells me, and smiles. “Miss Ryder, excuse my candor, but I really must tell you something.”
    “Go ahead,” I say.
    “Well, I don’t know the particulars of your arrangement with Mr. Stonehart, and it’s certainly not my place to ask, but I only want to say that since he welcomed you into his life, Mr. Stonehart has been a changed man. I have never seen him so content.”
    I frown, wondering if this is a test Stonehart told Rose to put me through. I remember the camera above me. “Thank you,” I say noncommittally.
    She nods at me in a way that I’m almost certain means, “Well done.” She turns away.
    “I’ll be on my way, now,” she says. “There’s nothing more for me to show you.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “Home.”
    My eyes widen. “You mean, you don’t live here?”
    “Heavens, no! I’ve always preferred my own bed. Especially when Mr. Stonehart isn’t around to call on me.”
    “Okay,” I say, processing this new information. Stonehart is trusting me to be alone in his entire house? This has got to be a trick. I need to proceed with caution.
    “Charles—the cook—will be in shortly to make your dinner,” Rose says. “You may introduce yourself if you’d like, but be warned: He is not very talkative.”
    “I will, Rose. Thank you for showing me around.”
    “It was my pleasure. Whatever makes Mr. Stonehart happy makes me happy, and you make him very happy.” She walks by me through the door. “Good-bye.”
    After the doors close, I stand still for the longest time. The house is silent. The only thing I can hear is the blood pounding in my ears.
    This has to be a test , I tell myself. There is no way Rose has her own place .
    Stonehart wouldn’t risk her finding out about me and raising an alarm. Things cannot be so simple.
    A terrifying thought creeps into the depths of my mind. Stonehart would not risk Rose knowing about me… unless she’s in on it, too .
    That makes my skin crawl. Could kind, sweet Rose be involved in my capture? Could she and Stonehart both be in on it?
    After thinking on it for a while, I see how that can totally make sense. What is Rose’s real relationship with Stonehart?
    I don’t know. But, whatever it is, I intend to find out. And until I do, I have to remember to stay on my guard around her—no matter how much that hurts me.
    I have no friends here. To think otherwise would be lunacy.
    It is a dark, depressing thought.

Chapter Fourteen

    I walk through the entire mansion, not touching a thing, but imprinting the layout in my mind. Stonehart said he’d be gone for three days. I plan on making use of that time.
    There is a pool, a bar, and a theater in the basement. The pool is a full, Olympic size one. I never really liked to swim, but my body is itching for physical exercise. Doing something strenuous can empty my mind. I make a note to check if my closet includes swimwear later tonight.
    I look behind the bar, and find it stocked with all kinds of liquor. I debate pouring myself a glass—Stonehart never mentioned restrictions on consumption. Ultimately, I decide against it. Who knows if he’ll take it as a transgression.
    I return to the main floor and do a second walkthrough of the mansion. I’m looking for anything that will give me a clue about Stonehart, the person. If