Free Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand Page A

from earlier
pounds anew.
    “ You are a foolish girl!”
he hisses. “Foolish for thinking you’d survive without me and
foolish for thinking I‘d give you the chance to try.”
    He is in my face now. I can feel his
hot breath, taste the staleness that mingles with the scent of
alcohol. My eyes are squeezed shut because I know that if I open
them, moisture will escape, and I refuse to cry for him.
    “ You are lucky Linc was
there. If he wasn’t, you’d only be getting what you deserve for
betraying me. Betraying your purpose.” I can feel his shoulders
pressing close, his lips inches from my nose. I press my lips
together keep from making a sound, knowing any response will be
interpreted as weakness.
    “ Know this,” he whispers.
“If you try again, I will terminate you myself.”
    His footsteps echo as he retreats. I
do not open my eyes until the sound dies away. I expect Gus to be
waiting for me from where he stood by and watched the whole
exchange with a bored expression, but he is gone too. A hand at my
elbow startles me. I jerk away with a short cry and find Maria, the
maid, staring at me.
    “ Would you like some help
getting ready for bed?” she asks timidly, and I know she heard
everything.
    “ Yes, thank you.” My voice
is deceivingly steady, even to my own ears. I should be proud that
I’ve kept my cool but I’m ashamed. And angry. My hands shake with
the emotion. It is heady and almost too big for my body. If human
rage is anything like this, it explains the root of the evil I’ve
seen tonight.
     

Chapter
Six
     
     
    Taylor comes for lunch the next day,
accosting me as I enter the parlor, her brows are raised with
practiced concern and morbid curiosity. The bruise on my cheek
doesn’t help matters, though the staff has already been informed it
was part of my rooftop attack. Only Maria knows the truth—and Gus,
but he never gives anything away.
    “ Are you all right?”
Taylor asks, managing to hug me while barely touching me. “Gawd, I
heard about your close call last night and I just cannot believe
the skuzzies out there who get their rocks off trying to hurt
women. I mean, you could have been killed—or worse.” She stops,
newly horrified as she realizes what her words imply. “I mean, they
didn’t actually … touch you, did they?”
    “ No, they didn’t,” I say,
thinking of Linc and the way he commanded the situation so
effortlessly, so fearlessly. I remember his comment on the rooftop,
how he is not afraid to die, and I know it is the truth.
    I wonder what it would be like to have
nothing left to live for—or what it is I think I have.
    “… Bet Daniel will be
livid when he finds out. Just beside himself with worry, I mean,
the lowlifes thinking they can come into our part of town is
downright degrading, even if they didn’t actually touch you.” She
stops, cocks her head at me. “You did call him, right?”
    “ Who?”
    “ Daniel. Are you even
listening to me?”
    “ I …”
    “ Just because you guys
aren’t officially an item to the rest of the world, he would still
want to know. I mean, three public appearances … that’s like
practically engaged, which isn’t a big deal since that’s the plan.
But at least tell him so he can stay ahead of the
press.”
    Engaged? It’s a surprise but after
hearing this, Daniel being groomed to take over Rogen Corp makes
sense. “You’re right, I should call him,” I say when I
recover.
    “ Speaking of which, what’s
up with your cell? I call and call and it goes straight to voice
mail.”
    I falter, unsure what to say. I hadn’t
thought of it until now, but whatever phone Raven Rogen owned has
not been given to me. I wonder who Titus thinks I would call. “My
phone is … broken. I dropped it when I was attacked.”
    “ Ugh,” she says, as if
that is the most annoying part of what happened to me.
    “ I’ll get a new one soon,”
I say, trying to emulate her annoyance.
    She nods once, and just like that,
moves on.