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just waiting for your answer.”
    “I get my own room?”
    “Yes. And it comes with silence. Maybe you’ll actually get a good nights’ sleep. The circles under your eyes are horrible. You look like shit.”
    Lydia cast me an angry glance, but she leaned over, jerking a pair of pants from a small chair along the wall. I didn’t goad her anymore while she got dressed. When she began getting what looked to be work clothes from her closet, I didn’t tell her it was pointless. All I did was put back on my shoes and jacket as I waited.
    She wasn’t going anywhere. The next four weeks of her life would consist of whatever I made of it. If she was suicidal, I would find out. And then we would begin.

Chapter 6
    Lydia
     
    Hadn’t I feared this would happen? Hadn’t instinct told me it was Jaime at the door?
    Dammit. I hadn’t wanted to believe it. Even now as we were driving toward his apartment, I couldn’t grasp we were actually so close to one another. This wasn’t good. The man messed with my mind. He made me think about things I shouldn’t. Like, who he was when he wasn’t trying to save me, or why every time I took in his broad shoulders and thin waist my body reacted. Or … why I was internally relieved with him close by.
    The light turned green and he made a left, causing me to pause in my thoughts. His place was straight ahead and he was taking us toward the freeway.
    “Where are we going?”
    His hand rose and I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat. Jaime pushed at buttons on his fancy screen and within seconds ringing filled the interior.
    “Jaime?” I whispered.
    “Hold on, Lydia.”
    A familiar voice broke through and I almost let out a cry as I knew something wasn’t right.
    “Well?”
    “I’m headed to the mansion,” Jaime said, looking over at me. “Lydia is going to stay with me for a while.”
    “Mansion?” My head was already shaking as he sped up and merged into traffic.
    “And how is she taking this? Lydia, do you want to talk with me?”
    “What the hell is going on? I thought…” I gave Jaime a look, almost a plea to help with the panic that was rising inside of me. “What happened to your place?”
    “The mansion is my place, Lydia. The penthouse was just my temporary home. I was only staying there until I healed.”
    “Lydia? This is Diane.” I closed my eyes, placing my hand on my forehead to try to stop the spinning. It was her , the woman from the café. If it wasn’t for Jaime’s safety, I would have flipped the fuck out and maybe even attempted to wreck the damn car to get away. Yet here I was, being a semi-willing victim while he carted me away to some mansion . What was I doing? I couldn’t let him take me somewhere unfamiliar. What had I been thinking? I was starting to feel trapped.
    “I’m here, Diane.” My voice cracked and my adrenaline soared.
    “I know you’re afraid right now. We’re strangers and now some man you hardly know is taking you somewhere you’ve never been before, but I promise you everything will be okay. Jaime will take good care of you. You have to know that.”
    Would he? A part of me said he would. He had jumped off a cliff to save my life. There was good in him. But was there bad? Just because someone played the hero didn’t mean they couldn’t be the villain. Some of the best villains were masked by nobility and charm. They’d die to be your savior, but only if it benefited them in the end.
    “What’s happening? Why do I have to go anywhere?
    The woman hesitated and again her voice came through. “I used to be in a bad spot. I lost my husband and daughter to a drunk driver. My life became meaningless. I was on a path that led me to the same place you are now. Sevastian helped me. Jaime wants to help you. I know the last thing you probably want right now is to talk about this. And maybe you don’t feel as though you need anyone’s help, but I ask that you please give him a chance.
    I opened my eyes, trying to stop