Page 32 of Carte

“Good,” he cleared his throat. Rounding the island, he pulled one of the high stools there and sat. Gesturing for me to do the same, he said. “We need to talk.”

I arched a brow at his commanding tone, and gesture, but did as asked, “Talk about what?”

He was silent while we dished the food that smelled delicious.

I couldn’t tell if it was so he could gear himself up for what he was going to say, or if he was giving me time to steal in order not to fly off the handle.

It was probably both.

When he was done, he sat still for a moment. A look crossed his features. A look that captured me, and made me lean a fraction closer to him. A look that felt like he was trailing his fingertips over my heated skin, gliding them down until he met- He shook his head in quick little motions breaking that spell.

He took a bite of his food, chewed while eying me carefully, before swallowing. “Ground rules.”

I was in the process of biting into the goodness in a form of Mexican food, but stopped mid-way, “I-”

Carter held up a hand, “Don’t blow on me, Dynamo. I know you don’t do rules, or structure, or any of the other normal shit, but this is necessary."

“Okay, let’s hear your ground rules, Warden,” I flicked my hand out to speed him up.

“No sneaking out or running away.”

I rolled my eyes, “”We’re in the middle of nowhere. I actually have no clue where you brought me. Why would I be so dumb as to try and sneak away?”

He hadn't said anything, simply stared at me.

I squirmed in my seat, looking down, “That’s different. We were in a city. And I knew where I was going. Besides, you always had someone following me, so it wasn’t like I was being successful at it.”

“No unmonitored calls,” He mercifully didn’t comment on my lame attempts of slipping past him anymore.

I tilted my head, “Unmonitored calls?”

“You call anyone you need to from my phone. We need to be able to see where that person is, and if there’s been a breach we hadn’t been aware of.”

“You think it was someone from my team?” My lips felt numb just by uttering those words.

“Harley, he was in your hotel room just moments after you vacated it. His window wasn’t long, and he timed it perfectly.”

I took a deep breath. It came out shakily, “Okay.”

It never occurred to me that someone from my team would be a part of whatever it was happening. Up until now, I was convinced it was just a fan that wanted more access to me. Someone who wouldn’t do harm. Not to me, or to anyone else. That the label and management were just being overcautious when they brought on Carter. That, and they wanted to control me.

But sitting in that kitchen it was finally dawning on me that I found myself in a serious situation. One that was probably dangerous.

He gave me a second, and then continued, “Also, you can’t post anything on social media. People think that if they don’t post their geo-tag no one would know where they are. But, people with enough time and determination will and can find out in just a few well-placed clicks.”

“Cassie does my social media. I don’t know how it works.”

“Good,” he grunted.

“Is that all?” my voice was small. I hated that it was, but everything suddenly became real.

“As long as you follow those simple rules, Dynamo, that’s all.”

I arched my brow, and took a bite.

The moment the flavors hit my tongue, I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the goodness of it. It was the best food I had in months. No, years. There was no other way to experience it than to close your eyes and to savor it.

Opening my eyes, I looked at Carter sitting across from me, “Damn, you can cook. This is delicious.”