Chapter 2

Madelaine

I slowly approached him, dragging my suitcases behind me.

What do I do? What do I say? Do I hug him? Give him a handshake?

I had read that he hated physical touch, so those options were out.

In two long strides, Dr. Cavanagh met me halfway. His smile was nice and charming, the type that could make you swoon, but I could see past it and tell it wasn’t genuine. It was practiced, something he could reach for anytime it was needed.

“Madelaine.” He held his hand out to me. His voice was deep and calm, sending a shiver down my spine.

I slowly placed my hand in his. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it.

My stomach churned in a very confusing way and I quickly pulled my hand back.

“Hi, sir.”

“Ben, not sir,” he corrected, still smiling.

He didn’t look anything like I expected. He was tall and beautiful, with soft masculine features—his sharp jawline, long lashes, and dark hair falling slightly over his face.

But there was still something deeply unsettling about his eyes. They were very dark and empty, like an abyss.

He also looked incredibly young. I would have never believed he was thirty-seven.

“Madelaine, give the phone to Ben,” my dad said, pulling me out of my daze.

I immediately handed my phone to Ben, who pressed it to his ear.

“She’s alive and well. You’re welcome,” Ben said with a faint smirk.

He paused, listening.

“Hmm. We’ll try.”

He handed the phone back to me.

I ended the call while Ben walked back to his car and opened the passenger door for me. He was a gentleman too or maybe he was just being nice because I was Billy’s daughter.

“My bags…” I started, but he cut me off.

“I’ll take care of that.”

His voice was so smooth, like honey, making my nipples tighten.

Gosh, what is wrong with me?

And who the hell is this man?

I climbed into his Bentley and waited patiently while he loaded my suitcases into the trunk. A moment later he slid into the driver’s seat.

Being in such a tight space with him made me realize just how affected I was by his presence.

He smelled cold—like frozen red berries and mandarin.

He started the engine and wrapped his long, swordsman fingers around the steering wheel as he began to drive.

I had never been properly touched before, but I couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to have those fingers on me… tracing over my skin, caressing my breasts.

I swallowed.

This is fucking insane, Maddy. You are insane.

This man is seventeen years older than you.

I stared out the window, trying to push my thoughts away from the direction they were wandering in, and admired the city.

I had never traveled much. My mom hated traveling. The only place I had ever been with her was Paris because her brother lived there.

It felt good to experience a new city.

It would have been better under different circumstances, though.

If my father was taking such drastic measures to keep me safe, then I really should be terrified for my life.

But another part of me wanted to believe that if I had lived this long, my dad would protect me.

Or maybe Ben would now.

“Would you like to go see your dad before we leave?” Ben broke the silence.

“Leave? Where are we going?” I asked, a frown forming on my face.

“Do you really think the men after you don’t know the first thing your dad would do after the attack is bring you here?” he scoffed.

“What? So I’m in more danger here?” My heart skipped a beat.

“Relax, Snow White. You’re fine. But we’re not spending the summer in L.A.”

He sounded controlled and calm—like a man who believed he was the most dangerous thing in the room.

“Where are we spending the summer then?” I asked.

“Somewhere safe.”

He didn’t bother to elaborate and it made me angry.

“So I’m just supposed to follow a man I don’t know to ‘somewhere safe’ and spend ten weeks alone there?” I asked, my jaw clenching.

“Yes, love.”

The endearment chipped at my anger, but I was still upset about the idea of spending ten weeks somewhere isolated with a man I barely knew.

“Why would I do that?” I asked.

“Because you don’t want to die. Let me rephrase that—death is the least painful thing these men would do to you if they find you. Death would be a gift.”

He said it like he was reciting poetry instead of delivering information that made my heart sink.

He turned his head toward me, narrowing his eyes slightly, a strange glint flashing through them.

“You’re beautiful,” Ben said suddenly, changing the subject. “Much more beautiful than your mom. You look like flowers bloom wherever you walk.”

I didn’t know if he was trying to calm the fear he had just stirred in me or if he was simply being honest.

“I don’t want to die or be captured,” I said. The crack in my voice that I tried to hide slipped out anyway.

“You won’t,” he said calmly. “I won’t let it happen.”

His confidence soothed something inside me.

I didn’t know what he was capable of or how he planned to keep me safe, but for some reason… I believed him.

His car turned off the main road and onto a long, dark driveway that looked completely private.

It was almost nine at night, and my fear and anxiety were already settling in. I hated the night and the dark. They brought too many fears and nightmares with them.

“Can you tell me what he did? Why are they after him or me?” I asked.

“It’s better you don’t know, Snow White.”

That was the second time he had called me that. I was willing to bet he was using it because of how pale my skin was.

His car slowed as we passed through a large gate and finally stopped in front of a magnificent mansion.

Wow.

He really is a billionaire.

My mind kept circling back to the fact that I would soon be trapped ‘somewhere safe’ with Ben. And I didn’t like the thoughts that idea was starting to give me.