A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 233

Elissa averted her gaze, refusing to meet Rowan’s intense stare. She drew a long breath, willing herself to sound composed. “I’m waiting for Frank.”

“Wait all you want,” Rowan replied without even a hint of subtlety, his tone blunt and direct. “Just don’t forget what’s written in our agreement.”

Elissa nearly blacked out on the spot.

Seizing a moment when the housekeeper wasn’t looking, she shot Rowan a fierce glare.

Rowan, knowing she couldn’t withstand much teasing, just shoved one hand into his pocket and strode off toward the staircase, his long legs making quick work of the distance.

He paused at the top of the stairs, then turned, as if suddenly remembering something important. “Oh, right. Come up here—I’ve got something for you.”

Elissa knew from experience that once Rowan set his mind on something, there was no point arguing. The more she resisted, the more suspicious it would look. So she stood tall, feigning nonchalance, and followed him upstairs.

Though Rowan had moved out, nobody had dared touch his suite all these years. Even the family matriarch kept a room for him in her own wing, just in case anyone talked.

He led her straight into his old room without a second thought.

“What is it?” she demanded.

“Why are you waiting for Frank?” he shot back.

The moment she crossed the threshold, Rowan pressed her up against the door. Both spoke at once, their words colliding in the charged air. Their eyes met, neither backing down.

When he said nothing further, Elissa knew she’d have to answer first. She huffed impatiently. “Go ask your grandmother if you want to know.”

There was no way she could tell him the truth. Besides, the old lady would never tell him either. If Rowan wanted to argue, he’d have to take it up with her.

Checking the time, Elissa guessed Frank would be arriving any minute. Rowan still wasn’t talking, so she pressed, “Well? What exactly did you want to give me?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, footsteps echoed from downstairs.

Frank must be here.

Rowan watched the anxious expression flicker across her face, then gave a small, crooked smile. “Funny. When Frank keeps secrets, you never look this nervous.”

He was, of course, talking about Frank.

Knock, knock.

She’d barely finished speaking when someone rapped on the door.

Outside, she could just make out Butler Murphy’s voice, talking to Frank. “Miss Elissa went upstairs with Mr. Rowan. They should be in this room.”

Rowan didn’t seem bothered at all. He actually stepped closer, caging her in. “What’s wrong? Am I not good enough for you?”

This isn’t about whether you’re good enough, she wanted to shout. It’s about whether I want to live.

“Elissa, are you in there? I’m coming in,” Frank’s voice called through the door, accompanied by another round of knocking.

Panic rising, Elissa lunged for the door, desperate to escape.

But Rowan blocked her path, his voice ice-cold. “Don’t want your present?”

She spun around, about to retort, when she saw him pull something from his pocket—a chocolate bar, old-fashioned and familiar. It was the kind she’d adored as a child, a classic brand you couldn’t find in stores or online anymore. She had no idea how he’d managed to get his hands on it.