A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 266

“Closeness, distance—”

Rowan made no effort to hide his indifference. “No matter how you look at it, you’re hardly the right person to apologize on her behalf.”

Frank’s expression faltered at that.

He couldn’t deny Rowan’s point.

If you measured closeness, Rowan and Elissa weren’t related by blood, but they’d grown up together as siblings.

If you measured time spent, Rowan and Elissa had shared almost a decade under the same roof—far more than Frank ever had, given how absent he’d been as a husband.

In truth, Rowan had always been much closer to Elissa than Frank could ever claim to be.

Elissa couldn’t quite figure out Rowan’s angle. Her lashes lowered as she asked quietly, “What do you want, Rowan?”

He shot her a sidelong look, then—right in front of Frank—said bluntly, “Is it really that hard to keep your promise?”

A strange anxiety twisted in Frank’s gut.

He was suddenly worried Elissa might have agreed to something with Rowan—maybe even a deal that would keep her away from him.

After all, Rowan had never been thrilled about Frank marrying Elissa in the first place.

Frank turned to Elissa, searching her face. “What promise?”

Elissa sneaked a glance at Rowan, then seized the moment to fabricate an answer. “I promised to live across the hall from him and walk his dog. If he doesn’t agree, there’s nothing I can do—I can’t move back to Greenwood Manor.”

She sounded entirely sincere, with just a trace of put-upon helplessness, as if Rowan’s demands left her no choice.

With Rowan’s complicated relationship with Lorraine, Elissa knew she should keep her distance from him and not ask for any more favors.

Right now, she needed Frank’s help to investigate her parents’ deaths, but she had no desire to return to Greenwood Manor.

His steps were long and quick, radiating the pent-up frustration he’d been carrying for days.

Elissa hurried to keep up, her still-healing wrist aching under his grip. She sucked in a quiet breath, but didn’t pull away.

Rowan didn’t slow down, but his eyes flicked to her wrist—where a red, half-healed mark still circled her skin. His face gave nothing away, but his hand slid a bit higher, loosening his hold.

He led her briskly to the parking lot, opened the car door, and jerked his chin—an unmistakable invitation to get in.

Elissa ducked into the passenger seat. As she settled in, Rowan slid in beside her and slammed the door so hard it rattled the frame.

She half-expected him to lash out about her “broken promise” and her conversation with Frank. But instead, he fixed his gaze on the injury at her wrist, his brow furrowing. “You hurt it the night before last?”

She was caught off guard by his concern for such a small wound. “Yeah.”

Rowan studied her calm, detached expression. Something about it made his chest tighten. “Does it still hurt?”