Rebecca’s POV
The hallway was quiet and empty... It was late—probably already past eleven—and the house was completely silent around us.
Kaden held my hand, his grip tight and warm, leading the way. My pulse was racing, but not for the reason he probably thought. This was actually happening. After everything—the locket, the impossible little keyhole, Logan’s warning, Stephanie trying to talk some sense into me—I was finally getting inside that room. And this time, Kaden was taking me there himself.
Instead of taking the stairs, he led me down a narrow side corridor to a private elevator. He pressed his thumb against the scanner beside it, and the doors slid open with a soft hum. We stepped inside, and as the metallic doors shut us in, Kaden reached out, entered a command on the control panel, and pressed the button for the sixth floor.
I kept my face calm, but inside, my mind was racing. The sixth floor. I took a firm mental note of it. The last time I had been taken up toward that BDSM room, we had taken the back stairs, completely blind to how the floors were mapped out. I hadn’t known there was a private elevator that led directly to the same floor. This was useful.
Kaden’s hand remained wrapped firmly around mine. I glanced down at our joined hands before looking up at him. He seemed unusually tense, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand restlessly.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, tilting his head.
"No," I lied softly, forcing a small, eager smile. "More like... excited."
He nodded, but as I looked up at him, I noticed the slight tightness around his jaw. He was anxious. I could feel it radiating off him, plain as day through the tension in his hand.
"Are you nervous?" I asked.
Kaden sucked in a deep breath, looking away for a brief second before his green eyes found mine again. "A little. I don’t know if you’ll like what you see in there, Ruby."
Inwardly, I scoffed. Joke’s on you. He had no idea I had already gone into that room with him. I had already seen enough of that room to know exactly what was waiting behind the door—the restraints, the strange furniture, the collection of things I’d spent several very uncomfortable minutes trying not to stare at the first time. But I couldn’t let him know that.
So I simply smiled. "Maybe you should let me decide that."
His eyes darkened again.
The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open. We stepped out into a luxurious hallway. My stomach immediately tightened. The sixth floor was completely silent. No servants. No guards. Nothing. Just a long, dimly lit corridor stretching ahead of us.
I glanced around quickly, scanning every corner, deliberately looking around as though seeing the place for the first time. "There are no guards up here?"
"No," Kaden said quietly, guiding me down the carpeted floor. "There’s only one room on this entire floor, and it’s my private room. No one is allowed up here without my permission, so there’s no reason to station guards outside it. Only security cameras are up here."
I swallowed hard, a sudden chill running down my spine. Shit. That meant sneaking back up here unnoticed would be twice as hard. Any movement on this floor would be completely exposed.
"Then how do you keep people out?" I asked.
"The elevator requires my authorization, and the stairwell door stays locked."
Of course it fucking did. Every answer created another problem.
I kept walking beside him until we reached the far end of the corridor. Then I saw it—that familiar, heavy door. My heart started pounding against my ribs, but I forced my expression to remain curious rather than terrified.
Kaden stopped in front of it and turned toward me, his worried eyes searching my face one last time. "This is it. Your last chance."
"For what?"
"To change your mind."
I shook my head. "I’m not changing my mind. I’m ready."
His gaze searched mine as though trying to find even the slightest hesitation. Apparently satisfied, he turned toward the electronic lock pad.
My heart immediately started hammering. This was my chance. I stepped right up beside him. Kaden didn’t seem bothered that I was standing so close, practically leaning into his shoulder as he reached for the keypad. Why would he? As far as he knew, I was simply curious about the mysterious room he was about to show me.
His fingers moved across the keypad. My eyes locked onto his hands, straining to memorize every single tap. But damn it—he typed the eight-digit code way too fast.
Eight digits. Definitely eight. My eyes darted across the numbers, trying to catch the sequence, but it was a blur. The numbers disappeared beneath his hand almost as quickly as he entered them. I shifted slightly, trying to see around his shoulder without making it obvious, but by the time I focused, it was too late. I had only caught the first two numbers and the last two.
Fuck.
1 - 8 - X - X - X - X - 2 - 3.
Dammit. Four fucking numbers were missing.
A soft beep sounded, the electronic lock flashed green, and the heavy door unlocked with a low click.
I forced myself not to stare at the keypad. It didn’t matter. I knew more than I had five minutes ago: Sixth floor. Eight-digit code. Started with eighteen. Ended with twenty-three. No guards. I could work with that. Hopefully.
Kaden reached for the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped aside, allowing me to enter first. "After you."
I swallowed hard, stepping past him into the space.
The familiar room opened before me, exactly as I remembered it, but I forced my eyes to widen as though I were seeing everything for the very first time. "Oh..."
Kaden entered behind me. The heavy door shut with a solid, heavy click.
My spine stiffened at the sound. I slowly turned, watching him lock it from the inside.
For the first time since this plan had begun, the reality of what I’d done settled heavily in my stomach.
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