OLEANDER
It had been a day since Hex left. He hadn't returned, and I couldn't reach him either.
There was a phone in the house, sure, but I didn't know what number to call, or even who to ask for.
I leaned over the arm of the couch pressed against the far wall, tugging the curtain aside. A faint smile tugged at my lips as I gazed out at the garden—neatly trimmed, soft in the morning light, blooming with pansies and roses.
I never would have guessed Hex kept a garden like this. He didn't seem like the type. But maybe I'd been too quick to judge him.
There was still so much about him I didn't understand.
God, I would've given anything to step outside right now. To walk through that garden, feel the sun on my skin, breathe fresh air instead of being trapped in this house like a fugitive. I longed to feel the wind brush across my cheeks, to be surrounded by something real… something living.
But I couldn't.
I wasn't allowed to leave.
