“Did I do something wrong?” I asked her as I fixed her plate of food and poured her coffee.
“Well, I really don’t allow him to have table scraps. I found him living by a dumpster, so I try to keep his food regulated. You know, giving him the best dog food on a schedule so I can see if anything upsets his tummy or whatever.”
This woman. She was sunshine and goodness through and through, and she’d mixed up with the devil himself.
“I apologize.” I told her as I set her plate and coffee with cream on the table. Leaning down, I kissed her. It wasn’t a simple good-morning kiss. I wanted to remind her that I owned her. My mouth consumed hers—and she opened for me. No resistance. I decided then and there that I’d never tire of her kisses. They felt right. Like they belonged to me, and only me. When I let her go, she was breathless, and so adorable.
“Now, sit.”
She sat down and started moving her food around her plate, eyes flickering over my face. “So, what do we need to talk about first?”
The question hung between us, sharp and bright as a new blade. I let it bleed for a while.
“Right now?” I said. “I want you to eat. You’re too thin.”
She bristled, but shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth. “You’re an asshole,” she said around the bite.
I waited, watching her chew. There was a satisfaction in it I couldn’t explain.
I watched her sip the coffee, saw the bruises on her wrists where I’d held her the night before.
“Yeah. I’ve been told that before,” I said. “Well, your little foray to the dark side has caused you to become my problem now.”
She set the mug down hard. “I’m nobody’s problem. Least of all yours.”
“See, Wren, that’s where you’re wrong,” I said, voice dropping to a growl. “You made yourself my fucking problem the second you started stealing from us.”
She sucked in a breath, eyes going wide. “You think I wanted this?”
“What you wanted has no bearing on the situation, little bird,” I said. “What matters is what happens next.”
She looked away, jaw clenched so tight the muscle ticked in her cheek.
“I’m going to fix this for you,” I said. “And you’re going to help me.”
She snorted, a rough little sound. “I don’t know how that can be done.”
“Well, then you’ve got a fuck ton more than Silas Drake to worry about little bird.”
“How long have you been watching me?” Her leg was shaking up and down.
There was no reason to lie to her at this point. “Not as long as you’d think. And no, I haven’t stalked any other women. Only you. The one that belongs to me.”
She finished her eggs in silence. I watched every bite, every swallow. She ate her food like a man who was eating his last meal before his execution. Except she had her faithful ugly little dog right by her side. It was as if he sensed her distress. He kept his head on her feet the entire time.
When she was done, I pushed my plate away and got up. I walked to where she sat and turned her chair toward me. I leaned in close and rested my hands on the arms of the chair, caging her in. Her little pup decided it was time to find his bed.
“You’re going to do what I say,” I said, low and even. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Greenbriar. About Silas Drake. About how you got in this mess.”
She looked up at me, eyes burning. “Look, I want to trust you. Fuck knows I want a way out. I left breadcrumbs for you, youknow? I was praying you’d figure things out. But I’m still afraid I’m gonna end up paying in the end.”
I smiled finally. “You don’t have to trust me. You just have to do everything I say.”
She didn’t move, didn’t blink. I waited. I could have waited forever.
When she finally spoke, her voice was a whisper. “You’re just as bad as him, you know.”
I shook my head. “No, Parker. I’m much, much worse.”
