If we ever get to tell him anything again at all, I don’t care what we tell him. I’ll tell him he’s right every hour and even when he’s not, if only I could be with him again.
The door opens and I spin around, my hands covering my junk so it’s not flapping about like a fish out of water. My eyes widen and I step behind a chair, putting it between him and me.
Another person we don’t know.
That’s never a good thing around the Order.
Agreed.
“Hi. I’m Peyton. I was told to bring you some food and clothes.”
Nodding, I say nothing, even though Samuel’s not here. I’ve made that mistake before. He likes to have people spy on me and trick me into breaking the rules.
“Is there something you want in particular?”
Yep. He’s one of the tricksters.
Sometimes they aren’t spies. They’re tattletales who want to get someone else in trouble, so they’re rewarded. I can’t blame them. I’m sure if the situation was reversed, I might do the same. For those who aren’t owned, they want to be, and they’ll do whatever they need to do to knock someone out of the spot so they can have it.
He looks at me curiously, and I shake my head. There’s a bunch of shit I won’t eat because of texture and most likelyundiagnosed autism, but I’ll deal with whatever he brings me. I’m not opening my mouth.
“Okay. I’ll bring you some options,” he says, handing me the clothes he’s been holding.
I reach out gingerly, taking them from him. Drop my hands back in front of my crotch, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’ll be right back.”
He leaves after I nod at him. Hurrying, I pull on the clothes he brought me. They are not to my taste, but that’s never been a concern of Samuel’s. He dresses me when we’re going to be around others to show me off. He’s had me in booty shorts and platform boots and nothing else at an outdoor party in the dead of winter.
Tonight’s outfit is of that same mindset. I’m going to be put on display. That means there are others on board. I mean, I know they probably are. The smaller boat I saw outside the bathroom window had several people on it, and I heard people talking, but they could have been all crew members or people coming to restock the boat.
These clothes mean the people who came in earlier are clients or friends here for a party. The only question is what role I’ve been cast in for the night.
I’ll either be window dressing, and used for a “look, but don’t touch” the show.
Or…
I’m the entertainment.
It’s the or. You know it is.
I stand facing the door, waiting for Peyton to return with the food. I have a decision to make about that, too.
Eat or not to eat. That is the question.
I want to tell that asshole chit chatter in my head to shut up, but it will do no good. He’s me, and I’m him. He’s been with me for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if I’m crazyor if everyone has that voice in their head that talks to them. Whether or not they do doesn’t matter. I do and he’s been suspiciously absent since Owen and the Order wentkaboom. I want to stuff him back in the box he’s been in since then, but who else am I going to talk to?
The door opens, and Peyton returns with a tray of food. He sets it down on the table, standing back with a smile on his face. I make no move toward the food, even though it smells so freaking good. Rumbles from my empty belly fill the air, but I ignore them. He stares at me and I stare back.
There’s no freaking way I’m going to cower before him. That will give him power over me, and I’ve given enough of that up. I’m not surrendering any more to anyone else.
“Well, I hope you enjoy it,” he says with a smirk before turning and leaving.
The door shuts behind him with a snick. I wait and then, sure enough, I hear the lock turn. Just as I thought. I hadn’t even bothered to walk near the door because I knew it was locked. Samuel just got me back. He will not take any chances with me yet.
I walk toward the food. Peyton’s smirk and chiding tone make me cautious, but it’s almost guaranteed to be drugged. Especially if I’m the entertainment.
Another round of grumbling from my stomach takes the answer out of my hands. I reach for the chair and sit down. I smell everything, but I know from experience there will not be any way for me to know if there’s something in it.
