“He came, knocked on the door, said he was your friend. He knew your name and where you were staying, so I figured he was telling the truth.”
“He didn’t just walk right in?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“What’d he look like?”
“Blonde, tall, a scar under his ear.”
Definitely Caspian.
“Did you let him in?”
She nods. “The moment I opened the door, he grabbed me.”
“He was not my friend.”
“He took me someplace else, tied me up, used me…” Her eyes squeeze shut. “It took me weeks to escape.”
I clench my jaw as a wave of primal fury rushes through my veins. I’d checked the scan-in log at the safe house, just to make sure no one had entered while I was away. It never picked up Caspian because she’d opened the door for him.
She holds up her hands like I have a gun pointed at her. “Look, I won’t hold any grudges if you let me go.”
She’s different from when we met months ago. Louder and less despondent.
“I’m not letting you go, but you don’t have to worry about me selling you to anybody. That’s not my thing.”
Her lip sneers up. “Yeah, ‘cause torture and murder are your thing.”
“Last I recall, you seemed to like it.”
“I was angry.”
“Are you still?”
She responds with silence.
“I need to tend to your head wound.”
She looks down, mulling over my words.
“And if you’re wondering what’s going to happen after that, it’ll be bath time.”
“Do you really have warm water?”
“Warm water, fresh food, and guns to protect us.”
“Us? So you’ll never let me go?”
I don’t know what I expected to happen when I found her, but this isn’t it. I had this crazy idea that I’d want to claim her.
But I’m surging with annoyance. Maybe once she’s cleaned up, I’ll feel differently.
“Not sure. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
Gazing around the room, she repositions herself, lying back down on the couch.
“I guess you can patch me up.”
