I scoff, taking a step back, but I’m mulling over his words.I have no idea why that got me so worked up, and it’s not only the fact that she’s distracting him.It’s more than that.Something I can’t even understand.
“Fuck, no.I just don’t want her getting in our way.She’s better off in the other room, not here.You’ll end up killing her or fucking her, and I don’t want that.”
Bear looks back at the closed door, then his gaze returns to me.“And which one are you more torn up about?”
I cross my arms over my chest.“Just make sure she’s moved by the time I get back here tomorrow,” I say before walking off.
Now that Amirah is stuck with us, we need to set some rules.Otherwise, she’s going to tear us apart, distract us, and go running back to The Brotherhood.We can’t have that.Not when we’re so close to finally taking them down.It’ll ruin everything.
Chapter Fourteen
Amirah
As I stare up at the blank ceiling of my new hell, my stomach rumbles, and I can’t even remember the last time I ate.Yesterday at dinner?Before Bear kidnapped me.And now, I’m trapped inside a small room, my stomach slowly eating itself.
I’ve been awake for hours, exploring every inch of this space.The door across from the bed is locked.I’ve banged on it, screamed, but nobody has come.There are no windows—not even in the tiny bathroom.Nothing I can use as a weapon against my captors.
The walls are closing in around me, and I feel like I can’t breathe properly.I miss my room.My clothes.My things.What do they want from me?What are they going to use me for?To have something over The Brotherhood?To use me as a pawn in their war?
The door handle rattles.I sit up straighter on the bed and shuffle up against the wall.Bear walks through the door before kicking it shut behind him.He’s carrying a brown paper bag and a book in one hand, clothes in the other.
“Miss me?”he asks, then grins, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.
“You wish,” I reply, my stomach rumbling loudly.
A pained look crosses his face, his brows drawing in.He sits down on the edge of the bed, passing me over the bag.He drops some clothes on the bed too.They look worn, old, but there’s also some underwear with tags on them.I could cry.
“Got you something to eat from my favorite place and something to wear,” he says, and I shake my head.I’m hungry, but what if he poisoned the food?It wouldn’t surprise me if he did.
“I’m not eating that,” I say, and Bear rolls his eyes.
“Why?”
“Um, because you probably laced it with something.”
Bear laughs.“Princess, poison isn’t on my weapons list, and trust me, that list is pretty long.But whatever.Starve to death if you want.”He shrugs.
Goddamn it.I’m hungry, and I need my energy if I’m going to have a chance of leaving here.I’m no good without the ability to run.
I grab the bag without another thought.I’m about to pass out.
I pull out a large chicken sandwich and fries.My mouth is watering.I take a large bite and groan.So good.I check the wrapper, and it’s from Daniel’s.Huh?Never heard of that place, which makes sense, considering I’ve only been over the tracks a dozen or so times.I’ve certainly never ventured into one of the restaurants.
Bear watches me closely as I demolish every last crumb, a small smile playing on his lips.He shakes his head before opening up his book—the same one he read from last night before I fell asleep and ended up alone in this room.
“Tell me something about you that no one knows,” he says, keeping his gaze on the pages of his book.
I push the bag away before leaning back against the wall.I should tell him to fuck off and fight my way out of this room, but I know that’s not going to get me anywhere.He’ll hunt me down and find pleasure in it.
If I’m going to get out of here alive, I need Bear to trust me.To build a connection between us—and the best way to do that is by giving him a piece of me that’s real.That’s true.
“I’m not some silly, naïve Brotherhood princess,” I say, and Bear chuckles.
“I already knew that.Something else,” he says, and I bite my bottom lip.He does?
“There’s not much to tell.I guess by being here I’m practically trading one prison for another.”Bear frowns.“What about you?”I ask, wanting to change the subject away from me.I’ve shared enough already, and I’m curious to see if he’ll open up to me.
He flips over a couple pages of his book, then looks up, pinning me with his intense green eyes.“Everyone is afraid of me.Hell, even I am sometimes.Nobody understands me.The voices inside my head tell me to do bad things.Terrible things.But when I’m with you, I don’t want to listen to them.I fight against them.I don’t give in.No one has ever made me feel like this before.”
