I stared into her eyes, unable to get the words past my throat. I knew the moment she realized what I wasn’t saying.
Her gaze shifted away in disappointment.
Chapter 11
Rosemary
Running my tongue over my sharp new teeth, I watched from the edge of the bed as Daniel got dressed. He’d dug a pair of black utility pants out of his duffel bag and paired them with an equally dark thermal shirt. As he sat down to pull on a fresh pair of socks and his boots, I tried to find something to say.
I’d known before I asked that he wouldn’t let me leave. The most ironic thing about the entire situation is that it wasn’t like he was forcing me to stay. He knew that I could leave the property when he wasn’t there. I wasn’t a hostage. But knowing the way that fear would tear him up inside if I left was enough to hold me where I was. No matter how angry I was with the situation, I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that I could leave the safety of the property without repercussions, especially if I wasn’t careful.
“What do the tattoos mean?” I asked finally, eager to break the silence between us.
“I don’t think we have enough time for that conversation,” he replied with a small smile.
His brother Chance was waiting out in the living room, and they expected Uncle Dalton and Ian any time.
“Tell me about one of them, then,” I pushed.
“Which one?”
“The bird.”
He frowned at me in consternation. “It’s aneagle.”
“Well, excuse me,” I joked. “What’s the eagle mean?”
“My dad had nicknames for all of us when we were kids. He called meArnebecause he said I saw everything.”
“Arne means eagle?”
He nodded.
“Did all of you have names like that? What did he call your brothers?”
“Ulf, Bjorn, and Happ.”
I watched as he laced up his boots and then rose to slide his belt through the loops.
“Who is who? You’re missing one.”
“Zeke didn’t have another nickname,” he said, glancing at me. “My mother named the rest of us, but Zeke was named after an old friend of my father’s.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“He didn’t feel the need to improve upon a name he chose,” Daniel said with a huff of laughter. His head jerked up. “Dalton’s here.”
My stomach twisted.
“Walk me out?” Daniel asked softly.
I nodded and stood from the bed, taking the hand that he held out.
“I’ll make this as fast as I can,” he assured me, wrapping his other hand around the side of my throat. “Stay here with Gary. Even if it takes longer than we think, remember that if anything happens, someone will call you.”
“I know.”
“Remember it, baby, so you don’t freak out.”
