“Oh,” she says, her head peeking out of the hood like an adorable gopher. “Thank you.
“Don’t sweat it,” I say,running a hand through my hair. “Why don’t you sit down so you don’t hurt your feet anymore? I’ll get those scrapes all cleaned up when we get back to my trailer, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, using my hand to steady herself as she sits on the floor, tugging her knees up to her chest.
I turn my attention back to our silent observer, who watches me with dark eyes that I’m sure missed nothing. He’s surprisingly lucid, considering the ridiculous dose of the enhancement drugs they have him on.
“So,” I say, rubbing my sweaty hands on the back of my jeans. “Griffin, was it? I’m Rowan, and I’m going to be your new trainer.”
He tosses his head back and laughs. The noise instantly gets on my nerves. It’s the kind of laugh I’m used to being on the receiving end of. The kind that people throw at me when they think I’m being pathetic.
“What the hell does a kid like you think you can do here?” He sneers, leaning his back against the wall and crossing his chained arms over his chest.
It’s almost like he’s showing me how little of a threat he thinks I am now. His stance is so different from the one he took when I first came in and he was protecting Mirabelle.
It pisses me off.
My jaw ticks as I mirror his stance, crossing my arms over my chest. I quickly drop my hands to my sides when I realize that stance doesn’t do me any favors, considering it probably looks like I’m just copying him.
“I’m your best shot here in this hellhole,” I growl out.
“Oh? And why is that?”
“’Cause if it’s not me, then it’ll be my shitbag of a brother, who I’m sure you’ve had the pleasure of meeting already. And that motherfucker has no qualms about torturing Mirabelle to make you comply,” I snap.
Griffin falls silent, his jaw clamping shut as his gaze darts to Mira.
“So you want me to what? Cooperate with you? Justlike that?” He huffs.
I sigh, scrubbing a hand down my face.
“I mean, yeah. It’s the best shot at keeping her safe. I was given permission by my asshole father to—to ‘train’ her instead of my brother,” I say, using air quotes around the word train, “if I trained you. If I’m able to convince them I’ve trained you properly, then I get to keep her safe longer.”
“She doesn’t need to be trained,” Griffin snarls, taking a menacing step forward.
“I know that!” I hiss back, throwing my hands up in the air. “I’m trying to take care of her the best I can. She’s staying with me in my trailer. I gave her my bed to sleep in while I slept on the couch. You know where my brother would fucking make her sleep if he had his way?”
Griffin’s eyes narrow, but he stays silent as I continue to rant, my chest heaving from how angry I am.
“In a fucking cage. Probably naked, cause he’s a sadistic psychopath. That’s how he brought her into this hellhole, and I’m not going to let him get his hands on her. So for fuck’s sake, are you going to help us or not?”
“Are you—are you going to hurt him?” Mira whispers.
I shake my head, trying to clear away the red haze, and glance down at her. She stares up at me with those gorgeous, big, emerald eyes, a pleading expression on her face.
Fuck, I shouldn’t have gotten so angry.
“Not cause I want to, Sugar,” I say, reaching down and brushing some of her tangled hair away from her face. I’ll have to buy her a brush. Jett’s grubby paws messed it all up.
“But you may have to?”
“Yeah, same way we’ve gotta put on a show. Probably more than you’ve got to, to be honest. My brother probably won’t buy that he’s gone completely docile without some fight, considering how much of a fighter he seems to be.”
“I’ll be fine, sweetheart,” Griffin drawls. “Whatever the kid dishes out, I can handle, no problem.”
“So you’re in?”
“I’m in,” Griffin nods.
