KIERA
That terror thrummedthrough my veins with each passing second. Flashes of The Hollow and this house and bloodied fists cycled in my mind on an endless loop. These hands that had been so gentle with me could become violent so quickly.
Spencer frowned slightly. “Would a different seat be better?”
Shaking my head, I snapped back to reality. “Here’s fine.”
At least I can see the door from here.
I sat down, letting her push my chair in behind me. Once she stepped away though, I pushed my chair out slightly, keeping my legs angled outward just in case I needed to flee.
But even through my adrenaline, there was only so much I could do to deny my hunger. Especially with the five-star spread they’d laid out.
On platters all along the wide table were mountains of every breakfast food I could imagine, including a handful I’d never heard of. Rich, flakey pastries sat beside fried ham, grits, and frittatas. At the center of the table, surrounded by an assortment of cut fruit were pitchers filled with different flavored smoothies. And of course, at the edge of the spread were fresh, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches.
These bikers might be sick fucks, but damn are they good cooks.
Ignoring the grumble in my stomach, I crossed my arms. “Looks like you’re trying to feed an army. Your friends from The Hollow visiting today?”
“Just us three today.” Leo smiled, leaving an empty seat between us.
No Dom.After the events of last night, I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or concerned by her absence.
Unfolding a napkin on her lap, Leo continued, “We just wanted to make sure you had your choice of anything you might want.”
“And we wanted to say we’re sorry,” Spencer added, darting her eyes up to meet mine sheepishly. “Everything that happened last night… You weren’t supposed to find out like that. That wasn’t fair to you.”
“No kidding,” I scoffed. Was there a ‘fair’ way to find out your crushes killed men for fun on the weekends?
Spencer dropped her gaze to the table at my rebuke. “You have every right to be mad at us, and to be scared and confused. But we thought maybe this breakfast could be an olive branch.”
“You must have questions,” Leo nodded. “We can sit here as long as you’d like answering them. But let’s get some food on your plate. Whatever you’ve got in the mini-fridge couldn’t have been enough for dinner. What can I serve you?”
I bit my lip as I contemplated the spread, deep unease blooming at the pit of my stomach.
“Don’t worry,” Leo prodded, “None of it’s poison.”
My shoulders stiffened at the joke. I hadn’t realized it until the words left her mouth, but that was exactly what I was worried about.
Catching my reaction, Spencer rubbed the back of her neck. “I know you don’t trust us right now, but if it makes you feel anybetter, poisoning you would kind of negate the whole ‘hostage’ thing.”
The logic was sound. Still, I narrowed my eyes at her. “...Take a bite of the eggs.”
Reaching into the platter with her fork, Spence scooped up a huge biteful, raised it to me, and swallowed it down in a single gulp. “See?”
My posture relaxed slightly as I loaded up my plate with hashbrowns, sausage, and a hefty helping of cheese bake. Freed from the fear of poisoning, it almost felt like a normal breakfast.Almost.
Once I’d made a decent dent into my food, Leo cleared her throat. “So, how are you feeling after last night?”
“Bad,” I muttered, locking eyes with Spencer. “Betrayed.”
Guilt flickered behind her eyes. And as bad as I felt, I couldn’t help the small prickle of satisfaction her remorse brought me. “You guys aren’t who I thought you were. Which makes everything that’s happened between us feel like a lie.”
“None of it was a lie,” Spencer interjected, horrified by the suggestion. “Anything personal that happened between us was genuine.”
Leo grimaced. “I’ve never lied to you, Kiera. But some of the details… we weren’t sure how to tell you without scaring you.”
“Too late for that,” I scoffed. For a long moment, the only thing cutting the silence was the sound of my cutlery against my plate. But I wasn’t here for a pity party. I was here to finally get some fucking answers.
