Her annoyance pulls her fully awake, and she grabs the clothes from me.
"What is going on?" she demands.
But I ignore her and leave the room, giving her a few moments of privacy.
When I think she's had enough time, I push the door open again to hurry her up. She huffs in annoyance, pulling a t-shirt over her head just in time to stop me from seeing things I long to see.
She picks up the hoodie and glares at me again. "Where are you taking me? Another hike… in the dark?"
I take her hand and pull her through the cabin and into the garage
"The car?" she asks, confused. "We're driving?"
"Just get in already," I huff.
She climbs in, tense.
Sighing, I give in and realize she isn't going to stop complaining until I tell her.
The little vacation is over. We're going back to the city," I explain.
"Vacation," she scoffs. "More like… Oh my word."
"What?" I demand, getting a fright, thinking maybe she saw those men in the tree line as we pull out of the garage. Thecar is heavily tinted, though. The whole reason I brought her through the house and into the garage was to keep her hidden from spying eyes.
"Someone knows we're here!" she exclaims.
"What are you talking about?" I snap.
"Someone knows, and now you have to leave because they'll come and get me and take me home!"
How the hell did she work it out so quickly?
"Why else would you want to leave!" she says eagerly, sassy as ever.
"There are a thousand reasons I might want to leave, Nikita. Don't make presumptions," I say, annoyed.
"Oh, come on. This is the ideal place for someone to keep a hostage. Private, safe, nowhere to run. Taking me back to the city is a risk you'd rather avoid if you could. But someone caught on. Was it because we caused a scene at the pub? Was it because of the day you left me alone in the cabin? Did someone follow you?" She keeps talking, making guesses, and pissing me off because she's too quick and too clever. This girl is smart.
I remind myself again that I should never underestimate her.
"Just be quiet and let me drive," I grumble.
"How about you let me go? If people have caught on, it would be the safest option for you." She's not giving up.
"Safe?" I laugh coldly. "You think that I kidnapped you because I was trying to stay safe. Oh, little rabbit, you haven't worked out yet that I don't give a shit about staying safe."
She rolls her eyes. "You might not give a shit about being safe. But I'm sure you don't want to die. Just let me go, and maybe I can convince them that it wasn't you who took me."
I laugh again, shaking my head as the cabin fades into the distance behind us and we start the journey back home.
Nikita is staring at me, waiting for my answer.
"I don't play by any rules you've made up in your head. I don't play by your rules or anyone else's. I'm not letting you go, Nikita. I kidnapped you for a reason, and that reason hasn't just disappeared," I snap at her.
She pulls her knees up toward her chest and folds her arms around her legs, sitting in a ball of frustration as she stares ahead, angry with me.
Nikita falls silent for a long moment, and I know I've pissed her off.
