I held up my finger. “I almost did. I caught what was happening and figured that those wouldn't roll over well. I mean, he was the only tolerable science teacher in the entire fucking school. I wasn’t about to get that man fired when he practically floated me through the class on extra credit assignments.”
He barked with laughter. “So, how did he almost catch you?”
I smiled. “He looked down at his computer and saw me exiting out of the folder.”
“And the class didn’t see the folder on the projector screen?”
I shook my head. “His PowerPoint presentation was running, so it wasn’t displaying background files being opened.”
He leaned a bit closer into me. “You’re a hell of a woman, you know that?”
His eyes dropped to my lips, and I knew where things were headed. I knew what he wanted. I knew what was rushing through his head. And while panic gripped my heart, I had to force myself to move away. I had to force myself to flop onto my back in order to get away from his arresting presence.
And the oaky, floral notes of his aftershave.
“I should get some rest,” I said as a yawn peeled from between my lips. “I feel like I just ran a fucking marathon.”
West stood to his feet and reached for the comforter at the foot of the bed. “Pain will do that to you. Do you need one of your pain pills?”
I shook my head as my eyes closed. “I’m good for now but thank you.”
He pulled the blanket over my body. “Can I get you anything before you rest?”
“No, but thanks for asking.”
He backtracked toward the door. “You get some good rest.”
I yawned again. “You, too, when you go to bed.”
He chuckled. “It’s three in the afternoon. I won’t be asleep anytime soon.”
“Ugh, it feels like midnight.”
He turned off my bedroom light. “Goodnight, Chloe.”
“Mmmm, night, West.”
And as he closed my bedroom door behind him, I wondered how the hell I was going to stay here with everyone when I had upcoming meetings with Agent Chad Baker of the fucking FBI.
What a shitshow from hell.
Five
West
As I laid there in bed, thoughts of Chloe rushed through my mind. I closed my eyes and turned over onto my side, hoping to put my worry for her out of the way so I could get some rest. The exhaustion of staying in a place that wasn’t home had been taking its toll lately on most of the men, and while I kept my mouth shut about it most of the time, I missed my bed. My bathroom. My living room. My fucking pristine, stainless steel kitchen.
Chloe would appreciate my place.
I groaned as I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax. I drew in deep breaths through my nose, relying on meditative skills Tiff had once taught me. I felt my body being weighted to the mattress. My muscles sank against my bones as my eyes stayed closed instead of popping right open, and after rhythmically breathing my existence away, I found myself succumbing to the darkness.
Only for my mind to torture me further.
“Where is she!?” I roared.
The gangbanger tied up on the floor smiled as blood dripped down his chin. I cocked my hand back and cracked it against his cheek, watching red-tainted spit fly across the damn room. I shivered with anger. The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, and I craved that man’s heart in my hand.
“I’m only going to ask you one more time,” I growled as I fisted his hair and ripped his head back, “where is the girl you took?”
