I place my hand gently on her shoulder. She’s staring ahead of her, the water falling over her legs and down the drain, her expression blank.
Reverently, I wash her back, careful to lighten the pressure over the cuts and bruises on her skin.
For a while, neither of us says a word. She lets me clean her legs, her arms, her back, and her shoulders, but I don’t even attempt to go anywhere else. As I finish running my fingers through her hair, she takes a shuddering, gasping breath, and her shoulders round in on themselves as she gives a sob that almost breaks my heart in two.
She’s shaking, crying, releasing everything she's been through today, and I can’t stay away from her any longer as I put my arms gently around her shoulder, pulling her tightly to my chest.
Her hands clutch at me, and the shower head falls into the bath.
I keep her in my arms as the strength flows out of her, sobs racking her body as I remain still, letting her find her release for as long as she needs.
After several minutes, she comes up for air, my own eyes shining with tears at the thought of the burden that’s been on her shoulders for so long.
She pulls away, more forcefully when she feels my arms tighten around her. I let her go as she stands, turning off the water.
Quickly, I hand her the towel, staring at the floor as she dries off, then unlocks the door and walks back to her room. I’m not sure what she wants from me right now, but I follow her to find out.
I enter her room behind her as she sits on the bed, rubbing at her red, bloodshot eyes and crossing her long legs beneath the towel.
“You should leave,” she says in a monosyllabic voice unlike her own.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“And why is that? Haven’t you spent enough money for one day?”
I grimace, clenching my fists.I deserved that.
“You think this is about money?”
“It’s half a million dollars, Gray, that’s enough for a hell of a lot of escort time.”
“Look at me, Jax.” She doesn’t move, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. “Look at me.”
Finally, her gaze meets mine, those huge, beautiful eyes full of uncertainty and pain, and I can’t stand it any longer.
I go to kneel in front of her as she leans away from me, fighting against me as I take her hands.
“You don’t get to negotiate with my fucking brother about me,” she hisses furiously. “I’m not a fucking property deal, and I’m not the result of abet,” she continues, yanking her hands free.
“I know that.”
“Do you? Because it didn’t seem like you were aware of it when you flipped a coin for my life.”
“You honestly think I would have let him anywhere near you?”
“It wasluck, Gray. Plain and simple. If he’d won, you’d have left me there to rot like trash.”
“Nick Monroe is a piece of shit,” I hurl back, gripping her wrists more tightly than before. “He’s a coward and a thief, but he also has a tell. He always has. He loves a game of chance, especially when the stakes are high, and I knew, whatever he might think about you, the money would always win in the end.”
Her eyes meet mine as I barrel on. “You think this was luck? It wasn’t. It was a calculated risk. Nick is a gambler and he would never just let you go without something to play for.”
I shake my head. “The second I walked into that warehouse and saw you lying there, it wasn’t a question of leaving without you, but how much it would take to save you. I had enough money in the trunk of my car to pay him three times what he asked for.” I meet her gaze, setting my jaw. “If that failed, I had an arsenal of weapons waiting beside the money, and I’d have blasted our way out of there to save you.”
She blinks, her mouth falling open.
“I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done in my life, Jax. I used to hang around with some bad people, but I’ve never considered killing another man until today. You belong to me, and no one else is ever going near you again.”
She scoffs. “I’m not yours.”
