“Where are you going?” His tone was mocking—childlike. He tilted his head to the side, making no effort to come after me. He simply tracked my every move with his coal-black eyes.
My back hit a tree and I used it as leverage to pull myself up, keeping one hand over my injury. We were only a few feet apart. My ragged breathing filled the silence that grew between us.
Arlen’s yells grew louder.
Male laughter signified his friends had caught her and were bringing her back against her will. I tried to spot what direction they were coming from but I still couldn’t see anyone.
Is he getting closer?
I glanced back at Romero and swore he’d moved from where he’d just been standing. His face gave nothing away.
“Why are you still here?”
“Why am I still here?” he repeated.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it? I don’t know what you want. I have nothing to give. So why are you still standing there?”
“The odds must be in your favor then, babe, cause I don’t want anything from you yet. You don’t even have to thank me for saving your pixie ass,butyou’re coming with me.”
His friends came up behind him, and the redhead smiled at me. The one with darker hair carried an unconscious Arlen in his arms.
“What did you do to her?”
‘I shut her up,” he replied, a little too happily.
Fucker.
I fixed my face with a glare and looked back at Romero.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, and neither is she, so you can just put her down and be on your merry way.”
He flashed me another dark smile before sharing a look with his friends.
“Not only is she a fucking idiot, but she’s mouthy, too? Huh. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I mean, look at her.” He turned away from his friends, letting his eyes slowly travel up and down my body, landing back on my face. “All beauty and no brain,” he sneered.
Did this shithead just call me an idiot? I was filthy, hurt, and aggravated, and a million different variations of the word asshole were flying around in my head. He had just insulted me multiple times in the span of five minutes.
“Hypothetically speaking, say I leave you out here with your little friend. What’s your next move? You’re hurt. She’s unconscious, and you’re in the middle of the woods. Where are you going to go?” His tone was way too smug.
I mentally attempted to count to ten, only making it to three. Tito and Grady had laid out a plan and a strict set of rules, making me swear I’d follow both before agreeing to send me out here. I was supposed to pretend I was scared and helpless. In other words,do not poke the beast. They should have known that wasn’t going to last long.
Screw the plan and screw the rules. I had never been any good at abiding by them anyway. I was going to do this my way. Besides, their plan should have gone right down the drain the second Tito stabbed me. Somehow, he had left that important detail out of our discussion.
“Look, asshole, I’m not some poor damsel in distress. Thanks for your help; greatly appreciate it, but I don’t need you––”
I suddenly found myself pressed into the tree with his hand back around my throat.
“You don’t need me? Prove it. Break free,” he taunted, starting to squeeze.
I covered his clean hand with my filthy one but I didn’t try to pull it away. Maybe it was from my lack of oxygen and the warm feeling spreading through my brain, but I swear something happened between the two of us.
Something shifted, something clicked. It wasn’t love. No, it was the same familiarity I’d felt just moments ago, like I was reuniting with an old friend. Our eyes met and there was an inexplicable understanding between us. One dark damaged soul fully recognized another, reaching out and beckoning to play with the other.
His mouth moved and I counted three words but I didn’t hear what was said. Spots began to dance before my eyes.
He let me go and stepped back. I spluttered and braced myself as I plunged forward.
The ground rushed towards me but I never made impact. He caught me before I completely fell and supported my weight with ease.
