Feeling my temper start to rise again, I shook my head. “You’ve seen one pair of tits, you’ve seen them all, you squirrelly bitch. And I’ve already seen yours. So whatever thoughts you have going on up there in that crazy-ass head of yours, you can forget ’em. I’m not fucking interested in you. I like my women a little more ...” I trailed off and grinned crudely down at her. “A little more womanly.”
As she continued to stare up at me, I watched as her features briefly pinched with ...hurt? Strangely disgusted with myself, I dropped my grin and released her wrists. Moving off the tub, I backed several feet away and pointed to the bar of soap lying in a puddle of water on the floor.
“Take your fucking clothes off and clean yourself,” I muttered, then crossed my arms over my chest.
Maybe it was the change in my demeanor, or maybe it was her realization that I had no interest in her sexually. Whatever it was, she released the iron grip she had on her shirt and, on shaking legs, tentatively pulled herself up and out of the tub.
I stepped forward, ready to grab her and throw her back in, until I realized what she was doing.
Her teeth chattering, she rolled the filthy wet boxer shorts down her legs and stepped out of them. Turning her back to me, she pulled her shirt over her head with quivering arms and dropped it on top of the shorts.
My gaze dropped to her bare ass, surprisingly the cleanest part of her body, all things considered, and remained there for a moment, appreciating a firm and well-rounded backside. Maybe I’d lied, maybe I was interested—
My thoughts came to an abrupt stop as she turned back around. With her hands covering her breasts and her thighs pressed tightly together, she was now quivering from head to toe. Her eyes downcast and her cheeks red with humiliation, she stepped gingerly back into the tub and quickly dropped beneath the water.
“Soap,” I ordered, pointing again to the bar on the floor, feeling ridiculous. This was the last thing I should be doing, babysitting a crazy person covered in her own shit. Why was I doing this? Why?
Still feeling guilty?the voice asked.For sending those women off to die? For killing—
“Fuck you,” I ground out.
From inside the tub, the girl’s gaze snapped to mine, fear and confusion creasing her features. Realized I’d spoken aloud, embarrassment caused my temper to spike.
“Wash, damn it,” I said, biting out the words. And when she made no move to reach for the soap, I took a step forward. “Fucking wash.”
Another distressed noise burst from her throat as she moved quickly. Still holding her breasts with one arm, she reached over the side of the tub and attempted to pick up the soap. It slipped free from her grasp twice before she started to cry and gave up altogether. As she sank back into the water, her shoulders began to quake.
Grinding my teeth together, I stepped forward and scooped up the hard, jagged bar of homemade soap from my own stash, then grabbed a handful of her hair to yank her out of the water.
“I should just kill you,” I said furiously, scraping the bar over her cheek.
She flinched in pain but I continued roughly washing her, dragging the soap up and down her arms, the gathering suds quickly turning brown and dirty. I continued across her neck and then down to her chest. As I touched upon the beginning slope of her breasts, she let out a garbled shout, quickly followed by a sob.
“Fuck!” I shouted, throwing the soap in her lap and getting to my feet. “Do it yourself, then!”
Storming away, I crossed my twitching arms over my chest as my body trembled with rage. I was going to either strangle her or knock her the fuck out if things continued this way. Locking my jaw, I turned away from her, wanting nothing more than to put my fist through something.
What the fuck was I doing here? I’d fucked up again. And again for a female I hardly knew. I should leave now, right this second. Pack up my truck and hit the road. Find another place, somewhere far away from Liv and Jeffers and all the poor souls of Purgatory. Away from this shit-covered mess of a girl.
“I knew it!”
The angry shout came from behind me, and as the girl began to growl, I whipped around, my blade already in my hand.
“I knew you were hiding something!” Liv sneered, her disbelieving and rage-filled gaze flitting between me and the snarling girl in the tub. “I just had no idea you were hiding—”
The girl chose that very moment to leap from the tub. Splashing water everywhere, she fled naked into the other room.
I glanced back at Liv, who was watching the spectacle with a sick sort of satisfaction. She cocked her head of pink hair to one side, a sneering smile pulling her thin lips tight as she ran her eyes up and down my body.
“She’s the one everyone has been looking for, isn’t she?”
Still holding my blade, I tightened my fingers around the polished wooden handle. “Your point?”
Liv’s grin grew even more gruesome. “Let’s see,” she said sweetly, holding up one finger. “First you help the trio from the wild escape”—she held up another finger—“which also makes you responsible for ruining the gates.” Holding up another finger, she took a step toward me. “Now, you’re hiding a wanted fugitive in your home. That’s three strikes, Adler. Three strikes and you’re out, baby.”
I laughed loudly, the harsh sound echoing in the large space. “Is this some new rule I’m not aware of? Whatever happened toshoot first, ask questions later?”
Liv’s smile turned venomous and downright deadly. “Jeffers isn’t going to stand for this,” she snarled. “This will be the last straw, Adler. We let you slide all the time, we let you do whatever the fuck you want, and this is how you repay—”
