I shrink back, but Everest just shrugs. “What’s the big deal? Take a chill pill, man.”
“She stays in her room,” he growls.
“Stop being so dramatic. We’re just chatting. So what? No reason to lock her up. She’s not a wild animal.”
“Oh, yeah?” Logan lets out a cold laugh. “She’s a fuckingsnake. Get her back to her room, Everest.”
“Youget her back to her room,” snaps Everest. “I’m not moving my ass from this chair.”
Spewing a string of curse words under his breath, Logan walks over to me and grabs me by the hair, pulling me up viciously. Aurora has fallen silent in my arms, quaking against me. Which angers me.
Before I know it, I’m swearing right back at him. “Fuck you. Let me go.”
He only wraps his hand tighter around my locks. “Don’t you fucking open your mouth. I don’t ever want to hear your voice again.”
“Well, lucky you! I guess your wish is gonna come true soon.”
He pauses in his movement of dragging me back to my bedroom. “What do you mean?”
“Huh?”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Lia?” My name on his tongue makes the old lump suddenly rise up in my throat. “Lia. Answer me.”
He lets go of my hair to grab my arm and give me a rough shake. I struggle to get out of his grasp, even though I know resisting him is even more useless than it was all those years ago. There’s just no way my strength could ever measure up to his.
“You gonna try to run away, Lia? Or are you telling me you’re fucking suicidal?”
My mouth hangs open at the unexpected question. “Uhm. I was referring to the fact that you’re going to kill me.”
His features harden. “Killyou? What are youtalkingabout?”
“Why would you have hunted me down, if it wasn’t to kill me?” I stare at him in utter confusion. “Isn’t that what you’re going to do to me?”
His face is impassive, and yet his eyes go from anger to shock, back to anger again. “You’re a real drama queen, do you know that? What are you trying to do, make me feel sorry for you? You’re not a victim, Lia. Get the fuck over yourself.”
“Okay.” I blink fast, feeling Aurora stir in my arms. I can take his insults, as long as the meaning behind those words is that she’s safe. “So what are you going to do to me?”
“I’m bringing you back to Carmelo.”
Oh.
I guess that prospect is a little better than getting killed by Logan. But I’m not particularly looking forward to getting torn apart by dogs.
Still, for the moment, I allow myself to be thankful for small things. Like the plastic bag of food that Logan tosses on the bed.
“Eat,” he grumbles. “And if you take one step out of this room again, I might just take you up on that killing thing.”
Then he slams the door shut behind him, leaving me alone in my prison, with my little girl in my arms.
9
Lia
In another lifetime, I would have rebelled at Logan’s cruel treatment, but it’s not rebellion now that has me inching tentatively toward the door.
Aurora is asleep, curled up in a little ball on the bed, but I’ve spent the last hour tossing and turning, a pressing need keeping me awake.
I really need to fucking pee.
