“Let’s not be too hasty,” Eric said casually. He considered Amber, and she could see that conflict in his eyes. He enjoyed having her under his thumb, but he would rarely miss the opportunity to earn some extra coin with hardly any effort involved.
He twisted back to Cillian, that smirk still on his face. “I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement. What sort of numbers are you thinking?”
Disgust and shame rippled through her. He was talking about her like she was a piece of meat or livestock to be traded, and she wasn’t even reacting. She wasn’t trying to fight. She wasjust staying mute and timid. She had thought she was better than this. She had thought she would fight more. Apparently, she’d been wrong. Eric hadn’t been too far off when he’d called her weak, it seemed.
She half-heartedly tried to pull her arm out of his grasp, but all he did was jostle her arm painfully and grip it tighter. Cillian watched with narrowed eyes, his jaw twitching. After a moment, he rattled off an unreasonably high number that made Amber’s eyes widen. There was no way someone would pay that much for her, would they?
Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Eric, who snorted in disgust. “You’re going to have to do better than that,” he scoffed.
“You’re the one who said she’s trouble,” Cillian said.
“She just needs a bit of retraining,” Eric said. “Trust me when I tell you she’s about as docile as they come after some correction. But if you don’t want her, then the two of us will be on our way.”
“I can up it by five grand, I think,” Cillian said. “As long as you hand over the car keys as well. That’s as high as I’m going to go, though.”
“Hmm.” Eric stroked his jaw, but she could see the gleam in his eyes, and she knew he had already made his decision. “You know, I think I can work with that.”
“Great.” Cillian held out his hand. “Give her here.”
Eric didn’t release her. “Once you send me the money, I’ll hand her over.”
Rolling his eyes, looking bored, Cillian pulled out his cell as Eric rattled off a string of numbers. Cillian’s thumb swiped across the screen. After a second, he glanced back up.
“Done,” Cillian said.
Eric pulled out his phone and checked something. He made an appreciative, smug sound, a smirk spreading across his face. Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, Eric turned to look at Amber.
“Looks like our reunion is going to be shorter than we thought it would be,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She recoiled at his touch, and he smirked. “But I’d certainly say it was profitable. For me, at least.”
Not giving her a chance to respond, he shoved her over to Cillian, who took her gently by the forearm.
“Be good for him,” Eric told Amber. To Cillian, he added, “I’m happy to give you some tips on how to keep her in line, if you’d like.”
Cillian’s stony expression didn’t change. “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he responded. “Be seeing you.”
Cillian turned, keeping his hand on her, steering her down the path. The difference between his and Eric’s touch was like night and day. Where Eric’s grip had been possessive and forceful, Cillian’s was cautious, firm, but considerate at the same time. His thumb stroked her arm where Eric’s fingers would leave bruises, the tiny gesture oddly comforting.
“Are you all right?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” she answered, wondering if it was obvious just how much she was lying.
“Good. Don’t look back, just keep moving,” he muttered in her ear. “We’ll talk when I get you out of here.”
She nodded and let Cillian guide her away from Eric.
Chapter 5 - Cillian
Cillian’s hand didn’t leave Amber as he navigated the two of them back through the woods toward the house where he had watched them flee. Part of him wasn’t convinced that she wouldn’t dart away if he released her, and he needed to get the two of them out of here as soon as possible, before Eric tried anything. He wouldn’t be surprised if Eric decided to attack while Cillian’s back was turned. That way, he’d be up several grand and get to keep Amber. Cillian wasn’t about to let that happen. After what he’d seen, he’d do anything to keep her as far away from Eric as possible.
After hearing the sounds of a scuffle, he had dashed after them, following their scents and the sound of breaking branches and someone crashing through the brush. He’d arrived right as Eric hauled Amber to her feet and began shaking her. He had seen the terror on her face and the rage on Eric’s. Instead of waiting for a more opportune time, he had stepped out on impulse, unable to stand seeing Amber’s frightened expression and not doing anything to help her.
Which was how he found himself walking away from the asshole he hated, who had murdered plenty of people, after paying him to make sure he got a terrified woman to safety. He had hunted down his quarry, and instead of killing the bastard like he had planned, he had bought a woman off him.
There hadn’t been much choice. He couldn’t risk going after Eric, not with Amber right there. She could have gotten caught in the crossfire. So his mission had turned to one of extraction, something he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around.
Impulsive? Probably. Did he regret it? No. Especially not after the way he had seen Eric treat Amber.
They reached the house. Instead of taking her to the hotel room he had rented for the week, he ushered her into the car, guiding her to the passenger seat before moving to the driver’s side. Just as he was about to clamber into the car, he caught sight of Eric watching him from the trees. The other shifter smirked, eyes sparking, and he tipped an imaginary hat to Cillian. Cillian nodded curtly in response, then slid into the driver’s seat.
