Page 26
His hand hovered where he’d let me shove it, just to the right of my head. Then he dropped it to his side, his fingers curling. “And if you help me, you can pay for a thousand tickets out of a thousand places. We needed that money, Margot.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Then tell me what your name is.”
I stayed silent.
He sighed. “Look, are you in or are you out? I won’t restrain you again. I’ll be riddled with holes if I do.” He punctuated that final sentence by yanking the letter opener out of his thigh and tucking the makeshift weapon into his back pocket. “As hot as I find your vitriol, I’m gonna need a hundred tetanus shots before you even get around to telling me your name.”
I spun on my heels, my hands flying to my hair and pulling. I didn’t want to look at him anymore, at his smug perfection. I didn’t want him to see my burning cheeks, either. I was breathing too heavily for just standing still, and I felt like my heart was going to burst.
I needed to calm down and think about the facts. I had to stop letting him get to me so easily, stop letting him dig his way under my skin. He was offering me a job of sorts. A job where, if I succeeded, I’d be twenty grand richer.
I’d never had more than a few thousand dollars at a time before, all of which I’d stolen. I’d never had my feet under me so completely that I could save anything, and the thought of having twenty thousand dollars was enough to make me dizzy and feel like I’d float away.
With a long, deep inhale, I loosened my fingers from my hair and turned back around to face him again. Then I asked the question that had been burning on the tip of my tongue for the past five minutes.
“Why me?”
He gave me an appraising look, his green eyes searing me from the inside out. “Why not you? You’re perfect.”
I ignored the flare of approval that blistered beneath my skin at his affectionate tone, warming me all over.
Fuck this. I had to get out of here, but running away wasn’t going to work. I needed him to think I was finally relenting. That I believed his promise and was willing to work with him.
“So what do I have to do to get this twenty grand? And can I get some goddamn water?”
He smiled again, and I hated that I liked it so much. “Follow me,” he instructed. Then he turned and started walking back toward the motel.
I stood there for a moment, debating. I looked back at the trees that were maybe a hundred yards away. Faced him again. I watched his graceful movements as he walked away from me, the carefully controlled strength he exuded simply walking. There was so much strength and control, so much of what I lacked, and it was undeniably appealing.
Everything in my life had been exceedingly…boring. Until this man, in his stupid skull mask and his giant body and soothing voice decided to steal from the same store as me at the exact same time.
If that wasn’t fate giving me some excitement, I didn’t know what was.
Plus, he could be telling the truth about that twenty grand. There was a tiny sliver of a chance that he wasn’t a liar as well as a thief.
I looked back at the trees again. What the fuck would I even do if I got away from him? I had literally nothing with me, not even shoes. I lowered my gaze to my bare feet, covered in dirt and a small amount of blood. My stomach growled, and when he threw me a knowing look over his shoulder, I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I’ve got food if you’re hungry.” His eyes dropped to my bare feet, and he frowned. My decision was made for me when he suddenly turned around and muttered something under his breath, his expression darkening as he stomped toward me.
Why?
I looked down at my feet, then yelled when he unexpectedly scooped me up in his arms.
“Hey—”
“You don’t have shoes,” he stated, like that explained everything.
“Put me down, you—”
He squeezed me tight to his chest. “You don’t have shoes,” he repeated. “So, no. I won’t.”
It was like arguing with a brick wall.
He carried me back to the motel. I contemplated punching him in the throat, but ultimately decided to just let him carry me.
I was supposed to be agreeable.
