10. Amorette
AMORETTE
A man stepped out. Younger than Addict.
He was about the same height, but his face was more angular. The planes of his face were so sharp, I knew if I touched him, he’d cut me. His dark brown hair was buzzed, giving him a sinister vibe.
But, it was his eyes that scared me. When he looked at me with those black eyes, they were bottomless and cold. So cold, I shivered.
Just as I was coming out of my daze, twisting to run, he jerked out of his own shock. The man slammed me into the wall and I cried out in pain as he caught my wrist before I could stab him with the knife. Somehow, I’d dropped the keys and they clattered across the floor.
I whimpered from the pain as he squeezed my bones. It wasn’t enough pressure to break, and as soon as I let go of the knife, he loosened his grip.
Sighing, I relaxed into the wall. I was still out of breath, and as long as he held me here, I couldn’t get away. What I could do was take advantage of the moment and catch my breath. Watch him for any sign that I could get past him.
The smell of him dominated the small space between us. Sweat misted his brow as if he’d come from a workout, adding a salty flavor to the cedarwood and patchouli tinging the air. Then he dipped his head, running his nose along my cheek as he pressed his body against mine.
No . I knew where this was going. Using all my strength, I pushed at his chest with my free hand, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he growled a string of Spanish in my ear, though I understood none of it.
“Please,” I whispered, turning my head away from his face, dislodging his touch at least there. Heat radiated from his body and his chest rose and fell against mine. I could even feel his strong and steady heartbeat in his chest.
Sweat slicked my hands as I kept uselessly trying to put space between us.
He chuckled, slamming both of my wrists against the wall in warning. I stopped struggling against his hold. He had to give me an opening somewhere. Maybe it wouldn’t be this second, but he’d let his guard down soon. He had to.
Hopefully it would be before he took me to any other men.
“Hmm, where did you come from? And who here made those marks on your face?” Just like his eyes, his voice was cold, even with the playful note.
I hadn’t seen him before, and I had no idea if he would help me or hurt me. Knowing where I was, he would most likely hurt me.
When I didn’t answer immediately, he moved both wrists to one hand, yanking them above my head and forcing them against the rough wall. I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut as sparks of light danced over my vision. That hurt so fucking bad I couldn’t breathe.
He caught my jaw and turned my face to his with his other hand. I blinked, trying to make out his face past the dots.
His hold was gentle, so at odds with how I was reading him. He dropped his head one more time and inhaled at my temple. I trembled as his warm breath washed over my face. “That’s our standard shampoo, so you’ve clearly been staying here.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I couldn’t get away and he didn’t seem like he would step away from me without my answers. Even then, he might not, but I had to try.
“I just want to go home. Please.” It burned my pride to plead, but I had no other alternatives. Not right then.
Apart from his body molded to mine, he wasn’t trying to rip my clothes off; he wasn’t even hurting me. It made it damn hard to want to fight back when there might be another way. Except my brain was screaming there wasn’t.
“And where is home?”
I kept my mouth shut. There had to be something else I could say to get him to let me go. Everything running through my head had to do with Addict, and that could just as soon backfire in my face as help me.
His thumb stroked over my cheek as he watched me, patiently waiting for me to speak. Sucking in a deep breath, I took a chance. Against my better judgment, I took a chance.
“Lafe brought me here. I just want to go home.”
Whatever he thought I was about to say, or possibly could say, that shocked him. He didn’t let go of my face or wrists, but he did step back, rising to his full height. Goosebumps raced down my legs and arms from that sudden loss of warmth.
“Repeat that?” A furrow appeared between his eyebrows as his gaze bounced between my eyes.
“Lafe drugged me and brought me here. I’ve been locked in an apartment for days.
I want to go home. I have a job, a family, a life.
” It was a waste of hope to tell him those things.
Outside of mentioning Addict, he had no other reaction.
No sympathy or emotion entered his face as he listened to my words.
“That’s quite surprising. I didn’t think my big brother had that in him. Definitely not his style,” he mused, his lips twitching in amusement.
I stiffened. They were brothers? They didn’t look anything alike other than their height and perhaps their build, although Lafe was leaner. If they were brothers, he wouldn’t help me. I should have listened to my gut and stayed silent.
“I recognize this shirt now. Tell me, little girl, has he fucked you?” The hand that was holding my jaw moved down to my thigh. His fingertips traced a hot trail up the outside of my leg.
“No!” I screamed, twisting sideways. I didn’t have any panties, absolutely no barrier to prevent him from touching me. The anger I needed came rushing back as I kicked out at his kneecaps.
“Now, now. I was just curious.” He avoided my kicks and pushed me back against the wall, trapping my legs and gripping my waist. Then, more to himself, he said, “Big brother’s been keeping secrets.”
The asshole grinned, flashing white teeth as if he thought this was a great time.
“How did you meet Lafe?”
I glared, pursing my lips together. He could go to hell.
His grin widened into a disarming smile. He wasn’t as classically beautiful as his brother, but he was just as attractive. Except he had a dark edge that Addict didn’t have.
“How about this? You tell me how you met my brother, and I’ll let you go.”
Was he serious?
I narrowed my gaze on his face, looking for any sign he was lying while I ran the words through my head. He could also be giving me a half-truth.
“You’ll let me go? Find a way to take me back home?” Not that I would tell him my real home if he agreed. I could go to any state and get a ticket back to Virginia.
He laughed, and if he wasn’t such a mean bastard, it would be a great sound. I was really starting to despise how evil could be so easily disguised under masculine beauty.
“No, I won’t help you escape if Lafe brought you here. But I will pretend I never saw you in this hallway. Sans the knife and keys, of course.” He raised his brows as if this was a good deal.
The sad thing was, it was a good deal. He could just as easily take me back to the apartment or, worse, to a filthy cage.
“I was abducted. Lafe said the place he brought me from is a two-hour flight from here. He…” I swallowed, the words sour on my tongue, “saved me from a man named Randall.”
He smiled so wide his face nearly split in two. “That’s absolutely fascinating. And just what did he plan to do with you? Apparently not kill you if he brought you home.” The man vibrated in his excitement and that scared me more than any of the time I’d spent with Addict.
Ignoring how I was in their home, I tugged my arms. Surprisingly, he let them go but now held my waist with both hands. I had no idea what to do with them, so I dropped them to my sides. When I glanced down, the knife was right by his shoe.
“Uh-uh.” He kicked it down the hallway. “We can’t have you getting yourself killed now, can we?
And make no mistake, that’s what would happen.
” His exuberance melted into a stern expression.
“You might draw a little blood, but all our men are highly trained. You’d be dead before you could do any real damage. ”
Like he really cared about my life. The only value I had to this guy was his brother's interest in me. Because he loved his brother? Or wanted to torment him? Given the vibes rolling off of him, it could go either way.
“The deal was, you’d let me go if I told you how we met. I did.” I tilted my chin up, taunting him despite my better judgment. What was wrong with me?
“So I did…” A ghost of a smile curled his lips. “One more thing then, before you go. What’s your name?”
Again with the names. It wouldn’t be worth it to lie, not when he could ask his brother. My name wasn’t important anyway. If he kept his word and released me, I’d be back to searching for a way out. “Amorette.”
“Fitting. It’s nice to meet you, Little Love. I’m Parker. Don’t forget it, because I assure you, we’ll meet again.” He stepped back and crossed his arms. “Well?” he said through a smirk when I didn’t move.
I hadn’t actually expected him to let me go. I still didn’t trust him. Glancing down both ends of the hallway, I made a snap decision on which way to go—the opposite direction of where the knife lay. Otherwise, I could end up tackled to the floor and my injuries couldn’t take that.
“I wouldn’t go that way if I were you. Take this door. It leads to the gym, and there’s an exit to the outside.” He nodded to the metal door he came out of.
“And who’s down there?” I edged around him, staying as loose as I could in case he changed his mind and I needed to sprint.
“No one. The off-duty men are in the commons.”
“Why would you help me?”
“You’ll be caught soon enough. Maybe I like giving the underdog a shot.
” He turned and strolled toward the main entrance where I’d come from.
Once he reached the knife, he bent and picked it up, then tossed it in the air.
It flipped end over end until he caught the handle.
“You better run, Little Love. Men are coming,” he warned without looking back.
Sure enough, someone started to turn down the hallway. Without waiting, I slipped through the door and ran.