19. Amorette
AMORETTE
G rey never came back. At least not while I was awake.
I spent the rest of the day on the couch. Then, I made dinner using what ingredients he had in the fridge. Grilled chicken and rice with a homemade garlic dill sauce. To round it off, I cut up a few apples as well.
It wasn’t the typical vegetable in a meal, but it was something outside of starch and protein. Once I was done, I glanced over the large amounts of food. There was too much for just me. There was probably enough food to feed Grey twice over. But I refused to look at why I would make dinner for him.
By the time darkness fell, I had locked myself away in the guestroom.
After taking a long, hot shower, I fell into bed with all of my irritating thoughts.
During the day, I’d managed to keep them at bay with mindless, funny television classics.
I had watched several episodes of The Golden Girls , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , and Family Matters .
The only thing I’d allowed myself to watch were decades-old wholesome sitcoms. It seemed to help numb the mind. With who I was and what I did for a living, I wasn’t typically someone who tried to escape reality, but I needed a break.
A break from myself. A break from the situation. A break from the brothers in all the forms I’d met them in.
Except when I laid down, stray thoughts bombarded me.
Why did they save me?
Could I really stay here?
Would I ever see Grace again?
My breath caught on the last thought. Damn, I missed my sister so much. But as much as I missed her, it was better that she was back home. Unless I could escape and get back to her, I hoped she never found out what happened to me.
Sometimes not knowing was worse, but if she knew I was originally taken into a sex trafficking ring and that I was still alive? I’d rather she believe I’d died a quick death at the hands of a psycho.
These men—these brothers—saved me, but I didn’t doubt for a second that they would kill anyone else.
Which begged the most important question, why didn’t they kill me? Or, in Lafe’s perspective, why did he save me at all?
He could have left me to my fate and gone on with his life. Wasn’t that what they normally did anyway? They seemed to bury their heads in the sand when it came to anything outside of their direct actions.
After talking to Grey, I recognized Lafe, in his own way, was trying to do something good. The longer I was here, the more guilt I started to feel for bitching at him and hating him for things out of his control.
But how could I start over, in a life so different from my own, when I knew those other women were getting abused daily? That wasn’t who I was.
A small voice whispered through my head, but maybe that’s who you have to be to survive.
The old Amorette way of thinking rationalized every concession I made. I could stay. I could figure out a way to help the women from the inside. When the time and opportunity came, I could escape and take down the entire organization.
It was a long shot, but the one thought let me know I was still the same person I always was. And with that small comfort, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
Golden yellow light streamed through the gauzy curtains, washing over my face. Blinking rapidly, I rolled over and scrubbed my eyes with my fingers.
Shit. I slept in.
The entire time I’d been here, I barely slept. When I did, the lightest noises woke me up. Sleeping like this? It meant I was starting to get comfortable with a warm bed, hot water, and good food.
Lies could trick my body. Although if I asked Grey, he’d tell me I was safe here as long as I didn’t do anything stupid, like trying to break through the glass and run away.
I hated that I believed him. While in this apartment with him—or without him, apparently—I did feel safe.
Safer than I had been in the other apartment.
It might be a different story when I was outside of these four walls.
Especially with his other brother, the one who liked to lead with his gun, it would definitely be a different story.
Just as I finished up in the bathroom, a soft knock came at the door.
I froze mid-step, then continued over to unlock it. No one who wanted to do me any harm would be knocking. It was still just so surreal to be in this calm, steady environment.
The door quietly swung open to reveal a grinning Grey on the other side. He gripped the top of the doorway with his other hand on the knob, displaying his bare, muscled torso.
Unable to stop the human reaction, I glanced down, taking in the defined muscular planes of his chest and the tattoos decorating his smooth tan skin.
The traitorous organ in my chest flipped and skipped a beat, and I scowled.
Grey smirked as if he knew exactly what brought that look to my face. If he did, he was gentlemanly enough not to comment on it.
“Morning, mamí . Did you miss me?” The grin turned into a crooked smirk as his dark green eyes glittered in the morning light.
He was in a fantastic mood. I was immediately wary.
“Do you mean, did I miss human interaction after having so little of it lately? Yes, I did.” I surprised myself with my honesty.
Apparently, it also surprised him by how his eyes widened and his smirk fell. It came back quickly as he stepped back.
“I made breakfast, and I might have noticed a few containers of leftovers in the fridge. Did you cook for me last night?” He glanced over his shoulder as he led the way to the kitchen.
Heat suffused my neck and chest, slowly creeping up my jaw. Why did I save the food? I should have put any uneaten items in the garbage disposal.
“I like to cook.” That was a bit of an exaggeration, although I didn’t mind it. I just didn’t like what it meant that I’d made extra food.
“Mm,” he hummed as he picked up two plates of fluffy eggs and bacon with pico on the side. Instead of heading to the living room, he went to the small nook.
The table for two was set under a window overlooking a small yard. Every window in this place overlooked a small yard. They were trapped here like I was, except they had the power to leave when they wanted or needed to.
“So, what happened yesterday?” Shit. That sounded like an accusation. An accusation from a disgruntled girlfriend. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath, reminding myself I didn’t care. This was just polite conversation to get him on my side.
He finished chewing his first bite before he answered. “I got called away on a job and didn’t get back until, I don’t know, one or two this morning.”
I glanced at the clock. It was ten now. A full eight hours of sleep was probably why he looked so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
When I didn’t have a response for him, we both dug into the food. It was delicious in a healthy sort of way. Except for the bacon, which was practically its own food group. I would never complain about salty, savory bacon.
The last bite tasted just as delicious as the first, and I pushed my plate away then patted my stuffed stomach. He’d given me a considerable portion. I was shocked I was able to finish it all after the way I’d been eating over the last week or so.
“I have a surprise.” He pushed his blond strands away from his face as that happiness entered his gaze again.
How could he be happy living the life of a criminal?
“What’s the surprise?”
Rolling his eyes, he stacked my plate over his. “Don’t hurt yourself with excitement.”
If I were back home, I’d be a smartass and feign giddiness while I repeated the question. But I wasn’t home. And no matter how he saw our situation, we weren’t friends.
He sighed. “I have a fight I need to oversee tonight. My main guy is unavailable. If you promise to behave, I’ll take you with me.”
I perked up and raised my eyebrows. Was he serious? I had an opportunity to leave my current prison? Or at least, if the fight was here, I’d be able to be around other people. “I want that. I’m going stir-crazy sitting here by myself.”
“You give me your word that you won’t do anything stupid?” He leaned closer, closing the distance between us until only a handful of inches remained. His warm breath fanned over my mouth as his dark gaze captured mine.
Goosebumps erupted down my arms and the bottom of my spine tingled from the sudden move. The sexual tension thrummed between us but we both ignored it.
“I can’t make any promises,” I breathed.
His low laughter hit me in the pit of my stomach. “That’s what I like about you, mamí . You don’t lie and you’re feisty. I’ll just have to keep an extra close watch on you.”
The shiver snaking down my back didn’t escape his notice. He winked, then carried our plates over to the sink.
"We haven’t ordered clothes for you yet. But there are some things in the closet of the guest room. See if anything will fit. Normally, the fights are jeans and tank attire for women, but I doubt anything like that would fit you. Mia is about five inches taller with an additional forty pounds.”
Mia. That was the first time I heard that name.
Who was she to this man?
Couldn’t be a girlfriend, or her stuff would be in his room.
Sister? Childhood friend?
The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it in. If I started asking questions about her, it would make me seem more jealous and unhinged than I’d come across earlier.
I’d find other things to ask him so he’d see I was making an effort.
“When do we leave?” I stood and pushed my chair in, bracing against the back as I waited for his answer.
“You have about two hours. There’s some business I have to attend to before the fight, and we need to get there early.”
I left him in the kitchen to go get ready. Anticipation thrummed through me. I’d have to play this smart. If an opportunity presented itself, I just might take it. But only if it seemed like it would actually work.