Chapter Six
Miranda had never thought hot water and soap could feel so amazing. It was a pleasure she’d taken for granted until it had been taken away from her.
Ashes had made sure to send her in with the new clothes Sparrow had gotten her. She’d been surprised when the other man had told her he’d also gotten shampoo, conditioner, a brush, and a few other things he hoped she would like. She’d been blown away by his thoughtfulness.
She shampooed her hair twice before slathering it with conditioner and letting it sit while she scrubbed the rest of her body until her skin was pink. Then she rinsed her hair and body one more time before shutting off the water and grabbing the towel Sparrow had gotten her.
After dressing, she put her hair up in a large clip, stuffed all the things Sparrow had gotten, except for the hairbrush, along with Ashes’ shirt, into the shopping bag.
She looked at what was left of the clothing she’d been wearing for months, then shoved them in the trash can.
If she never saw them again, it would be too soon.
Miranda picked up the bag and stared at the door for a moment, bracing herself, then she opened the door and stepped out. She didn’t have to look for them, all four men sat or stood around a picnic table, several bags identical to the one she held on the table, looking untouched.
“There you are. We waited to see what you want before we eat the rest,” Ashes said as she approached.
“You didn’t have to do that.” She thought about how long she’d been in the shower and she would have been faster if she’d known they were waiting for her to eat.
“We’re fine. You’re the one who needs to eat more than we do.” Ashes took the bag she carried and set it to one side, then he motioned for her to sit and started pulling things out of bags.
“We’ve got chicken, fried, like you asked for.
” He set a paper bag on the table, then he kept digging.
“There’s mashed potatoes as well as wedges.
” He set those on the table and reached for another bag “There’s macaroni salad too.
And he got a few things for the drive, those are already in the truck.
Here’s a plate, and I know it’s not ideal but we’ve also got some plastic silverware.
” He’d even brought her soda from the truck and had it waiting for her.
She looked at the table, thinking this was way too much food and wondering how they had managed to carry all this on a motorcycle, but she didn’t ask.
Instead, she helped herself to some chicken, then added some mashed potatoes to her plate.
If she still had room after this, she’d try the rest. After she’d served herself, the guys dug in, and by the time she’d cleaned her plate, there was only a little food left.
Which turned out to be good, because the two pieces of chicken and small helping of mashed potatoes had stuffed her.
The way her belly felt right now, she thought she might not get hungry for a couple of days yet.
“You ready to get back in the truck?” Ashes asked after making sure she didn’t want more food.
Miranda nodded and stood. Before she could figure out what needed to be done, the men had gathered everything up, taking care of the trash and carrying the bag she’d brought out of the shower to the truck.
She looked down at her greasy hands and wished she had a napkin or something.
Before she could ask, Ashes handed her a paper towel.
“We keep some basic supplies in the truck. If that’s not enough, there are wipes in the pocket on your door,” Ashes said, picking up her soda and taking it to the truck. She followed, working on getting all the grease from her hands.
In the truck, he showed her where the trash can was, then waited while she got comfortable.
“We’ve got between an hour and a half and two hours before we get to the clubhouse.
Let me know if you need anything, even if it’s to stop and pee or stop and just take a deep breath.
You are not a captive. If you have questions, feel free to ask.
If it’s something I can’t tell you, for whatever reason, I’ll tell you I can’t say.
I won’t lie to you or try to convince you to do anything you don’t want to, unless it’s for your safety, understand? ”
She blinked, then nodded. Miranda didn’t know if she could trust these men, but Ashes hadn’t done anything to make her distrust him, at least not yet.
She decided to go with it. At least if he got her back to the city, if things weren’t the way they promised, she would have a better chance of getting away, of finding help.
He started the truck. She pulled the clip from her hair and started working the tangles out. She had some time to kill and might as well make use of it.