Chapter 25 #2
Grr. You’re really annoying me now, inner voice!
“Besides, he doesn’t really need your permission,” North stated.
She stiffened.
Jared sighed. “I’m trying not to scare her, North. Or make her think I’m like my father.”
North just shrugged and went back to what he was reading.
“Are you going to sit?” Jared asked her as he held her chair.
“Um, I can do it.”
Jared raised his eyebrows. “Or you can sit and I’ll help push you in.”
“Right . . . right . . .” She didn’t want to admit that she had no idea what she was doing as she moved in front of the chair. He pushed it forward and she kind of just fell into it, nearly toppling off the side.
That was embarrassing.
“Not used to that?” North asked.
“I think the answer to that is obvious.” She watched as Jared sat all gracefully. Without any sign of falling over.
Some people had all the luck.
Jared grabbed a plate and started to fill it up. Her stomach rumbled and she placed her hand over it, feeling queasy.
“You seem better,” North said, studying her. “Have you peed this morning? Was it bright yellow or pale?”
Her eyes widened. “Um, what?”
She had to have misheard him, right?
“Did you pee? You look more hydrated but if your pee is bright yellow then you might need another IV.”
“I peed and it was normal!” she squeaked. “And I would rather not talk about it.”
Did North’s lip twitch? Was he amused by her?
“I didn’t have any follow-up questions. Unless you’d like me to ask about your bowels? I’m sure there are some prunes in the kitchen if they’re needed.”
Jared sent North a surprised look. And it took her a moment to realize why.
North was . . . making a joke? Then again, maybe it wasn’t a joke. It was really hard to tell with North.
She wasn’t certain she would ever understand him.
“I don’t need any prunes,” she huffed.
“If you’re certain. Just tell me if you change your mind.”
This was a really weird conversation.
Jared slid a plate of food in front of her. She blinked down at it in surprise. Her plate was loaded with food.
Hadn’t he been getting all of that for himself? There were scrambled eggs and poached eggs – who needed two different types of eggs? – bacon and mushrooms and fried potatoes. Not to mention sausages and buttered toast.
There was no way she could eat this much.
“Isn’t this yours?” she asked.
“No.” Jared placed some toast and scrambled eggs on his plate. “I don’t eat that much food for breakfast.”
“I don’t eat this much food all day!”
North tilted his head, staring from her to the plate. “It does seem like a lot of food. Although if that’s all you’re eating over an entire day it explains why you’re so thin.”
“I’m not thin. I’m a perfectly good weight for my height.”
Well, she thought she was. What did he know?
“You’ve been ill and not eating,” Jared pointed out. “You need to eat.”
“I will be sick again if I eat all of this.”
“Do the best you can,” Jared told her.
“And if it’s not good enough, Jared will ensure you eat more,” North told her.
She tightened her hand around her knife. “How has no one ever stabbed you?”
“Oh, people have tried, but I have very good reflexes.”
“I bet,” she muttered.
Jared watched her as he set a phone down on the coffee table in his office.
She seemed nervous, on edge. Was she worried about talking to her sister? Was she scared about upsetting Zander?
“You’re nervous.”
“No, I’m not.”
His temper stirred. It wasn’t something that was easily provoked. He prided himself on his control.
But he fucking hated being lied to.
Just like he hated that she was often scared of him.
Those times his anger was aimed at his father. May he rot in hell.
The phone he gave her couldn’t be traced so he wasn’t worried about Zander finding her. However, when she reached for the phone, he placed his hand over hers, stilling her.
“Hey! What are you doing?” she asked as North sent him a questioning look.
Fuck. What was he doing?
The truth was he had no idea. He just knew that he wanted her to stay.
To be his.
When someone belonged to Jared Bartolli, he owned them.
And he made no apologies for it.
“You’re not to tell Zander where you are,” Jared ordered her.
“Why not?” she asked. “Oh, are you still worried about him retaliating against North?”
North raised an eyebrow at Jared.
“Yes.”
She frowned. “Well, he did kidnap me. But I guess I can convince him not to come after North.”
“He can try,” North said darkly.
“Zander can be dangerous,” she warned.
“So can I,” North said in a low voice.
“Are you threatening my brother-in-law?” she exclaimed.
“Perhaps.”
“North,” Jared warned. He sat back in his chair and thought about this for a moment. “Tell Keira that you’re fine. That they shouldn’t search for you. That you’ll tell them what’s going on soon.”
“You should just send them a message,” North said. “I have her phone. I’ve dismantled the ability for it to transmit a location.”
“They might not believe it’s from her,” Jared said.
“We could send a photo of her,” North suggested.
“Or I could just call my sister!”
North eyed her. “I don’t trust her not to say anything.”
Jared nodded. “Get her phone. We’ll send a message and a photo.”
North got up and left. She glared at Jared. “You can’t keep me forever.”
He knew that. But he just wasn’t ready to let her go. Maybe he never would be.