Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Amirah
I lean back farther, the wall of my bedroom supporting my weight. The room feels even smaller with Bear and Kai inside.
Bear moves toward me, leaning his head against my shoulder. I want to push him away, but too many emotions are flowing through me.
“Aww, princess. I’m so proud of you. Look at you fitting into our little troubled trio.” He gazes at me, batting his eyelids, and I can’t help but smile. Bear may be many crazy things, but he can lighten the mood.
There’s no way I would say no to helping Zion with his daughter.
He needs my assistance, and when he mentioned Callan, that fueled my desire.
If she’s under his care, she isn’t safe.
I can find out more about Callan during the trip—things that could help me free more of the women in that club when I finally get out of here.
I’m not clear on his position at the club, but he is part of it, and I wouldn’t want my daughter anywhere near that or him. And maybe after Cleo is safely in Zion’s hands . . . I can escape too.
But if Callan is tied up in this mess with the girls, this retrieval could be dangerous. After what I found out at the club, I know they have a lot of twisted men on their team who aren’t afraid to be vicious.
“Have you ever heard whispers about the enforcer?” I ask, and Bear lifts his head from my shoulder. He looks toward Kai, then back to me, before he shakes his head.
“Nah, I haven’t. Why?” Kai asks.
“He’s part of all this. He keeps all the girls in line, but no one knows who he is,” I say, and Bear scoffs.
“Whoever they are, we’ll sniff them out,” Bear says, and I purse my lips.
Kai pushes off the bed and stalks over to us, reaching out his hand. I grab it, and warmth spreads through my palm. I want to comfort him after what he shared only an hour ago about his sister. If Dominic wasn’t dead, I’d kill him again.
I don’t blame my brother or Hazen or Lucas for what happened. They were only kids themselves.
Kai pulls me up but doesn’t let go of my grip. He wraps his fingers through mine, and it feels good. Safe. Like I belong there in his hold.
Kai leads me out of the room, and my heart rate skyrockets. We’re leaving? I haven’t been out of these four walls for over a week, and this is what I’ve prayed for. Are we really going right now?
Bear follows silently behind us. I can’t see him, but I can sense his presence. The more time I spend here, around them, the closer I feel to them. Do I really want to leave?
Yes. I’m their prisoner. Held against my will. But why does the thought of leaving them hurt me more than the idea of staying?
Damn, these men are confusing me.
A door slams behind me, and I jump, pulling out of Kai’s grip, just waiting to be taken back to my room. Are they playing with me?
I spin around, and Bear is there, with my new favorite hoodie—the one that has the 18hood logo on it. He holds it out to me, and I take it, offering him a smile.
When I lift it over my head and pull it on, my shoulders relax.
Kai walks off ahead, and I follow closely behind with Bear next to me. We head through the rooms that I came through when I first arrived at this amusement park, what seems like a lifetime ago.
We reach the living room, and Bear shuts the door behind him. Zion is on the couch, leaning forward, resting his chin on his hand.
I stay standing, unsure where to go or what to do. Bear brushes up beside me, and Kai sits next to Zion.
“Okay, before we head over there, we need a plan. What does the house look like? Have you spoken to the new nanny?” Kai asks Zion.
I stay silent, melting into the background. Bear stays close to me, his body heat keeping me warm. I walk around the space, and there’s something about it . . . it feels nice being here. Like I have so much more room to move than I did before.
Zion glances my way, followed by Kai. Oh no. Is this when they’re going to send me back to my room? I can’t go back. I won’t.
“No. I need to reach out and find out when she’s working,” Zion says, tapping away on his phone.
“Who’s the new nanny?” I ask.
“Rachel Saunder. Do you know her?” Zion asks, and I don’t recognize the name.
“No, but we need to get the nanny out of there too. When Callan finds out Cleo is gone, he could hurt her,” I say, and the corner of Zion’s mouth curls.
He doesn’t know what Callan is capable of. Hell, I don’t either, but he’s part of that club and approves of what they do to those women. He knows what the enforcer does.
“Cleo and Rachel’s safety is our priority,” Kai says, and pride wells up inside me. These men are messing with my poor heart.
“I could always take another captive?” Bear suggests.
“What, I’m not good enough?” I ask, and Bear wraps me under his arm. Against my better judgment, I lean into his embrace.
“Aww, you jealous, princess?” he asks, and I roll my eyes, choosing to ignore him. I won’t admit this out loud, but the thought of another woman being here with them doesn’t feel right.
“You said she’s with a nanny service, right?” I ask.
I try to pull out of Bear’s hold, but he doesn’t let me, tightening his arm around me, so I stop fighting.
“Yeah, she works with an agency,” Zion says, and an idea forms.
“I could pretend to be a replacement for her. Tell her to take the day off. Say she’s sick,” I suggest, and Zion flips his phone between his fingers.
“That could work, but what if he recognizes you?” Zion asks.
He could, but I don’t want to convince the guys of that. This could be my way out. I could bring Cleo back to them and then run for it.
“Haven’t you heard of makeup and wigs?” I raise an eyebrow. “I can turn from this into a different person,” I say, pointing to my face.
Bear presses a sloppy kiss on my cheek, and I don’t pull away or fight him. It’s nice to be wanted. Back home, no one would dare just kiss The Brotherhood princess. It was always please may I—formal, passionless embraces that meant nothing and left me wanting.
“Whatever you look like, you’ll still be my special captive,” Bear says, and warmth spreads over my skin, my cheeks heating.
I’m not sure if he means it as a threat or not, but something about being anything of his feels good.
I’m in way too deep here. I need space. To get away from them. I’m not one of them. I am their property, nothing more. But why does it hurt when I think those words?
Zion’s phone buzzes, and he checks it.
“Amirah, write out a list of everything you need, and we’ll get it. Rachel’s scheduled to work tonight. Natalie is going to get her out of it somehow. The clock is ticking,” Zion says, and I nod.
Bear takes me back to my room, and I write down the makeup and the blonde wig I’ll need to pull this off. I hand it over to Bear. He leaves but doesn’t close the door behind him, keeping it open.
Does he trust me not to run anymore? There’s no point in trying. I’d have to get to the front door still, and even then, there’s always one of the boys hanging around in the living room.
I’ll get my chance tonight when I’m back home in Daringville.