CHAPTER 29
Riven
Light spills through the windows while the constant hum of drones and distant voices drifts through the garage.
My hand is bandaged.
It’s probably past three in the morning.
I don’t have my comm.
I still haven’t eaten.
I keep working, pulling the dents from the hood. At least the windshield is finally done.
My hands are sore and trembling.
True to Evren’s word, I had to reinstall the damn thing ten times before it was perfect.
That shit is heavy, so I ended up using suction cups.
When Varek gave them to me, I thought it would be a lot easier.
I mean, we live in a world where everything is automated.
Apparently not this piece of junk—old, heavy, dirty, and fought me every step of the way.
I slide down the hood and collapse onto the floor, too exhausted to care about the grease or the cold concrete.
I close my eyes, I just want to sleep.
I crack an eye open.
Varek and Ren are still there, watching me. Every now and then they exchange a glance, but neither of them looks tired.
Not even a little.
Are they even human? Or did Evren hire a pair of fucking robots?
“I’m hungry.” I announce.
“You finish the side mirror first. Then you eat.” Ren says, completely serious.
“Unless I heard wrong, Evren ordered you to feed me and keep me hydrated.” I grin, all teeth. “And I’m fucking starving.”
Ren and Varek exchange a glance, but neither of them budges.
“Fine. Then you can explain to your bastard boss why his captive—his personal slave mechanic—is passed out on the floor because she hasn’t eaten in eight fucking hours.”
Varek moves.
Ren shakes his head, probably in desperation or annoyance.
Hell if I know, at least I’m getting food.
A few minutes later, Varek returns with something wrapped in foil and drops it at my feet.
I pick it up and unfold it, only to find some kind of burrito. Junk food.
It smells like grease, cancer, and synthetic meat.
I grimace.
What the hell is that?
I’m not usually picky when it comes to food, but this?
No fucking way. I’m not eating some burrito straight from hell.
“What?” Varek asks.
His broad arm crossing over his chest, his long brown and orange streaks harsh under the garage’s light.
“There is no fucking way I’m eating that.”
“The fuck do you mean, Princess?” Ren snaps.
“I mean—” I stagger to my feet, weak and shaking, brandishing the hell-burrito at them. “I’m not eating some synthetic shit that’ll either give me cancer or send me on a one-way trip to the grave.”
“You’ll eat it, or you’ll eat nothing.” Varek says, his voice so deep and calm.
“No. I refuse to die.” I shake my head.
“Oh, the princess is having a crisis?” Ren advances. “You’ll eat it, or I’ll shove it down your throat.”
I raise an eyebrow.
Is he serious? I look at the burrito from hell, then back at him.
“You’re right,” I say, my voice suddenly sweet. “It should be eaten.”
“Yes.”
I smile, and throw the burrito straight into his face.
SPLAT.
The thing explodes on impact, ingredients splattering across his face, his shirt, and the floor.
I dust off my hands, thoroughly satisfied.
“I told you I wasn’t going to eat it,” I say. “But it seems you will.”
Varek stares at Ren’s plastered face, then at me. Then back at him.
Ren doesn’t even move to wipe anything off.
Varek sighs, a deep, exhausted sigh.
“You’re dead.” Ren says, synthetic meat sliding down his face.
“Yeah? Kill me. Let’s see how your boss reacts.” I taunt.
Ren moves. Not as fast as Evren, but fast enough.
His hand is on my jaw, fingers digging in as he forces my head back, trying to pry my mouth open.
I clamp my jaw shut so hard it hurts, tucking my lips between my teeth.
“Open, Princess.”
I shake my head. His fingers dig in harder.
“What are you doing?” a voice calls from the office.
“Princess was hungry. We gave her food, and she decided to throw it in my face.”
I glance over.
Evren steps out with a can of Nitro in one hand.
He's wearing a sleeveless compression crop top, the fabric clinging to every muscle and somehow making the bastard look even bigger. Oversized black jeans hang low on his hips, ripped at the knees.
Like some overgrown punk nightmare who forgot sleep exists.
“Is that so?” He takes a step forward. “And why would she do that?”
“Because she says she'll get cancer and a one-way ticket to the grave if she eats it,” Varek says.
Evren looks at Ren, who's still holding my jaw, before shifting his gaze to me.
His eyes drift to the exploded burrito on the floor.
For a second, he says nothing.
Then he throws his head back and laughs.
Ren looks at Evren, then back at me, with a sigh, he shoves me away.
I stumble and land on my ass, too exhausted to even try to stay upright.
“Goddamn.” Evren wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. “You are a troublemaker.”
He closes the distance between us and crouches, tilting his head like a curious predator.
“What do you want to eat?” he asks. “I'll get it for you. I wouldn't want you going to the grave before you're done fixing my car.”
“Nothing coming from you.”
“Is that why you ground yourself against my face last time?”
Heat floods my face.
I'm still ashamed of it, and the bastard is using it against me in front of everyone.
My temper snaps.
I swing without thinking, my palm wide open.
He doesn't even try to dodge.
My hand cracks across his cheek, snapping his head to the side.
He stays like that for a moment.
Then, without moving his head, he looks at me from the corner of his eye and slowly bites his lower lip.
My eyes widen.
What the hell is wrong with him?
Seriously, does this psycho get off on being hit?
“We'll deal with that later,” he says. “For now, you're going to eat and stop assaulting my men with food.”
He straightens and grabs my wrist still hanging in the air, yanking me upright so abruptly I yelp as my knees threaten to give out beneath me.
Before I can react, one arm slides beneath my knees, the other behind my back, and suddenly I'm off the ground.
“What the—”
“You're coming with me to get food,” he says, already walking. “Then you're sleeping. You finish my car tomorrow, and once it's done, you're getting the fuck out of my sight.”
I twist and struggle, trying to wrench myself free, but his grip is iron.
“Keep squirming like a worm and I'll drop your ass,” Evren warns. “I'm carrying you because you're weak, and I don't like weak, useless people.”