Chapter 11
ELEVEN
brINLEY
All thanks to that, I stood in front of the crappy little coffee maker that sat on a table under the far window of the office, praying to the coffee gods for their life-sustaining nectar.
Probably appearing like a rabid squirrel with the way my attention kept skittishly darting in every direction while I waited impatiently for each precious, percolated drop to fill my cup.
It wasn’t like I could show my face in the mess hall this morning.
I could only imagine what these people thought of me.
Could only imagine what they were whispering under their breaths.
That I was weak.
Pathetic.
An easy freaking target considering I’d come skulking back through the trees with my tail tucked between my legs.
And seriously, in what kind of alternate universe would I have thought biker gossip would one day be something I’d be concerned about?
Fuck you very much, Dereck, for getting me into this.
Whatever it was.
And whatever it was, I knew it was very, very bad.
That was what really had kept me tossing last night.
The fact that I had felt it like steel bands woven in Silas’s words, though not quite as loud as I felt it howling from his grip.
My being here wasn’t about me paying off some debt.
Dereck had us in deep.
The biggest problem was I had no details.
I was completely in the dark.
How was I supposed to get us out of it if I didn’t know what we were pitted against?
One thing I knew for sure was Silas had the answers. I knew down to my soul that whatever they’d been meeting about last night involved Dereck.
Involved me.
A tremor rolled down my spine.
What I wouldn’t give to shun everything Silas had said.
The warnings that had dripped from his cruel, arrogant mouth.
But I knew he meant it.
Knew he was uttering nothing but the truth.
And because of it, I was subject to his reign.
God, that pissed me off, too.
It’d been clear as day when the text had come through last night. I’d rushed to get it, thinking it was Dereck, only it was from an unknown number.
Unknown
You made the right choice, going back to your room. Would not have made me happy if I had to drag you back onto my property.
Didn’t love getting kneed in the balls, either, so let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again, yeah?
Me
How did you get my number?
Unknown
I know a whole lot more than you think.
When I didn’t respond in a few minutes, another text had blipped through.
Unknown
If you need me, use this number, and don’t make me have to chase after you again. Are we clear?
Me
Loud and clear.
I’d sent it with a sneer.
God, I despised him and his crooked crown and the fact that he held my well-being over my head.
The truth that he was the only thing I had.
I’d quickly saved his contact as King.
The cup finally filled, and I brought it to my lips.
I breathed out in relief as the steaming liquid hit my tongue, then every molecule in my body was tightening and expanding when I felt the squall of energy rise behind me.
A flashflood of it when he swung open the door.
It wasn’t necessary to turn around to know it was him.
The man had his own special brand of volatility.
That casual arrogance that infiltrated the space, though there’d been nothing casual about it last night.
I could feel him take a step inside from the shop. Felt him lean against the wall.
Hell, I could almost see him crossing those violent arms over his broad chest.
And I was the sheep who wanted to see.
Slowly, I turned around, holding onto that mug like it might be a lifeline when the undertow of the man threatened to sweep me away.
Silas Mercer was in the exact position I’d imagined.
Dressed in jeans and motorcycle boots and a freaking Henley.
Brown hair damp.
But that fresh out of the shower look didn’t do anything to soften his sharp edges.
His cheeks and eyes were blades.
Brow slashed and severe.
Too violently beautiful to be real.
I’d worked really hard not to lie to myself, and honestly, I could stare at him all day and not get tired of doing it.
Then the jerk had to go and open his mouth.
“I see you’re being a good girl this morning.”
I bristled. Hackles rising in defense.
I really hoped my chin didn’t quiver when I lifted it. “It seems I’m stuck here for a while, doesn’t it?”
God, I really disliked the way it made it sound like I was surrendering. But it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of choices.
From where he leaned against the wall, Silas let his gaze wander over me.
Slowly.
Casually.
Like the bastard had earned the right.
Hazel orbs flicking down and lifting chills on my skin as they went.
Flashing with something that I felt like a rugged caress dragging over my flesh.
The sensation was so overwhelming that I wasn’t sure if I detested it or yearned to feel more of it.
This foreign feeling that bubbled in my belly and scattered through me like the flapping of hummingbird wings.
It’d been there last night, too, when he’d pretty much been manhandling me.
Though then it’d been distorted.
Mangled by the fear and charged by the adrenaline that had pumped through my veins.
Now, it was just disorienting.
“The fuck are you wearin’?” The gruff words scraped through the air.
A frown slashed deep, and I looked down to take in my attire.
The lacy white dress that hit me mid-thigh, cinched at the waist with a black belt and flowy in the skirt, my favorite peep-toe black heels on my feet.
“What, am I not dressed appropriately for you? I figured if I was working in your office representing your fine, upstanding company, I’d better look good doing it.”
I added as much spite to it as I could conjure.
So maybe there was a valid reason I was here, but that didn’t mean I trusted this guy, and it wasn’t like he was offering any answers.
And Silas was dangerous. Up to no good. Involved in foul, nefarious things.
Hands down.
Signed and sealed.
Hell, that shit could be notarized.
Perilous in a way that Dereck should have stayed far away from.
But my brother had always had a sick fascination with villains.
Silas pushed from the wall and came my way.
His stride long yet somehow slowed. Stalking his prey with no covertness to it.
He stopped right in front of me, and I steeled myself as he leaned in close and rumbled in my ear, “I think what you’re trying to do is do me in.”
Every word was serrated, and the breath I inhaled was sharp. The only thing it did was drag that horribly delicious scent into my aching lungs.
Cherries drenched in whiskey.
I wondered if he’d been hitting the bottle at eight in the morning.
“Do you in? I’m pretty sure it’s me who’s at the disadvantage.”
“I guess it’s only fair then.” He said it like we were even.
A shock of disbelief puffed out of me. “There’s nothing fair about this. You bossing me around and not telling me why you’re doing it.”
“You haven’t come close to seeing me bossy, Brinley.”
I scoffed, and a vat of indignation filled my voice. “You tossing me around last night wasn’t you being bossy?”
Silas somehow managed to angle closer. So close his chest hit my mug that I had clutched between us.
“Not even close.”
Air hefted free. “Is that what you want? Me afraid of you? Well, I’m not.”
It was a blatant lie. There was no question this man could tear me to shreds, and he would take great pleasure in doing it.
I didn’t want to wonder how many kills he had notched on his belt, but right then, it was the other notches I was irresponsibly speculating about.
A fool who was wondering if he’d wandered back to that party last night and snatched up one of the willing women after he’d left me panting and confused.
My underwear soaked and my ego bruised.
I hated him for that, too.
Hated that he wielded this stupid power over me. Power I would be nothing but an idiot to submit to him.
I didn’t know if I wanted to flinch or lean into it when he lifted his hand and lightly fluttered his fingertips down the angle of my cheek.
The only thing I knew was my heart careened.
Battering hard and fast.
One brush of his hand, and he shifted everything into overdrive.
His sage eyes deepened a shade darker as they narrowed. “You should be afraid, Brinley. But not of me.”
I gulped around the razors in my throat. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”
Contemplation filled his gaze, and for a beat, his voice softened in regret. “Can’t let you in on that.”
Anger surged. Ire and disbelief.
This was such bullshit.
“All these secrets are driving me crazy.”
“Some things are better left unknown.”
Was he serious?
“At least be man enough to give me something. Am I here to fulfill my brother’s debt?”
I couldn’t even try to pinpoint exactly what it was that flashed through his expression, there were so many emotions that came all at once.
Repulsion and distaste and deep-seated fury.
And concern, maybe?
Or maybe I was just grasping at straws. Praying my captor wasn’t as vile as he appeared to be, the ridiculous urges he’d ignited in me warping my common sense.
Silas’s head barely shook, and the words ground from between his lips. “No, Brinley, this isn’t about money or debt. You’re here so I can protect you from the very fucking stupid decisions your brother has made.”
So many accusations were woven into that one sentence that I couldn’t make sense of them all.
The clear statement that Silas was making.
That my brother was bad to the core.
My chest tightened, and I heaved, “You’re a liar.”
He tipped his head in challenge. “Am I?”
I didn’t want to believe it. Didn’t want to accept what he was implying.
No, I didn’t have a whole lot to go on.
But it was enough to know after Silas’s actions last night and what he was saying this morning, plus the way Dereck had been acting, that things were much worse than I’d even imagined.
And believe me, my imagination was morbid.
Morbid because I’d seen to the depths of perversion.
I gulped, trying to suppress the way those terrors had carved the deepest scars.
It hurt knowing Dereck had been responsible for those, too.
God, I was so tired of it. Tired of him dragging me around like a rag doll.
Disregarded.
Always his last concern when he’d always been my number one.
My oath to take care of him more than just a fleeting promise. It was my last connection. An act of my love and eternal loyalty.
And there that concern was again, ballooning up in me and pushing out every other thought.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Something passed through Silas’s features. Something deep as he lifted his hand again, that time to brush the pad of his thumb along the edge of my mouth.
My stomach tightened, disgusted that I liked it so much.
“Look at you.” His voice had gone grumbly. Too soft for my own good. “Confined here without knowing why and the one thing you’re worried about is him.”
“He’s my brother. The only thing I have.” I probably shouldn’t admit it, but maybe this guy needed to understand what was on the line.
My entire heart.
His nod was slow. “I get it, but I’m going to need you to be fighting for yourself.”
“Fighting is about the only thing I know. But it makes it difficult when I don’t know who’s supposed to be the enemy.”
Every unforgiving edge of his body sharpened. “You’re safe with me.”
“Am I?”
Because nothing had ever felt so perilous as right then.
The quivering of my belly and the shivering of my soul.
He ran his knuckles under my chin. “Want to do a thousand different things to you, Brinley Webber, but hurting you isn’t one of them.”
The desire that bubbled up inside me was so distinct there was no mistaking it any longer.
And that was probably the most dangerous part of all.
“I thought you told me that I didn’t have to pay off my brother’s debt with my body?” I snarled it, looking for restraint, for a way to toss back up a wall, knowing I was teetering on a crumbling ledge.
Standing at the edge of a canyon to get a better look. But I wasn’t about to be too reckless to realize I was about to fall to my death.
A wicked smile took to his terrifyingly beautiful face. “There’s no debt to repay, remember?”
My fight or flight kicked in.
So rather than pummeling him in the chest with my fists like I had half a mind to do, I ducked away, winding myself from his trap, shaking myself off as I stared at him from three feet away.
“Then I guess this ridiculous job is no longer necessary.”
He angled back casually. Cruel satisfaction climbed to his face as he tucked his tattooed hands into his pockets.
“Nah. Seems like a fitting way for you to earn your keep. You are kind of a handful.”
Swiveling his menacing body around, he strolled back for the door that led to the shop like he hadn’t just suggested what he had.
Like he didn’t have my traitorous body coiled up in knots. Knots that both terrified and exhilarated me.
An infuriating smirk on his face as he glanced back from over his shoulder. “That’s your cue to get back to work.”
What. A. Dick.
Turning away, he dragged open the door.
It took everything I had not to hurl my mug at the back of his arrogant head.
Instead, I catapulted a shrieked, “I hate you!” at his back.
He paused to glance at me once more. “That’s good, Little Wildfire. Think it would be best if we kept it that way.”