Chapter 4
Mia
I wake up the next morning in Killian’s bed, and it takes me a minute to orient myself.
When the night before comes rushing back to me, I sit up, gasping.
“Good morning, Kitten,” Killian says with a grin.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
I might be sober, but I feel groggy and somewhat confused, and I need to think about how to play this right, so Killian lets me go.
“Hi,” I say uneasily, and he chuckles as he watches me.
“Let me guess,” he says as he props himself up on one elbow. “You’re thinking about how you’re going to escape, right?”
Fuck. I haven’t seen Killian in months, and I forgot that he had an uncanny ability to read me, to know what I was thinking without me saying anything at all.
“No,” I lie, and he doesn’t say anything, he just smirks at me.
I’m still cuffed to him, and to the bed, and I sigh.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
He takes the key to the handcuffs out of his pocket and leans over me, uncuffing me from the bed post.
He smells just like I remember him; a mix of fresh laundry, mint, and cigarettes, and even though that sounds like a weird combo of scents, it loosens something in my chest. I loved that smell. It was so comforting to me when I was with him. It reminds me of safety.
Fuck, stop it, Mia, I scold myself. Focus.
I look at Killian once he sits back, and when I realize that he’s not uncuffing us from each other, I give him an incredulous stare.
“Oh, you think you’re being uncuffed entirely?” he asks, his eyes lit up in amusement. “Cute, Mia.”
“Killian, how am I supposed to use the bathroom while I’m cuffed to you?” I snap, and he chuckles again.
“I’ll be right there next to you.”
“No.”
“Tough,” he says with a shrug. “If you want to use the bathroom, those are the rules.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask angrily.
“Why did you steal all my money, trash my apartment, and run without a fucking word?” he asks, and I swallow nervously, unable to speak.
My throat is dry and I need water, and I can’t bring myself to answer him.
“That’s what I thought,” he retorts.
He begins to stand, practically dragging me along with him.
Once I’m up, too, he leads us out of his bedroom and down the hall, then we turn into the bathroom.
I don’t want to go to the bathroom in front of him. I’m livid that he’s doing this to me, and the two of us just stand there, having a stare off.
“You’re about to lose your bathroom privileges entirely, Kitten,” he warns me and I take a deep breath before I answer him.
“Can you at least turn around then?” I ask.
He grins at me, but he does what I ask.
I pull my thong down, quickly going to the bathroom. It’s awkward doing it with one hand, but I manage. Then I stand, flushing the toilet. I wash my hands, looking at my face in the mirror.
God, I look horrific. I have dark circles under my eyes, and my hair is a tangled mess. I look exhausted, which I guess I am.
“You look fine,” Killian snaps, and then he’s dragging me out of the bathroom.
We’re making our way back down the hall again to his bedroom when I hear footsteps, and I realize that someone else is here.
He has a roommate?
Hope blooms in my chest as I realize this is an opportunity for me to get help, to get out.
“Help!” I scream as loud as I can.
I startle Killian, who looks at me with wide eyes before he grabs me and covers my mouth. He starts dragging me to his room when I see someone at the end of the hall.
“Killa, what the fuck?”
The guy is looking at us with his jaw open, his dark brown eyes wide with disbelief.
He’s shirtless, wearing grey sweatpants that are hung low on his hips. He has dark blonde hair that’s cut short, and light stubble grazes his cheeks.
He looks like the golden retriever to Killian’s Doberman.
But looks can be deceiving, I remind myself. What if he’s just as bad as Killian?
“I thought you were working, Hayden?” Killian asks, and Hayden shakes his head.
“I got out early,” he replies, watching us.
I’m frozen in Killian’s arms, and I finally force myself to try to break free again.
“Dude, what the hell is going on?” Hayden asks, and Killian chuckles.
Hayden’s eyes widen as he looks at me, and then he looks at Killian again.
“Why the fuck are you holding the girl from Red hostage?”
He was at Red, too? My mind is spinning right now.
“She might be the girl from Red,” Killian answers, his hand still clamped down over my lips. “But she’s also Kim. Kim Smith.”
I know he’s strong, but I don’t remember him being this strong. Unless I just got weaker. He’s barely even making an effort to restrain me and I can’t get free, no matter how hard I try.
“Kim Smith?” Hayden asks in disbelief. “The girl who robbed you?”
I hate that Killian thinks of me as the girl who robbed him, but it’s understandable. Shame courses through me, and I can feel my cheeks heat up.
Killian chuckles and looks down at me. He must be able to feel the warmth on his hands.
“Awww, she’s embarrassed,” he taunts. “Maybe there’s a heart in there, after all.”
I glare at him, but he still doesn’t let me speak.
“Why the fuck is she here?” Hayden asks, shaking his head. “Did you know when we rescued her?”
“Of course I knew,” Killian retorts. “I had to play it right.”
“Dude, Mason’s girl was upset that she left, we have to tell him –"
“No, we fucking don’t,” Killian snaps. “We’re not telling anyone shit. Not yet at least.”
I know I said that Killian had a soft side, but I wonder if he changed in the months that we’ve been apart. He seems like he hardened, and I hate the thought that I did that to him.
A ripple of fear flows through me now, because if he doesn’t want anyone to know where I am, maybe he really is going to kill me.
“I might be your best friend,” Hayden says fiercely, “but I draw the line at murdering some chick.”
Well, that makes me feel slightly better, I can’t help but think. At least Killian’s friend won’t help him kill me.
Killian laughs loudly, amused.
“I’m not killing her,” he says.
He looks down at me again. “If I uncover your mouth, you’re not going to scream again. If you do, I’ll gag you for the rest of the day.”
I nod, desperate to breathe.
“Good girl,” he says, his voice low in my ear. His breath on my neck sends tingles down my spine.
“Jesus, Killian,” Hayden says now. “What the fuck?”
“Come,” Killian says, pushing me forward. “We need to talk.”
“No shit,” Hayden retorts.
I make my way to the living room with Killian guiding my every step. He sits down on the couch, which forces me to sit down, too.
Hayden takes a seat in a lone chair across from us, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Start fucking talking,” he says. “This is fucked up, even for you.”
Killian just laughs. He doesn’t look at me at all when he speaks, but at Hayden.
“You know how I need to be married by thirty?” he asks, and Hayden nods.
“Well, Mia’s going to be my wife.”