“Not quite what I was expecting,” I said. Not even close.
It was too late. My mark was at her temple. Her damp hair obscured it a little, but it still brought a tightening to my gut. “Time to go,” I said. My voice was sharper than I intended—I was trying to work out a scenario where I didn’t spend my days bloody defending what was mine. Keeping her locked in my apartment twenty-four-seven became an enticing option.
Her breath hitched. I’d come straight from a debrief with Taylor and was loaded to the hilt with weapons. She looked like an angel—I was closer to nightmare material. My face was a mess, my body no better, although at least the evidence of the abuse was hidden behind layers of clothing.
There was a mental delay before she figured that was her cue to join me. When she finally got her ass moving, it was with such obvious reluctance that my irritation surged. The quicker she got used to her situation, the better. Her time in Sanctuary had been an unsustainable trip into a fantasy world. Reality, even in the semi-civilized Guilder City, was dark and brutal. That I was better than most of the men she might have ended up with would be of little comfort—not that she knew that.
Still, I hadn’t asked for this, hadn’t expected to find a woman standing on that rooftop, or to suffer this sense of responsibility. I could have walked away. I still wondered why I hadn’t.
The role of ownership was new to me. There had been neither reason nor desire to consider it before, and besides, it had always seemed wrong. Now that I found myself participating, there was an element of self-loathing that could not entirely mask my curiosity. By law, she belonged to me, was mine to do with as I pleased, within reason, yet I was forced to admit the concept wasn’t as uncomfortable as I expected.
It felt right. Like it was the natural order of things. Yeah, that was pretty fucked up.
Her eyes were everywhere but on me; she thanked Carter and shook his hand while bestowing on him a kind smile. He reciprocated with a practiced charm that usually left any woman in the vicinity swooning. I was going to kick the little prick’s ass when we were next alone.
“You can let go now, Carter,” I said, settling a proprietary hand on the back of her neck. Her dark hair was almost dry and felt silky soft under my rough fingers. Carter retained possession of her hand longer than was polite, obviously intending to provoke me further.
She didn’t pull away from me, but her stiffness made it clear she wasn’t enjoying the touch, which pissed me off.
Carter watched on, smirking as we exited the building. Turning back, I mouthed, asshole, as I steered her through the door.
I’d parked my Humvee directly outside the building; the guards on watch at the hospital dipped their heads as I passed. Opening the passenger door, I put her inside, slammed the door, and rounded the vehicle to the driver’s side.
“There was no need to be unkind to him.”
My door had barely clunked shut, and I paused the key not yet in the ignition and struggling to assimilate what I’d heard.
I glanced across to find her staring at me. A tiny little frown marred her perfect little forehead above a perfect little nose, and two impossibly luminous eyes regarded me with contempt.
“Ava, I’m more than happy to hand you over to the nice doctor, if that’s what you want.” The frown disappeared, and her eyes widened. “Not sure how long he’ll survive with the kind of trouble a woman like you will bring, though.” Her eyes narrowed, and I congratulated myself on my amazing lack of tact.
“A woman like me?”
Her voice had a measured softness that immediately took my mind to the gutter. I eased position in the seat and tried to ignore how her lips appeared to be both the perfect fullness and the perfect shade of pink. “Let’s face it, you’re going to attract attention, and out here, in the real world, guys like Carter are going to end up looking like roadkill when someone decides to pursue ownership the uncivilized way.”
She blinked a few times. “You mean like you did?”
My wildcat had a mouth. Where the fuck had this other persona been hiding? Someone should have put a warning label on her sassy ass.
“The nice Doctor looked more than capable of handling himself,” she added.
That pissed me off on so many levels I couldn’t decide which one took precedence. “I made the offer, and you accepted, as I seem to recall.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair and wondered where the fuck this conversation was going.
“I was half-starved and desperate. What else was I going to do?” Her tone had risen ever so slightly, and I became aware that we were still sitting outside the hospital and were doubtless drawing attention. “You must be a veritable saint. Forgive me for not noticing.”
Damn, the woman had a tongue that could cut through reinforced steel. If I’d been somewhere more private, I’d be putting her over my knee and swatting that no doubt perfect little ass. I was still considering it… “You want to look for a better offer?” I turned in the seat to face her, confused about why I asked this question and wondering what the fuck I’d do if she called my bluff.
She looked away, facing straight ahead in a way that said the conversation was over.
My anger drained. I felt fucking guilty and then angry for feeling guilty when I had no reason to be.
“I may understand the world we live in,” she said softly. “But I don’t have to like it.”
I mentally tacked the word asshole on the end because it was clearly what she was thinking. Ramming the key in the ignition, I fired up the engine.
Ava
The journey passed in silence. What was wrong with me? Why had I provoked him? I knew absolutely nothing about the man, and here I was, trapped in a car with him, headed for a destination and fate unknown.
I needed my head examined. Maybe I’d hit the door harder than I thought?
And my fate wasn’t entirely unknown. Certain things were a given, expected even. My wild rant was probably my fear manifesting in an obscure, and with hindsight, dangerous way. Whatever my personal feelings toward the man brooding silently beside me, I knew better than to act out.
Sanctuary was part of my history. I was no longer in the safety and isolation the community had offered. I had to be alert to my owner as a threat.
That he hadn’t yet resorted to violence was some comfort; that he was probably considering handing me over to someone who would, was not.
The silence stretched, and the dark, damp streets flashing by through the windows spoke of looming trouble. I should apologize. A delayed sense of self-preservation dictated I salvage what I could. That such a declaration did not sit well, that I still possessed stubborn pride could only be to my detriment. My fingers fidgeted with the oversized T-shirt, screwing it up until I’d twisted it into a knot.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have spoken that way. It won’t happen again.”
He made no response, appearing focused on the road. Had he heard me?
His glance swept over me before returning to the road. “You probably shouldn’t make any wild declarations that you’re not going to be able to keep,” he said, lips tugging up in a smirk.
Inside, a tiny bud of hope unfurled, a reassertion of my instincts back on that desolate rooftop that said he was someone I could trust. “I’m not very good at this,” I said, wondering at my own cryptic words whether I was referring to being around men, being humble, or both.