the brothers had assured her they wouldn’t.
She refused to let those words leave her lips though.
She refused to feel bad about any of this or what had happened to him. Not now that she knew who he was.
She didn’t look at him, was too afraid to as her mind raced. “You’re the one who tried to kidnap Gabi… and now you’ve succeeded in kidnapping me. She told me about the threats you made… how you were going to—”
Holly couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Her pulse raced, her throat closing tightly as she thought about the threats he had made to Gabi, how he had said he would erase the smell of Storm on her, and fear broke through the wall of her courage, tore it all down.
Saint towered over her, radiating fury she could sense in him, rage that blazed in his eyes as her brow furrowed and she risked a glance at him, needing to know what he intended to do with her.
For a heartbeat, he looked as if he might do something, but then he grabbed her arm and shoved her towards a staircase, releasing her before she even had a chance to panic.
“Sleep,” he snarled. “I need space to think.”
When she didn’t move, he growled at her. It carried a warning, one she knew she should heed, but she couldn’t convince herself to move. She locked up tight, frozen not by his threat but by the glimmer of regret that shone in his dark eyes as he looked at her. Curiosity tugged at her as she stared into his eyes, making her want to ask him why he looked as if he wanted to apologise to her.
His shoulders shifted on a deep sigh and he averted his gaze.
She had the feeling he didn’t only want to apologise to her. He wanted to apologise to Gabi too. Had everyone been wrong about him? She found it hard to believe they had been, but as she looked at him and mulled over what he had said, she got the impression he acted rashly when angered.
Did things he regretted when he had cooled down.
“Saint?” she started.
“Go to sleep,” he grunted. “The alternative is sitting on the couch with me.”
Those gruffly spoken words were enough to convince her to head for the stairs, but she had no intention of sleeping.
She trudged up the wooden steps, stopped at the first turn and looked back at him. He scowled at her and picked up the skillet she had dropped, slammed it down on the stove and raked his fingers through his overlong dark hair as he huffed.
He cast her a look, one that held a flicker of an apology, and then stomped to the couch and slumped onto it.
She crept up to his room, a plan forming in her mind.
She wasn’t going to sleep.
She was going to escape.
Chapter 5
Holly’s eyes popped open and she silently cursed. Falling asleep hadn’t been part of her incredible plan, but the furs beneath her had been so warm, laced with Saint’s smell, and the adrenaline had worn off as he had remained away from her, leaving her exhausted.
She had only meant to close her eyes for a second.
Anger directed at herself curled through her, heating her blood. She shouldn’t have fallen asleep. She should have been hyper-aware of the brute who was holding her captive, not letting her guard down by dozing off on his bed.
His bed!
She cast a fearful glance around her, half-expecting to find Saint beside her on it, and breathed a little easier when she found she was alone. Her clothes were as she had left them, her dark purple coat still zipped up all the way and black weatherproof trousers slightly rumpled but still in place. Even her boots were still on her feet.
Saint really hadn’t come up to her.
Maybe he was still in front of the fire. Still awake. For all she knew, she might have been asleep for only a second.
She shuffled to the edge of the bed and quietly stood, crept to the banister at the front of the loft space and peered down into the kitchen below.
Her eyes widened.
Saint was still downstairs, but not in any way she had expected.
This wasn’t good.
She banked left, heading for the spiral staircase that led downwards to the ground floor of the small cabin. Stopped when she reached the final bend and stared past the very rustic and tiny kitchen that consisted of a handful of wooden cupboards and a worn