Insatiable (Steel Brothers Saga #12) - Helen Hardt Page 0,19
this fucking door down.”
Shit. Okay.
The blade burned hot against my fingers.
Alex on the other side of the door, ready to pound her way in…
My friend.
Almost no thought in my head as I cut a centimeter incision into my scar.
The pinch of pain flowed through me, calming me.
Yes, and I could make this work. I opened another tampon, sopped up the blood, and then threw it in the wastebasket next to the toilet. I’d flush the extra wrapper.
Ha! Let Alex check the trash. She’d find what she needed to find, and I got the pleasant calming of the pain in my thigh. I tore the wrapper off a bandage and taped up the cut. Wrapper from the bandage went in the toilet as well.
Later, I’d berate myself for succumbing.
Later, when I had to think about what I’d done.
For now, I had a job to do—get Colin and myself out of here.
What to do with the blade? I was wearing sweats with no pockets, a sports bra, and a workout shirt. My bra seemed the safest place. I carefully placed it on top of my left breast, taking care not to scratch my skin. Then I adjusted my sweatpants and flushed the toilet. Yes! The mobile home toilet had handled the extra stuff. I washed my hands before opening the door.
“Took you long enough,” Alex said, frowning.
Actually, had I ever seen her smile? Nope. The frown was a permanent fixture on her face. I smiled sweetly…which took a lot of effort. “Thanks. I feel better now.”
No truer words.
She scowled at me and led me back into the kitchen.
Dave still hadn’t returned for his cell phone, which was making me nervous. How did a person not know his cell phone was missing? Especially someone in the business of crime?
Thoughts filled my head. Did he have two phones? Was the cell phone a plant? Were they setting us up?
Maybe. I had no idea. All I knew was that I had a plan, and I’d stick to it. What else could I do?
The blade prickled against my breast. It was only my imagination. The chill from the cool metal had warmed almost instantly.
No, this was the tingling I was used to. The vibration I felt whenever I held it. Held my friend.
I had to ignore it.
So I had the blade. What next? If they tied us up again, I wouldn’t be able to access it. I needed a plan. Colin still sat at the table, white as a sheet. I assumed he still had Dave’s phone hidden…somewhere. Most likely in his crotch, the place he figured Dominic and Alex wouldn’t look.
Now what?
Might as well ask.
“What now?” I asked Dominic. I was tempted to ask where Dave had gone, but I didn’t want to bring attention to him or his phone.
“You’ll be comfortable here for the night. Alex will stay here with you. Dave and I have other things to attend to.”
Dave wasn’t coming back. Shit. He’d eventually realize his phone was missing.
Crap. What if Dominic tried to call Dave and the phone rang in Colin’s crotch?
Had he thought to put the phone on silent? I wasn’t sure, because the thought hadn’t occurred to me until this very moment.
Trust. Again, I had to trust Colin. He was a smart man, even though he’d been through horrific times. Horrific times didn’t erase intelligence and cunning. It hadn’t for Talon. I had to believe it hadn’t for Colin.
If Dave was gone for the evening, Dominic and Alex would have no reason to call him.
Right?
Nothing I could do about it, at any rate.
“You two will have to share a room,” Dominic said. “There’s a bed, and everything is clean and comfortable. It’s connected to Alex’s by a door. That’s the only way out. The windows are barred, so you’ll have to get past Alex if you’re thinking about running.”
“Let’s just tie them up and be done with it,” Alex said.
“No. Our orders are to keep them comfortable here.”
“Fuck the orders,” Alex said.
“You’re getting more like our brother every day,” Dominic said. “You want to switch sides? Say the word.”
“No. I don’t want to switch sides,” she said with sarcasm. “I’m just tired of dealing with these privileged little fucks.”
Privileged?
I was a Steel, and Colin came from a privileged background as well. After all we’d both been through, though, I had a hard time thinking of either of us as privileged.
Whatever.
“I’ll need access to a bathroom,” I said.
“Alex will take you if you need to go,” Dominic said.