Unshackle (Deliver #7) - Pam Godwin Page 0,25
smart as I think you are, you’ll figure it out.”
The quiet man stared at John in a scolding way. Like they were… Equals? Friends? Family?
What were they hiding?
“Do you have a fake name, too?” she asked the bodyguard.
“Tomas.”
“Rhymes with dumbass.” John pitched a scowl at the man. Then he held up one of her spirally black locks, studying it. “This wasn’t curly before.”
“It wasn’t clean before.”
The girls in the main house straightened it the last time she washed it. Sometimes, she let them play dress-up with her, looking for any excuse to eavesdrop on their gossip.
Since they had more freedom to roam the property, they knew things she didn’t, such as who was coming and going, which guards were on patrol, how many guests were in-house, and when the next shipment of girls would arrive.
His fingertips ran down her breastbone and loosened the knot on the towel. She dropped the toothbrush and stopped him from descending farther.
He smiled down at her. No humor. All heat.
“No.” She wasn’t ready. She would never be ready.
“Fight me.” His voice slid over her with silken confidence. A voice that could carry brutal commands over the length of a dark, oppressive dungeon.
“Fuck you.”
He ripped away the towel.
“No! Stop!” She shrieked, scrambling to pull it back.
But he’d already tossed it away, chuckling blackly. So she kneed him in the chin. Hard.
His head snapped back, and the crook of his mouth kicked up. Not a hint of surprise on his face.
He’d let her have that shot.
“That’s the only one you get tonight.” He captured her legs and pinned them down. “Your coordination is getting worse. Are you dizzy?”
“Eat a dick.”
“You’ll be doing exactly that if you don’t answer the question.”
“Yes, John, the room is spinning.”
Nausea, headache, sleepiness, blurred vision, ringing in her ears… She had a concussion. But that wasn’t the only reason she was pinned down. Every punch she’d thrown at him had been easily dodged and redirected. He knew how to neutralize an attacker.
“You’ve had training.” She wrapped an arm over her bare chest and a hand between her legs, covering her nudity. “Combat sports.”
“It’s a hobby of mine, along with weights and cardio. You’ll work out with me once you’re fed and rested.”
By work out, he didn’t mean jogging.
He blatantly inspected her naked body while Tomas cleaned the cuts on her face.
Antibiotic ointment was applied. Her eyes were pried open and checked. Then her teeth, ears, and nose. That done, Tomas ran his hands over every inch of her scalp, searching for hidden wounds. The scrupulous efficiency in his work suggested he’d done this before.
“Are you a bodyguard or a doctor?” she asked him.
“I’ve treated a lot of wounds.”
“Your boss must toss all his beaten slaves your way.”
John splayed a large hand over her hipbone, his fingers stretching nearly around her waist. “Why are you so thin?”
“It’s called intermittent fasting. If you want to shed extra pounds, you have to feel the pangs of hunger every day.”
He narrowed his eyes, not buying a single word.
“They say fasting also helps you live longer.” She shrugged.
“If you’re concerned about longevity, you wouldn’t be breaking through a wall patrolled by heavily armed guards. You’re lucky they didn’t shoot you.”
“How did you know I breached the wall?”
“I didn’t until you just told me.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Her lungs emptied of air.
His eyes darkened, half-hooded by thick copper lashes that did nothing to conceal the intellect blazing there. “Tell me what you saw on the other side.”
No way. That was her secret. She’d barely convinced Marco she hadn’t seen anything. She sure as fuck couldn’t trust this man. What would stop him from running straight to Marco and ratting her out?
“It was nighttime.” She swallowed her rising panic. “I couldn’t see my hands in front of my—”
“Shut up.” He climbed over her and straddled her waist.
With his knees astride her hips, he held his weight off her while lowering his upper body, chest to chest, and arms bracketing her head. His mouth hovered so close she tasted his breath. Peated whiskey, hot and smoky, like the blood burning through her veins.
“I know you’re lying.” His lips grazed hers, shooting unwanted frissons across her skin. “If you tell me what you saw outside the perimeter, they’ll kill you. And me, as well.” His gaze darted to the closed door. “We’ll discuss it another time.”
Like never.
There was only one reason he’d be interested in what lay beyond the wall. He wanted the location of the compound.
Some guests felt paranoid and isolated here