Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Sliding out of the bed, she walked naked to the armoire she had visited last night. Only this time, when she tried to open the doors, it was locked.
I don’t trust you, beautiful liar…
Hunter made it clear he didn’t want her there, yet he brought her right to his bed, to his personal space. Why, if he thought her a thief and a spy? She rolled her eyes and scanned the room for other dressers. There were three. Each one locked.
Slamming her hand on the surface of the last bureau, she chewed her lip. “Asshole.”
Fine. He wanted to leave her without clothes? She’d manage. Yanking the dark, silk sheet off the bed, she carelessly let the outer covers fall to the floor and wrapped the silk around her like a black toga, twisting the fabric into a sort of asymmetrical halter.
Pleased with her design, she left the room to explore the house, passing the next hour through an imaginary game of follow the leader. In each room she entered, she searched for the gold bear. When she found it, she made an ugly face at the beady little reflective eyes. By the time she reached the end of the second floor, she’d grown bored with the game and started flipping the bear the finger.
Where were they? So much for hospitality.
Irritated and antsy, she debated what to do next. She remembered the dungeon. That was the only room she avoided on her journey. What if they were there—awaiting her?
Her eyes turned to the long hall, as she debated continuing her search. But the game no longer tempted her. Not down that hall.
Her gaze jerked to the ceiling, where a soft buzzing sounded from the beaded chandelier overhead. She squinted at the peculiar black gem in the center. Then it moved like an eye—watching her—and she bolted forward, quickly moving out of view.
Chapter 8
Mouse in a Maze
“She’s up to something.” Stone zoomed in, following her from one camera to the next as she walked briskly down the east hall.
Ash flattened his palms on the desk, too worked up to sit down. “What the hell was the point of making her agree if we’re just going to leave her alone?”
Stone met his brother’s bruised stare. “You better put more ice on that.”
“Fucking Hunter.” He pressed the frosty glass of vodka to his eye. “He always does this.”
Stone laughed. “Right. This is exactly like the last time we took a woman captive,” he said dryly, as if anything like this had ever happened before.
“You know what I mean. He always thinks he’s in charge—”
“Shut up.” Stone leaned forward. “She’s going to The Cave.”
Ash set down his glass and watched as she stared up at the camera planted above the door. “Wait until she sees what’s on the other side.”
“She knows. She was there last night.”
His surprised gaze jumped to his face, but quickly returned to watching Mary. “What are you up to, little lamb?”
Her delicate hand reached for the knob, and she frowned. Jiggling it again, she kicked the door and let go.
“What the fuck?” both men said at once.
Ash growled. “Hunter probably locked it.”
“Why?”
“Who the hell knows?” Ash snatched his glass and paced the control room. “This is bullshit.”
“Chill.”
“Fuck off.”
“I mean it, Ash. You had no right to go at her like that this morning. You’re already on thin ice.”
“Now, I gotta hear shit from you?”
He sent him a warning glance. “We’re still figuring her out.”
“You guys act like she’s some unsolvable puzzle. She’s a rich little runaway looking for trouble.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I do. Don’t be so fooled by those big innocent eyes. She’s no virgin.”
Stone’s nostrils flared as he ground his molars. “Well, you would certainly know.”
Ash’s low chuckle nearly earned him a second black eye. “She was sent here for a reason, Stone.”
“You too, now? She’s not a fucking spy.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Stone frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“What if she was sent here as a gift? For us?”
“By who?”
Ash shrugged. “The universe.”
“Give me a fucking break, Ash—”
“I’m serious. We’re always saying it would take a special woman to tolerate the three of us. What if we somehow manifested this?” He glanced at the monitors. “She could have fought me this morning, but she didn’t. And I know when a woman’s faking.”
Stone lifted a brow. “Coercion and submission are two different things. She submitted because she’s scared we’ll turn her in. That confirms she’s running from something. We don’t have shit until we have her full story.”
“Maybe this is the way to make her talk.”
“By fisting her?”
“Trust. That kind of intimacy requires trust.”
About to call Ash an idiot, he opened his mouth, but something held back his words.
“See, you agree with me.”
He narrowed his eyes but couldn’t deny there was some sense to his theory. If she trusted them, she’d eventually come clean. “There are other ways to figure out who she is.”