“Alisha! No fucking way am I letting you out of my sight. I said this place is dangerous, and I meant it. Tell me how the hell you got here, and where you’re trying to go.”
“Well.” I scratch my arm idly, looking away from him. “I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure where you’re going?” he asks, giving me a sideways look. “How did you end up out here?”
“There’s this guy. Kind of my ex, I guess?” I look down at the ground, wondering how to tell the story without actually telling the story. “He’s been tailing me, and I just took off from Caliente, not really knowing where I was going.”
“A guy?” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “What do you mean? What guy?”
“I went out with him for a little while. He was nice at first, but then things got weird.”
“A girl doesn’t find herself out in the wilderness because a guy ‘got weird.’ Tell me what the fuck is going on, right now.”
The pressure in my chest comes out in a great, heaving sigh, and tears gather in my eyes as I look Brad directly in the face.
He doesn’t deserve to know, but I just can’t hold this in any longer…I’ve been alone for so long…
“He’s dangerous. I think…he wants to hurt me.” It’s such a relief to say the words out loud, to tell someone, my knees get weak, and I almost fall down.
“What?” Brad almost yells. “Hurt you? What the fuck?”
“He kind of, well…ah…he set fire to my house.”
“Jesus fuck! While you were inside it?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, he rescued me from it, too.”
“So, he could chain you up?”
“Ah…probably.”
“That’s it,” Brad says. “You’re coming with me, right fucking now.”
“Excuse me?” I reply, stress flooding my bones. All the relief I just felt is quickly replaced by singing notes of fear.
“You’re coming with me, back to my pack. I can keep you safe there.”
“No fucking way, Brad!” I yell. “I can take care of myself.”
“The fuck you can. That’s why you’re out here, in extremely dangerous territory, all by yourself, lost and with no supplies?”
Looking away from him, I scowl in frustration.
He’s got a point.
“Alisha,” he says, taking a step towards me. “Come with me, right now.”
I look up at him, my heart pounding up into my throat, and my mouth brick-dry. I can feel the heat rising from his naked body, and again, I have the urge to press myself up against him.
I wouldn’t mind this protective attitude under different circumstances.
“I can’t come with you, Brad,” I whisper. “I just can’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
I turn to walk away, and feel his strong arm wrap around my waist so hard, the breath blasts out of my lungs.
“Sorry, Alisha,” Brad says, slinging me over his shoulder. “I can’t just let you walk away. You’re coming home with me.”
Chapter 3 - Brad
