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“Don’t think about trying to escape.”
What the hell? Was he reading my thoughts? Because I definitely wanted to go out the window I’m hoping is in there.
“There are no windows in the bathrooms, Thea, and the only way to get out of this room is through the door I brought you through,” he explains, leveling an amused look on me. “You’ll have to be able to go through me to get out if you try and run.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I blurt out without meaning to. Though I really do want to know what he means.
“Meaning, baby. . .” Brass closes the distance between us. He places a hand on my hip, leans in, his forehead presses into mine, our noses touching, and he whispers, “If I have to, I’ll fuckin’ cuff you to me to make sure you don’t get away from me.”
“Most would have threatened to cuff me to a bed.” There goes my mouth again.
“I’m not most men. I also know if you’re cuffed to me, you won’t get away because I’ll know if you try to move, let alone try and pick the lock.”
How the hell could he know I would have tried to picked the lock?There’s no way he can read my mind or know that I know how to pick anything.
“Go change, Thea.” Brass grins, jerking his chin toward the bathroom.
I find that grin both sexy and annoying at the same time. It also has my stomach doing somersaults at the sight of it. I don’t think I can recall a time I’ve ever seen that look on his face. When we were younger, he’d smile at me, but they were always fake smiles, or him trying to reassure me of one thing or another. Never anything like the simple grin he’s giving me now.
On leaded feet, I make my way into the bathroom, needing a moment alone. I need to get my head on straight and figure out how I’m going to get myself out of this mess. Why am I even in it to begin with? Normally, if I find myself in a bind, I get myself out of it pronto. But I don’t want to take the chance of hurting someone here.
As Reap revealed to them all, Horse and his family are my family. Hell, I put myself in Trevor’s sights to get close and help Horse, so he and the club didn’t have to deal with a rat anymore. Once the problem was taken care of, I got out of Dodge, from Trevor’s grasp, and last I heard from a few sources, he’s none too pleased to have lost his piece of ass and has been looking for me.
Changing my hair color back to what it’s supposed to be, going fully natural again, has definitely helped in keeping him from finding me. I’d made sure that any time he’d seen me, my makeup was done perfectly, making my face look different altogether. Now, I do my makeup to enhance the features I was born with.
I take my time in the bathroom, changing clothes, folding the ones I took off —I hate wrinkles—and I do my thing before washing my face and running Brass’s comb through my hair, letting the thick locks fall down my back, leaving it free of the hair band. I really should plait it to keep it from being a total hassle later when I have to get all the tangles out, but honestly, I don’t have the strength.
Once I finish, I snoop a little, knowing I’m wasting time, but there’s not much to go through. However, while snooping, I find an extra toothbrush and take the time to brush my teeth. I’m a fanatic about keeping good hygiene. But what can I say, I lived a part of my life not having anything.
My birth mother—I can’t stand to think of her as Mom—she didn’t ever think to buy anything for me. That is besides a few pieces of clothing to keep me from being naked. I think she mostly stole it or bought it at the thrift stores. Then when I was taken from her and put in foster care, I went from one shit family to another. Never once did I have a good home. If not for Brass and a couple of the girls, I wouldn’t have survived those hellholes.
I close my eyes, unable to keep dark thoughts at bay—not when I feel so exhausted.
Memories of the days after Brass was kicked out of the house once he turned eighteen washed over me. My tiny body was secured to the bed frame. My foster dad was looming over me. Taking his time to toy with me. To rape me. For days on end, he enjoyed hurting me, and he told me in lude detail how he’s visualized touching me and was glad to finally do it. The whole time he did this, his wife was out of the house, having gone to some casino to burn through whatever money her husband gave her. I guess that was the trade. She got to gamble money away while he enjoyed hurting me.
“Thea.”
I let out a shuddered breath at the sound of Brass’s voice calling through the door.
“Coming,” I mumble, run my fingers through my hair and open the door only to find him standing there, arms braced on the door frame, blocking me. “Are you going to move?” I ask, trying not to look anywhere but at his face. I’d already taken note that he was in nothing but a pair of low-riding basketball shorts. As much as I’d love to take everything else about him in, I do my best not to look.
Ever so slowly, Brass steps back just enough for me to pass him, but even still, my breasts brush against his massive chest. I make my way over to the bed, feeling myself teetering on the edge of I don’t even know what, and climb in underneath the sheets and comforter. With my legs hidden, I feel a little better, though not much.
I watch out of the corner of my eye as Brass prowls, yep, prowls to the other side of the bed. He climbs in and leans against the headboard.
“Right, so now I’m gonna ask you those two questions, and you’re gonna answer them honestly. You lie to me, and I swear I’ll put you over my lap and spank your ass.”
“What do you want to know?” I try not to think of him spanking me. The thought, just like earlier, does something between my legs.
“First off, I want to know where you disappeared to when you were fourteen. Second, are you really Croc’s daughter?”
Well, aren’t those just simple questions to answer.
“I ran away at fourteen and was found by Lark, everyone knows him as Lucifer, Reap’s dad, and yes, I’m Croc’s biological daughter. You can thank a clubwhore for that one,” I answer, being truthful yet keeping it as evasive as possible.
“So, your mom—”
“Please don’t call her that,” I interrupt him, pinning him with a look of hatred at the mention of her being my mother. “She wasn’t a mother of any kind.”
