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Burying my face in Minnie’s neck, I allow her continuous purring to wash over me. The vibrations are comforting, but the beating of Nick’s heart when he held me earlier soothed me in a way that made me feel like I belonged.
Without thought, I need it again, so I slip out of Minnie’s hold and slide back onto Nick’s lap. My legs spread across his hips; I wrap my arms around his brawny chest and press my ear to his sternum, listening to the staccato of his heart.
“Fuck,” he grunts when I wiggle to get as close to him as I can. A bulge between my legs tantalizes something deep inside of me, but I don’t know what it is. “Fucking hell,” he groans again, his hands moving between our bodies. I feel him unbuckle the belt I’d been holding earlier.
“Language,” the man in the seat in front of Mickey reprimands.
“Fuck you, asshole,” Nick snips at him. I’m baffled by their interaction. I just know that when Nick’s hands on my butt drag me closer, I crave more contact with him.
With no idea how to get what I want, I remain still and count each beat of his rapidly pounding heart. I need this from him. I have a sense of belonging when he’s this close. He’s the wall between me and the rest of the world, and I find I like it very much.
Minnie curls up beside me, her purring the only sound in the vehicle now that Mickey has stopped growling. I think I fall asleep because the next thing I know, I’m being woken up by the loss of warmth and comfort of being in Nick’s arms.
“It’s okay, little one, the cats are here.” I feel them curled around me like they always are when I’m asleep. “I have business to attend to. Sleep, and I’ll be back to get you shortly.”
My eyelids are so heavy I can’t open them, but I feel the kiss he leaves on my cheek lingering before he pulls away. Despite being unaware of my surroundings, I feel safe enough to drift off because he’s here.
Startling up in bed sometime later, my breathing quickens as I hear the sound of a door slamming. But that’s not it, there’s something more, something lingering in my mind. I must have been having a nightmare, and from the way my cats are looking at me, I was probably thrashing in my sleep. Their alertness tells me all I need to know about that.
As I begin to calm down, I notice more of the room. The sunlight through the open curtains reveals furnishings in dark blues, greys, and blacks. The carpet appears so soft I want to curl my toes in it.
Pushing the blankets to the side, I scoot to the edge of the bed, and it’s as I stand up that I realize I’m not in the dress I put on this morning. I’m wearing a large dress shirt longer than my original outfit. Only a few buttons are done up to close it, and the sleeves hang ridiculously over my fingers.
Rolling them up, I stretch my toes in the carpet, enjoying the plush fabric. Mickey and Minnie are off the bed and standing by the open door, and that, more than anything, is surprising to me. I’ve never been in a room where I had the ability to leave.
I’m not sure if I should now. I want to but don’t want to make Nick mad, either. I don’t want to return to that tower; I can’t. I don’t know how much longer I would survive in there.
For so long, I’ve felt like I was going crazy.
Before I can make a decision to leave, Minnie is out the door, and Mickey wants to follow. He won’t without me, though. That’s how deep his loyalty runs.
Stepping closer to the doorway, I grip his collar and peek outside—Minnie is at the end of the hall, beginning to go down what I think is the stairs. Before I can try to call her back, Mickey is dragging me along.
In order to keep up with his long strides, I almost have to jog with him. As we approach the stairs, I hear voices and grow weary. What if I’m not allowed to go down there? Will they punish me? Will they lock me away?
I try pulling Mickey back with me, but he doesn’t budge; in fact, he pulls me farther down the stairs until we reach the bottom. The cool wood floors make my feet wiggle, wanting that carpet back. Minnie is only a few steps ahead, leading the way down another hall where the voices are getting louder.
With no idea where these two are leading me, I hunch down to make myself smaller. We pass a sitting room, the entry to what I think is a cooking area. I forget what they’re called, but I see all the things needed to make food. Then, past an eating room. Don’t those have formal names?
A set of windows and a glass door are at the end of the hall, and I can see outside. There are trees and grass, furniture, a pool. The sun is high and bright, the clouds fluffy and white, and the sky as blue as Nick’s eyes. Or maybe his are as blue as the sky. I don’t know.
Minnie stops outside a set of closed doors. Mickey starts his growling again before he jumps up on the door and drags the handle down, bumping them open with his hard head. Immense male bodies stand in front of us like a wall, unaware of our entrance, until Mickey swipes at their legs.
Cursing follows before they fall to the ground and more men part to let us pass. All eyes are on me as we wade through the room, my cats cutting down anyone in their way. Finally, the sea of bodies comes to an end, and seated behind a massive desk is Nick.
His eyes widen when they notice me before they darken, and a pulse ticks in his jaw and temple. Anger. I recognize that. He’s mad I left my room. I knew it.
I click my tongue at Mickey, trying to get him to turn around with me, but he only grows annoyed, his little roar not as loud as a lion but strong enough to have the men around us taking a step back.
When one man reaches for me, Minnie bumps between me and Mickey before he pounces on the man, striking his face and chest with his claws. Knocking him on the ground.
“Enough!” Nick’s voice booms through the room. Mickey glares over at him, blood dripping from his claws as he trots to my side.
Fear races through my veins as Nick stands up behind the desk. He’s changed his clothes since we got here—black on black. Black dress pants, untucked black T-shirt. It’s a balance between fancy and casual that he pulls off well.
“Little girl.” He growls the words, and I feel my body stiffen. Resting his fists on the desk in front of him, he leans over slightly. “Get over here.” My chin trembles and fear has taken root deep inside. “Now.” His voice is low, threaded with steel.
I shake my head, grabbing onto my cats and trying to drag them from the room with me. He seems to grow in size at my refusal. “I said, get over here, little girl.”
