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I was almost grateful for the duct tape giving me an excuse to gather up my thoughts before I spoke. Not quite, but close.
Kicks was shaking his head, testing a rope around my ankles with his finger. “Magnum, you might’ve overdone it a bit. She doesn’t look that strong.”
“But she’s a guide,” Magnum said, his voice holding a hint of awe and sounding so small in contrast to his size.
Kicks leaned forward, putting an arm under my knees and around my shoulders, avoiding putting pressure on my arms. It didn’t matter. The second he touched me, all my awareness shot to where we made contact. He carried me with a fluidity and grace that put me on edge. The smoother he seemed, the rougher my edges got.
He carried me over to a loveseat, the lone piece of furniture in the room. It was piled with the odds and ends no one wanted but weren’t quite ready to toss, like I was in the spare room of a business of some sort.
The tension created by being held by him relaxed the second he placed me down.
He reached for the edge of the duct tape covering my mouth. “This isn’t going to be pleasant.”
It couldn’t be worse than sitting in a dark closet, wondering if I was about to get killed.
With a fast tug, it was off. It was like payback for what I’d done to Rastin. At least he had asked for it, even if I had enjoyed it slightly.
I let the pain ease for a second at most before I asked, “Where the hell am I?”
“We’ll get to that soon enough,” Kicks said, moving to kneel behind me.
He was unnerving when he was in front of me, let alone where I couldn’t see him. Still, I forced myself to remain calm, as if walking out of this room was a foregone conclusion.
Why wouldn’t he tell me where I was? Had I taken death off the table too quickly? I didn’t blurt anything else out, trying to show some restraint for once in my life.
“Magnum, exactly how long was she left in there?” Kicks asked. “Her hands are nearly gray.”
“You were out and she was sleeping, so I figured I’d let her nap,” Magnum said, not sounding very confident.
“Nap? I was unconscious. You hit me over the head.” Well, there went keeping my calm, but that omission was too much of a doozy to let go.
“Magnum?” Kicks asked in a scolding tone.
Magnum looked at me and then Kicks. “It was just a little hit,” he said, his voice even smaller.
“Go. We’ll talk later.” Kicks’ hands shifted to my head, grazing over my scalp with a light touch and setting off little tingles down my spine.
“I’m fine. Or I will be once you cut me loose.” And stopped touching me. That might’ve been even more important.
“Considering how tightly he tied these, this is going to be more unpleasant than the tape,” Kicks said. He was back in front of me, reaching into his black combat boot to pull out a knife. I scanned the thin sweater he was wearing for more hidden weapons and then realized he probably didn’t need any.
He reached behind me, making short work of the ropes on my wrist. He was cutting the ties on my legs when the pins and needles started like an attack of hornets.
Kicks took the seat next to me and swung my legs up onto his lap, massaging my calves.
I would’ve complained, but I was in too much pain to stop him. “Who are you, exactly?” I’d already made a good guess, but I wanted it confirmed.
“My name is Kicks. I’m alpha of the Arkansas pack.”
Yep, one of the alphas that I’d been warned was going to come. Duncan hadn’t wanted me to speak to them, let alone like this.
“Your name isKicks?” Normally I wouldn’t mock a person’s name, but I also didn’t typically meet people after one of their underlings had assaulted and abducted me. I had a knot on my head and my limbs were being stung. He could handle a little poke at his name.
“Long story,” he said, smiling.
If the barb at his name had offended him, he wasn’t going to let me know.
The silence stretched out, the awareness of his hands on my legs growing as the pain dulled. I attempted to move them off his lap, but he draped his arm across the top of them, effectively halting my movement.
