Page 12 of Bombshell

“I’m sure it’s delicious,” I replied.

It wasn’t Nina’s fault I was stuck here. She had been nothing but kind to me. I’d manage to eat some of it just not to hurt her feelings or seem ungrateful.

“Try and get some rest. All will look better in the morning.”

I started to tell her Pepper would be here to get me before morning but thought better of it. I didn’t know how the roles or chain of command worked around here, and if Nina answered to Micah, then as nice as she was, I couldn’t trust her.

“I will,” I assured her, although it was a complete lie. I wasn’t getting any sleep in this room.

“All right then, I’m heading home for the day. My ol’ man is working at Throttle tonight. I’ll be here in the morning, bright and early. Come on down to the kitchen when you get up.”

She didn’t live here? Who did all these rooms belong to? No. It didn’t matter. I was leaving soon. No need to worry about it.

I nodded. “I will.” Another lie. “Good night then.”

Once the door was closed and locked, I walked over and set the tray on the dresser. My mouth was dry, so I took the water, but I didn’t want anything else. Not even the coconut cake. I checked my phone again, and nothing from Pepper.

Frustrated, I used the bathroom, then lay back on the bed after taking a few long drinks of water. It surprised me when my eyes grew heavy. I hadn’t expected that, but then it had been a long day, and maybe resting my eyes for a bit wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Loud knocking on the door caused my eyes to snap open, and I blinked, confused. Then, reality set in, and I remembered exactly where I was and why. Hurrying to get up, I rushed to the door, almost tripping over my heels I had taken off before lying down. I caught myself before I face-planted and then made it to the door just as another knock rattled it.

Quickly unlocking it, I swung it open to see Tex standing there.

A small smile tugged on his lips. “Getting a nap, darling?” he asked, amused.

I nodded.

“Get your shoes on and grab your things,” he said, then stepped back and waved his hand for me to come out of the room.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I went to slip on my heels.

“Your apartment,” he told me with a slight curl to his lips. “Seems you’ve been granted your request.”

Relief washed over me, and I let out an excited squeal as I grabbed my phone and purse. Pausing at the door, I stopped to throw my arms around his neck and hug him. It was a reflex sort of thing. I was happy. He tensed at first, and then a low chuckle escaped him, and he returned my hug.

“What the fuck?”

Micah’s voice startled me, and I dropped my arms from around Tex and spun around to look at him. He was stalking down the hallway toward us. I took a step back, not sure if I should run now or start screaming. Had Tex been wrong and I wasn’t supposed to leave? My stomach sank, and I felt tears start to burn my eyes again.

“She hugged me,” Tex said from behind me.

The angry scowl on Micah’s face didn’t ease my concerns.

“And you were fucking quick to wrap your arms around her,” he snarled.

“Heavens to Betsy! It was a hug. And don’t you tell me I can’t leave here, Micah Abe. I have my phone! I called Pepper!” I warned him.

His eyes swung to me and instantly softened but only slightly. “We need to go.”

“We?” Tex asked.

Micah shifted his gaze back to Tex. “Yeah. I’ll be taking her after all. Seems you might not be able to handle it the way we discussed.”

Tex shrugged. “It was a fucking hug.”

Micah ignored him and looked back to me. “Let’s go, Tink.”

I opened my mouth to tell him to stop calling me Tink but decided against it. He could call me whatever he wanted if he just got me out of this place.

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