Page 74 of Snitches and Serpents

I level an annoyed glare at him. “I meant, why did you bring me here?”

He rakes a hand through his hair and then draws it down his neck and over his toned shoulder. There is a casual note to his voice as he holds my gaze and replies, “To cut you up as my personal science project. To sell your organs on the black market.” He shrugs. “Who knows?”

My body goes still. Ice spreads through my veins, and my heart starts beating erratically.

I stare at him.

He’s kidding, right? He has to be.

But his face betrays nothing.

My heart pounds hard.

He has to be kidding.

Then that serious mask cracks, and he chuckles.

With a smile on his face, he waves a dismissive hand in the air. “Relax. I’m not going to cut you up and sell your organs. We’re just going to spend some quality time together.”

Both relief and confusion crash over me.

For a few seconds, I don’t know what to say. So all that makes it out of my mouth is, “I… what?”

He suddenly pushes up from the chair. “You should get some rest. The side effects from the Rohypnol should wear off soon.” Now towering over me, he raises a hand and points to the wooden door a short distance from the bed. “There’s a bathroom through there. And a sink. So make sure you drink a lot of water.” He grabs the plate from the nightstand. “I’ll be back with more food later.”

Confusion still clangs inside my skull, so for a while, all I can do is to stare at him.

He has almost made it all the way to the door when I finally snap out of it.

Leaping up from the bed, I sprint after him towards the door. If I can just make it there while his back is still towards me, I can probably surprise him enough to make it out.

But my race to freedom comes to a jarring halt when the chain attached to my manacle snaps taut.

The stop is so sudden that I lose my balance. Spinning my arms in the air, I try to recover it. But because of the drugs still affecting me, my muscles feel sluggish and I hit the ground.

Tristan comes to a halt and turns around to see what caused the disturbance. When he sees me there on my knees, he heaves an exasperated sigh and arches a dark brow at me.

“The fuck did I just tell you?” he says, and then stabs a hand towards the bed. “Go lie down.”

Twisting around on the floor, I yank desperately against the chain. But it refuses to give even an inch. I crawl forward as far as I can get. But Tristan, and the door to freedom, is still several steps away. The chain is not long enough for me to reach it.

I slam my palm against the cold concrete floor in frustration. “You can’t keep me here!”

His eyes glint as he nods towards my shackles. “Apparently, I can.”

“This is kidnapping!” I yell as I glare up at him and curl my hand into a fist. “This is a crime!”

He chuckles and gives me a smug once-over while he pulls open the door.

“Yep, it sure is,” he replies.

And then he walks out and locks the door behind him.

26

TRISTAN

When I come back down later with her dinner, I find her trying to pick the lock on her manacles with what looks like a splinter from the bedframe. Amusement ripples through me at the sight. I have to give it to her, at least she’s resourceful.

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