Page 5 of Jared's Redemption

“I thought we were having fun.” My voice shakes, betraying my nerves. He grips my throat, squeezing just enough to make me clutch his arm as I suck air through the narrowing tunnel of my throat.

“I should kill you for protecting Steffen. I don’t give a damn who you are or who owns you.” He says.

“Nobody fucking owns me and I would never protect him. You were in my way.” I snap, pressing against his grip on my neck and baring my teeth. Jared tilts his head, quirking a brow at my outburst.

“Jared, drop her.” A feminine voice barks from behind him. Jared pulls away, letting go of me and stepping back to glare at the woman now standing in the doorway. She’s beautiful, with black wavy hair and pink lips curled into a smirk.

“Is this your first time being kidnapped by these brutes?” She asks in a friendly tone, smacking his hand away when he tries to stop her from coming closer.

“She’s dangerous, princess.” He warns her. The pet name makes my skin bristle as jealousy heats my cheeks. The woman laughs and rolls her eyes, sitting down beside me.

“I’m Isabelle Barone. When they kidnapped me, I smashed a lamp over the head of one of their henchmen.” She giggles and I immediately feel at ease with her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Isabelle.” I say, holding my hand out and shaking hers. Jared points to the door, giving her a disappointed look, as if he’s her father.

“Markus and Alec are going to kill me if they find you down here. Stop being friendly to our prisoner. Out.” He demands. She rolls her eyes and gets up, pointing at my shackle that binds my leg to the steel bed frame.

“Get that off her. Dinner is almost done, and she isn’t staying down here. It’s creepy, and there are spiders.” She cringes, making a gagging face before walking back out. I stare wide eyed at the door as it closes behind her, realizing she may be a little more unhinged than I am.

“She’s too fucking trusting.” Jared grumbles, hesitating for a second before walking over and yanking my leg up. I let out a squeal when I fall back and his lips twitch as he pulls my foot higher. Jared stands, holding my right leg in his hand and dangling me in the air until just my head rests on the bed.

“Well, unchain me or fuck me.” I hiss the words just as my shirt falls and pools against my arms that are stretched out on the bed beside my head. Jared shamelessly looks over my body, his gaze trailing over my lacy bra and finally flicking to my face. My lips are parted as I watch him reach into his pocket, pull out a key and unlock the chain. He lets it fall to the ground as his grip tightens for a moment and his free hand drags down my abdomen, fingertips skating between my breasts. My pulse races until he grabs my shirt, yanking it up to cover me before he drops my ankle and storms out, leaving the door open.

What the fuck?

Chapter 4- Jared

This was a disaster. I could still smell the lavender of her perfume that now clung to my clothing as I paced outside the basement door. Isabelle watched me with a barely contained smile, but I wasn’t interested in her thoughts.

“She’s a pretty girl,” Isabelle says conversationally. I stop pacing and watch her as she innocently stirs her pot of chili on the stove. Ironic.

“Spit it out.” I prompt, and she gives me a bright grin.

“I am just saying, keeping her locked up is a terrible way to romance a girl. Give her a little freedom and she might be more willing to talk.” Isabelle says.

“Or she will escape and cause more trouble for us. She protected Steffen. If it wasn’t for her, then you and Amelia would be safe.” I snap, losing my temper. Isabelle rolls her eyes and ignores my outburst while staring me down.

“She doesn’t have any connection to Steffen, I feel that in my gut.”

I blow out a breath when Isabelle hands me two steaming bowls and opens the basement door, giving me a pointed look. Knowing there’s no point in arguing, I begrudgingly follow her wordless orders. Something about the girl waiting in that room was burrowing under my skin and I didn’t like it.

“If you try anything, I’m dumping this hot food on your head.” I warn, unlocking the door and shoving it open while balancing one bowl in the crook of my arm. She raises a brow, laying on her stomach on the bed and watching me closely. I nod for her to sit up and hold the peace offering out to her, but yank it back when she reaches for it.

“What is your name?” I ask.

She glares at me, but glances back at the food, and a soft rumble comes from her stomach. Her cheeks turn a bright pink and she crosses her arms around her middle. The movement pushes her breasts up and my eyes lock onto the swell before I can stop myself. The curves on her could drive any man wild, and I was no exception.

“Luna.” She says softly, snapping my attention back to her face as she bites back a smile at catching me openly staring. I shove the bowl into her hands and drop into the chair.

“Short for Lunatic?” I jest, and she sticks her little pink tongue out at me. I consider telling her what she can use her mouth for but keep my mouth shut. To keep my thoughts to myself, I sit back and take a bite of my dinner, waiting for her to relax. She does, ever so slightly, as we eat in comfortable silence while time drags on until I set my empty bowl on the ground. Luna fidgets, licking her spoon but not meeting my eyes.

“Why did you protect Steffen?” I ask her.

She jolts for a moment, her shoulders tensing before she shrugs and looks at the door.

“I didn’t do what I did for his sake. I did it for my own.” She says, still not answering my question. Annoyance makes me bounce my leg as I struggle to control myself around her.

“You said I was in your way. What did you mean by that? I need you to be straight with me, Lunatic.”

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