Page 10 of August 20

A force pulled on his vest. He looked over his shoulder to find Brooke tugging on him. Her light weight and strength barely registered against his bigger body.

"Get away from her," she hissed, yanking on him.

He walked in the direction she pulled him. Out in the hallway, she gave him one final shove—not even rocking him back on the heels of his boots.

"Leave her alone." Her chest rose and fell in exertion. "Don't look at her. Don't touch her. Don't speak to her."

He tilted his head, taking in her flushed cheeks. Here was a small woman with no weapons, trying to tell him what he couldn't do.

She was either stupid or ballsy. He could snuff out her life before she took her next breath. That's what he should do. That was his plan.

Whether she could read his thoughts, or his silence frightened her, she stiffened. He leaned down, put his nose to the base of her throat, and inhaled deeply as he trailed along her neck. His cock hardened despite her obvious fear of him.

Before she could react, he walked away from her.

Click.

He exhaled. Hopefully, she'd stay in the room now until the sun rose.

Chapter Five

Skye sat at the table. Brooke poured milk into the bowl of cereal while keeping Maverick in view in the living room. Sometime during the night, Maverick had opened the door and let another man inside.

Going by the name patch, Dio wore the same vest as Maverick with a Havoc-Lincoln Motorcycle Club patch on the back. Slightly smaller than Maverick and not as intimidating.

She found it odd that he wouldn't look at them. Unless Dio knew Maverick held her and Skye hostage and tried not to get involved.

"You never buy me Lucky Charms." Skye shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "Ever."

"That's because they're full of sugar." She sat down, ignoring the empty bowl in front of her.

Over the last three days of their captivity, Maverick had set breakfast on the table before she and Skye left the bathroom each morning. She wanted to refuse to eat out of pure stubbornness but knew if she was going to keep her strength, she needed to consume the food Maverick gave them.

On the other hand, she had no choice but to let Skye eat whatever Maverick gave her because she was a child.

She struggled to make the situation normal for an eight-year-old. It was getting harder to remain indifferent toward Maverick and Dio without frightening her niece.

"Try them." Skye held up her spoon, loaded with marshmallow goodness and dripping a trail of milk across the table.

She opened her mouth and let Skye shove the spoon in. The sweetness had her quickly swallowing.

She wasn't against eating sugar. But since gaining custody of Skye, she'd tried to give her a more balanced diet. Skye normally chose oatmeal with blueberries or peanut butter toast for the day's first meal.

"You like it?" Skye swung her legs under the table, rocking herself on the chair.

Brooke nodded, mustering a smile.

Skye had asked the last three days if she could go outside. Brooke compromised with Skye by offering to play games in the bedroom, out of sight of Maverick.

But now she wondered how long she could continue sheltering her niece. Even giving Skye her full attention would grow old. Children needed to play outside, run, and breathe fresh air.

"Can I go outside and play?" Skye pushed her bowl away. "I'm full."

"No, we have to stay—"

"I don't want to stay inside." Skye kicked the chair. "Why can't I do everything you said I could do once we moved in? I don't get to do anything. It's dumb."

She inhaled deeply. To get Skye excited about the move, she'd promised to take her to the beach to hunt for seashells, and they could walk in the sand. The idea that there would be kids to play with and a new area to explore had gotten Skye into the car.

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