Page 7 of Ruthless Beasts

He ignored my question. “Adam’s room is at the end of the hall. Yours will be to the right. My room is next to yours. Across from yours is Ace’s. Do not sneak out at night, we’ll hear you.And if, by chance, one of us doesn’t, the guards, alarms, and cameras will all pick up on you.” He pushed open the door, and I stopped in front of it, afraid to enter. When I didn’t, I swore he muttered “little girl” under his breath, before he stepped in first. “Dinner is at six, don’t be late. Tomorrow, we’ll get you an official tour, but just… stay out of the west wing. No one is allowed there.”

“Why?”

“Stay out.” He stepped out of the room before reaching in and pulling the door closed. Right before it slammed, he added, “Six o’clock. Don’t be late.”

The room was uncomfortably silent, even when the sound on the other side of the door was bustling as men left their cars and entered. I stood there in the silence, unsure if I should cry. I wanted to, but I didn’t think it would do much to help my situation. The guy was right. I could act like a child, or I could accept the circumstances and figure it out from there. I had no choice but to figure it out, because my position wouldn’t allow me to be here for long.

It wasn’t safe.

Surely, if he knew, he’d take me back to my father, right? Even if my future husband was dead.

No one would want me like this unless it would benefit him, and there were no benefits here.

As if my thoughts summoned the discomfort, my stomach pitched, causing me to grip the wall before I could collapse. This wasn’t good. This had to be the worst-case scenario. As much as I wanted to tell him, and I should tell him… given the reputation of the men in this house, I could die. It was risky. But then again, wasn’t my life already risky?

I fumbled forward, letting my eyes settle over my new room for the first time. It was large. Bigger than I would have thought for a prison cell. In the center, there was a canopy bed, with awhite comforter and gray throw pillows. The pillars of the bed framed a massive black-and-white photo of a rose garden, the flowers fully in bloom. Beside the bed was a nightstand and a dresser, but the room was absent of any personal touches.

On shaky legs, I used the wall to guide me until I found a doorway leading to a bathroom with marble flooring, chrome fixtures, and a massive jet tub nestled in the corner next to a shower stall. It was a nice bathroom, nicer than the one at my father’s house. As a prisoner, I could do worse.

I didn’t allow myself much time to browse the bathroom or search the empty walk-in closet. Another pitch of my stomach had me hurtling forward, barely reaching the toilet before the contents were spilled.

Two hours later, laid out on the marble, hugging the porcelain and praying that my life was different, he found me.

CHAPTER THREE

MERCER

“What exactly do you plan to do with her?” I leaned back in a chair, watching my friend.

“What do you think I’m going to do with her?” he growled. I took no offense. In the five years since the accident, his mood was often foul.

I put my feet up on his desk, ignoring the glare he shot my way. “She’s your wife now.”

He looked absolutely disgusted by that fact. “I’m aware, thank you.”

“So as a man with a wife…” I let the words hang, waiting to see if he would jump in, but his eyes glazed over as reality registered. “You have a wife now, Adam. That isn’t changing, so I suggest you get used to it real fast.”

“You think I don’t know that!” he snapped.

“What is the plan?” I urged him again. This was his mess, but I wouldn’t let him fall under the weight of it alone.

“I-I…” He ran his hand through his hair, causing the normally perfect style to flop messily to the side. “I don’t know. Ididn’t think it through. It was an impulse. She belonged to them both, so I had to have her.”

“They are both coming for you,” I sighed.

“Let them. What do I have to lose now? It’s all been gone for years.”

“Well, aren’t you pathetic?” I called out his shit. I knew he’d been through a lot, dealt with more than I ever wanted to handle. But he couldn’t continue on this way any longer. He needed to move on. Maybe the situation wasn’t ideal, but it could work in his favor. Our favor. “What do you have to lose now? What about your new wife?”

“I feel nothing for my new wife,” he scoffed.

“You’ve known her for all of two hours, tops. How about you give it a little more time?” I reached forward, grabbing a handful of nuts out of a bowl. “Plus, this time is different.”

“How so?” He reached forward, taking the bowl and pulling it toward himself so I couldn’t reach them. Selfish bastard.

“You’ve got Ace and me. We’re here. We’ll protect her with our lives. I promise you that.” Ace wasn’t here, but he didn’t need to be for me to speak for him. We decided five years ago that we’d always have each other’s backs. Now would be no different.

“I can’t depend on you two to help me with my wife,” he huffed.

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