Page 16 of Ruthless Beasts

There was a brush, hair ties, face wash, and face moisturizer, and for the briefest of moments, I wondered how he knew what I needed, but then I decided I didn’t care. I would appreciate whatever I received because I refused to ask for anything. If I made myself as silent as possible, caused as few problems as I could, didn’t inconvenience them, then maybe I could get my phone back.

God, I missed Hannah something fierce.

A few hours later, I had showered, applied lotion, and moisturized my face. The softest pajamas known to man encased my skin, and for the first time since I came here, I felt relaxed. I had almost drifted off to sleep, my eyes closing as I snuggled into a mountain of pillows, when a commotion outside caught my attention. I jumped up, already feeling the surge of adrenaline as panic crept in.

Was the house under attack?

Would they get to me?

Did I want them to?

My fingers balled in the material of my oversize night shirt as I approached the window. With a deep breath, I gathered all my nerves and braved a glance outside. Then I froze. They weren’t under attack, at least not of the traditional kind. Instead, standing by the fountain that held no water, next to an overgrown bush, was Mercer, and he had a puppy.

He bent down, picking up a little blue ball before he stretched his arm back and released it with a powerful throw. The tiny bundle of energy bounced after it, barking and yipping its excitement until it found the ball in the brush and rushed back to him, jumping up and down in front of him to show what it found. Beside them, Ace watched unimpressed as the pair repeated the playful action.

I couldn’t look away even if I tried. There was some sort of pull I had watching them. It was wholesome and sweet, and nothing like how I thought a man in this house would act. Then again, I hadn’t given myself time to get to know my husband’s friends, had I?

As if he felt my eyes on him, Mercer looked up. Our gazes collided. He lifted a hand, flexing his fingers at me, beckoning me to come outside. Did I want to? Should I? The dog yipped happily, stealing his attention, and I stood for a moment longer before I turned around, searching for a pair of pants and a sweatshirt.

I’d never left the house in the days that I’d been here. Never had the desire to venture outside when I had guards trailing my every move and the knowledge that outside, the property was encased in a border of men with guns. But I suddenly wanted to feel the cool breeze against my skin, if only for a second.

I slipped my feet into a pair of shoes I had in my bag at the church. They weren’t anything special, just a pair of canvas shoes I had worn to the building that day, before I changed into the dress. But they would keep my feet dry and prevent me fromstepping on any twigs that could hurt me. I opened my bedroom door, looking both ways in hopes I wouldn’t see Adam, before I dared to step out.

I hadn’t explored the house much, and I had only used the front door once when Mercer had led me inside. I had been too concentrated on my fear and not vomiting to observe much. Still, I found the door easily enough. It was large and nearly impossible to miss. What I had missed was the set of stairs that went upward. What was up there? How had I not realized this place was two stories? Or had I chosen to ignore the fact that it was a massive estate while I kept myself locked up in a single room?

The double doors pulled open easily enough, and when I stepped out, I paused, closing my eyes against the slight breeze that fanned against my face. In my father’s house, I would never be granted such luxuries as standing outside just to feel the breeze, and I wondered, if Adam knew I was doing so, would he forbid it? Force me to ask permission for my every action as my father had?

I took the steps slowly, not willing to fall on the steps and risk any sort of injury. That was one thing I couldn’t afford to add to my life right now. When I reached the bottom, Mercer spotted me. His lip quirked up slightly, but he made no move to come to me. Did I expect him to? I wasn’t sure. At the slight smile that toyed his lip, Ace stopped talking and turned, his glare heavy as his brows pulled together. He said something I wasn’t close enough to hear, and Mercer responded before they both went silent.

I was ten feet away when Mercer called to me, “I see you ventured out of that stuffy room.”

I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about my self-imposed isolation. “You’ve got a dog.”

He beamed at the hyper little pup before he reached down, ruffling her fur and picking the ball up to throw it again. “You like her? I acquired her today.”

“Acquired?” What a funny way of putting it.

“Yeah.” For a moment, his eyes went hard before the blue cleared into the playful eyes I’ve seen often. “Her owner unfortunately passed, and I couldn’t leave her on her own.”

“Passed or was murdered?” He acted like I hadn’t been raised in this life since the day I was born.

“One and the same.” He shrugged it off, but I got the underlying meaning. He was dead, and it was because of the men in this house.

The puppy ran up to me, her excited yips and jumps contagious as she greeted me. I bent down, running my fingers through her fur. “What’s her name?”

“Lady.”

“Lady,” I repeated. “That’s…”

I let the word hang there as I tried to think of a nice way of saying unoriginal. When I said nothing, he responded, “Something to say about her name, little girl? It fits her. She’s the only lady in my life.”

I knew he was talking about the dog. He had to be. But damn if his eyes didn’t smolder and burn into me at those words. I was his friend's wife. Deep down, I knew that. But that wasn’t a choice of my own, and the way his eyes burned into me, practically asking me to say something about it, made my blood turn to fire in my veins.

Ace, who I found to be usually quiet, snorted before mumbling under his breath, “The only lady he could get.”

There was absolutely no way that could be true. I was apparently married, but I wasn’t blind, and both men standing in front of me were gorgeous. Ace with his long hair and broody eyes, and Mercer with his thick muscled arms and scruff alonghis jaw. All things that make the women swoon, at least in the romance books Hannah used to smuggle me when my father wasn’t looking.

Without warning, Mercer punched Ace’s bicep, causing him to stumble back, a smirk on his lips as he rubbed the spot. “Asshole.”

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