Page 36 of Pit

“Axel will tell you. He just wants the name of the buyer for the guns so he can cut a new deal. If he gets that, you’ll be going home.”

A silence spreads between us, and then she asks, “What if I don’t want to go back to him?”

“What are you talking about, Tessa?”

“What if I want to stay with you?”

My heart beats wildly in my chest. “That’s not an option,” I mutter. “You’ll go back to Alec, and I’ll hit the road.”

“And pretend I never existed?”

“Something like that.”If only it’s going to be that easy.

Tessa

We ride the rest of the way in silence. Why the fuck did I put myself out there like that? Of course, he was going to knock me back. I laugh to myself. He’s not even nice to me. He locked me in a fucking shed.I have the worst taste in men.

The second Pit stops the bike, I climb off and hand the helmet back. “Look, Tessa,” he begins, but I give an awkward smile andturn my back. The sooner we pretend that conversation didn’t happen, the better.

I stare up at the large building. Axel heads over to us and whistles, then a man comes rushing over, looking eager to please. “Take Tessa down the basement,” he says firmly.

My eyes widen and I look back at Pit, who is already protesting, but the man grabs my upper arm and begins to pull me away. “Please,” I beg, “I won’t misbehave.”

“Pres, come on,” snaps Pit, climbing off his bike. “You can put her in a room.”

“She ain’t a fucking guest,” Axel replies. “Wasn’t that what you kept telling me?”

“Pit,” I cry desperately.

He watches, pained but rooted to the spot, while the man continues to drag me away. Suddenly, Pit breaks out into a run. “Let her go,” he orders. The man looks past Pit to the President, who shakes his head, and he continues to drag me. Pit growls in frustration. “Now,” he yells, and when the man stops again, Pit hits him in the face. I let out a surprised scream, and the man drops my arm and stumbles back. Pit pulls me to him.

“What the fuck was that?” demands Axel, marching towards us.

“She don’t like the fucking dark,” snaps Pit, keeping me to him. “She goes in a room or I take her back to the farm.”

“That isn’t your fucking call, Pit. She goes in the fucking basement.”

Pit keeps me to him and begins to walk me away. “Please,” I whisper, clinging to him.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he mutters.

“I can’t go in there, Pit.”

We go around the back of the building, and Pit pulls a metal door open. The sound of it scraping along the gravel rings out. Itry to back away from him, but he holds me firm. “It’s okay,” he soothes. “I’ll be with you.”

I stare at the steps leading down into the basement and my chest tightens. “I can’t breathe,” I choke.

“I’m with you, Te. Every step.” He lifts me, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist, and he carries me, leaving the door open. I squeeze my eyes closed and press my face into his neck, inhaling his spicy scent to distract me from the panic I currently feel.

“Don’t leave me,” I whisper.

We get to the bottom, and he steps into a large room with bars on the windows and the door. He doesn’t bother to close them. Instead, he lowers to the ground, keeping me on his lap. “Never.”

I glance around the room. It isn’t as dark as I thought it would be, but come nightfall, I know I’m going to be terrified. “What is it about the dark?” he asks, gently moving hair from my face.

“When I was bullied,” I blurt out without thinking. I’ve never told anyone the full story before.

“Keep going,” he pushes.

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