Page 7 of Grimm

“Where the hell are you?” she growled through the window, looking out over the darkened yard below. Off in the distance, she could make out the bright lights of downtown Kassel. William hadn’t driven far after they’d left the Titon estate. Could she be close to a bus route? Would there be cabs on the main road?

She needed to figure out how to get out of this house. Then she could worry about how to get back to her apartment in the city. But first, get out of William’s house.

The door to the room swung open, and William stepped inside. She stilled, not ready to face him yet. She’d been worrying over Megan and hadn’t come up with a plan to deal with her captor.

When he said she belonged to him, and only him, what had he meant by that? He’d said he’d lay out all of his expectations when he returned to the room. Why had she wasted the time she’d had alone worrying about her damn roommate instead of working out a plan of attack?

“You didn’t eat.” He went over to the tray on the dresser, the food untouched.

“I’m not hungry.” She folded her arms over her stomach. The clothes he had given her were for a woman taller than her, the T-shirt falling to mid-thigh, the leggings bunched at her ankles.

“You’ve been pacing instead of resting your foot.” She followed his glare to her bare feet. During all her pacing, her foot had started to bleed again, seeping through the bandage. “Get on the bed.” He sighed then disappeared into the bathroom.

She ignored his command and sank into the beside chair instead. The bed was for him. She wouldn’t be getting into it. Not if he was in the room. She’d sleep on the floor before she climbed into it with him.

When he reappeared with new bandages in hand, he frowned.

Kneeling before her, he snatched up her foot and peeled off the blood-soaked bandage. Without another word, he cleaned the blood from her foot then replaced the bandage with a new one.

“I suppose now’s a good time to explain the rules.” He took the soiled bandage to the trash can, then leaned against the dresser. His broad shoulders strained against the material of his button-down shirt. With one ankle crossed over the other, and his arms folded over his chest, he looked more relaxed than she could hope to feel with him glaring at her. It was his stare, dark and stern, that built the dangerous aura around him.

Had anyone ever denied this man anything before?

“Rules.” She leaned back in the chair, rolling her eyes. Could the nightmare end now? Maybe she would wake up, bundled beneath her comforter at home, realizing this was all just a terrible dream.

“First, you do whatever you’re told. I mean, that should be a given, but you look like the sort of girl that needs it spelled out.” His lips curled at the edges, as if this was just another day on the playground for him. “So, if I tell you to do something, you do it. No arguments and no excuses.”

“Because I’m dumb?”

“What?”

“You need to explain it because I’m dumb?” Not that she would blame him for that interpretation. She had tried to gain her freedom from a bunch of criminals by appealing to their good nature. Which they had none of, but naïve and dumb weren’t the same thing.

“No”—he lowered his voice—“because so far, you haven’t exactly shown the best decision-making abilities.”

Anger simmered in her chest.

“So far, you’ve gotten involved with Marcus Komisky, making promises you couldn’t keep, then you tried to beg men you don’t know to save you from him when he brought you to them to buy you. Then you cut your foot all to hell, kicking with bare feet against a trunk door that would never have opened, and when I give you a meal, you let it sit and go cold. So yeah, not making the best life decisions lately,” he explained with a hint of sarcasm.

The bubble building in her chest deflated. He was right.

Every choice she’d made had been worse than the one before.

Feeling tears spring to her eyes, she blinked several times and looked away from him until she could get her emotions under control. Now was not the time to lose her shit. She needed a steady mind so she could start acting like the rational woman she was.

“You’ll have to forgive me for not having the right skills to maneuver through your underworld. It’s my first time visiting.” Thankfully, her voice held firm, hiding the fear trembling inside of her.

His smile kicked up to the left and created a deep dimple. She flicked her gaze away from it. Just because he could look more delicious than before didn’t mean he wasn’t still a monster. He’d already agreed he was just that.

“Fair enough.” He picked up a green bean from the plate and popped it in his mouth. “Cold, but edible.”

“I’m not hungry.” The uncertainty of the immediate future had her stomach in knots. If anything went in, she doubted it would stay there.

“Is your foot hurting? I can get something for the pain if you need it,” he offered.

“It’s fine. Just throbbing a little.” She’d been a fool, kicking out with her bare foot against metal. It had been a panicked reaction, and she couldn’t afford any more of those. After a few hours of solitude while he did whatever he did when he was downstairs, she’d been able to calm herself down. No more rash decisions. Like lying to someone like Marcus Komisky or asking a man like Ashland Titon for help.

“Second rule. You are never to leave this house without my permission. If you try to leave, you’ll be caught before you reach the end of the driveway. I promise you, and then you’ll be very sorry.” He leveled a heated stare at her as he spoke.

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