Page 110 of Wild Bliss

Uh, it seemed like she should be the one asking what thefuck. Lark had never once come off like she was into Sawyer. Sabrina hadn’tbeen around her much, but she’d seemed sisterly toward Sawyer. Annoyed sistermost of the time.

Was Lark working with them?

How far did the betrayal go? How would Sawyer handle it? Hisstaff were the only people in the world he truly trusted outside of Wyatt andherself. Would this send him right back into the cage he’d built? Or would herrunning have already made him decide none of this was worth the heartache?

“I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure what to say, but Lark seemed torequire a response. “I didn’t know he was yours.”

Lark glared down at her. “Yeah, well, you should have asked,rich girl.”

Rich girl? Lark knew she was a schoolteacher. It wasn’t likethey were known for their free-flowing cash. “What the…”

Lark slapped her and pushed her back, the chair she was inhitting the concrete floor hard. Pain arced through her, but she’d managed tokeep her head up. In the background she could hear the men starting to takebets, chuckling about whores and skanks and how this was the way women were.Lark was on top of her, and Sabrina put out her arms to ward off the attack.

“Scream,” Lark whispered directly in her ear. “When I liftmy head, you scream and don’t move your right leg too much. I slipped yousomething. Scream, Sabrina. Now.”

Sabrina pushed at Lark and screamed. “Get this crazy bitchoff me.”

For some reason Lark wanted them to fight. Wanted to hidewhat she was about to do. As Sabrina halfheartedly pushed at Lark, the waitressgot one good smack in before she got carted off Sabrina.

She didn’t have to pretend to be shocked. She still wasn’tsure what had happened, but she felt something against her right thigh. Larkhad shoved something into the deep pocket of her skirt. Something hard andmaybe metal.

A knife. Lark had given her a small knife, likely a paringknife she would use to slice limes and lemons for drinks.

A shot. That was what Lark had given her.

“Sorry.” A big man came into view. A man who looked like arougher, older version of Wyatt. “I didn’t realize that little honey was somean. Guess she was serious. I thought cash would buy me a couple of Sawyer’semployees, but it turns out she just wants revenge.”

She wanted none of the kind, but Lark was smart andresourceful, and she would do what it took to survive. If she complied, shebought herself and the others time.

Where were the others?

“Did you pay off the rest of the staff? Sawyer’s going to beso betrayed.” The last bit was tossed Lark’s way.

“Well, he picked you over me, so I don’t care.” Lark couldhave been an actress. Or there was some truth to what she was saying. Sabrinawasn’t sure. She only knew Lark was playing a role, and that meant Sabrina hadone, too.

Wyatt’s brother offered her a hand up. She wanted to spit inthe man’s face, but was Lark trying to tell her something? To be the oppositeof what they were expecting? Wayne hadn’t seen her, and from what she’d heardfrom her sister the men she’d taken down denied it. None of them wanted tothink a schoolteacher could hurt them.

So she was going to play into all their stereotypes.

She let her fear show through, putting a shaking hand inWayne’s. When he gently hauled her up, she made sure to shift to her left incase he could see anything. The skirt was one of her longer, more voluminousones, and it was a darker color so she might be able to pull this off. “Thankyou. I didn’t know. I’m not the kind of woman who would try to steal someone’sman.”

Wayne had a bushy beard with hints of gray sliding betweenthe honey color of his hair. He picked up her chair and offered it to her,sitting down across from her. “Well, for what it’s worth I don’t think oldSawyer there ever gave the girl a ride. I’m pretty sure the attraction is allone sided, but I know how to use an advantage when I find one. She was the onlyone who didn’t run. Did you know Sawyer’s got the equivalent of a safe room inhis office?”

She hadn’t spent much time in the bar, so she shook herhead, relief flooding her because it meant the others were safe. “I didn’t.I’ve only been with Wyatt and Sawyer for a few days.”

But they’d been serious days. They’d been days spent whollyin each other’s company, days where she was wrapped up in them while the worldoutside didn’t matter. She didn’t need years to know these were the men forher.

“So you’re not pretending.” Wayne stared as she took theseat he’d offered. “My brother thought he could get me to believe it was Sawyerhe was interested in.”

“He was trying to protect me.” If there was one thing shewanted this man to believe, it was that he’d been smart to take her. If hedidn’t think she could help, he would get rid of her. He needed to believe shewas the only person in the world who could get Wyatt to talk.

And then she would take as much pain as she had to untilSawyer found a way to save them.

Wayne turned his chair around and straddled it, staring ather like he was trying to figure her out.

She was too calm. She needed to let some of her fear show.She sniffled. “Can I see him?”

“What the hell do you see in Wyatt? Is it the schoolteacherthing? Men aren’t attracted to you and so the one who shows interest gets allyour attention?”

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