Page 11 of Bleeding Blackheart

He grabs my arm, dragging me out of the truck like a rag doll. He doesn’t have his rifle on him. I guess he’s not bringing it in. “Come on.”

I hold my free hand over my eyes trying to block out the sun. “Where are we going?”

He looks down at me and then straight ahead. “Clothing store. You need shit to wear.”

I barely trip on the curb, and then I’m being jutted into a womenswear clothing store with more comfortable lighting than the blinding sun outside.

“Welcome in! What can I help you find today?”

A curvy woman with long blonde hair with a white crop top and flared jeans looks back at us. Well, she looks at my chaperone with a wide smile, and she frowns when she looks at me. “Are you alright, miss?”

He wraps an arm around my sore shoulders, pulling me close. “She’s fine. Can you dress her or what?” He stares the young woman down, and she cowers under his gaze.

“Yes, sir.”

Nodding his head, he releases me. “Good. She needs enough clothing for a week. Maybe two. Undergarments as well.”

I see a small name tag on my new helper that saysKarissa. She places her hand on my back and guides me into the shop. “Absolutely.” Looking down at me, she doesn’t say a word, but there’s fear all over her face.

As grateful as I am for her concern, there’s nothing she can do to help me. And the less she knows about me, the better. I want to remain a stranger as long as possible.

Once I’m by the fitting room, she gives me a once-over. “Looks like you’re about a six. Maybe a four. But you’re top heavy, so you may need a medium. Does that sound about right?”

“Yeah.”

She smiles brightly. “Perfect. What pieces are you looking to get?”

I shrug my shoulders, not caring what I wear as long as I get to have a bra. I don’t know why he told her I needed clothes for two weeks. There’s no way in hell I’m staying with him that long. “I’m not sure. Whatever you’d recommend.”

She gives my hand a light squeeze. “I’ll bring you some options to try, and you can get comfortable. I’ll be right back.” She turns away, and as soon as she does, I crawl behind my fitting room curtain and sit in the plush chair in the corner.

My ankles are still swollen, but they’re not as bad as they were earlier. I almost start to cry realizing this is the first moment of privacy I’ve had since I was captured, but I don’t, not wanting to scare Karissa. I just try to bask in it, knowing that he’s gonna keep me by his side for the rest of the day.

Maybe even the night.

Eventually Karissa returns, and she calls through my curtain to get my attention. “Are you decent?”

I don’t know if I would call my current outfit decent, but it’s all I have. “Yeah. Come in.”

She pulls back the curtain and starts hanging up the options, and when she’s empty-handed, I see him watching me from over her shoulder. Like usual, his glance isunreadable. He’s so tense. I wonder if he ever relaxes and lets loose.

Looking me up and down, she points to the first option which is an outfit just like hers but with a slightly different top. “You should try on the bell bottoms first. With the lace-up top. You’ve got the perfect figure for it.”

I cringe when she closes the curtain. This outfit is exactly the type of thing I’d wear around friends, but not in front of the man outside. This is an outfit that screams,take me back to your roominstead of,back off. I wantback offoutfits. Nottake me to your roomoutfits.

I flip through the options, and there’s mainly more of the same. Cute dresses, a single T-shirt, and lace bras and thongs with silk chemises. I can almost feel his impatience on the other side of the curtain. If I take any longer, he’s going to barge in and get me.

Taking off his jacket and pulling his shirt over my head slowly, I get dressed in my first outfit and pull the curtain back.

Two pairs of eyes stare back at me when I open the curtain, except one pair is filled with glee and the other pair looks furious.

Karissa grabs my waist and spins me in a circle carefully. “You lookhot, honey.”

I turn to him, waiting on his approval, and he stands up with his hands in his pockets. “You’re not getting that shit. Put something else on.”

Karissa looks at him with wide eyes. “What’s wrong with it?”

His eyes start at my feet and trail up my legs slowly, and they pause when they get to my chest. He drags them up to my face, and when his blue eyes meet mine, he grimaces. “I want you dressed modestly.”

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