Page 41 of Twisted

Present Day

Standing concealed in the shadows of the hall, Maisie’s gut writhed. She’d slept more peacefully than she had in…well, years, and though she had an inkling as to why, she also knew she could no longer fall for his relentless advances and the way he made her feel so alive. She needed to convince him to let her go home to her parents, needed to find that damn hard drive, and once she did, she’d run. For good, this time, she promised herself. There was no life for her here, not surrounded by her ghosts. She deserved a lonely life for all she’d done, and she’d willingly exile herself if it meant she could wallow forever in her sins.

The snippets of his phone conversation also set her mind in stone where this twisted relationship was concerned. For starters, she still barely knew the man and she’d fucked him twice. She’d also confessed much more than was healthy—from where the hard drive was to the events that had set her murderous plans in motion. The more secrets of hers he knew, the more he could use them against her.

She watched him as he smashed the phone, and, panting as though he’d run three miles, he gripped the edges of the sink and quaked. She’d seen Carter upset like this before. A trickle of fear ran down her parched throat and landed in her empty stomach, turning it sour with dread. Was he mad at her? Had she done something wrong? Had he expected her to…cook? Clean?

She was wringing her hands together in fright when his calm voice reached her.

“How much did ya hear, baby?”

He still faced the window, the long tendrils of his kinked dirty blond hair falling gracefully across his broad shoulders. Her eyes flitted to his knuckles—blanched bone white with his fury, the Roman numeral tattoos standing out even more. She’d never noticed them before, taken the time to study the artwork, to muse about what those numbers meant, but in her unrelenting fear of his retribution, it was all her wide, teary eyes could focus on.

Finally, he turned, casting her a soft smile, one that eased her fears the smallest bit. Standing to his full height, he waved her over. Still wringing her hands, she knew better than to disobey a man’s orders when they were upset.

She kept her eyes down when she was before him, fidgety and nervous. Without warning, he hefted her up easily, plucking her off the ground and settling her on the counter, pushing forward to stand between her thighs. She tried to clamp them closed with a harsh blush reaching her cheeks, knowing she wasn’t wearing panties. Not that his face and hands and cock hadn’t already been there, but it still made the innocent side of herself flush with embarrassment. She’d grown up secretly prude, and Carter had only worsened that by constantly calling her a slut because she wanted sex.

Gentle, he nestled his finger under her chin and forced her eyes up. Her breath hitched as soon as their eyes met. He was hungry—a voracious wolf with her in his sights.

“Mais?” he pressed. She rubbed her lips together, then folded her hands in her lap.

“I…I didn’t understand it, I promise,” she whispered. She’d heard the entirety of the conversation, but it had been clipped and confusing as hell. She had a feeling it had to do with her, though. Maybe whoever he worked for wanted faster results?

Letting out a long sigh through his nose, he reached up and pushed her wavy hair from her eyes, smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks. Eyes flicking between hers, he seemed to calm, the rage she’d seen just moments before melting into shades of bright green and pools of molten gold. He was utter perfection for a man, even with all his ruggedness. Those rough edges were buffed by his gentleness, by the way his eyes softened when he looked upon her.

A small smirk quirked his lips.

“Makin’ ya coffee. Think it’s gonna storm later, so we have some time to plan how we’re gonna get this hard drive.”

Her chest fluttered, and she perked at his words, sitting straighter.

“W-we? You and me?”

Still cupping her cheeks, his eyes turned a shade darker, but he nodded.

“Figure you know the best way in and out, and you can tell me where to look.”

Thinking it through as she nibbled her lip, she nodded. Thank God she at least had help, now. She could distract him while in the office, find that three-inch by five-inch heavy black square, and bolt before he knew what she’d done. It was time to enact her plan.

“I can do that,” she whispered, nodding. His smirk doubled. God, he was so beautiful it took her breath away. She wished to push her fingers through his thick hair, to feel his lips on hers, to feel him hard as steel as he teased her with the promise of pain.

“Jaeger…I need to go home, see my parents. This ain’t gonna work if they are all out searchin’ for me…”

His once smiling mouth pressed into a flat line at her words, and his hands fell to her hips, long fingers curling around her bones and new brand. She kept her face as stoic as possible—unreadable. She had a feeling he could see through it, though, and that possessive glint in his eyes had only worsened through the night. Panic rising, she wasn’t sure what to do to convince him.

“Not a good idea, Mais. I’ll allow a phone call instead.”

“No!” She growled, shoving against his chest in anguish and despair. He held her steadfast, unwavering.

“Yes,” he gritted back.

Feeling as though her life was plummeting without her consent yet again, she lashed out. A fire grew in her belly, potent and hungry to consume all in its path—the very same feeling she’d had when she’d decided to kill Carter and Randy. The slap echoed in the small kitchen, and though Jaeger’s head whipped to the side, she knew it couldn’t have hurt a man like him.

But when he slowly dragged his eyes back to hers, when those orbs flashed with controlled malice, she began to panic all over again.

“Jaeg…Jaeger…” she whimpered as his grip tightened.Stupid bitch, she thought to herself. Bite the hand that’s been helping you in a backwards sort of way. Great. Her hand stung with the force of her slap, buzzing like she was holding a swarm of bees in her little fist.

He shifted, and she cowered instinctively, covering her face and bringing her knees up. Gripping her wrists, he gently pried them away from her face. He was pissed, but…amused, his eyes dancing. She gulped down her fear, but knew by the look on his face he had some sinister punishment in store for her.

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