Page 26 of Burn

“I’ll shower, not sure I can eat.”

The thought of food made me want to throw up. But I needed to scrub. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be clean again. Pushing the blankets back, I slid out of the bed. I was still mostly dressed, so that definitely helped.

“Then I have to call my sister. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“When you’re finished, come out to the kitchen. Just step out and come down the hall.” With those words, he let himself out and left me alone. He didn’t address my need to call Am or check on her.

Irritation rifled through me. I stared at the door for a long moment, then looked at the bag, then turned to the curtain. They were only in charge as long as I agreed they were.

I hadn’t agreed to anything.

At the window, I drew back the blackout curtain to see—a wall instead of a window. Who bricked up windows and put a curtain over it anyway?

A brief search turned up no other exit from the room except for the door to the bathroom—which only went into the ensuite—and the door to the hall.

Aggravated didn’t begin to cover it. With no other option, I dug into the bag. There were jeans, socks, panties, bras, and shirts. There were also a couple of hoodies. It was basic, but everything was in the right size.

I didn’t look too closely at that. The second bag had a pair of shoes in it. They looked like running shoes. Nothing fancy, but again functional.

Also, I wasn’t going to complain. The bag with the shoes also had another bag of toiletries. He’d even remembered a blow dryer, and clips to pull my hair back if I wanted.

The thoughtfulness sanded away some of my irritation. The shower heated swiftly and the water hit the perfect temp and water pressure. The combination made me linger, but I wanted to feel clean so I scrubbed every inch of me. Twice.

By the time I shut off the water, I’d turned a rosy shade of pink everywhere. Toweling off briskly added another layer of flush to my skin. I had to remove the tags off the clothes before I put them on. Normally, I’d wash them before I wore them, but right now—yeah, I’d just make do.

Once I was dressed, I combed my hair, put in a little leave-in conditioner, then debated using the blow dryer. My stomach cramped even as it released a gurgle. Was I hungry? Nervous? Or ill?

Maybe all three. I skipped finishing my hair to head out of the bedroom in search of my newly designated captors. At the door, I hesitated. I didn’t want to think of them as captors. That was kind of insulting considering they’d been party to liberating me.

But they were also insisting onprotectingme and Bones hadn’t answered about calling Am or going back. He also dismissed me going to law enforcement. Or at least itfeltthat way.

Maybe I’d misread him.

Maybe.

Once I opened the door, the smell of bacon and eggs twined with coffee floated down the hall to greet me. My growling stomach grew louder. Arms folded, I headed down the hall.

Quiet male voices carried but they weren’t saying much. A couple of syllables then quiet, then a couple more. Maybe no one here was a morning person.

The padding of happy paws penetrated the bubble of my bad mood. Goblin came trotting out to meet me and I crouched to greet him. “Hey there,” I said, as he rubbed up against me. As soon as I started scratching him under his chin, he leaned right into the caress. “How are you, buddy?”

If only dogs could answer.

“He’s better now that he found someone else to try and con bacon out of,” Alphabet said from where he waited in the doorway to the kitchen. He looked a little rumpled and his eyes were bloodshot.

The lack of sleep had been on me. I’d crashed in the back of their SUV, but I had no idea if he or Lunchbox got any sleep.

“Well, he could deserve a slice or two.”

Goblin wagged his tail as I rose and he moved with me as I continued down the hall.

“He thinks he deserves a whole pound of it.” Alphabet’s tone was exceptionally dry.

“It’s good to know what you’re worth.” It was why we charged the rates we did for my time. I was worth it. That thought didn’t really have time to make purchase before I found myself under the steady gaze of the other three men present.

Bones sat at the corner table, a mug of coffee in front of him and a plate of food that included a stack of pancakes. The man next to him was Voodoo. I’d seen him briefly on the bus. He had a sleepy look about him and his hair was longer, more tousled than the others. I swore I got a shiver when he looked me over.

Shoving that inappropriate reaction aside, I turned to where Lunchbox stood at the stove. Dressed in a pair of khakis alone, he was shirtless and had a dish towel over his shoulder.

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