Page 32 of Queen Of WildCards

Jokerhad the good sense to look chastised, but there was still the issue ofSpade'sdefiance. "Lether go and let me get on with it, orI'llfind somewhere else for you to be."Iquirked a brow and cast my gaze out the window briefly. "Permanently."

Theoaf grumbled in argument but took his seat, pullingMallorydown beside him.Thedoctor seemed uncomfortable with this display of possession, and to be honest, it shocked me as well.Ourenforcer was unstable at the best of times, andIwasn't sure what his aims were with her, but they couldn't be all that wholesome.

Butas long as he didn't muck this up,Ididn't care what sort of obsession he had with her.

"Now, where were we?"Thefolder was still open on my lap, andIshuffled my weight to open it slowly, mulling over the contents. "Ah, yes, we were on the topic of your life story."Thepower shift in the room rattled my brain, soIlooked toBlackJackfor reassurance that at least one of my men had common sense left in his head.Ifthere was anyoneIcould trust not to lose his head over a woman, it was him.

BlackJackstudiedMissStantonwith narrowed eyes, his gaze sweeping her for any sign of weakness, no doubt.Hisanalytical mind and attention to detail were likely running in tandem, trying to get a grip on what made our captive tick.Iwas thoroughly pleased with his calm exterior, confident that if something were to happen, he would handle it the wayIwanted.

"Yourmother is dead, and you have no siblings,"Icontinued, uncaring of the fleck of pain that crossed her features at the harsh realityIreminded her of. "Noclose friends to speak of, unless you count the ones who ditched you and made our job easier."

BlackJackshifted against the wall asJokergripped the couch's armrest like he wanted to do it harm.Besidehim,Spadeleaned forward and tugged a knife from his boot, absent-mindedly running his thumb over the ridges.Bothof them refused to meet my gaze, butIknew the score.Theymight let me grill her, but they were already too attached.AndseparatingSpadefrom her would be like pulling teeth and probably involve chains and restraints.

"Tellme,MissStanton, why didn't you go to the police with what you knew?"

Heranswer was nothing like whatIexpected to hear.

"Whyfucking bother?I'mnot an idiot.Iknow the secondIsqueal,I'mfish food."Sheshoved her hair behind her, letting it fall over one shoulder as she leaned back and winced, probably bruised from her fall against the couch. "Ihave better things to do than chase criminals around with the police.Ifthey can't catch you, that's their problem.Ihave plenty of my own."

"Smartgirl,"BlackJackmurmured from the back of the room.Hisbrows were lifted high in shock, but he still stood with his back to the drywall, a foot propped against it, knee bent, arms crossed over his chest.Ifanyone had to guess who the last line of defense was in a room, you wouldn't pick him, but that's what made him so dangerous.

"So, it appears we're at an impasse, then, young lady."Herbrows raised at my use of the term to describe her, but she remained silent, waiting for me to continue. "Youknow too much for us to let you go.So, for now, you'll remain with us indefinitely until we decide if you're more trouble than you're worth—"

"Ican't just drop everything for you deranged fucks!"Herhands flung in the air, and she leaped from the couch, pacing back and forth in front of me like an angry tiger.

Perhapsthe cagewasfitting for her, after all.

"Ihave a life to live, a job, people who depend on me, rent to pay, and cats to feed—"

"Wewill see to it your job receives a notice of resignation, effective immediately,"Irambled off, inspecting my nail beds lazily as she fumed before me. "Yourcats will be taken care of, rent will be paid, and anything else that needs done.Asfor people who depend on you, as of now, they don't matter anymore."

"Please, just let me go," she pleaded, switching tactics carefully, hoping to garner sympathy from me now. "IfIwere gonna tell your secret,Iwould have already."

"She'sgot a point,"Spadepointed out, shoving the knife in my direction for emphasis.

"IfIwanted your opinion,I'dask you."Myhands clenched into fists on my lap, the irritation pushing me to a breaking point encouraged and enabled by the sharp sting of my near-failure from the day before. "Therewill be no argument on the subject.Fromhere on out, you're ours, and that changes only whenIsay it does.Youronly other option is death, andIseriously doubt you're suicidal."

Shefroze directly in front of me, and her jaw dropped. "Youcan't just kidnap a whole ass human being and expect—"

"Expectwhat,MissStanton?Expectyou to behave?Expectyou to comply with my demands?"Irose to tower over her, my trademark smirk of satisfaction crossing my lips and crinkling the skin at the corner of my mouth. "That'sexactly whatIexpect you to do, sweetheart.Andyou will comply, of that,Ihave no doubt."Ileaned in next to her face, our cheeks nearly pressed together asIbrushed the hair back from her throat soIcould whisper into her ear. "Becauseif you don't,Ihave the power to make your stay a whole lot shorter."

"Fuckyou," she spat, with all the fireIexpected from her now thatI'dput a chink in her armor. "I'mnot a fucking dog you can keep as a pet.Peoplewill miss me, and they'll go to the cops.Somebody'sgonna ask questions."

"Andthat's whyBlackJackwill send your people a text when they inevitably reach out to you in guilt, letting them know you're taking an extended vacation due to the pressure of all the overworking you've been doing."Ipulled away but left my hand in her hair, gripping it just a tad more tightly than necessary asItipped her head back and brought her face right beneath mine. "Wecover all the bases here,Dr.Stanton.Perhapsyou shouldn't have taken that last call after all."

Mygut roiled at the sight of tears springing to the corners of her eyes, thoughIknew there was anger behind them, not sadness.Howcould someone be sad to leave behind basically nothing?

Iwasn't an abuser.Hurtingwomen brought me no joy.ButMalloryStantondidn't understand pretty words and reassurances.Thiswoman knew pain, made it her friend, her close companion, and surrounded herself with it like a shield.Allthat would get through to her was more pain, so that's whatIgave her.

SowhenIreleased her hair and strode out of the room, why did my heart sink into the pit of my stomach and make me feel like a piece of garbage at whatI'djust done?

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

MALLORY

Thesemen were ruthless, really and truly.IfIstood a chance at surviving,Iwould have to tame my fast tongue and get on board with being a good captive.

Fuckthat,the inner voice in me screamed.Theymight have kidnapped you, but you can cause problems for them, make them regret assuming you'd go quietly.

---