Page 6 of Two Chambered Heart

“Can I pee before we go?” she asked, not looking back up.

“What?” Kayden said in disbelief.

“Do you want me to beg?” She finally lifted her gaze from the ground and locked eyes with him. There was a grimace of disgust on her face at the very idea, but her eyes held steady. “I’ve been in that car since I woke up hours ago, and unless you want me ruining your leather seats, I want to pee before we go.” Her voice was mocking, but her cheeks darkened.

The purple of her bruise mixed with the pink of her blush, and it might have been the most attractive thing Kayden had ever seen.

“You slept in our car?” Kayden asked, letting the girl go and taking a step back to get a better look at her. She just crossed her arms and looked away, not answering his question.

“You can’t go in the house.” Jason said, rousing Kayden from staring. “It’s on the brink of collapse.”

“I’ll go in the woods,” she volleyed, looking at Kayden.

“Nice try. We need to leave before this whole place comes down, and I’m not wasting time chasing you through the woods. Us catching you is an inevitability.”

“Please,” she finally begged Kayden.

“Just let her pee, Jase. It’s not a big deal.”

“Fine, but I’m putting a leash on her.”

“You’ll do no such thing!” she shrieked, finally turning to look at Jason.

Kayden caught her wrists again, pulling them behind her back. She didn’t fight him, but he held her in place while Jason went to the trunk of the Rover. He came back with a spool of black rope. He slid the rope around her neck, tying it off like a collar before handing Kayden the slack.

“Take your dog for a pee, Kay.”

There were tears tracking down the girl’s cheeks, her nostrils flaring in anger. Kayden was so used to interacting with people basedon their thoughts, or avoiding people because of their thoughts, that he felt a little lost in orbit to be around a woman who he couldn’t hear.

For some reason, Kayden didn’t like that this girl was crying because of them.

He frowned at her.

“Don’t cry, Little Fox.”

“I thought I was your dog?” she retorted back, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of that stupid coat she was wearing.

“Here,” he said, and passed her the rope to hold. It was a peace offering, to save her from the degradation of him walking her to the forest as his brother intended.

She took the rope, but didn’t thank him.

They walked to the tree line together in silence. Kayden gestured to the first large tree and she stepped behind it to relieve herself.

“Just so you know, I’ve peed in worse places, so don’t go thinking you’ve won anything!” she called out to him.

He gave a smile she couldn’t see in response.

When she finished, she trudged back toward the car, shoving him slightly on her way.

“What’s your name?” he asked, catching up to her in the driveway.

“Fuck you,” she spat at him.

Even with the rope around her neck and being forced to pee behind a tree, this girl wasn’t breaking. That made Kayden laugh, because a challenge was so refreshing after years and years of boredom. He could practically taste it on his tongue, and it tasted divine.

Jase was already waiting for them in the driver’s seat.

Kayden didn’t bother frisking her. If she had a weapon, she would have used it instead of fighting so viciously. The girl slid into the back seat and Kayden shut the door, noticing the square cut out in the exterior metal before getting into the car. Jason maneuvered the Rover down the longdriveway, turning onto the highway back to the city. They left a bonfire behind them as Kovack’s mansion burned to the ground.

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