Page 30 of Redd

I didn't want him to. For some reason I wanted him to stay near me, to be right beside me. My chest felt weighted and my fingers shook nervously. The thought of being alone, of him being too far away to help me if someone came crashing through the door, it ate me alive inside.

Fiddling with the blanket, I tried to find a way to keep him close. But I wasn't sure how to do it, so I blurted out the first question that came to my mind. “Aren't you going to ask me who I am?”

Redd looked down at the floor as he spoke, the profile of his face hard as his jaw crooked out to the side. “No, I'm not. I'm not sure yet if I want to know.” Taking quick strides, he reached the table and took a seat next to the young girl.

You're fine. You've been here for two days already and no one has come for you.

He's not that far away, he's right there.

Convincing myself that I was fine for the moment, I picked up the spoon and started eating the cereal.

Forks pinged off the ceramic plates, my metal spoon scraped the inside of the bowl greedily, and we all ate in silence.

The feel of real food on my tongue was euphoric. There was flavor and crunch, creamy milk and nutrients I hadn't been given for longer than I wanted to admit. I wasn't sure if Redd had any idea that all my meals up until then had barely been enough to feed a small rat.

Diablo would give me a slice of bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if I was lucky, any leftovers he couldn't finish were fed to me like scraps to a dog. I hadn't had a real meal since that closet became my prison.

Slurping up the last droplets of milk, my body felt stronger and less shaky. I swear I could actually feel the cells absorbing the nutrients they craved, gorging themselves on lost vitamins.

“I'll take that,” Redd said as he stood by my side, hand out to retrieve the bowl.

“Let me clean up, it's the least I can do.”

“No, I got it.” Snatching the bowl from my fingers, he stalked back to the kitchen. Tapping the girl on the shoulder, she pulled out one speaker and looked up. “Vicki, it's time for you to go get ready for school.”

Pushing back from her seat, she came walking by me, flashing a wary eye. Darting her eyes away, she glanced at Redd over her shoulder and then headed down the hall.

She looked like she wanted to ask me something, and I knew what it was.

Who are you, why are you here?

When she was out of the area and I heard a door close, I let my eyes settle on the man in kitchen. He was moving from table to sink and back again, cleaning up breakfast plates and laying them in the basin.

The water hissed on and he let it run as he went back to the table and wiped it down. I watched him in awe. My eyes drawn to hard muscles and broad shoulders. He looked so rough when he came for me, and now he looked different.

His nose crinkled up as he squinted an eye, rubbing a stain off the table top. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Everything about him made my insides tear, leaving me feeling weak and raw.

There was no pause in his step. He cleaned up as if he had been doing it for years, not stopping to think of the next task at hand.

He looked domesticated for lack of a better word, not exactly what I would have pictured this man to be at all.

I had just seen him take another man's life and not flinch or bat an eye. He had challenged another and stood tall, his body never once weeping in uncertainty or fear.

Turning off the water, he grabbed a sweatshirt off the chair and pulled it over his head. The shirt he had on lifted, exposing the lower section of his stomach and the thin trickle of black hair that drew a line from his naval, disappearing into his jeans.

My gaze followed the path, lingering on the thick bulge in his pants. I felt my cheeks blush and my sex tingle as I outlined the shape of his member under the material.

Nope, no way. What the hell am I doing?

Swallowing hard, I forced my eyes to the floor and tried to gather my thoughts. His shoes stepped into my line of sight and I could sense the heat off his eyes.

Clearing my throat, I rubbed my cheeks and hoped he hadn't notice my tinted skin. “Who's that girl? Is she your daughter?” I asked, doing my best to not seem flustered.

Redd shot me a look, his glare striking me down like a lightening bolt. “Who she is, is none of your fucking business.”

Knitting my brows, I tilted my head. “It was just a question, small talk really. I'm not a fan of silence.”

“Well you can keep your small talk. My life is none of your business.” Tugging his keys from his pocket, he rolled them between his fingers and looked down the hall. “I don't want you talking to her, not a damn word. I have no fucking clue what the hell I got myself into. So don't say shit around her, understand?”

---