Page 110 of Property of Necro
I sit up. “Did you wait for the sky to look like that before saving me? That’s kind of dramatic, isn’t it?”
He snickers. “Good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
“This is fucked up.” I gesture to the coffin.
Rot shakes his hand for me to take. I use it to stand, and then he steps into the box with me.
“How are we supposed to get out of here?” I ask, looking around, knowing I can’t climb up dirt walls and Rot might be tall, but climbing vertically with no footholds will take some time.
“Joe!” Rot calls, and in slides a ladder.
We use it to climb out. Rot lets me go first. Once we’re on solid ground and not hanging out in my grave, I shake out my limbs, spare another glance at the incredible sky, and run to the giant monument in the middle of the cemetery. Hiding from the men, I squat down and relieve myself.
“Don’t judge me,” I whisper to the ghosts of the deadwomen who live here. “I had to go, and at least none of you were buried alive.”
Rot peeks around the corner and laughs. He hands me a towel, which I use to wipe with before I stand.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.” I wag my finger at him, just now noticing his lip is busted and he has a cut on his cheek, weeping blood.
Smoothing a hand down the front of my dress, I hiss in pain as I cross a familiar spot. Lifting the hem, I inspect the C scar. It’s been freshly carved open, and there’s dried blood all over it and my panties.
“Coffin,” I growl, shaking my head at how fucking ridiculous this all is.
“Yes. Coffin,” Rot confirms, running a hand through his dark hair.
“That asshole buried me alive,” I announce, needing to hear the words for myself. He. Buried. Me. Alive.
Offering me his open palm, I clasp my hand in Rot’s and we climb the hill together, up to the barn. On the floor just inside, Coffin’s tied with rope—arms and ankles. Standing beside him…
“You!” I hiss, pointing at the guy who drugged and kidnapped me.
He throws his hands up in surrender. “I was doing them a favor.” He jerks his chin to the two pain-in-the-ass bikers.
“A favor?!” Releasing Rot, I march up to the man and slap him across the face. Head swinging to the side and back again, red blooms across his cheek, and he nods, accepting his fate. I turn to Coffin, who’s bloodied andbruised, snarling on the floor. His nostrils flare when he sees me, and he snaps his teeth like a monster.
I kneel next to him, and Rot swoops in to pull me out of the way. “Oh. No. We’re not doing this, Red.”
“Not doing what?” I ask at the same time Coffin spits blood on the ground and snarls, “Fuck you, cunt. You’re gonna die.”
Oh, yeah? That’s how it’s gonna be?
“Well, you already tried that, asshole!” I kick at him as Rot wraps his arms around me from behind and lifts me off the floor like I’m a toddler, not a grown woman.
The infuriating hottie chuckles in my ear as I wriggle in his arms, getting angrier by the second. “Does anyone care to tell me why I’m here? What the hell is wrong with him? And who the fuck are you?!” I point two very stern fingers at the man who drugged me.
Leaving the bald man with Coffin, Rot carries me to a chair where he forces me to sit. He hands me a bottle of water that he cracks open. Glowering at him, I take a swig as he drapes a fresh towel over my legs and opens a granola bar. “Eat.” He shoves it at me, and I comply, keeping my eyes peeled. I don’t trust anyone. Not anymore.
Rot paces back and forth in front of me while I eat. When I’m finished, he takes the trash, throws it away, and approaches me again, cautious.
“I didn’t want you to leave,” he confesses, and some itty-bitty part of me is pleased to hear that.
“And I didn’t ask to leave.”
He stuffs his hands into his front pockets. “I know.That was all Necro doin’ what he does best… self-preservation shit.”
“Okay?” If he thinks that’s a valid explanation, it isn’t. “And Coffin?”
“We’ve been keepin’ tabs on you.”
