Page 8 of Lust
He was handsome with locks of dark hair, golden skin, generous lips, and a six-foot frame. At most, he was in his early twenties, though his body language vibrated with the righteousness of an old soul. Unmistakably, he took his job seriously. He was left to man the depraved souls brought into this room with a current population of one—me—though he’d much rather be in the frontline.
Voila.
“Silly mistake. Anyways, I didn’t catch your name,” I said brightly, hoping to build rapport.
His skeptical eyes fixated on me as if I were seconds away from prison break. “Tobias,” he spoke, his strong jaw clenching with tension.
“Lovely name,” I quipped. “Tobias, don’t you think it’s an utter waste of your talent to babysit me instead of being at the frontline? Why don’t you let me go and join your friends in action instead?”
Tobias scoffed at my suggestion. “So you can assault more officers?”
“Again, allegedly,” I corrected. My actions were far from an orchestrated attack. “You are holding me here without evidence.”
Tobias leveled me with a look that tethered on impatience. I had been yapping away since my arrival, and he was finally worn out.
“Don’t you think it’s ironic to restrain a woman in a shelter meant toprotectwomen?” I resumed my case, though he had long tuned me out. “Just let me go. I work here, so I can go sit in my office until the rally ends.”
Tobias ignored me.
“Hello!!” I waved my arms in a crisscross motion. “What you are doing is totally unconstitutional. You can’t just lock someone up without following proper protocol. No one even read me the Miranda rights, nor did they declare my right to remain silent.”
“Oh, you definitely have the right to remain silent,” he warily responded. “Whether you are capable of shutting up is an entirely different issue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can I at least get a phone call?”
“This isn’t jail, Princess. Your family knows where you are. They are coming to pick you up.”
I frowned. “How did you get their numbers?” I asked after a hesitant pause, unsure if I had given anyone my last name.
“We didn’t,” he replied airily. “Someone saw you getting into trouble at the rally and let us know they called your family. Apparently, everyone around here knows you guys. I would’ve thought that would make you behave better, but oh well.”
As soon as he spoke, Tobias’ phone started ringing. He picked up the call, grunted at the person on the other side, then held open my door.
“He’s here.”
Tobias patiently marched me out of confinement and down the narrow hallway. Before turning the corner, I heard a set of familiar footsteps. My heart leaped upon realizing who it was. There was only one man who walked like he owned the room.
The noise of the furious shuffling increased, confirming his presence before I saw the hulk of a man, the supersized biceps and broad shoulders fitted perfectly into a black T-shirt and blue jeans.
I was met with Tristan’s glowing orbs, though his demeanor was otherwise masterfully camouflaged. He had the acute ability to peruse me like a farm animal, then devalue me without uttering a single word. We had spent our lives pranking and torturing one another but were on the same team at the end of the day. If anyone other than Tris so much as touched a hair on my head, he’d chop their hands off.
My brother was… slightly overprotective.
He was also the talk of the town as the youngest congressman to win his district in Virginia. Following law school, Tristan worked tirelessly to weed his way into becoming a politician. Though most aspiring politicians loved to talk, he was the quiet type. When he first started campaigning, voters were rattled by the unique approach but later loved him for not making false promises.
After turning thirty, Tristan started his campaign to become Virginia’s youngest senator. The impossible feat might actually be possible given the female voter turnout at every one of Tris’ elections.
Tristan had been gifted with unearthly good looks, and I didn’t use the word callously. With jet black hair and the rarest amber-gold eyes, he was known to be angelically beautiful to the point women went mad for him.
However, I didn’t have any physical attributes in common with him, including our skin color. While no one contradicted us when we disclosed our relation, their faces often twisted with bafflement. It was one thing for family members to look different but differing in race was a game-changer.
Tobias’ bewildered look at our mismatched pairing might be one we were accustomed to, but it was no less hilarious. He frowned, turning to me for clarification. “Dispatch told me your brother was here. I mean, no one else should have access to this part of the building, but… Is this him?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never seen that man in my life.”
Tobias was instinctively alarmed by my declaration. An outstretched arm went up protectively to act as my human shield. “Sara, stay behind me. This man could be anyone and quite possibly armed.”
Though I was touched by his concern, my personal warden had a flair for theatrics. I held up both hands in surrender. “Just kidding. I know him. I saw him near the rally earlier today. He was driving around in a white van and handing out free candy to kids.”
