Page 47 of Patch's Bride
I walk over to the door and knock. Raising my voice, I say, “We need water.”
He ignores me on the first ask. On the second ask, he opens the door and points to the far back of the room. “There is a sink for water and a mini fridge full of drinks and food. Help yourself and don’t bother me anymore.”
I glance down at my phone in his hand. It’s displaying a gambling app, so I guess that’s where his priorities lie. I mumble, “Thanks for the heads up.”
Truth be told, having food and water available is a huge advantage. I scramble to the back and realize there is a little snack area. I pull out some juice and crackers because I imagine it being easier on Lila’s stomach.
When I approach her and help her sit up, I say, “Here, have something to eat and drink. We have to keep our strength up.”
She eagerly takes the snacks from my hands and begins with a few crackers. “God, I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I took the first bite.”
I nibble on a cracker. Nodding, I agree with her. “I’ve been almost too anxious to eat for days. Patch tries to make sure I eat regularly.”
Lila smiles at me, “You really like him, don’t you?”
Picking at the label on my juice bottle, I acknowledge, “Yeah, I guess I really do.”
“I thought you liked Mom’s friend’s son, that Solomon dude? Whatever happened to him?”
Lila has always loved talking about girl stuff. I told her all about him when I was younger. “Believe it or not, it’s the same guy. Solomon grew up, went to medical school, and joined an MC.”
Lila chokes out a strangled laugh. “It’s wild how that worked out.”
“You know, we were just supposed to be married on paper, so he could be my protector.” Glancing around, I say, “What a cosmic joke that turned out to be.”
“I think it’s kind of romantic,” she says. “Like you were meant to be.”
I smile at her, and we hear heavy footsteps above us. It reminds me that we are supposed to be trying to get the hell out of here. I get to my feet and Lila asks in a shaky voice, “Where are you going?”
“Exploring,” I tell her, waggling my eyebrows. I don’t say ‘looking for a way out’ because of that camera sitting in the corner. Instead, I look through drawers, pulling out a puzzle here and a book from there. Hopefully, if someone is watching, it will seem like we’re bored and looking for something to do.
One of the guards comes blustering into the room without warning. “He wants you upstairs,” the man says without looking at me.
“Who wants me upstairs?”
“The boss.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“Maybe he wants to talk and maybe he wants more.” The guard smirks.
My throat goes dry at the suggestion that he might want sex. I take another small sip of my juice and then I put the bottle aside. I return to Lila and adjust the little blanket I found for her earlier. Taking her hands, I notice they’re cold, so I tuck them under the blanket. “Look, that Vincent guy wants to talk to me.”
An expression of panic jumps onto her face. “Don’t go,” she pleads. “Stay here with me.”
Glancing back at the door, I lower my voice. “I think I should go. We don’t want to make him mad right off the bat, right?”
“I don’t care if he gets mad. We need to stay together. It’s easier to stay safe if we’re together.”
I pat her arm through the spread. “Alright, I won’t go. I promise.”
She relaxes back down onto the sofa, and I tug the blanket up around her. She tumbles off to sleep in a matter of minutes.
The next thing I know, the door flies open again. I jump up from a kneeling position and rush across the room to speak with whoever it is before they wake Lila. Vincent comes walking into the room, looking annoyed as he glances around the room, to find Lila sleeping.
“Did you not get my message to present yourself to me?”
What a strange turn of a phrase.
