Page 11 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

“I’m going to seem cold to you out there.” He lifts his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the door. “I’m going to be harsh. I’m not going to be the guy you’ve seen every time I come into your room, but it’s for your own protection. It’s for both of ours.” He laughs before sobering. “Understand?”

Releasing a slow breath, I lift my arms and offer my wrists to him, but I don’t say a word.

The cold metal is biting as he locks the cuffs around my forearms, making sure to leave them loose, which only proves to me how warped his views are of himself. Dex is a good guy. He just does crappy things and doesn’t know how to stop.

After securing the handcuffs, he gives them a gentle tug through the center chain that connects my shackles before guiding me through the door and down the hallway.

I don’t really remember the last time I was here. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was still drugged because the memories are insanely fuzzy, but the foreboding unknown mixed with overwhelming anxiety is a familiar concoction that I wish I weren’t so accustomed to.

Muffled noises that sound almost like sobbing are coming from a couple of the doors, but I can’t quite put my finger on what the sounds are. I’m not sure I want to figure it out, anyway. My head snaps to my left when I hear the distinct sound of a blood-curdling scream that makes my stomach knot. I thought I had it bad, but I know that whatever is going on behind that door is something that nightmares are made of. Dex tugs me a little farther down the hall, and I’m grateful for the reprieve from the screams.

I take a closer step to Dex and almost trip on his heels in search of protection when I place the rhythmic thumping coming from behind another door on my left. The acidic taste of bile floods my mouth, and it takes everything inside of me to swallow it back down instead of spewing the bottle of water I drank a few minutes ago all across the hallway floor.

I never thought I’d feel this way, but I want to go back to my room. Now.

There are a few men scattered throughout the hall leering at me as my fingers graze the back of Dex’s white button-up shirt. I can almost read their minds, and I hate it. It feels like they’re painting me with an oily brush, leaving a film against my skin I can’t get rid of.

Sensing my unease, Dex mutters under his breath, “Keep walking, Little Bird. Let’s get this over with.”

He opens the door at the end of the hall and gently shoves me inside with a look of indifference that’s so unlike him, it makes me queasy.

The room is similar to mine, with the exception of two tripods set up in the center of the space. One holds a digital camera; the other appears to be a webcam with a little red light that’s blinking away.

With a look over my shoulder, my terrified gaze searches for Dex, who’s the only form of comfort I have in this place. I find him lazily leaning against the doorway, looking at his phone without a care in the world.

“Umm…Dex?” I whisper as my eyes dart around the room.

“The photographer will be here in a second. Be a good little girl and stay quiet, yeah?”

My eyes widen in surprise. Wow. He wasn’t kidding about acting like a jerk. At least he warned me, or I’d be even more terrified right now. Doesn’t stop me from glaring at him, though.

“Jackass,” I curse under my breath.

After rubbing the palms of my hands against my arms the best that I can while being handcuffed, I pull them into my chest in an attempt to contain my body heat. I feel frozen to the bone from Dex’s cold response, along with the draft in the air. It’d help if I had some freaking clothes on. But, no. The chauvinistic pigs haven’t deemed me worthy of any.

When the door opens to reveal a strange man with long, greasy hair that smells like smoke, my spine turns into a steel rod, making me stand up straight when all I really want to do is cower.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty little piece of fruit,” he compliments with a wicked grin.

“Sei,” Dex growls. His phone is seemingly forgotten as he pushes off the wall he’d been leaning against. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”

“The photographer needed to take a piss. Figured I’d offer a helping hand,” Sei tosses back, though his gaze stays glued to me. He stalks closer. The movement makes the hairs along my skin stand on end, and my fight or flight instinct rushes to the surface.

Closing my eyes, I feel him circle me slowly, inspecting me like I’m a piece of meat at the market instead of a human being. That’s when I realize something. This man puts the others in the hallway to shame and is an entirely different caliber of despicable.

When a finger brushes against my shoulder, I shy away from the touch and open my eyes wide in search of my protector. The one who’s standing idle a few feet away with clenched fists. He doesn’t see me staring at him, though. He’s too busy glaring at the stranger’s hand like he wants to break it as it skims across my bare skin.

Sei grins at me, showcasing his stained teeth. “Sensitive too. I like that.”

“Sei,” Dex barks. A silent warning.

“Hey, Dex. Burlone wants to see you in his office. I’ll watch over the passion fruit ‘til you get back.”

The possibility of Dex leaving me alone with this psycho is enough to give me a heart attack. The thought alone makes my palms sweat, and my feet itch to run in the opposite direction.

Dex takes a deliberate step closer but doesn’t intervene Sei’s perusal as he murmurs, “Sorry, Sei. Burlone told me to stay with her, remember?”

“That’s interesting because he told you to stay with the other passion fruit too, and her door’s been left unprotected on multiple occasions. Is someone picking favorites?”

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