Page 46 of Iris' Lying Eyes

Shit, that went south quickly.

Warily, I wave my hand. “There’s no game. You know what that was back there. I want to see Sam.”

He grunts and looks away. “No, not until I get what I want.”

Incredulous, I shake my head. Is he a machine? “Jesus, B. What happened to you?”

“I grew up,” he says, and I eye him.

He’s never been the gentle type, that’s for sure, but this is off the rails. What’s brought out the beast writhing below his skin?

With a pulse of worry, I bow my head. Once upon a time, B was a gruff, grim asshole, but he wasn’t cruel.

“He’s fine,” Bastion grunts, his granite eyes probing, and I raise my chin. He can search all he wants, but I’m the master at hiding what I don’t want seen.

After a moment, he leans against his seat and closes his eyes. I see the tired lines around his mouth and curl my fingers to keep from soothing him. It’s not my place. Besides, he’s an angry fucking bear who’d probably chew them off.

When he presumably decides to take a fucking nap, I drop my head.

My mind races with possibilities, none of them good. What if John finds Sam? Will he hurt him?

No, not if he wants me back. But how long will he wait?

Sam’s round, dark eyes cross over my vision, and I fight back the smile. He’s the only innocent thing I’ve ever been able to save.

Maybe to everyone else, he’s defective, but to me, he’s perfect. He’ll never have guile. He’ll never hurt another. It’s not in his DNA.

I will protect him, no matter what it takes, even going back to that sick fuck until I find him if I have to.

With Bastion otherwise occupied, I pull out my phone and text the only person I have left to turn to.

I need to talk

Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait for a response because I’m often last on the dick’s list of priorities.

With that, I hunch over my knees. I’m still cold, but it’s a different kind of chill now.

Someone is gunning for me, and unless I can avoid whoever it is, I’m looking at a very painful death. But that’s kind of hard to do when I don’t know who it was. Roman? John? Some other fucker?

“This isn’t over,” Bastion says, and I turn his way. I’m sure he’s seething over my evasiveness, but he’ll have to get over it.

Not only is it not his business, but I hardly need to share the depravity to which I’ve sunk.

“Why? Why do you care?” I ask.

His mouth pulls into a sneer. “I didn’t. I don’t. But as long as you’re my property, it’s my responsibility to show the fuckers I can’t be messed with.”

“Well, doesn’t that just warm my heart?” I murmur.

“Iris…” he growls.

“It was John, okay? He found me, but someone came along, and he left.”

There. Now he can hunt down that fucker while I figure out how to leave. I’m not wanted here; Bastion’s cruel words point quite obviously to that.

Bastion raises a brow, and I smile bitchily, forgetting my bruised lip. With a wince, I turn away and silently sigh.

One of these days, I’m not going to escape, and after all the things I’ve done, I have a feeling I’ve run out of lives.

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