Page 6 of Grizzly's Pride
Piper took a steadying breath, then stepped inside. She didn’t know what to expect, bare walls and simple furniture maybe, but certainly not a warm and cozy home.
“This is really your apartment?” she asked, confounded as she did a little whirl. The furniture and fixtures looked like they had been chosen with care, although the rug in the living room and the curtains looked like they could be replaced.
“Of course. Believe me, this is better than taking you to the MC clubhouse,” Grizzly said, tossing his keys to a bowl on a small table near the door. He noticed her watching. “Just a little reminder, if you run, I’ll find you easily.”
Ignoring his last comment, Piper asked, “Why didn’t you take me to the MC clubhouse? Even your pal Gunner seemed surprised.”
“Because our Prez might not see you in the same light as I do,” he admitted grudgingly.
Grizzly initially intended to kill her. She could see it in his eyes, but something changed his mind. What was it?
“So, what am I? Am I your prisoner?” she asked.
“You’re my guest. Once I find your answers satisfactory, then I might consider letting you go.”
She wasn’t sure whether she believed him. Grizzly outright told her that he basically didn’t follow protocol when he brought her to his apartment instead of taking her to the clubhouse for questioning.
“I’m tired and I feel filthy. Can I borrow your shower before we get to the questions?” she dared to ask.
“Sure, you hungry? I’ll order us something to eat,” he offered. Once again, his generosity surprised her.
“I could eat,” she answered. Piper lied through her teeth, but it didn’t hurt being in Grizzly’s good graces, at least for now.
“Pizza work for you? Any preference?” he asked.
“Hawaiian but no pineapples,” she said, trying her luck to see if he complied.
“Sure. Bathroom’s through that door behind you. There are extra towels under the sink,” he said.
Piper told herself to walk normally as she made her way to the bathroom. Once inside, she locked the door. When she pressed her ear to the wood, she could hear him making a call to the pizza place. Piper studied the bathroom, noting the window was too small for a person to slip through.
Might as well get this over with. She peeled off her clothes. They felt soiled, even though she just changed into them this morning. Still, they were the clothes she wore when Grizzly murdered her father. Despite how nice he was treating her, he was a killer. Piper would never forget that.
She let out a sigh of relief once hot water hit her hair. Piper shut her eyes, enjoying the sensation of a warm shower. It refreshed her, and being in this tiny space gave her time to assess her situation.
For now, cooperating seemed like her only choice. When Grizzly made that off-hand comment that he’d find her if she chose to escape, she believed him. After all, Grizzly just shot a man without hesitation. Finding a runaway wouldn’t be a problem for him.
If she finally told him what she knew about her dad’s business—and Piper hadn’t lied, it really wasn’t much, would he truly set her free? Could she put her trust in a killer?
Chapter Four
Piper was taking an awfully long time in the shower. Grizzly knew the tiny window in there wasn’t a viable escape route, and they were also five stories up.
He approached the door and was about to knock and ask her if she needed anything else when the lock unclicked.
She stood there, wrapped in one of his old towels, her hair dripping wet. It didn’t escape his notice she wore nothing else underneath that towel. Piper blushed when she spotted him standing there.
“Um, I don’t want to wear the clothes I was in earlier. Do you think you can loan me some of your clothes?” she asked.
Bold little minx. Grizzly wondered if she knew what kind of effect she caused, standing there with only a piece of fabric wrapped around her delectable little body.
This wasn’t some kind of ploy. Piper seemed too innocent, too naïve to use seduction as a weapon.
“I’ll do you one better,” Grizzly said.
He made a quick trip to his bedroom, opened the closet he hadn’t looked at in months, then hesitated. Ariana’s dresses were neatly hung on the rack, freshly pressed and laundered.
Grizzly had a cleaner who came in once a week. She also did the laundry, his and his dead wife’s, although the old woman never asked why she had to wash clothes that didn’t look worn.
