Page 76 of Hunter's Revenge

“What is the question?”

“The question is, are you ready to play nice?”

Play nice.I have no choice but to do so if I want him to undo my chains. “Yes.”

He straightens and pulls a little key from his pocket. Leaning over me, he undoes my chains.

My arms drop like deadweights to my sides, and the blood rushing down to my fingertips is painful and numbing.

I shudder and curl inward, hugging myself.

He walks toward the wardrobe and pulls out a little bag I saw earlier when I was snooping around.

He brings it over and hands it to me.

“These are some of your clothes I brought for you.”

How nice of him to remember to pack a bag when he was kidnapping me.

I take the bag and shuffle to sit up properly. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

“Of course.”

I get up on wobbly legs as he watches me. He continues watching as I make my way to the bathroom.

When I’m inside, the air returns to my lungs, and I’m grateful for the moment of reprieve from him.

I splash water over my face, dry off, then open the bag.

He didn’t bring many things. There’s another nightshirt, a few yoga pants, some T-shirts, and a pair of ballet pumps. In the middle pocket are my birth control pills.

Not wanting to miss a day, I open the pack and take one, but the fact that Malik thought to bring them spikes my nerves.

Given the circumstances, I suppose I should be grateful to have my own clothes to wear and my pills to take, but seeing them enrages me further.

So does the sting of betrayal. It’s been hitting hard all day, but seeing my things packed in this bag ignites it worse than before when I think of how Malik must have planned to take me. I’m not safe around him. No matter what he says or that he saved me from Conrad, I’m not safe.

How can any woman feel safe around a man who drugged her and kidnapped her? A man who watched her from the shadows with seedy intentions, while she was none the wiser until it was too late?

“Don’t think, Gwen, don’t do it,” I mutter, speaking so quietly the words are barely audible. While most people give themselves a mental pep talk when they need it, I’ve always found that saying the words out loud has a better effect.

My words of advice don’t actually help, but I need to do whatever I can to get through the night. Maybe I’ll be stronger in the morning. My mind might be clearer and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to figure my way out of this. A way that sees me back in Wilmington and on track to where I should be.

With that thought, I pull on the nightshirt and go back out into the room, hugging Sebastian before I do anything else.

Malik already has his shirt off and starts taking off his pants.

Unnervingly, I watch him until he’s completely naked, and my gaze drifts down to his cock, which is already erect. It looks bigger and thicker than when I last saw it.

That was only days ago, and nothing will eradicate the memory of us from my mind.

“Get in the bed.” He points to the bed.

“I thought we were going to talk.”

“No more talking tonight.”

Hearing that sends a pang of anxiety straight to my heart. There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep without answers to my questions.

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