Page 33 of Stolen

Behind all her exhaustion, the embers of those warm hazel eyes flared so strongly I could practically feel their scorch. Her hooded lids did nothing to diminish their brilliance, leaving me feeling uncomfortably captivated and wildly fascinated. My dead heart a violent beating mess inside my chest.

Forcing my eyes away from her compelling reach, I was struck next by her clean scent, my entire body inhaling her sweet essence like a damn life force. Light and soft, like roses—without the thorns. My heart was pounding away in my chest at the sudden recognition of howclose I had come to killing her earlier. How close I had come to snuffing out this annoying little marvel. And considering this dangerous affect she was having on me, maybe I still should.

She had pushed me right to the edge, and I was about to deliver. It was hard to hide the overwhelming relief I felt when she finally uttered the words I had been drilling in her head for the lasthalf hour. I honestly thought she wouldn't succumb, but in the end, it was always about survival. And we always did what we had to do to survive. At least I’d finally found the threshold of her breaking point.

Deflecting the burn of her watchful gaze, I finished drying her body and stood.

“Do not move,” I warned and moved back to the dresser to retrieve a clean dress for her to wear. The only thing that had moved were her eyes as they followed me back to her, where I’d begin the next test. “Stand up,” I ordered, eager to see if she even had the strength to do so and what she would do if she didn’t.

I could see the tension in her jaw as she slowly lifted her upper body into a sitting position, fighting to conceal the wince on her face and silence her groan. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride watching her struggle yet persevering all the same. It was a true testament to the strength of her character.

On wobbly knees, she finally stood, careful to keep her eyes downcast, yet her chin refused to bow. I kept that little tell to myself, smirking internally, and held the dress high.

“Arms up,” I ordered, eager to witness her strife and then win.

One deep breath later, Jaden lifted her arms like she was lifting the world, arduous and painful … but not impossible. It was the fight in her that would never die. It might adapt and evolve, but it would never stop. And for some goddamn reason,Iwanted to be a part of her evolution.

Granting her relief, I slipped the dress through her raised arms and pulled it down until it fit her snugly. Taking her raised hands before she could drop them, I wrenched her to my chest, gripping her wrists in one hand while the other raked through the damp roots of her hair. Tilting her head so she couldn’t escape, I captured her eyes with mine. I memorized every colored ridge in her eyes, every green speckle, every honied edge, and the orange blaze that rimmed her tiny pupils. This girl could be the death of me, but it might just be worth it.

“I can’t wait to see what kind of good girl you’re going to be for me now.”

She didn’t even blink.

“Whatever kind you want,” she whispered back.

Check.

9

Remember

* * *

Waking up on the following day was too memorable. The sunlight was low, but bright. It must have been early morning. Had I really slept that long? Why did I even have to wake up at all?

My body was still throbbing in pain and exhausted from yesterday’s beatdown, but I did what I could to ignore it, which wasn’t very much. Today and for the rest of the week, if I even had that long, I would avoid conflict. I needed the time to heal my body if I wanted another shot at escaping if the opportunity arose.

I turned my head toward Kayla, who was lying on her side, facing me, fast asleep. Her back and arms were covered in bruises, no doubt from the beating she’d earned for running when I’d given her the chance. Another foolish mistake on my end. I chose not to wake her since sleep was so hard to come by in here.

Lying on my side with my knees curled in, I contemplated my situation. Here I was, looking up through the bars of a large dog cage, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. How the fuck had I let this happen? How the hell did I get here? I was supposed to be the smart girl, the one who calculated all possible outcomes, who never let her guard down, and who kicked the shit out of anyone who messed with her.

All my life, I had always known exactly what I wanted and had the passion and drive to go after it. Law school had been my dream, and I had made it come true when I was accepted to Wayne State University. I had just finished my second year of study, choosing to continue classes every summer, working my ass off so I could graduate on time. I already had a job lined up at the firm I was currently working at once I passed the bar exam, which I would be taking around this time a year from now, assuming I got out of here by then.

Everything had been falling right into place for me right when it was supposed to. I had a loving family, a doting boyfriend who loved me for all that I was, friends who cared and supported me, and a home I could honestly call my own. And now, it had all been ripped out from under me, leaving me naked and alone in the worst kind of hell imaginable—all because some asshole couldn’t stand a little rejection.

Who the fuck was honestly that selfish? To just ruin and steal away someone’s entire life like this for the most ridiculous reason in the world. I wondered what would have happened had I flirted with Jared a little longer, maybe even asked for his number and never called him, just to appease him. Would I still be at home with Jason? Or would Jared have stalked me further?

I couldn’t stand that I was here at the expense of the stupid fragility of the male ego.

Staring through the bars to the ceiling, I tried to remember how it happened. How had I become so careless that I allowed myself to be taken? I thought back to that day and tried to push through the fuzziness of it.

I remembered I had left school after a long study session around ten at night, and it was dark in downtown Detroit, with only every other streetlight lit. Some of us girls walked in groups to our cars, but the lower level of the parking garage where I usually parked was full. I had been running behind earlier that day due to the traffic from the Tiger’s game, so I had to go an extra level up.

As I came to the top of the stairs, I remembered scanning the entire parking garage, noticing a few random cars parked here and there, but what was most noticeable was the black van idling at the end of the garage, just a few spaces away from the driver’s side to my black Dodge Challenger. Fuck.

And that day had to be the one day I had forgotten my phone at home.

Goddammit.

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