Page 29 of Unravelling The Beast

"Where in the fuck do you think you're going?"

I start to wonder how he even heard me.

"Leaving."

As he responds coldly, he doesn't turn around.

"Where to?"

I clear my throat and try to remain confident.

"I think it's best if I just go home. I'm not sure what you are, but I don't like it, and I don't want to be any part of it."

He stands slowly before turning to face me, and we stare at one another.

"It's a little late for that, Wren. You're fucking staying."

I begin to feel irritated and raise my voice.

"You can't tell me what to do, Arlo; I'm a grown ass woman, and if I want to go home, I fucking will!"

I draw my angry eyes away from his and move towards the door.

"Take one more step, and I'll tie you to my fucking bed."

I come to a standstill and look at him before my gaze travels down to the blood stain on his shirt, causing me to panic again.

"You're now a part of this; you've seen too much. I can't trust you to walk out of that fucking door without opening your big fucking mouth."

I begin to plead with him.

"I'm not going to say shit. You've made it clear that if I do, you'll kill me. Just maybe this isn't the job for me after all."

From a distance, he narrows his eyes on me.

"You're not going fucking anywhere. You have nothing to worry about if you stay the fuck out of my business. You're here for Cree."

"Are you telling me you're going to keep me here against my will, Arlo?"

We exchange an intense, silent stare, which tells me that's exactly what he's telling me.

My anxiety level rises, and my chest tightens. I take my focus away from him and cast a quick glance at the bedroom door before returning my eyes to his.

He stands taller, hands in his pants pockets, and lets out a sigh, clearly fed up with my bullshit.

"Don't even fucking try it."

I make a sudden dart out the door and dash along the dark corridor, barefooted, towards the stairs. I hear his heavy footsteps fast approaching me, and when he suddenly wraps his powerful arm around my middle from behind, I let out a scream, but he swiftly covers my mouth with his palm as he lifts me easily off the floor.

As he speaks with gritted teeth in my ear, I struggle against him.

"Be a good girl for me, Wren. I like chasing you, but I'd love nothing more than to fucking punish you for it. So fucking behave yourself."

As he carries me back along the corridor, my heart pounds in my chest like never before, and my tiptoes drag along the hard floor.

When we return to his room, he leads me to the bed and easily throws me onto it.

I brush my hair away from my face and scowl up at him.

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