realized he knew, too.
“She sleeps in the cage, tonight.”
“No,” I told him. “She sleeps in a bed. We can lock her in with the cuffs.”
He shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”
I held his gaze as I told him, “I’m in charge of her, and she isn’t going back in the cage.”
“You were in charge of capturing her. Now that we have her? I’m not sure you’re thinking straight. Duke can decide how to move forward tomorrow, but for tonight, she’s in the cage.”
He flexed his fist, letting me know he was prepared to fight me if I didn’t agree.
I was taller, but Bash was a scrapper and we both knew he’d kick my ass if we fought. I’d worked my way to Duke’s second in command with strategy, not by fighting my way to the top with my fists.
I saw the knife fly through the air, quickly registered it wasn’t close to either Bash or I, and turned in my chair to see it sunk into the dartboard in the den, twenty feet away.
It wouldn’t have gone into the very center, as it was bigger than a dart, so I assume she’d aimed for the second ring, which was where it was sunk.
She looked at Bash and said, “If I wanted you dead, it’d be in your eye. I’m not going to kill you in your sleep, but you put me in that fucking cage again and I’ll reconsider how long I think your lifespan should be.”
Bash stood, grabbed her fork, and sat back down — too fast, and I noted the way she looked at him. Yeah, I was going to have to get to the bottom of what she knew… or what she thought she knew. She was already terrified, so that was the only scent I got off her. Not helpful.
“Like I said,” I told Bash. “She’s a genius, and you might keep her captive a short time, but it’ll only be a matter of time before she outsmarts you and is miles away. She isn’t a killer, yet , but you keep pushing her? She’s close to the edge, brother. You’re gonna have to trust me to know how to deal with her, and putting her back in the cage is the wrong damned move.”
I looked at Ice’s plate, saw she still had food to eat, and instead of arguing with Bash about the fork, went to the silverware drawer and retrieved one of the plastic forks I’d seen earlier. I cut the rest of her steak for her without saying anything, and then sat back at my place to finish eating.
Bash was clearly pissed, so I took the opportunity to tell him, “We’ll handle the dishes. I need you to run into town and pick up some Tylenol.”
“I’d prefer coated aspirin, if I get a choice.”
Her voice was tentative, her eyes cautious, and I smiled at her before offering, “If you use a brand of shampoo and conditioner he can get at the drug store, he can pick some of that up, too.”
“I have the brand I use in my backpack.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, until I have a chance to go through it, you can’t have anything from your backpack. Bash can pick something up for you, otherwise you’re stuck with using my stuff.”
Would she have put a weapon in her conditioner bottle? Probably not, but it wasn’t a chance I was prepared to take.
She looked at her plate in silence a handful of seconds, and finally told me a brand and type without looking up.
I was about to repeat it to Bash, but she added, “Mother nature should be visiting me soon. If I can’t use the supplies from my backpack, I’ll need new. He can look at what I have to know what to get.”
I looked to Bash, and dared him to refuse.
He gave a curt nod, and I made a mental note to look at the underwear I’d taken off her, and tell him the size and style so he could buy her a pack.
Chapter Nine
Ice
Bash was gone to the store, and Brain and I had finished the dishes and were seated on the sofa. He had his own laptop on his legs, and he handed me three sheets of paper, each with a modified picture of me, and a bunch of text under it.
“The first picture is what you’d look like with Christine’s nose, and is the most
“She sleeps in the cage, tonight.”
“No,” I told him. “She sleeps in a bed. We can lock her in with the cuffs.”
He shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”
I held his gaze as I told him, “I’m in charge of her, and she isn’t going back in the cage.”
“You were in charge of capturing her. Now that we have her? I’m not sure you’re thinking straight. Duke can decide how to move forward tomorrow, but for tonight, she’s in the cage.”
He flexed his fist, letting me know he was prepared to fight me if I didn’t agree.
I was taller, but Bash was a scrapper and we both knew he’d kick my ass if we fought. I’d worked my way to Duke’s second in command with strategy, not by fighting my way to the top with my fists.
I saw the knife fly through the air, quickly registered it wasn’t close to either Bash or I, and turned in my chair to see it sunk into the dartboard in the den, twenty feet away.
It wouldn’t have gone into the very center, as it was bigger than a dart, so I assume she’d aimed for the second ring, which was where it was sunk.
She looked at Bash and said, “If I wanted you dead, it’d be in your eye. I’m not going to kill you in your sleep, but you put me in that fucking cage again and I’ll reconsider how long I think your lifespan should be.”
Bash stood, grabbed her fork, and sat back down — too fast, and I noted the way she looked at him. Yeah, I was going to have to get to the bottom of what she knew… or what she thought she knew. She was already terrified, so that was the only scent I got off her. Not helpful.
“Like I said,” I told Bash. “She’s a genius, and you might keep her captive a short time, but it’ll only be a matter of time before she outsmarts you and is miles away. She isn’t a killer, yet , but you keep pushing her? She’s close to the edge, brother. You’re gonna have to trust me to know how to deal with her, and putting her back in the cage is the wrong damned move.”
I looked at Ice’s plate, saw she still had food to eat, and instead of arguing with Bash about the fork, went to the silverware drawer and retrieved one of the plastic forks I’d seen earlier. I cut the rest of her steak for her without saying anything, and then sat back at my place to finish eating.
Bash was clearly pissed, so I took the opportunity to tell him, “We’ll handle the dishes. I need you to run into town and pick up some Tylenol.”
“I’d prefer coated aspirin, if I get a choice.”
Her voice was tentative, her eyes cautious, and I smiled at her before offering, “If you use a brand of shampoo and conditioner he can get at the drug store, he can pick some of that up, too.”
“I have the brand I use in my backpack.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, until I have a chance to go through it, you can’t have anything from your backpack. Bash can pick something up for you, otherwise you’re stuck with using my stuff.”
Would she have put a weapon in her conditioner bottle? Probably not, but it wasn’t a chance I was prepared to take.
She looked at her plate in silence a handful of seconds, and finally told me a brand and type without looking up.
I was about to repeat it to Bash, but she added, “Mother nature should be visiting me soon. If I can’t use the supplies from my backpack, I’ll need new. He can look at what I have to know what to get.”
I looked to Bash, and dared him to refuse.
He gave a curt nod, and I made a mental note to look at the underwear I’d taken off her, and tell him the size and style so he could buy her a pack.
Chapter Nine
Ice
Bash was gone to the store, and Brain and I had finished the dishes and were seated on the sofa. He had his own laptop on his legs, and he handed me three sheets of paper, each with a modified picture of me, and a bunch of text under it.
“The first picture is what you’d look like with Christine’s nose, and is the most
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