Page 85 of Captive of Outlaws
“I have to leave,” I blurt out. “I have to get out of here.”
Confusion clouds both of their faces.
“What?” Tuck speaks first. “Why?”
Rob’s eyes darken. “If this is about last night—”
I flush. “No, it’s—it’s this,” I say, by way of explanation, and hold out the dumb phone. I flip it open and scroll to the texts.
Rob takes the phone and reads, his jaw hardening.
“You’re going to need to explain, Maren.”
Then he hands the phone to Tuck, whose face goes steely.
I take big, steadying breath. I hate that I’m doing this, hate that instead of basking in whatever afterglow or awkwardness I should be getting after last night, I have to figure out a way to stay safe—again. I’m still on the run, and maybe I always will be.
“My uncle’s trying to...I don’t know what the technical term is. Steal from me.” I explain everything: about the inheritance, the conservatorship, the sheriff in bed with the courts to make it all seamless. I explain, even though it’s moot, that there was never any chance he’d pay a ransom for me, because I’m only a meal ticket to him. I pour everything out.
“I need your help,” I say plainly.
APPARENTLY, I ALSOneeded coffee.
I’m sitting on the sleek armchair in the sitting room with a steaming mug of espresso in one hand, willing the caffeine to hit my bloodstream so that I can process whatever’s about to happen here at the impromptu meeting Rob has called between the four of them.
Will looks a little bleary, but still came in turned out for the day, in a short-sleeve polo and trousers. LJ’s more casual, unsurprisingly, in a black hoodie with the sleeves cut off and a sour expression. Tuck’s sitting just to my right, elbows on his knees that are jittering up and down.
And Rob’s pacing in front of all of us.
“Well, someone needs to say something,” Will says. “Or else I’m following Maren’s lead and pouring myself a damn red eye.”
“Maren’s gotten threats,” Rob says. “Here.”
He hands over my dumb phone to Will, who reads, eyes wide.
“Goddamn,” Will breathes. “Who sent these?” He looks at me, gentle enough to break my heart. “Was it—”
“Yeah. My uncle.”
LJ takes the phone from Will and reads, too,stroking his beard. He knits his brow, looks at me. “These came in just now?”
I nod again. “Early this morning. You can check the time stamps, but I didn’t see them until after I’d gotten up.”
LJ grimaces. “Fucking animal.” He pins me with a stare. “He shouldn’t say things like that.”
My lip trembles in spite of myself.
You little slut
Whore
And my mind goes to last night. To their hands and mouths all over me. To the rippling pleasure that rolled through my body.
To how much I liked it. To how very, very badly I wanted it.
“Goddammit,” I mutter, swiping at my eyes. “I’m not...I’ve never...” I look up into their eyes, Rob’s mossy dark ones and Tuck’s warm honey and Will’s sharp blue and LJ’s deep brown, and the words burst out of me. “I’m not what he says I am. I’m not like that, I swear. Maybe—maybe you think differently, because of last night, but—”
“Maren,” Rob says sternly. “We would never, ever think that.”
