“I’m in charge of your security! You made me look like a complete fool.”
“Oh, shucks. Did I embarrass you?”
“This isn’t a joke,” he hisses back.
“No, it’s not! And I’m not your prisoner. This isn’t protection. It’s a fucking insult. I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”
“That really helped last time someone took you!” Hyland throws the accusation like it’s a weapon he can use against me.
And his aim is true, causing indignation to flutter in my gut. When I hammer a curled fist against his chest, Hyland doesn’teven flinch. God, I’d love to punch his stupid, handsome face next.
“How dare you,” I snarl at him.
“It’s not a fair observation? You were trafficked.”
“And spent six years being made into a weapon!”
His strong, rugged features are pulled tight in annoyance. I’m going to settle this now before I cave in his skull.
“I was held captive. Starved. Sold.”
“Em—”
“Whipped. Humiliated. Threatened. Beaten almost to the point of death for good measure. I was forced to fucking fight for the right to exist!”
We’re almost nose to nose, his nostrils flaring with each sharp inhale. Warring emotions tangle in his olive eyes—regret, concern, anger, frustration.
Well, fucking same.
“While other women were being distributed to be gang raped, I was trying not to get my spine cracked by a revolving door of thugs looking to make a quick buck.”
“Okay, Em. I get it.”
“No! You don’t!”
Now that the frustrated tsunami is pouring out of me, I can’t stop it. I want him to know exactly why I went to that warehouse in search of answers.
“I almost died once.”
His visible flinch offers a taste of satisfaction.
“I lost plenty of fights,” I continue. “But one nearly took my life from me. My opponent was vicious. He cracked my goddamn skull against the ground, putting me out of action for months.”
The colour drains from Hyland’s face, making his blonde-stubble gleam like shining gold threads against his translucent skin. It only spurs me on further.
“That didn’t stop Gael from putting me back in the ring as soon as I could move again.” I laugh coldly, a phantom pain slicing through my head. “All I could think was that I wished I had died.”
Still deathly silent, Hyland doesn’t respond.
“But something in me just wouldn’t stop fighting to get home. I had to pick myself up and continue fighting every day, earning them even more money.”
“Fuck, Ember…”
“The men who did that to me are still out there. In fact, they’re looking for me at this very second, planning to drag me back to that life. And you want me to sit still?”
“Okay.” His voice is a sorrow-filled plea. “I get it now.”
“No. You don’t get to barge in here, throw your weight around and accuse me of being weak. Not when I’ve fought tooth and nail to be the exact opposite of that ever since I was taken.”
