Page 10 of Holiday Hostage

My mind swims from everything I'm being saddled with. Threats from Koda, learning that I'm going to be staying with them until after the holidays, and the possibility of screwing something up accidentally and getting myself killed.

“How about you tell them you were blindfolded as soon as we put you in the car? We never took our masks off, and we kept you in a room in the basement, giving you food and water a few times a day without ever removing our masks,” Eli suggests, leaning forward on the table and raising his eyebrows.

Koda looks at me and lowers his head while raising his eyebrows to silently ask me if that sounds like a plan. I nod andlook between all three of them. “I can do that. You can trust me, I swear.”

“Atta girl, princess,” Bryce says, smirking at me with a curious look in his eyes.

I'll be staying with them until after New Year's. Looking at all three of them sitting at the table, I can't help but wonder what's in store for me over the next week.

CHAPTER 6

“Are you sure it’s safe to go into town?” I ask Eli and Koda as they slide their coats on by the door.

Koda turnsand stares at me with a surprised yet still mildly annoyed look in his eyes. I know what he's thinking.Why does she care?

I'm thinkingthe exact same thing. If something were to happen to the two of them, I would be better off I'm sure. I wouldn't have to worry about someone coming after me if I accidentally slip up and mention their names during a police interview. If something were to happen to them, it would be my chance to escape.

But I can't denythat part of myself worries about what will happen to them. Where is it even coming from?

“You'rethe only person who saw our faces. We'll be fine,” Eli says, offering me a reassuring smile. I sit on the couch and cross my legs, watching the two of them walk out the front door.

My heart poundsagainst my ribs at the idea of them pulling into the supermarket and police officers forcing them to the ground with their guns pointed high. They'll have no choice but to comply, and it would only be a matter of time before they trace their vehicle back to this cabin.

But that would bea good thing, wouldn't it? I'd be safe and sound, and I'd be free to return to Grammy's bakery. Only the thought of going back fills me with dread. Opening those doors and turning on the ovens, watching as every cake and muffin I pull out burns or falls apart, makes my skin crawl.

“Wanna play?”Bryce asks, taking a seat on the couch beside me. I wrinkle my eyebrows at him, not understanding what he means exactly. Well, my mind goes somewhere that it probably shouldn't, anyway. But then I see the old, tattered Scrabble box in his hands, and I feel myself blushing.

I nod my head and move to the other side of the coffee table, sitting on my knees in front of Bryce. It's something that he isn't subtle in paying attention to. It only reminds me that neither of us have spoken about what he walked in on earlier this morning. Part of me wants to address it, but another part of me wants to crawl into a hole and die.

“Have you played before?Or is this something you've never done before too?” Bryce asks, smirking at me as he grabs some tiles from the box and sets them on his rack.

“Too?”I ask, a nervous feeling forming in my stomach.

“Thin walls,”he says with a soft laugh.

My face goes hot,and all I can think about is how I want to crawl out of my skin. But the way Bryce looks at me makes me feel strange. He's not looking at me like he's joking or like he thinks the situation is funny. Something in his eyes tells me he's curious about it.

“I've played Scrabble before,and I'll kick your ass,” I say, smirking at him to try to change the subject away from my sexual experiences with Eli.

“I like a challenge,”Bryce says, preparing his tiles in front of him.

We begin the game,sitting down some very common words in the center while we try to work our way to the higher point values off to the side of the board. I'm thankful he brought the game out to play. Even though it feels absurd, I’m worried about what's happening with Eli and Koda while they're gone. The game is a good enough distraction to keep me from stressing out too much.

“I have a good one,”Bryce mutters under his breath, playing some letters on a word I played previously to create the word BONDAGE.

I'm blushingwhen I see it played, not from the word itself but from the way Bryce stares at me as I read it on the board. I look at him and nod, agreeing that it is a word that can earn points. I don't know what else to say.

I playthe word BREAK off the B he has, using the tiles in front of me. Bryce smirks at me, and he grabs two tiles in front of him and sets them down next to the E in the word, spelling EAT.

“You know,princess, I liked what I saw earlier,” Bryce says in a low voice as he stares down at me, his eyes scanning my body while he licks his lips. “Did you like it? Sucking off my friend like that?”

My breath hitchesin my throat, and I don't know what to say. I stare at him, watching as his blue eyes beat down on mine and search for the truth on my face. I know what the answer is. Bryce does too.

“I did,”I answer, setting the tiles in my hand down on the board in front of me to spell the word TALE at the end of his. I don't know where this is leading, but all I can focus on is trying to get the attention off me.

“Watching you suckhim off turned me on,” Bryce continues, not paying any more attention to the board. He takes a deep breath and leans back on the couch while he stares at me. “It made me think about how bad I want to taste you.”

I freeze,watching him with a mixture of very complicated feelings in my chest. For starters, hearing him talk about how much he wants to taste me makes me throb between the legs. Bryce is incredibly good looking. He looks like he fell from the skies, being hand sculpted by angels above us. I have to remind myself of the situation. I am being held here against my will for the coming holiday season.

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