Page 31 of The Devil's Weakness

“Wait,” I cry out.?

He stops and turns around to face me again. Standing up, I brush the dust and dirt from my clothing.

“Yes,” I begin. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll go get you something to eat.”

“Wait!” I shout again before he can go anywhere. “I understand why you need to keep me here, but if I promise not to run, can you please let me out of this box?”

“I don’t think so, little girl. You’ve already proven to me, several times, that you’re a flight risk.”

“I swear, I won’t.”

“I know you won’t. Because I’m not letting you out of here.” He flashes me a wicked smile.

I feel my panic return. He exits the room but doesn’t get the chance to close the door before I latch myself onto him from behind.?

“Please,” I beg him. “I’m terribly claustrophobic. I feel like I’m suffocating in here. Take me anywhere. You probably have a house. Take me there. Handcuff us together for all I care, just please don’t make me stay in here any longer.”

Reaching back, he pulls me off of him and turns around. He looks angry that I’ve attacked him, but his hard expression fades quickly. Cupping my face with both of his hands, he wipes away tears I didn’t realize I was crying. When our eyes lock, his captivating gaze holds me hostage. The connection is powerful, and once again, it wreaks havoc on my body. The last time I felt anything remotely close to this was when I dated Steve. However, this is a completely different feeling. It’s powerful and exhilarating.

It’s also confusing and unnerving, but I can’t look away.?

Slowly, he walks me backward into the wall next to the door.

“Get inside, now,” he commands me gently.

“Please don’t make me…” I cry.

We’re so close; I can feel his hot breath on my face. As my breath hitches, his eyes narrow again.

“I’m giving you one second to get back in there before I throw you in and deny you any morsel of food from now until whenever you’re freed from here.Ifyou’re everfreed from here.”

This addition appears to be more of a correction to his previous statement than a threat. Like he doesn’t want to let me think that I’ll make it out of here alive. Like he wants my fear to keep me constantly guessing about what’s going to become of me.

I let it go because, honestly, I’m starving. If I have any fighting chance here, I’m going to need to keep my strength up. Tearing my eyes from his, I go back into the cage that I despise and turn to face him again. Folding my arms over my chest, I can feel the hope drain out of me as I let him shut me in once again.

Chapter Ten

I leanmy head against the hard steel of the door as I engage the lock again. I’m grateful she can’t see me. I nearly lost my will and locked onto her soft, plump lips. I was so close, but I managed to get my shit under control before it was too late. The look in her eyes when she begged me to let her out makes me feel like the biggest son-of-a-bitch. I can tell she’s suffering in there, but she’s still better off than Iron.

When she wouldn’t go back in willingly, I thought of the worst thing I could do to her in order to get her to listen. I told her I wouldn’t feed her. Her stomach sounded like it was waging war on her, and it cut me deep to threaten her withthat, knowing all too well what it’s like to go hungry. But I needed her to comply.

“Everything okay down here?” I hear Stone’s gravelly voice from behind me.

Quickly I turn and try to correct my expression, so it doesn’t appear as though locking her back in there was hard for me.

“Yeah. Fine,” I tell him, walking toward him. “Just been a long few days, that’s all.”

“True ‘nuff.” He claps me on the shoulder as we head for the stairs.

“I told her I would bring her some food.”

“She deserves to starve for what she did,” he barks. Realizing what he said, he apologizes, “Sorry, I uh… I wasn’t thinking.”

Stone is familiar with my upbringing. He knows I went days, sometimes weeks, without adequate food. Letting someone starve on purpose hits a nerve with me. Knowing she’s in there, having not eaten anything today—possibly for the past two days—isn’t something I can let happen no matter what she did wrong.

“It’s okay,” I forgive him.

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