Page 170 of Savage Hearts

A psychological one.

They were just so good at making the walls I built crumble with just a glance.

And I had resolved not to give in to them until they gave me what I wanted.

I needed to be good at this psychological warfare as well.

Another grumble from my stomach, and I headed for the door.

Hesitantly, I turned the doorknob and looked out to the empty hallway.

If I was lucky, the brothers would be out, and I wouldn’t have to see any of them until tonight.

Luck hadn’t been on my side since I was born.

I took a deep breath and walked out of my room.

I was never locked up in my room, but there was always something about walking around in the house that made me feel like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.

I didn’t know why my heart was beating so erratically.

Briefly, I entertained the idea of running away, but the fact remained that the premises were full of guards, all loyal to the brothers. Also, not knowing where I would go from here stopped me.

It wasn’t like I could walk out of here and start over.

And there was a small part of me—a stupid part—that thought I would miss them.

Fuck, but I was stupid.

Of course, I would end up developing feelings for them.

My chest constricted as I walked down the stairs, and I realized I had been holding my breath since I’d stepped outside my room.

I made my way to the kitchen, stopping when I found a big hole in the wall near the light switch. I frowned and traced my fingers around it. It hadn’t been here the last time I was in this kitchen. I was sure of it.

Did… one of the brothers do that?

Out of anger?

And what would they do to me if I pushed them to the edge?

I shuddered just thinking about it. I needed to remind myself that this wasn’t a fairy tale, and I wasn’t the leading characterin a romance. I needed to remember that I was their captive because they hated my father’s guts, and they were dangerous men.

My nails dug into the skin on my palm, trying to keep my heart from jumping out of my chest at a moment’s notice.

I went to the fridge and opened it, taking in the well-stocked shelves in there.

I was sure there were enough ingredients to make a sandwich, and I was about to do that when a noise stopped me.

I paused, thinking I might have imagined it, but then it happened again.

What the hell?

I closed the fridge and walked out of the kitchen toward a dark hallway where the noise seemed to be coming from.

A door to the left was ajar.

I hesitated.

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