Page 26 of Crushing Clover

“I’m not sure what else to do with her, but I’m also not sure we should leave her in here alone.” Saint John’s mouth flattened into a firm line. “What if she makes a mess? What if she takes off?”

What on earth did he think I was going to do? Chew up their paperwork? Piddle on the floor? Steal their secret oatmeal cookie recipe?

Without a word, Rush reached into his pocket and pulled out an odd-looking pair of metal handcuffs.

“Good thinking,” Saint John said with a nod of approval. “I was only planning to lock her in here, but this is better.”

“I’m not planning to leave the room, let alone try to escape,” I assured them. “Where would I go?”

“Back to your old life in Ohio?” Lucky leaned on the doorframe.

“I have nothing to go back to.” I frowned at them. “I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me, and I walked away with nothing even before all this happened. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Saint John took the cuffs from Rush and sat me on the couch. He went down on one knee and attached one of the cuffs to my ankle. If it wasn’t for the malice in his dark eyes, it might have felt sexy. He wrapped his hand around my ankle above the cuff and glared into my eyes. Because they weren’t known for their sense of self-preservation, my girly parts tingled.

“You stay put and keep your mouth shut.”

“I can’t go anywhere, and there’s no one to talk to in here, so…”

He gave me a warning look as he squeezed my ankle, and I had to force myself not to read anything into it. His hand was hot and made me feel deliciously controlled.

“Woman!” he snapped.

I looked up into his cruel eyes, then away again. Why did he have to be such a jerk?

“Do you understand me?”

Rather than reply, I nodded. I didn’t trust myself not to snark at him, and he already wanted to get rid of me. If he sent me back to Warren, who knew where I’d end up next?

He attached the other cuff to something under the couch, then rose and ushered the other two out, slamming the door closed behind all three of them.

The cuff was too short to allow me to stretch out on the couch and sleep. Instead, I huddled at one end and slept mostly sitting up. When I woke, my shirt dress had ridden up and my legs were cold. I tugged it back down the best I could and went back to sleep.

Much later, the door clicked open, and my pulse kicked up. Which of them would it be?

Instead, a woman made her way in, juggling purse, tote bag, phone, keys, and a takeout coffee cup.

She was young, pretty, and her brown eyes went wide with surprise when her gaze fell on me from across the room.

“Well, shit. Arabella!” The woman stared at me like she was pretty sure she was hallucinating. “Why are you…”

I stared back at her, not sure what to say. Saint John had ordered me not to speak to anyone, but wouldn’tnotspeaking to her make her more suspicious? They hadn’t told me what to do in this situation.

“I’m not Arabella.” I gave her a friendly smile. “Sorry. I’ve heard I look like her.”

“Oh.” She blinked at me several times as though trying to process what she was seeing.

Not sure what else to do, I said, “I’m…Kate.” Hopefully my hesitation hadn't been too obvious.

“I’m Spring. I do the books here.” She watched me expectantly, brows raised. Even in her sweats and bleach-stained T-shirt, with her dark hair piled on top of her head in a haphazard knot, she was beautiful.

“I’m a friend of Lucky’s,” I said airily. “I’m staying with him for a little while until I can get my shit together.” I laughed, doing my best to be casual. She relaxed until her gaze landed on my ankle, where it was, of course, still cuffed to the couch. Her eyes went so wide I could see white all around her irises.

“Are you okay?” she whispered. “I can call the cops if they’re keeping you here.”

I snorted. “Them? Keep me against my will? Oh, it’s not like that. I lost a bet,” I said smoothly, not having any other excuse as to why I might be ankle-cuffed to furniture in the restaurant’s office.

Why hadn’t they left me at their house?

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