Page 20 of Lawless
"Just get down here," Reaper huffed in reply.
A woman with shocking red hair, clearly dyed, floated down the staircase, her silk robe fluttering around her. Colorful tattoos decorated from her wrists up her forearms and disappearing under her robe sleeves. When she reached the bottom step and approached us with a piercing stare, her eyes looked to be the same green as Reaper's.
"Noelle, put her up in one of the guest suites for now," Reaper sighed, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I need to sleep before holding church in a few hours."
"Okay, sure. By the way, hi, big brother. Nice to see you, too." She folded her arms across her chest, staring at him crossly. "Thanks for bringing homeanotherstray before the ass-crack of dawn."
Hades, who had been silent at this point, approached the woman with a high-pitched whine.
"Yeah, mutt. I'm talking about you," she grumbled, stroking the dog's face.
"I've been riding all fuckin' night, I don't have time for this." Reaper was already crossing the room, pulling off his cut and then his T-shirt before disappearing down a hallway. Hades quickly trotted after him, nails clicking over the pristine tiles.
"Well," Noelle placed her hands on her hips, examining me from head to toe. "I'd prefer sleep, too, but guess you're my problem now. Come on up." She began ascending the staircase, throwing me a look over her shoulder when I remained rooted to my spot. "Or just stay there, it makes no difference to me. I assume you want a bath, though. Plus some food and water. Maybe a bed?"
My dry tongue darted out to lick my equally parched lips. I was still too tired, too scared, too fucking confused to make sense of whether I was a guest or a prisoner. My hands were still tied, which had to mean something. But a bath sounded so damn good.
I took small, shuffling steps toward the staircase. It was all I could do as every muscle in my body screamed.
Noelle's face softened as I approached. "That's it. What's your name, hun?"
"Mariposa," I said in a harsh whisper.
"Okay. I know you're skittish but don't be scared, okay?"
She withdrew a knife from the sleeve of her robe, then proceeded to cut the rope binding my wrists and forearms.
"Reaper, you forgetful prick," she muttered, tossing the rope over the railing. "Men are so inconsiderate, aren't they?"
She gave me a smile, but staring back dumbly was the extent of my reaction. Inconsiderate didn't begin to cover murderer, rapist, and abuser.
"Come with me. I'll run you a bath and we'll get some food in you."
I hesitated, wondering if I could make a break for it with my hands now free, but the cramps in my thighs told me I'd end up with a broken neck if I tried going down these stairs by myself. So I followed Noelle up on shaky, excruciating steps.
"I take it you're a virgin?" She flicked a light to reveal a bathroom twice the size of my room back at the service center.
"Huh?" My eyes immediately fell to the mini-fridge stocked with bottles of water and containers of sliced fruit.
"To riding motorcycles." Noelle followed my gaze and opened the fridge, holding out a water and a covered bowl of pineapple chunks. "You're walking like you've never had one of those things between your legs before."
I was too busy tearing open the bottle to respond, dumping the sweet, delicious source of life down my throat until I choked on it.
"Easy," Noelle chuckled, turning two handles on a gigantic porcelain tub. "You'll feel sick."
I emptied the bottle and helped myself to a second one, shoving down pineapple slices in between sips.
"Feeling better?" Noelle looked amused, maybe a little annoyed, but nowhere near as downright murderous as Reaper.
I nodded, my body no longer feeling as thrashed with some food and hydration.
"The water's perfect," Noelle skimmed her hand over the surface of the bathtub. "I turned the jets on, too. They'll help with the soreness you'll feel tomorrow."
"I already feel like roadkill," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. Sand and dirt felt like it caked every inch of my skin and hair. That bath water was going to turn brown the moment I stepped in.
"Ah, she speaks." Noelle smirked. "Well, get on in. I'd give you some privacy but I'm still salty about being woken up, plus the simple fact is you're a stranger in my house. So you're just going to have to deal with me."
Nudity was nothing to me, so I didn't care if she stayed. I'd seen hundreds of different bodies in all kinds of unflattering positions. I just shrugged and stripped out of my well-loved scrubs, eager to wash away the dirt and grime of the desert.
