Page 50 of Harmless
Nella shrugged. “Men can be useful when they’re under control.”
“You mean enslaved.”
“Again, is it any worse than what they did to us?”
Her fanatical beliefs were just pissing me off and not the information I actually needed. I had to focus. “Who owns the resort?”
“A powerful group of women who will bring us into a new era.” Her eyes widened like she’d just gotten an idea. “They could use someone like you. A leader who takes charge. You’d be spending your time among your own gender, people with creativity and brains. Not these knuckle-draggers who only follow you because they want what’s between your legs.”
This wasn’t part of the plan, but I shifted in my seat to look up at Carter. “Carter, do you want to fuck me?”
He made a face. “Uh, no? You’re my cousin.”
My head swiveled to look in the other direction. “How about you, Dan? You want some of this?”
“Respectfully, hell no.” Dan frowned. “You’re my daughter’s age.” He was attractive and fit for being in his early forties, but the feeling was mutual. Not my type.
The other guys muttered similar sentiments. I already knew one had a long term boyfriend and the other was newly married with a baby on the way.
“So it seems,” I swiveled in my chair back to face Nella, “that the men in this room wouldnotfuck me at the first opportunity. So they must follow me for some other reason.”
The prisoner only shook her head pityingly at me. “Here’s a newsflash for you, child. Men lie.”
“I know. Guess what? So do women.” I uncrossed my legs and planted my feet wide, leaning forward with my arms on my knees. “So if you and I are so much better than them, help a girl out and tell me what I need to know. Tell me specifically, who are the owners of the resort?”
“You and I are not the same,” Nella said. “You’re blinded by the worldtheycreated. We are building a new world. Women like you stand in the way of progress. So I won’t tell you a thing. You’re just going to kill me anyway.”
Showtime,I thought, leaning back in my chair.
“You’re wrong there, Nella. I’m going to keep you very much alive. Because while I love having a good bitchfest about how useless men are, I draw the line at kidnapping them off the streets.” I leaned forward again, steepling my fingers. “I take issue with forced prostitution. I’m not okay with forcing people to fight to the death for entertainment. The fact of the matter is, not a single one of those men lifted a finger to assault you.”
“Of course not! I made damn sure never to give them the opportunity,” Nella hissed.
I stared her dead in the face, all pretense of charm and joking gone. “That makes you a murderer, Nella. And a rapist.”
She gave me another dismissive roll of her eyes. Fucking psychopath. Which was what I figured.
“So it seems we’ve come full circle once again,” I said with a wistful little sigh.
Nella narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You exploit and harm innocent men.” I leaned back, holding my hands out to the sides. “These guys get to do the same to you.”
Her eyes widened for a second before she put on her air of superiority again. “You wouldn’t.”
“Who owns the resort?”
“Fuck you.”
“That’s no way to talk to your pimp.” I opened my palms and wiggled my fingers. “What do we got, boys?”
I heard rummaging through pockets and opening wallets as I watched Nella’s face morph from bravado to fear. The guys slapped some currency into my hands, and I only glanced down to count what they had paid.
“Hm, it’s a little light.” I stuffed the territory credits in my jacket pockets and crossed my legs again. “You all can fuck her mouth, but that’s it.”
“Goddamn it,” Carter grumbled as he pulled out another wad of bills and held it out to me.
“’Atta boy.” I grinned, accepting the money from him. “You can have her ass too.”
