Page 25 of The Chief
I flashed her my boy-next-door smile. “Okay. I’ll stop needling him.”
Her shoulders drooped as relief swept through her. “Thank you. Do you think he could come in here, then? He’ll be pacing outside like a tiger.”
My gaze drifted to Jynx. Warm, pliant, and fucking naked. “No. Nobody else sees her like this,” I replied.
She nodded. “I understand.” Rising from the bed, she added, “She looks okay. Just unconscious. Are the restraints necessary?”
“She’s a runner,” I replied with a shrug.
Fallon shook her head in resignation. “Well, I don’t think she’ll be running anywhere right now. This place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
Reluctantly, I agreed, moving to my nightstand to pull out a knife. As I ran the tip of the blade underneath the zip tie to slice through the plastic, I resisted the urge to massage the red marks from her wrists.
When I straightened, Fallon was looking at me curiously.
“What?” I demanded, with more fire in my voice than I intended.
She shook her head. “Nothing. When she wakes, make sure she drinks an entire bottle of water and tell her to rest. She’ll fight you on it, but be firm.”
My gaze fixed back on Jynx.
Oh, I couldn’t wait to be firm with her.
Chapter 9
Molly
For the second time in as many hours, I was roused by mumbled voices.
She’s a runner.
When she wakes up, make sure she drinks an entire bottle of water and tell her to rest. She’ll fight you on it but be firm.
Remaining motionless, I took a mental inventory of my body. Besides the raging headache, there were no new aches or pains, but when I tried to move my legs, I found my ankles were bound. Whatever he’d used to restrain me bit into my skin, cutting off circulation. My temples throbbed in time with my pulse as awareness dragged me out of the fog of my incognizant mind.
“Thanks, Fallon,” Keir said.
A door shut, and although I knew we were no longer at the strip club, I had no idea where we could be now. I was lying on a soft surface which molded to the shape of my body, and the scent of sweet tobacco mixed with dark chocolate surrounded me. At least I knew I was still in Keir’s custody.
A shadow fell over me, but I kept my eyes shut, wanting to prolong the peace. Keir swept the hair from my face, but when his calloused fingertips traced the length of my jaw, my muscles involuntarily tensed at the sensation.
He let out a tired huff. “You can stop pretending to be asleep, Jynx.”
His deep voice made a shiver run down my spine, and I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me. He’d changed his clothes. A black T-shirt now hugged every single inch of his broad chest, the fabric clinging to the ridges of muscles stacked underneath. My perusal ground to a halt when they reached his hips. He was in gray sweats that sat low on his hips.
Fuck.
Me.
“Where am I?”
“The clan’s compound,” he replied, his eyes scanning my body. Thank Christ for the blanket, otherwise he would see how hard my nipples were right now. Nobody had the right to look so good in sweats.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He arched his pierced brow. “You were falling all over yourself, ready to ask for Finnan’s mercy. He prefers it when people beg in person.”
Through my gritted teeth, I snarled, “I don’t beg any man. I’m here to negotiate.”
