Page 15 of Savage Temptation
And to top it all off, there’s the very real fear I could end up spending years behind bars, despite doing nothing wrong.
The door into the holding area opens, and shouts fill the room.
“Don’t give me that bullshit. If you had actually suspected she was being trafficked, why the hell would you throw her in a cage full of criminals?”
I blink my eyes in the direction of a familiar voice.
No, it can’t be…
“I’m very sorry, sir. We were sorting everything out.”
Atticus?
“Sorting everything out? She’s been locked away for twenty hours. Was she fed? Is she safe? Did she even have a place to go to the bathroom?”
“Sir, these things take time.”
As much as I’ve grown to loathe my once lover, I jump from the corner and rush to the bars so he can see me.
“Release her,” Atticus growls, “and so help me, if one tiny hair on her head is out of place, I’ll—”
“You gonna release me too?” A woman’s hand stretches through the bars and grabs Atticus’s tie. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
Atticus grabbed his tie back. “No, thanks.”
The jailer opens the door, offering me freedom. I rush into Atticus’s waiting arms, which are big and hard and seeking to protect me. If I didn’t already love the man, I’d be falling—hard.
“Let’s get you to safety,” he whispers into my ear, then leads me out of the room and down a long corridor as he barks threats at the man escorting us through the building.
He takes me outside to a vehicle and tells the driver to give us a few minutes alone.
Once the man has exited, Atticus turns to me with more rage than I’ve ever seen in him before. His dark eyes fix on me with a predator’s gaze as his jaw shifts in a grinding motion, looking like it could crush rocks.
For whatever stupid reason, my body responds obscenely, and flashes of our night together play in my mind.
This is not the time for that, girl. You done fucked up.
“What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you just stepped in? That place you went—those men you were with—they weresextraffickers!If the police hadn’t shown up when they had, do you realize what you’d be doing right now?Right this very second!”
At first, I’m startled by his fury, though I’m well aware I’ve earned his wrath.
“You’d be on the other side of a fucking glory hole—ifyou were lucky. And when they found out who your brother was, they might have decided the risk of keeping you around was too great.Then do you know what would happen?”
My lower lip trembles.
Atticus’s hand wraps around my bicep, gripping it so tightly, I’m afraid it will bruise.
“Come on, Tess—tell me what you think would have happened after they figured out your brother’s best friend is worth billions?”
Tears spill down my cheeks as my throat unleashes a tortured wail.
Atticus’s arms circle my body. “Oh, God—I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”
I gasp for breath as the world closes in around me. I can’t believe how stupid I was. That I put myself in such danger.
“I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I was just…so scared.” His voice is still frantic, but it’s lost its angry edge.
“I-it’s oh-kay. Y-you were r-r-right,” I say between sniffles.
