Page 71 of Spark

Changing into my workout clothes, I tightened up my Nikes and pulled the door open to find a very tall set of roadblocks. Clive and Owen were both standing in front of the door, their backs to me as they watched the hallway.

“Move. I’m going to work out,” I announced, hoping they’d take the hint.

“You’ve already had your workout today,” Clive replied without turning around.

“I don’t care. It’s what I want to do.”

“You haven’t been cleared access to go downstairs,” added Owen.

“Then fucking get it!” I shouted, ready to bulldoze the two of them down. I didn’t care how big or tall they were; I’d find a way around them.

Clive sighed as he said something into the Bluetooth that I couldn’t hear while I waited, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other. After a few moments, he finally spoke again. “You’ve been granted one hour, but—”

That was all the confirmation I needed to easily slip between the two of them and hurry my way over to the stairs, my feet pounding against each step as I made my way toward the gym. I didn’t bother to grab my wraps; I just quickly slipped on my gloves, the same ones from the island, and immediately slammed my fist into the first bag I saw.

Clive and Owen watched from a distance, one hand over the other in front of them while I beat the shit out of the bag. The chains suspending the bag clanked against each other as I kicked and punched until my arms and legs ached from exhaustion.

Turning away from the bag, I paced in front of it as I tried to catch my breath. A thin sheet of sweat already covered my body as adrenaline rushed through my veins. I kept my hands at my hips, eyes on the bag like predator and prey, waiting for my heart rate to slow before I went at it again.

“You should calm yourself, Miss Jaden.” Clive snickered. “We wouldn’t want you to break a nail.”

“I’m sorry, Clive, all I heard out of your mouth was you offering to trade places with my punching bag,” I snapped.

A smirk formed on both their lips, and I wanted nothing more than to punch it off their faces. “It is unwise to taunt the men tasked with protecting you,” Owen said smoothly.

I sneered back. “And it’s even more unwise to taunt me, considering what I did to my last bodyguard, or did you guys not hear about that?”

“What happened to Benito was his own foolish fault. And that decision was carried out by Mr. Davis, not you,” Clive defended.

“And who do you think reinforced that decision?” I replied coldly.

I could see them both becoming angry now. Good. I was glad to see I could get to them.

“If a flaw is discovered in a soldier of security, then it must be handled immediately. Whether you or Mr. Davis discovered that flaw makes no difference. It is an honor to protect that which matters most to our leader, a job that will be done with absolute perfection. To be anything less would directly validate a severe form of disciplinary action to reinforce and ensure the understanding that the subject must be well protected always no matter the cost,” Clive said confidently.

I raised my brow. “No matter the cost?”

They both nodded.

“What if the cost was your own life?” I asked, wiping the dripping sweat from under my chin.

“Then we would gladly take the bullet,” Owned replied.

“Really,” I said, having a hard time believing them. “You both would die for me. You don’t even know me.”

“As I’ve stated before, it is an honor to protect that which matters most to our leader,” Clive repeated.

I turned back to the bag. “Honor.” I scoffed. “I didn’t know there was honor in working for a man who sells women as sex slaves.”

I took the rest of my heated rage out on the bag, slamming my fists and feet into it with everything I had. Inevitably, I was forced away from it and banished back to my room to prepare for dinner, which I ended up having alone. Shocker there.

26

Mistaken Intentions

For the next two days, I was banished from going outdoors, forced to remain inside while I watched from the windows as different men in special uniforms came and went from the trees. I wanted to attack them. I wanted to stop them from interfering with the innocent animals I knew they were hurting. Clive and Owen tried to keep me away from the windows as often as they could, making sure I was preoccupied every minute to the point where I was exhausted by the end of the day. They wouldn’t answer my questions as to whether the animals were being exterminated or simply relocated, and it was killing me.

Darren was smart to stay away from me for those two days. It would have been nothing but fighting, but apparently, he was away on business. How convenient. He didn’t even tell me that he was leaving, but then again, I didn’t really care that he hadn’t. I hoped he fucking died.

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