Thankfully, she didn’t test me. She was showered and dressed in under her allotted time scale, and though her eyes looked pinched and drawn, the rest of her looked damn fine.
“How’s the back?” Finally, she looked at me, but there was no concern in her eyes. She’d wiped everything off her expression, and it could have been a mannequin looking back at me. I wondered if she’d learnt the technique from James. Those two could have been made for each other - until she’d fucked him over, of course.
“Don’t pretend to be my friend, Lois.” I shook my head and waggled my index finger at her. “I heard you last night talking to my brother. You got paid a hefty sum to do the dirty on James, didn’t you? My, what a naughty girl you’ve been. Let’s see…” I held my fingers up and began counting her many sins upon them. “First, you broke your promise to me. Second, you crapped all over James. Third, I found you fraternising with the enemy.” I shook my head sadly. “I think it’s payback time, Lois. You didn’t think we’d let the matter drop, did you?” I pushed myself up off the bed and moved towards her menacingly. “James will kill you when he gets his hands on you,” I purred, “and I have to admit that I wouldn’t mind watching.” Lois narrowed her eyes at me and smiled.
“You’ll have to catch me first,” she said, in that sultry, come-to-bed voice that I knew and loved. It stopped me in my tracks as a couple of brain cells blew a fuse, and before they had a chance to recover, the woman had bolted from the room. For fuck’s sake. I really wasn’t in the mood for this today.
Tearing down the hallway after her, my back screaming in protest, I then realised that my approach to apprehend Lois hadn’t been one of the most sensible plans I’d ever made. In future, I’d make sure I restrained her before telling her I was about to get my own back.
Swearing as I rushed to try and keep up, I did my best to keep her in my sights. Normally, I’d have been on her in a heartbeat, but my back was protesting rather loudly. It was not a fan of fast movement at the moment. Still, if she kept running straight ahead, all would be well. There was a dead-end looming shortly, and she wouldn’t realise the fact until it was too late.
Sure enough, we tore through the corridor until we rounded a bend and it didn’t take her long to realise her mistake. Her ass was mine.
Advancing forward slowly, I proceeded with caution. I’d had enough dealings with Lois to know the woman was lethal, even when cornered.
“Are you going to come nicely, little kitty cat?” I purred slowly. At the moment, I wanted to beat the shit out of her, but I knew from experience that the hollow feeling of satisfaction it would provide wouldn’t be enough. I had better ways of extracting vengeance.
Her eyes darted swiftly behind her, as she backed into a storage room door I knew was locked. When her hand tried the handle and found it unresponsive, her face tightened. “Since when have I ever played nicely, Adie? If you want me, come and get me, but be warned - my claws will be fully extended.” Her eyes sparkled with malice, and her wet hair looked so fucking sexy, framing her face in thick, wavy tendrils. I wanted to torment her, spank the shit out of her, and then rip her fucking clothes off - not necessarily in that order. What the hell was wrong with me? This woman was now off limits as she was in cohorts with my brother. No secret would be safe around Lois now.
Continuing to move forward, I said, “I would expect nothing less, Reeves.” I then ploughed headfirst into her body, slamming her against the wall in a tangle of limbs while we both fought for the upper hand. Sinking my fist into her solar plexus, I had her doubled over and wheezing for breath, but this didn’t slow my little hellcat down. Pressing her right hand into my back, she extended her fingernails until I was screaming in pain. I couldn’t handle any pressure there at the moment, and she knew it.
“Truce?” she wheezed, as we both scrabbled around on the floor. I was doing my upmost to get my hands around her throat, but anytime I got anywhere near her, Lois just sunk her fingers in deeper. There was no way I could fight that, and she knew it. The pain was too raw.
“Are you going to come with me and see James?” My face was inches from hers as I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked it backwards, tilting her head up towards mine. Letting her regain her breath, I stared at the pulse in her neck, which was now beating frantically. The urge to put my lips there was strong, but I fought it. Something would need to be done about this attraction. Alain didn’t like sharing, and now that he had his eyes on her, I needed to back away.
Lois closed her eyes tightly, denying me the right to read her. “He won’t want to see me,” she whispered. “Leave him be.”
“Open those beauties wide, Lois. Remember who you’re dealing with here. If you want to me to get my knives out again, you’re going the right way about it.”
Lois didn’t move a muscle. “You’re going to do that anyway, Adie. I know exactly how your brain works by now.” I gave her a grudging smile. She was right. She’d get payback from me whatever happened here, but we’d talk about that later.
“You owe James an apology,” I muttered, scraping my fingernails slowly up the vein that was pulsing in her neck. Her scent was now driving me crazy, and it filled my nostrils with a combination of lavender and lilac. I wanted to taste it and I couldn’t. The thought enraged me.
“You think he’ll want to hear an apology from a traitor? He’s suffered enough. Leave him be,” she said raggedly. My grip on her hair loosened, before I grabbed a bigger handful and tugged for all I was worth. Her eyes finally fluttered open, and they were filled with pain. I couldn’t figure out if it was from what I was doing to her, or if it was because she’d regretted what she’d done.
“Ah, so now you’re the soft, cuddly, caring type? Shelve it, Lois. No one is falling for that trick twice.” I wouldn’t fall for anything coming out of those luscious pink lips ever again.
“So, fuck off, and leave me alone, or I’ll sink my nails in your back and draw blood, Adie.” She meant it, too.
I shook my head and tutted. “I wouldn’t, if I were you, Miss Reeves. You’ve already got plenty of nastiness coming your way. Making me even angrier than I already am would be a foolish move on your part.” She didn’t respond to that comment, but neither did she carry through with her threat. At the moment, her chest was still heaving with exertion, thrusting her tits out towards me, but I did my best to try and ignore them. Something didn’t add up here, and I was trying to put my finger on it.
“Why would you rip your hand apart begging for my life, if you were working for Alain in the first place? It doesn’t make sense.” There it was. It wasn’t the only thing that was bothering me, either, but we’d get to that later.
“Maybe I like you. Maybe I didn’t want Alain to kill you,” she whispered.
“Or maybe that was the plan all along, to make sure you kept James unsuspecting and completely besotted with you.” My eyes narrowed when her mouth opened to say something. “Enough,” I barked. “We’re going to see James whether you want to or not. You have some explaining to do, young lady. You owe him that.”
Chapter Fourteen - Lois
There was no point arguing with Adie, and besides, he was right. Eventually I would have to face James, and it might as well be sooner rather than later. The thought had kept me awake into the early hours of the morning and delaying it any longer was just going to stress me out even more than I already was. It was better this way.
Adie didn’t say a word to me as he led me back through the compound, although I had suspected nothing less. I’d lost two of my only two friends here in the space of a few hours, and now I was on my own in every sense of the word. Running scared didn’t even begin to describe it.
When we arrived back at the room I had spent yesterday evening in, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I needed my game face on, and I had to be ready for anything.
“Morning James,” Adie said cheerfully. “I’ve brought you a present.” Dragging me by the arm into the room, he then pushed me forward, s
o I was standing on my own. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was hoping James would kill me.
James, who was standing by the window staring out into space, suddenly turned around to face me. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt, and he looked better than he had yesterday. Today he had some colour, and his movements were less shaky. The hunger strike was over now that Alain had what he wanted. My eyes then roamed over the room quickly, noting that the bed beside him once again featured pillow cases and a duvet. The bathroom door was also back on its hinges. Someone had been busy in my absence.
“You.” James spat the word out as if it was acid on his tongue.
Raising my eyes up slowly to meet his, I said simply, “Me.” I gave him nothing else. Just being in the same room as him was painful. The knowledge that I wanted him more than life itself was even more so, when coupled with the fact I knew I could never have him. I wanted to scream and rail, and kick holes in the unfairness of it all, but that wasn’t a luxury I could afford to indulge in. Instead, I prepared to lie my ass off, and hoped that James would believe my every word.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked back to the window, as if he couldn’t bear to look at me.
“Why?” he murmured. Everything was a question lately. Everyone wanted a piece of me. My secret was safe, though.
“It’s a little late for why’s and wherefores, James.” When you catch yourself in a lie, it’s always best to say as little as possible. The more you embellish your lies, the more details you have to remember, and that’s how you get caught.
“Why?” James wasn’t going to let this go. His voice was hard now, and louder. That meant his temper was rising. It’s a good thing. He needed to let off steam. I was more than prepared for him to lash out at me.
“It isn’t important. It’s done and we need to move forward.” My voice was just as hard, but it had a brittle quality.
James shook his head and sighed. “We can’t move forward from this, Lois. You know that.” He put his hand against the pane of glass and tapped his finger against it. He looked lost in thought. I wondered what he was thinking and decided I didn’t want to know. Finally, he turned around and walked towards me slowly. My heart burst into overdrive. Fear and desire warred for supremacy and it was a potent combination.
“I need to know what’s going on here, Lois. You owe me that much.” My stomach curdled. His voice had now dropped to a such a level that I had to strain my ears to hear it, and that spelt danger.
“I don’t owe you anything,” I replied, “not even a fucking apology.” I said the words because they were guaranteed to make him go nuts. I was not disappointed.
He lunged towards me, his long arm snaking out to take my neck, but I was already one step ahead of him. Ducking, I rushed past him. While I knew that he’d eventually wrap his hands around me, I wouldn’t make it easy for him. Besides, the exercise would burn off some of the awful adrenaline that was flooding my body in noxious waves.
“You definitely owe me an apology, Lois, and I will make sure I get it. Take my word for it.” He then tried to grab my arm, but I was already diving to the floor. Scrabbling to put as much distance between us as possible, I got to my knees, but James was already on me. He had an elbow around my neck, and he picked me up effortlessly before slamming me into the wall. All the air was knocked out of me instantly, and I gasped helplessly.
James glowered over me as a vein bulged in his neck. The man was not happy.
“Adie here, thinks you’re working for Alain, but I told him there’s no way you’d do the dirty on us. Tell him, Lois.” James’s hold on my neck tightened as he awaited my response. A strand of his hair flickered in the soft light and it grabbed my attention, as my gaze went off focus. I couldn’t meet his eyes, not after what I’d done. “Tell him,” James growled again.
I do no such thing. I’ve gotten in bed with the devil and the least I can do is make sure James hates me so much, there won’t be a chance in hell he’ll come within ten feet of me. It’s time to seal my fate and cast it away into the darkest depths of hell.
“Adie is correct. I work for Alain,” I said the sentence almost robotically, in a dead and lifeless voice. James’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and his grip on my neck increased. Even though he was making it nearly impossible to breathe, I didn’t make a sound. If he wanted to kill me, he could go right ahead.
“No, I don’t believe you. I can’t fathom a single reason why you would throw your own life away like that.” He eyeballed me, and I watched as his pupils grew bigger. The man is good and mad, and he has every right to be. “You know he will make us sleep together again. He’ll make me watch you die, and he’ll stretch that fucker out until you’re in so much pain your head will explode. Why would you willingly put yourself forward for that? I don’t understand.”
I school my features to display no emotion. It isn’t hard. Inside, I feel like a shell of the woman I once was, and all emotion has drained from my body. I just want this showdown to be over with.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, James.” I wanted to turn my face away from those incredible ice-blue eyes, but I couldn’t move a muscle. James is intent on watching every nuance on my face as he questions me, trying his hardest to spot a lie. It’s my job to make sure he can’t see a thing, and at the moment, my face is as blank as a piece of paper. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
After a few seconds, he let out a roar of frustration. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you now, Lois? After all that we’ve been through, how the fuck can you do this to me?” He shook me hard as his fingers bit into my neck. This was the first time I’d seen James lose it, and his eyes are all over the place. He refuses to believe what I’m telling him is true, even though both Adie and I have confirmed it. I love him even more for that. The man has good instincts.
Trying to speak, I can’t get a word past his hold on my throat. Eventually, he loosened up his grip and I coughed and spluttered. “If you want to kill me, go right ahead, James. We’re both damaged. I hadn’t realised how alike we are until a few days ago, but it’s as plain as day now. I crave death just as much as you do, and I can’t wait to sink into her cold embrace. Do it. Finish me.” It’s as if I’m daring him to do his worst, although I know those words will stop him in his tracks. He won’t kill me. I don’t know how I know that, but I do.
His grip on my neck relaxed as his face lost all colour. Turning away from me, putting his back against the wall for support, he leant against it until his knees went out from under him and he slid down to the floor.
“We are nothing alike, Lois,” he said, rubbing a hand across his forehead. “Nothing alike at all.”
But that’s where he was wrong. We were far more alike than he could ever imagine.
We stayed like that for several minutes before Adie cleared his throat, reminding us that we were not alone.
“Can I play with her now?” he asked in a bored tone. Shit. I’d forgotten about that. I could feel another headache blooming beneath my left eye and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it spread.
James wasn’t listening to Adie. He was still staring into space and hadn’t moved in at least a couple of minutes. The last few days had zapped all of our energy and we were running on empty.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” He strode around to where I was standing, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the middle of the room. I let him. There was little point in protesting, anyway. He and his brother ruled these walls, and if he wanted to have some fun with me, no one would stop him.
James still didn’t say a thing, and that alone made me want to sob out loud. My protector was gone. He will never again have my back and as soon as he can be rid of me, he will put miles between us. I know how he thinks.
Adie walked me to the door, and I followed in his footsteps numbly. At the moment I felt like my body was dead to the world, but I knew it wouldn’t be in a moment - not if Adie had anything to do w
ith it.
Before he got to the door handle, it burst inward and almost blew us backwards by the force of the blast.
“Alain,” Adie said and nodded his head. He moved to walk past him, but his brother was having none of that.
“I need to talk to Lois and James. Make yourself scarce.” Pointing his thumb over his shoulder, he dismissed his brother quickly.
“But…”
“I have some girls waiting for you, Adie. They don’t train themselves. I’ll send Lois over when she’s finished here. Now go.”
Adie’s face tightened. “I meant what I said. There’s nothing you can do on the face of this earth that will convince me to work for you again.” Adie’s hands moved in an ‘X’ fashion, demonstrating he meant business.
Alain’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Fine. I’ll arrange to have James tied down to the bed again, and Lois can jump up and down on him one final time. You good with that? I, personally, can’t wait to see that happen - but I was going to drag it out for a while. If you’re in a hurry, though…” Alain pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed speed dial.
“Get me three guards in here with some restraints and rope. Make it quick.” Alain snapped his phone shut and put it back in his pocket. James made a gurgling sound in the back of his throat, and Adie’s jaw hung slack.
“There’s no way Lois will do that.” He shook his head.
“She will because she won’t have a choice. I can either pump her full of a hallucinogenic I’ve been experimenting with, or I’ve got some military grade MoD shit that is guaranteed to split her mind in two. Both of them are rather dangerous, but I’m game if you are.” Alain raised his eyebrows and my jaw dropped.
“Seriously?” Adie said, when he’d got the use of his voice back. “You’re going to go straight for the jugular?” He looked utterly gobsmacked.
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