by Susan Bliler
Finally, he stated, his voice grim, “We know you’re trying to infiltrate StoneCrow.”
His words had her mouth falling open as all the color drained from her face. She swallowed hard and shook her head. “RedKnife, I’d never…”
“YOU WOULD!” He snarled viciously. Angered by her treachery and attempt at deceit, he also had to admit that her affiliation with the man, Cody, had a part to play in his rage. He stalked to the door. “Don’t try to leave. I’ll be watching!” The door slammed behind him as he exited.
Cindy turned in the couch to huddle over her knees, a sick feeling washing over her. At first, she’d hoped this whole kidnapping had something to do with her ‘earning herself an admirer’ as Monroe put it. But that’s not what this was. She was in trouble. Somehow, they knew about Cody’s plot and her assistance in it. Fucking idiot! She groaned to herself. Of course they know! Was there anything they didn’t know? How in the hell had she ever hoped to fool Monroe StoneCrow, or even Cody for that matter. She was in serious, serious trouble.
Getting up, she paced to the window and stared out at the snow-covered terrain. Was he really out there watching? Yes.
Chapter 11
RedKnife huddled in wolf form just inside the tree line outside the cabin where Cindy slept. Nothing had gone as planned. Probably because he didn’t really have a plan.
He’d taken her and run when he was supposed to have returned her to StoneCrow for questioning. Something about how forlorn she’d been had pulled at his heart. She didn’t seem like a traitor, though her conversation with Cody said otherwise.
Now, he had tucked her into the cabin and ran out just as quickly, which wouldn’t do. The whole point of taking her was to get the truth from her before Monroe used his own ‘methods’. The CEO and Dominant Walker was merciless in all matters pertaining to the safety of his Walkers.
***
After a fitful night of sleep, Cindy woke late in the day to find RedKnife standing over her bed. Startled, she gasped and sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. “What’s wrong?”
She could just barely make out his face in the semi-dark, and surprise, surprise, he looked angry.
“We need to talk.”
Talk? She eyed the shuttered window. “What time is it?” Scooting to the edge of the bed she waited for him to go into the living room. He didn’t.
Without answering her question, he dove right in. “Why are you and your… lover attempting to infiltrate StoneCrow?”
Lover? Who did he mean? Cody? Suddenly, her stomach pitched violently. It was a rude awakening, and she placed a hand over her tummy in an attempt to settle herself. It didn’t work. Fear hit hard. Visions of him killing her and dumping her body somewhere on the mountainside had her opting for absolute truth.
“He’s not my lover. Cody is my brother.” RedKnife’s jaw ticked, but she rushed on. “We aren’t trying to infiltrate StoneCrow.”
RedKnife took a step closer to her with a growl and she threw up a hand, noticing the palm was bandaged, but too concerned with RedKnife to inspect it now. “WAIT! Let me finish.”
He stopped to frown down at her with angry dark eyes.
“We aren’t trying to infiltrate StoneCrow. He is!”
“Monroe knows you were…”
She cut him off. “Look, I don’t know what he thinks he knows, but just hear me out.” She desperately wanted to stand, but he didn’t move from his position towering over her. “Cody is my brother. My fuck-up little brother. He’s always in trouble, always digging himself into things he can’t get out of. And this last bit of trouble is the worst it’s ever been.” She dipped her head to study her wrapped hand. “He took out a loan and failed to pay it back. Problem is, the guy he borrowed from isn’t the type of man to just sweep that kind of cash under the carpet. Thirty-thousand dollars! In the past, I’ve helped Cody dig himself out, but this time it’s more than I can handle.” She lifted her head to look him in the eye, hoping he’d see the truth in her words. “Cody knows I’m working at StoneCrow, and he looked into Monroe and StoneCrow Enterprises. His plan was to get onto the Estate and rob the bar… rob me while I was on shift. I told him there wasn’t enough cash at the Crow’s Nest to cover even a fraction of what he owed, but he was adamant.”
“So you agreed to it?” He ground out in clear disdain.
“NO!” She fidgeted under his scrutiny. “Well…yes, but not like you think. I told him I’d look into it, but my plan was to earn the money before he actually tried going through with anything.”
RedKnife snorted. “And why would I believe you?”
“You don’t have to believe me.” Cindy stood, wincing at the pain in her feet and thigh, but pushing it aside to skirt his big body when he didn’t move. “Look into my work schedule. My shifts have doubled, and Monroe himself can verify that I’ve asked for all the available shifts in the kitchen as well.”
“That only confirms that you’re attempting to familiarize yourself with the Estate.”
She was shaking her head vehemently. “My other job!” She stepped toward him excitedly, needing him to believe her. “I’ve taken more hours there too, and it’s not on the Estate.” Her eyes darted from side-to-side, and then she yelled, “AND LILLY! You can check with Lilly. She can vouch for me, that I requested an apartment at the Estate. Monroe offers free residence to all employees who pass a background check. I’ve just been waiting for the background check to go through. And I know you think that doesn’t sound like it’s in my favor, but it is. I’ve been pinching every damn penny I’ve been making, RedKnife. Saving on rent was going to make it so that in seven months—combined with my savings—I’d have enough to cover Cody’s debt. All I had to do was string him along until then. You know, make him think I was seriously looking into how he could get away with robbing the Crow’s Nest. I played along, but I never had any intentions of letting him onto the Estate. I knew it’d never happen. I knew the Walkers would stop him.”
One minute she was spilling her guts in hopes of a reprieve, and the next she was pinned to the wall with RedKnife’s hand gripping her throat.
“What,” he hissed, “do you think you know about Walkers?”
Fuck! She swallowed hard, feeling her throat rub against his hand as it convulsed. His hold wasn’t rough, but it was scary. “N-n-nothing! I don’t…”
His hand tightened.
“Please!” She’d never really believed he’d hurt her, until now.
“Talk,” he commanded.
“RedKnife?” Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips. “I’ve…I’ve been at StoneCrow long enough to familiarize myself with the Estate. I wouldn’t need to move there to do so. And… I’ve also been there long enough to see things. To hear things. I’m not a dumb woman.”
When her revelation didn’t seem to sit well with him, she hurried on. “I’m also smart enough to know to keep my mouth shut. I have told no one.” She narrowed her eyes on his face. “No one! Not a single word pertaining to StoneCrow has left my mouth. All my brother knows is that I work in the bar there. He doesn’t even know my schedule. Any information he has, he’s gleaned on his own. I have not provided him any information or reason to think his stupid plan would ever work. And I certainly never had any intentions of letting him attempt to follow through. I value my life too much for that.”
Satisfied her impassioned speech must surely have broken through, her hopes faltered when he didn’t release her. Instead, his nostrils flared in what she could only assume was anger.
“Look into my bank account, RedKnife. There’s ten-thousand dollars there. Then do the math. Look at what I’m currently making at both my jobs. It’ll add up. Math doesn’t lie! If I got into housing on the Estate, I’d have enough cash in seven months to pay off his debt. I’m not a fucking thief!”
Slowly, he released her and backed away, suddenly lost in concentration. “Shit,” he muttered so quietly that she nearly missed it.
“What? What does that mean?�
�
He looked up at her. “It means I believe you.”
Elated, she huffed out a relieved breath. “Great. That’s great…right?”
He shook his head once.
“What? Why not? You said you believe me, you said….”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what he thinks.”
“Monroe?” She rushed to him and grabbed his arm. “Can’t you just tell him?”
His eyes dipped to her hands, and she followed his line of sight before quickly releasing him and backing away.
“So, what then? You know I’m telling the truth, but Monroe thinks I’m an enemy. Maybe if I told him what I just told you. Maybe he’d…”
“He won’t.”
Cindy hugged herself. “Then what? What do we do now?”
RedKnife wanted to smile at the ‘we’. Secretly, he was glad she’d suddenly pulled him into her corner, whether it was out of self-preservation or not. “We’re going to eat, and then I’m going to contact Monroe. See if I can’t talk him down.”
“Down?” Suddenly, she was more nervous than she’d been when RedKnife had grabbed her throat. She interacted with the CEO very infrequently and those rare interactions told her one thing. Monroe was a man who wouldn’t take a threat lightly. “You…you won’t let him hurt me. Right?”
Her tone was so hopeful that he felt guilt bite hard for having put her in this position. She'd lied for him to keep him out of jail, and he’d repaid her by running to Monroe with bad Intel without first confirming it. He was an ass, and he knew it.
“Get dressed.” He ordered. “There are clothes outside the door.”
Chapter 12
Cindy limped after him to the door and then watched as he stalked down the hall. She wanted to call him back, she needed more answers, but clearly it’d have to wait.
When RedKnife disappeared at the end of the hall, she turned to find several bags lining the wall just outside the bedroom door. She lugged them into the bedroom and was startled to find so many clothes, all in her size.
Digging out a pair of thermal socks, fresh underwear, a bra, jeans, and a sweater, she went to the only other door in the room and sighed in relief when she found a bathroom.
She showered quickly even as she wondered where the cabin was located to be equipped with electricity and hot water. She figured they had to be close to civilization, which would bode well for her if RedKnife couldn’t “talk Monroe down."
Shower finished and dressed in her new clothes, she folded her flannel gown she’d woken in and set in on the chair in her room. She blushed at the knowledge that she hadn’t been wearing the warm gown when RedKnife broke into her apartment, which meant he’d changed her into it. Undressing in the bathroom, she’d found her thigh, hip, and feet cleaned and wrapped. She assumed RedKnife had changed her wet, and presumably bloody, clothes to be considerate, but she couldn’t manage to muster up any appreciation, especially considering he’d have seen her with no bra when he removed her other gown.
***
RedKnife paced the living room. He wanted to go back to the room to help Cindy dress, but even with the light scent of her pain filtering through the house; he knew it was a bad idea. Women didn’t like strange men helping them dress.
Turning, he stalked to the window and looked out at the forest. He’d said he’d contact Monroe, but he wouldn’t. Not now. He’d gotten Cindy into this mess by presenting unverified intel to the CEO. He wouldn’t do it again. While he believed Cindy’s claim, he had to be sure it was the truth and not just his need for it to be so. He was attracted to the female, and that made things worse. If it were any other woman, he’d have simply delivered her to Monroe and allowed the Dominant to come to his own conclusions, but the mere thought of Monroe touching Cindy had RedKnife’s hackles rising.
“C-can you please close the door?”
Cindy’s words pulled him from his reverie. He slid a glance toward the door, but didn’t move. After a few moments, Cindy rolled her eyes and limped to the door, closing it.
He growled.
“What’s wrong with you?” She bit out accusatorily. “I’m the one being held against my will.” She watched as RedKnife swallowed hard, his hands balling into fists before relaxing.
“I don’t like confined spaces.”
Cindy eyed the door before turning to study the cabin. It was cozy, but she could see how someone not used to being inside would find it a little stifling. Then she remembered what Monroe told her when RedKnife had approached her in the bar. Monroe had said the last time RedKnife was inside a building was to perform a service for a friend. What did that mean? That he never went into buildings. She eyed him warily. He kept the door open because it made him feel less trapped.
“You gonna be okay?” The last thing she needed was for her giant captor to go berserk and freak out on her because he couldn’t handle being indoors.
“Fine.” But the word was clipped.
For long moments she studied him before crossing to the kitchen. She eyed the fridge and the cupboards before asking, “May I?”
He nodded once.
Cindy dug through the cupboards, then turned and bent to rifle through the fridge. She pulled out a few items, placing them on the counter.
RedKnife stood quietly, watching her work. When she nibbled on her lip as she pulled out cooking utensils, the front of his pants tightened uncomfortably, prompting him into action. Not wanting to leave her, he busied himself stocking more firewood next to the hearth, then swept up debris that had fallen from the logs. While he worked, he watched her in the kitchen. She’d pulled out a pot and turned to wash her hands before she started working.
He watched inconspicuously as she dumped dry ingredients into a large glass bowl and stirred them before adding water, mixing again, and then placing a towel over the bowl. Then she was rinsing vegetables and chopping potatoes with a practiced hand. Celery, tomatoes, and onions all piled into the pot around a hunk of venison roast. It looked like it’d be good.
A soft humming had his eyes lifting from her hands to study her face. She was beautiful. Delicate brows speared down in concentration as she pulled a face he was sure she wasn’t even aware of as she worked. It was mesmerizing watching her cook. She blinked, and one corner of her mouth curled. He studied her lips then, trying to decide if her lips were naturally that pink, or if she were wearing lipstick.
Her voice pulled him from his reverie. “If you’re going to stare, you might as well help.”
Stare? She caught him staring! Thank God for his Native ancestry, he knew it helped to hide some of his flush. “I…was…” Staring! Idiot. He shook his head and replaced the broom he’d been leaning on before crossing to the sink to wash his hands then turning to face her expectantly.
“We’re having bread with dinner too.” She removed the towel from the bowl she’d been working on earlier to slap her hand onto the dough ball she’d formed inside. “Can you knead this?”
“Do I?”
Her brows speared down. “Do you what?”
“You said ‘can I need this’. Don’t you mean, do I?”
Her voice raised an octave. “What?”
RedKnife shook his head uncomfortably and turned to eye the dough. “What do you want me to do?”
“Knead this.” Cindy shook her head in exasperation.
RedKnife looked at her. “Are you fucking with me?”
That evoked a bark of laughter from Cindy. “What are you talking about, crazy guy?” She kept laughing. “Will you please knead. This. Dough.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what this means. Need. Need how?”
Then she was doubled over in laughter. “Oh my…Oh my God!” She kept laughing, and it only increased as his scowl darkened. Finally, she righted herself and rubbed the tears from her eyes. She asked around a wide grin, “You’ve never kneaded bread?”
“I like bread, but I wouldn’t say I need it.” He frowned darkly at the offending dough.
>
Chuckling again, Cindy shook her head. “Knead. K. N. E. A. D. It’s easy.” Cindy wiped her hands on her towel. “Just get in there and kind of punch it around.”
RedKnife looked at her and she nodded encouragingly. “Go on.”
WHAM! One solid punch right through the dough and the bowl shattered.
“Jesus Christ!” She jumped, her paring knife falling to the counter with a clatter. “What in the hell was that?”
“You said punch it.”
“I said punch it around.” She grabbed his forearm and pulled his fist out of the bowl, inspecting it for wounds before shaking her head in dismay and picking up the larger pieces of glass before carrying them to the garage. “I didn’t say to beat the shit out of it.”
To his surprise, she smiled at her last remark. “Why don’t you just sit over there?” She motioned with her head to the bar stool on the opposite side of the kitchen island. “You can watch and maybe learn a thing or two.”
Taking a seat, he watched in awe as she prepared the food with a practiced hand. He wanted to ask her how she’d learned to cook, but didn’t. He’d learned that he tended to glean more information by watching people. Still, he was shocked at the ease with which his interest encouraged him to strike up a conversation.
“Do you cook at all?”
“Some.” He shrugged, not wanting to admit that he only knew how to cook simple things like boxed meals and eggs or meat. Nothing fancy, and certainly nothing ever from scratch.
“So,” she began and he looked up to see her cheeks a little flushed. “Any developments on that missing rancher?” She didn’t look up, and he noted her cheeks flushed a little brighter.
He smiled. She was attempting to remind him that she’d defended him. She didn’t need to. The act of kindness was one he wouldn’t forget.
“No.” He answered simply.
Her only reply was a soft, “Oh.”
They enjoyed a comfortable silence as she finished preparing their meal -- the best RedKnife had ever had.