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I don’t answer. I’m borderline ready to knee him in the balls and save that poor girl.
“Answer me, Tillie.” His grip tightens in my hair.
“No!” I gasp. “I don’t know what that means.”
He chuckles, and then I feel his teeth sink into the flesh of my neck. He swats my ass forward, dismissing me. “It means that her parents have decided they don’t want her, so unless someone else of her line accepts her.” Nate’s eyes flick up to Brantley and then come back down to mine. “Then she’s gotta bounce.”
“Bounce?” I snort. “But why did you bring me here? Why, Nate?”
He chuckles, and the sound grips on my fear and squeezes tightly. “Because I want you to see why it’s important for you to listen to me. Take in this scene, Tillie. Remember it.”
Turning around to face Brantley. His eyes are already on the girl, his finger running lines over his upper lip.
“Brantley!”
He doesn’t look at me.
“Brantley!” I repeat, my voice a little higher.
He finally turns to face me, his eyes narrowing. “What?”
“You’re a Vitiosis. Take her.”
There’s a pause, and at first, I think nothing of it. I don’t even question why everyone has suddenly silenced. The new guys who came in have stopped their chatting. Like never mind the fact that this girl is caged here, ready to—whatever was about to happen to her.
Brantley continues to glare at me, his face expressionless. “I don’t want to.”
Nate rips off his robe and stretches his neck, his eyes going up and down my body. It’s the first time I’ve noticed the blood on his chest. He swipes his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes still on mine. “Stop trying to interfere, Tillie.”
“You brought me here, Nate,” I snap, going back to Brantley who is still watching me.
“You want me to save her?” Brantley asks the question with discernable hesitancy as if he’s wondering why I would want to save a human being. “Tillie, the reason why she has fallen on our lap is because of your mother. If she was here, doing her job, then we wouldn’t have come face-to-face with who this girl is.” I ignore his comment about Katsia.
“Please,” I plead, watching him. Brantley has no other immediate family. His father died when Madison killed him for what he did to her and Brantley as children, and his mother died when he was young. Him having someone, anyone, would have to be better than having no one. “You’re alone, Brantley. Bring someone in.”
His eyes narrow, but his lip kicks up in a devious smirk. He leans over, running his index finger down the side of my face. Chills break out over my skin. “Tsk, tsk…” His fingers grip around my chin as he tilts my face to his. “What makes you think I’m alone.” Why does that statement chill me to the bone?
Our eye contact is broken by a voice I haven’t heard in some time.
“Time’s up. Do it.”
I spin around, my eyes clashing with her figure. Tall, long dark hair, enough makeup on to be classed as a Sephora shop, and heels as high as the shoe that’s shoved up her ass.
Khales.
I clench my jaw, raising to my feet and leaping straight for her. She sees me and for a second, fear flashes through her eyes before she quickly composes herself. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little pink haired hobbit.”
“That’s real cute,” I laugh, snarling and coming face-to-face, nose-tip-to-nose-tip with her. “But you and I have unfinished business.”
She grits her teeth. “We are done. I’m with Hector now, or did you forget?” Then she smirks, and I have to physically clench my fists together to stop them from flying straight into her face. “You can’t touch me.” She swings her bored eyes over my shoulder toward Nate and Bishop. “End her. I’ll send the crew after, and boys, you still have a job to do tonight.” She looks around all of them. “And we need it done rather quickly.” She winks at Bishop. “See you all later.” She leaves as quickly as she appeared. I let out a frustrated scream and then swing around to Bishop, who is watching her exit with venom seeping through his eyes.
“How has no one killed that bitch yet?” I scream, my arms flying up around me.
Bishop’s eyes come to mine. “Good question.”
I stomp toward the girl in the cage, gripping the metal and slowly dropping to my knees. “I’m going to get you out, okay?”
She doesn’t answer, her lip trembles.
“What’s your name?” I ask while mentally trying to think of a plan that doesn’t get us both locked inside.
“Bailey. Bailey Rose Vitiosis.”
“Okay, Bailey, well I’m going to get you out.” I stand, swiping the dirt from my knees. Brantley is already watching me. His jaw clenches, and then he rolls his eyes, his strides eating up the distance between us. Oh shit.