Page 4

Marcus

It's been three whole days since we arrived at the safe house. Elliott is broken and utterly destroyed. Hunter tries to be tender like Kameron but she shrugs him off. She doesn't want to talk or tell us anything.

Three fucking days and no word from Kameron either.

She hasn't come out of the room yet. Hunter and I have been taking turns bringing meals, but besides that, we don't bother her much. She needs the time to recuperate but it’s also extremely fucking frustrating.

Hunter will have to figure that all out because I don't know what to do or say to her.

I stirred the scrambled eggs one more time, probably more aggressively than needed. Hunter's footsteps echo down the hall before he appears in the kitchen.

"Making her a plate?" He asks, his eyes locked on his phone.

"Yeah." I don't have a fucking choice, now do I? "I have enough for everyone." I scooped the eggs onto the three plates on the island behind me, filling each plate with bacon, toast, and hashbrowns.

I place one plate on a wooden tray with a fork, a napkin, and bottled water. Picking it up as I balance it on one hand and grab another plate, sliding it in front of Hunter.

"Thanks, Flores." He says pulling the plate closer to himself, "Be gentle with her, will you?"

"Gentle? I’m just gonna drop food off."

"We don't know what the hell happened over there."

"Mhm…"

He’s repeated this to me multiple times since she’s arrived and I don't know what he wants me to do with it.

Yeah, of course we don't know what the fuck happened to her, because she was holding back any and all information that would tell us about Everton or the Donovans. Her family . For all we know she was doing it on purpose to protect herself and them. She could be in on all of it, the stupid fake religion shit, luring people into the community, and helping traffick innocent people for their cult’s gain.

His hand shoots to my side, stopping me in my tracks, "So…we don't know what she’s healing from. Be. Gentle ."

"Yessir." It comes out just as sarcastic as I wanted it to. If I wasn't holding this tray in my hands I would have given him a salute along with it, I shrug away from his hand .

While I know Hunter means well because he’s giving Eden or Elliott—whatever she wanted to be called—the benefit of the doubt and is convinced that she isn't faking the trauma, it all still rubs me the wrong way that she’s here and Kam isn't.

Fuck. I need to get my emotions in check.

I make my way down the long hallway, light brightens this part of the house in the morning and the sun shines through the glass wall that lines one side.

"Watch it, Marcus." Hunter calls out from behind me.

I rolled my eyes and kept moving towards Kam's room, she’s been using it since she arrived.

God, that annoys me more than it should.

I looked down at the food, knowing it was going to be another wasted plate like all the other ones.

Every plate came back untouched with only the water bottle sipped from, but just barely.

As much as it aggravated me, I was also somewhat glad that she was staying hydrated.

It still kills me a little inside though that she wasn't eating, for many reasons.

In my childhood, food was hard to come by so when I saw others throw it away, it made my brain glitch. I couldn't scold her though, Hunter would have a conniption. He kept saying to let her heal, to let her adapt to this new place and life before I went full 'Marcus' on her.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

I tapped the toe of my shoe on the door of the room but no response, of course.

I don't knock again, I just turn the handle and push the door wide open. She’s laying on the bed, eyes closed, and the duvet cover tucked up to her chin.

She isn't asleep. I know that much with the way her chest is rising and falling. Taking the night security shifts with Hunter since she’s been here means I know this woman’s breathing patterns.

This job doesn’t pay enough.

I kick the bed just enough to scare her into opening her eyes.

She glances up from her spot on the bed, narrowing her eyes when she sees it’s me, not Hunter.

The way I find joy in her annoyance has me craving each one of our encounters.

I know I shouldn't but I also couldn't stop showing how much it amuses me.

"Feeding time." I wink at her. She rolls her eyes, turning over in bed without a word.

" Thank you, Marcus." I mimic her voice, "Oh, you are so welcome." I put the food down with more force than intended and the plate rattles against the wooden tray. "Eat up, princess. We don't need you dying on our watch. Kam wouldn't be too fond of that."

I tower over her, watching her with crossed arms. She doesn't budge and I don't really have the patience to sit here and make sure she can complete basic life skills. I walk out of the room, closing the door firmly.

I walk down the hall back to the kitchen, rounding the corner to see Hunter sipping a fresh cup of coffee.

My plate had been placed right next to him on the island, a coffee mug filled, and it looks like he added my creamer for me.

He pats the stool next to him without looking at me, as he continues to drink his mug.

I join him in silence and he squeezes my thigh as I settle in and begin to eat, "Did she talk this time?" He asks.

"Nope, gave me dagger eyes though."

"Well, did you deserve them?"

"I brought her a fresh meal in bed, why would I deserve it?" He looks over at me and tilts his head with one eyebrow raised. "What?" He doesn't change the look on his face. "I woke her up so she could eat. That's all."

"Okay. Maybe she isn't a morning person." He looks away.

"Maybe she isn't a people person, is more like it."

He chuckles deep and sultry, "Sounds like someone else I know." He bumps me with his knee before continuing to eat.

We sit in silence for the rest of the meal and I am grateful for the lack of conversation. I need the quiet to think, to go over how I’m feeling. I know Hunter will be there for me if I need help to work it all out, but I don't want to talk about it out loud yet. There was too much to process.

Kameron is still stuck in that town with no support, or the fact that Elliott was here with us.

I didn't know what the exact repercussions would be for taking her away from Everton, but I knew someone was going to have to pay.

My only fear was that it would be Kameron who would suffer the consequences.

I didn't like how much Elliott and Kameron are attached to one another. The suddenness of it all gives me a twisted feeling in my gut. They barely know each other, but the way she screamed for him when I had to pull her from the ladder that night. The way she tried to bolt when we were trying to escape, attempting to make him come with us. It’s evident she’s falling for him.

And Kameron is most definitely falling for her.

He risked the whole mission for her, to save her first.

It didn't help that I had to hear her mumble his name as she slept.

This whole thing has my blood boiling and I don't know if it bothers me because I don't want her to have him, him to have her, or if I'm mad that I'm not a part of it.

I have no right to be mad or to feel left out.

I'm the reason Hunter, Kameron, and I aren't fully together anymore. The reason we called it all off. Do I still have my moments with Hunter? Hell yes, I do. But with Kameron, it’s different.

He didn't take the split very well, but I just couldn't get my hopes up. I couldn’t go through that kind of pain again and I couldn’t allow another person to come into our life.

The last time I opened my heart to a woman, she ran off and took a piece of me with her.

I told Kameron to leave it between the three of us, but he said I was giving up.

I was. I was protecting the love I already had with him and Hunter but he couldn't see why I came to that conclusion.

So, we took time apart to find out what we really wanted.

But I don't think he expected us to take this long.

"Any development on the security infiltration?" Hunter's words bring me back to the kitchen .

"I have a few more walls to break through. Looks like Everton has someone on the inside with just as much skill as me. It's fucking annoying." I huff out, dropping the fork onto the plate with frustration.

"If there is anyone that can get in, it's you. Keep trying."

"I know, I will." I push my stool out and stand. I should be working on it right now to help Kameron finish this mission. Not chatting here in the kitchen or letting my mind wonder about all of this relationship shit. "I'll let you know if anything changes. You do the same."

With that, I stalk out of the kitchen to my room, on the other side of the house. Thank fucking god.

Away from Kameron's room. I can deal with that later.