Page 36 of Marked for Execution
“Reed, go find Samuel. The Doc is looking for him.” Not taking my eyes off the woman in front of me, I gave Reed a task to complete so he can get out of my hair.
Her eyes flickered with an emotion before she schooled her features.What was that about?Does she want Reed’s company? Well, she was shit out of luck, because it wasnothappening.
She walked between us and tested the door, opening and closing it a few times. There was a slight gap between where the bolt met the door frame, but it did its job. She gave a resigned sigh and left the house with me following right after her and Reed breaking off to the right.
Fitri stopped, and I ran into her back. She turned and gave me a look I was used to seeing on her face at this point.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.
“To make sure you stay out of trouble.”
“Me?Me?”She laughed humorlessly, and I leaned down toward her.
“I’m making sure no one touches you, you feel? Because that’s my job.”
“The hell it is,” she fired back, and I grinned.
“You weren’t complaining the other day. In fact, you weren’t complainingat allwhen I was grinding against you this morning. Your ass pushed right back into me.”
Her fist flew at me, and I caught it, pulling her against my chest as I bit her earlobe. “Don’t test me,Sili. My restraint can only go so far.”
She shivered and jerked away, pretending she didn’t feel this thing between us growing.
Trying to placate her a bit, I said, “I’ll make sure to look for another cap when we go scavenging, alright? You don’t need to go sneaking out into shit on your own when you have a fuckingteambacking you up. Don’t be stupid,Sili.”
Her eyes blazed as she turned away and continued toward the middle of the town. It was still early yet, the crowd small enough to make her feel comfortable. I had come to realize that about her. She got antsy when there were too many strangers around within touching distance.
“Hey, guys! What can I get ya?” Oscar came from the back of the house with a towel in his hand.
He stared at Fitri, tilting his head. His eyes widened when he finally connected the dots. I stared at him, daring him to say anything right now. He was smart enough to stay quiet with his newfound knowledge.
“Any meat today?” she inquired.
Was it wrong of me to bristle at her choice of using her feminine voice with him instead of her false, deeper tone? He didn’t deserve to hear her like that. I watched the way his face reddened, and I made a mental note to keep an eye on this fool.
“Not today. The calf we have is still growing. It’s going to be a while. We’re hoping to get more piglets this summer.”
She nodded and looked around at the vegetables, grabbing a few.
Oscar continued to stare at her and I slammed my hand on his counter, startling him. “Mark her off for cleaning weapons. Her tab should be clear,” I instructed.
He gave me a look before heading to the back.
Silislapped me with the back of her hand, but I watched until Oscar completely disappeared out of my sight.
“Stop being such an asshole to people.”
“They need to be kept on their toes and stop looking at what’s mine.” She might as well get used to it.
“Fucker, I never said I was yours,” she scoffed as she walked out the door with her little loot.
“Your body said enough.”
“Asshole.”
“I know.”
We walked back toward the southwest corner of the community. My stomach grumbled, and she chuckled. I loved the sound. I needed to make her laugh more instead of being the ass she claimed me to be. Years of putting up with people’s bullshit and surviving through sheer grit and determination had made me this way.Siliwas good for me.