Page 34 of Wolf.e (The Soldiers of Bedlam #1)

She pushes back from me and looks me in the eye. “ Wolfe told you he’s keeping you?”

I nod, swiping a tear from my face.

All the humor leaves Layla’s eyes, and she looks down in concentration, like she’s running things through her mind.

“I don’t want to know what you saw,” she says, her eyes returning to mine. “I don’t want you to tell me what it was, I’d rather not know. But can you tell me on a scale of one to ten how bad it was?”

“Twenty-five,”

“Fuck,” Layla hisses. “Wolfe doesn’t keep people for…anything,” she whispers, probably trying to make sense of it all.

“Lucky me. I’m an experiment. I get to live at the clubhouse with my captor.”

“Listen to me, Brin,” Layla pleads. “Whatever you saw, I can’t imagine.

But you have to do what he says. You have to go along with him for now.

This is…very out of character for Wolfe…

and if I had to wager a guess, he’s trying to keep from hurting you because you’re my friend.

He does have a heart in there somewhere. That has to be it.”

“I don’t believe you,” I scoff.

The bathroom door swings open, Layla and I both straighten as two women come in. Layla knows them and they start to talk.

I take the time to fix myself up as they chatter. I wash my hands and smooth my hair.

“I might be his first of the weekend,” a pretty brunette says. I watch her over my shoulder. “I haven’t seen anyone in that lap. In fact, I’ve barely seen him at all.” Her voice is husky and she seems older than me by a few years.

“Good luck. He doesn’t believe in repeat offenders,” another brunette, shorter with wild curly hair says as she applies her lipstick.

“The weekend is almost over,” Layla says to them. “He is a man, you guys, he’s not just a dick, Jesus. And besides, the guys have had a lot of work this weekend,” she adds, looking at me.

I instantly know these women are talking about Gabriel and for some reason I don’t like it. I wonder why a man with such a reputation for sex with women, anywhere and anytime, hasn’t tried to have sex with me. He’s had plenty of chances.

I pull my own gloss out of my purse.

“There are utility closets around. I’m going to go see if I can get lost in one with him before we leave,” the older brunette says.

“You’re so bad!” Her friend laughs.

I don’t wait to hear the end of this conversation, I push past them and head back out to the dining hall, accidentally brushing into one of them on my way by—the taller one with the long straight hair.

“Excuse you, bitch,” she says to me.

I turn back over my shoulder. “Sorry,” I say as she laughs.

“Don’t do it again, little Sandra Dee,” she calls out.

I hold back tears as I move through the bathroom hallway and back into the dining room. I’m so out of my element with these people. Sandra Dee? From Grease? Is that how they all see me? Like a little goody-type girl with the bow in her hair?

When I reach the main room, Gabriel is at my table. He’s clean now. No remnants of last night linger. He wears black jeans and a white T-shirt under his cut with his standard motorcycle boots on his feet. His still wet and wavy hair is tucked behind his ears.

I look around and wonder if he’s been with every single woman in this room.

Everyone but me. The voice in my head reminds me.

I make my way to the table and notice he’s right beside my spot, eating from a heaping plate. Another plate is in my setting with steaming eggs, bacon, fruit and toast. His clean scent consumes me before I even sit.

“Eat,” he says as I take my place.

I can feel the eyes of the table on me as I sit and push away his offering.

“I’m good,” I say in response.

Kai and Chantel’s mouths actually fall open.

How dare I?

I look over at Gabriel just as he pops a thick piece of bacon between his perfect straight white teeth, biting into it, his eyes meet mine.

“Don’t make me tell you twice,” he says so low that no one else can hear as he pushes my plate back in front of me.

I decide to pick my battles, reminding myself that the only power I have here is the power of my choice, and the fruit does look good. I pick up a melon ball with my fork and look right at him, bringing it to my lips, I part them and place the ball halfway in, wrapping my lips around it slowly.

“Mmm.” I make a moaning sound. “So good,” I say.

Someone—Kai, I think—drops a fork, and I see that storm start to churn in Gabriel’s slate eyes.

I chew and keep my eyes on him as I slide the fork out of my mouth, way more slowly than warranted.

“There you are.” The husky voice from the bathroom sounds.

I get a better look at her. She’s no older than thirty.

Her hair is thick and she smells like fruity perfume.

She wears a cropped white T-shirt and a high-waisted skirt.

A short one, but you can still see the sliver of skin at her navel.

An inked snake that peeks out of her sleeve must travel her whole body because it’s visible at her waist and pokes out from beneath her skirt. The table is back to full chatter now.

“Got a few minutes to sneak away?” she asks Gabriel.

I don’t look up. I look anywhere else. If he’s going to go off with her like she’s so sure he will, I don’t want him to know I care in the slightest. I take another bite of melon and wait with bated breath for his answer.

Layla sits down beside me with her own plate, having been removed from her previous spot by Gabriel.

“Why don’t you ask Brinley how she feels about that?” Gabriel says smugly to the woman.

She angles her head over her shoulder and looks at me. Humiliation and anger bubbles up in me. I might snap.

“Sure, Sandra.” She winks. I want to smack her. “You can come too. Don’t bore me to tears,” she says with a grin.

Wow. These women.

Fuck him and fuck her . I’ve had enough of people thinking they can walk all over me. I scoff with a bit of a laugh. “He can’t be that good,” I say to her.

“ Excuse me?” she says, turning to face me fully like she might hit me.

I just pop another piece of melon in and smile and chew. I’ve never felt so free. Some small compartment of my brain tells me Gabriel won’t let this woman hurt me, so right now I just feel strong enough to mess with them both .

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I speak to her like she’s a child.

“Did I stutter? Let me speak more slowly for you. His dick”—I nod to Gabriel—“is it magic?” I cock my head to the side and someone snickers.

I should probably stop but I don’t. “Because you were just calling me a bitch not five minutes ago in the ladies’ room but now you want to make out with me? ” I ask.

The table goes dead silent.

“ Brin, ” Lay says, squeezing my thigh beside me.

“Cassidy, is it?” Gabriel says to her, keeping his eyes firmly planted on me.

“Chelsea,” she corrects him.

“I didn’t mean Brinley would come with us, I meant…” He turns his face up to hers and she melts beneath his gaze. I roll my eyes. “Ask her how she feels about me taking you into the closest bathroom and fucking you until you scream,” Gabriel says, his eyes turning to firmly lock on mine.

“Have at it.” I shrug back, calling his bluff. I look up at Chelsea “I’m not his keeper,” I add.

Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see Gabriel smirk.

“Am I missing something here?” Chelsea asks. I take a big sip of my juice and look back up at her.

“Nope.” I pop my lips. “He’s all yours, honey. Just might want to wrap that shit up, never know where it’s been.”

“Who the fuck do you think—” she starts, but Gabriel reaches out and grabs her arm. Hard. She stops talking immediately.

“Yeah, I’m gonna…go. I just wanted to see if you were up for a good time. I don’t want to be in the middle of whatever this is,” Chelsea says, gesturing between us.

“Good idea, Cassidy,” Gabriel says without looking at her. “I wouldn’t have fucked you anyway.”

Chelsea takes off muttering something no one can understand about me, and Gabriel looks away from my eyes and goes back to eating as if nothing happened.

I watch Chelsea go and try my best not to be happy that Gabriel turned her down.

He doesn’t say a word, only continues eating in silence, but I saw it, a sort of pride in his eyes when I stood up for myself.

That wasn’t all Gabriel wanted. I know he was trying to make me admit my want, trying to make me submit to him like every other woman in here. Well, I won’t, he’s the one who wanted a wicked girl.

“What has gotten into you?” Layla asks, her eyes wide in surprise.

“I have no idea,” I whisper honestly.

My short answer? Gabriel Wolfe makes me crazy. He makes me lose control in every way possible.

I ignore him while I eat but Gabriel stands up to leave part way through breakfast with Ax, Flipp, and Robby.

He doesn’t tell me where he’s going, or when I’ll see him again.

He only gives me my marching orders with a squeeze to my shoulder.

Ride home with Layla and the girls, and then start packing my things.

I have no choice but to go with them in Chantel’s SUV.

The whole way home I wonder when he’ll come for me next. Layla complains that her honeymoon to California is being postponed because Sean ‘has to work.’ I don’t say much. I just want to get home, have a hot shower, lock all my doors, and bury myself in bed.

I shoot up in my seat when we round the corner of Spruce because my house is a flurry of activity.

Two vans are parked in front, and I instantly worry that a pipe burst or something until we get closer.

There are stacks of cedar wood laying on my front lawn, a dumpster in my driveway and there must be ten men in various places, pulling down my old rotting porch.