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“Trust me, girl. As long as I’m alive and kicking, nobody is going to touch you,” Shiloh says. “I guess they have to tell you that kind of stuff to keep you in line. You’re obviously a handful.”
“You tried to escape last night,” Spike adds.
I shrug. “Worth a shot.”
“Of course. But now you understand that there is no escaping this place,” Shiloh bluntly replies. “You’re better off staying here and doing as you’re told. They just want you to be as cooperative as possible, Ariana. Nobody wants to hurt you. They only want your father’s attention.”
I shrug in confusion. “Listen, I understand that everybody hates politicians, but I didn’t ask to be born a David. Where’s my fault in any of this?”
Spike clears his throat. “Ariana, I’ll be honest. I’ve been instructed not to even talk to you, but you seem like a nice girl. Totally different from that—”
“Shitbag father of yours,” Shiloh interjects, and Spike gives her a hard glare.
To my surprise, she softens under his wordless reprimand, giving him the floor. “The point is, you seem like a nice girl,” Spike continues, “and I shouldn’t be telling you this, but you deserve to know. They have every intention of returning you safely to your father once they’re done.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, at least she’s not dumb,” Shiloh chuckles dryly. “I mean, at least she’s cautious and suspicious. I would’ve been more worried if she actually believed you.”
“You are not helping,” Spike lovingly admonishes his wife.
I want to believe him. Last night’s events led me to think there’s another side to these men, a side I have yet to see. But none of that changes the facts of the situation. I am still a prisoner. I am still unable to go home. And if I stir crap up and try to escape again, there is no telling what they’ll do to me.
“Just stay here and don’t try to escape again,” Spike says. “You’ll be okay.”
“And you’re also more or less my size, so I know what to shop for,” Shiloh adds.
“I don’t need any new clothes, thanks. I told you; it doesn’t matter.”
“And I’m telling you, I don’t really care,” Shiloh replies and sashays out of the room as though she’s walking on clouds.
I like her. She’s got spunk and plenty of attitude. I can see why Spike is so head over heels with her. Having met Shiloh makes me feel extra awkward for hitting on him the other day, though I’m sure he knows and understands why I was driven to do it in the first place. Hell, out of all the people involved in this, Spike seems the most human.
“Take care, I’ll be back later,” he says.
I watch him leave, and then I hear the key turn in the lock.
It’s a sound that’s now familiar in my life.
8
Raylan
Itry to limit my interactions with Ariana because she has a certain effect on me. If I give in to it, I will condemn myself. She’s too good, too sweet, too different to be a David, yet she is a David, and I keep repeating that in my head, trying to get it to sink in.
I see the effect she has on Kendric, and I know what happened with Sky. To hear that she was a virgin until the other night only serves to make my blood boil. She’s too fucking wonderful for this world.
A tinge of jealousy tests me whenever I see Sky getting all morose about her. At least he’s got something to miss. I only have my dark fantasies, my wishes, my desires to keep me company at night. It’s been a while since I have found myself so intrigued by a woman, and it’s coming at the worst possible time and with the wrong woman. We were only supposed to kidnap her and keep her hostage until Henry David submitted to our demands—that was it.
Yet now, the three of us are walking around with our jeans tighter than ever while the girl thinks we’re going to slit her throat when it’s over. Granted, she is our prisoner, and we haven’t been too clear about our intentions. But damn, I think the danger excites her a little.
It’s day eight, and the vultures are still circling.
There are more cops out on patrol. Drug dens and stash houses keep getting raided. They’re combing the streets of Everton City, desperately looking for Ariana. They’ve got eyes on the clubhouse, too, but our lawyers hit the right judge with so many injunctions that the police department can’t even look at us funny without risking one hell of a lawsuit. That was the first step in our move against the Black Hand—getting a law firm that’s out of state and out of their reach.
The district attorney is struggling to get more boots on the ground while the sheriff and the state troopers are spread far and wide around the city. It’s just the beginning, but at least they’re clearing some of the scum off the streets. It’s not enough, though, and it’s only a temporary fix, yet it is better than nothing and more than the people of Everton have received over the past few decades.
It’s a shame it had to come to this.
