Page 29 of Depraved

I cleared my throat. “Okay, I’m fine. You can leave now.”

“Nope.” She continued to browse the pages.

“What do you mean, nope?”

“Granite told me to sit here and make sure you’re okay. Now, in Granite’s terms, that means ‘do not move your ass until I tell you to.’ So, I’m not leaving until he gets back from his run.”

I snorted. “He doesn’t look like the jogging type.”

Neon dropped the magazine, finally turning her attention to me. “Say what?”

“You said he went for a run.”

“No.” She sat up straight. “I said he went on a run, as in on his bike. Ugh, never mind.” She waved me off, picked up the magazine, and leaned back in the chair again. “There’s some aspirin next to the bed for your headache.”

“How’d you know⁠—”

“With a shiner like that, your head is probably on the verge of exploding. Just eat a cracker before you take the aspirin. Wouldn’t want you to burn a hole in your stomach.”

“I’ve been kidnapped, punched in the face, and almost strangled to death by a six-foot giant. Yet taking aspirin on an empty stomach is our main concern?”

Neon gave me a sideways glance. “Granite strangled you? Wow, he must really like you.”

“Excuse me?” I climbed out of bed, my body aching all over. “Granite almost strangling me is a sign that he likes me?”

She smiled, the piercing in her bottom lip glinting. “Yup.”

“Oh, my God,” I muttered, placing both hands on my head. “This is insane.”

“Listen.” Neon tossed the magazine to the ground then got up. She was tall, clearly worked out, and dressed in torn denim jeans and a black spaghetti strap shirt. “Granite only cares about his club and his guys. When it comes to women, all he feels and shows is indifference. Trust me, I’ve been here long enough to know his name ain’t Granite for nothing. That man’s heart is nothing but stone.”

Ignoring the cracker on a plate, I reached for the aspirin and swallowed it. “I really don’t need a class in getting to know my kidnapper better.”

Neon smirked, her dark eyes seeming amused. “Maybe if you know him better, you wouldn’t give him a reason to want to strangle you.”

“Maybe if you leave now, I wouldn’t feel the need to strangle you.”

The smile remained on her face, and she didn’t seem intimidated by me at all. Who could blame her? I was nothing but a tiny ballerina girl.

Neon placed her hands in her pockets. “I like you, little swan.”

My eyes widened. “Little who?”

“Isn’t that ballet thing called Swan Lagoon?”

My expression remained stoic. “Lake. Swan Lake.”

“Yes,” she snapped her fingers, “that’s it. Anyway. So, I don’t know if Granite gave you the grand tour, but there’s a mini-bathroom on the other side of those doors.” She pointed to right, and I was dumbfounded that I only noticed those now. Neon shrugged. “There’s no shower, though. Just a sink, and a toilet in case you need to pee. You know, you look like shit. You want to take a shower?”

I flopped down on the bed. “First off, thank you. I feel like shit. And I don’t think a shower is going to make any difference.”

Neon scratched the side of her head that was shaved, her blue hair hanging down the other side. “Take a shower, would you?” She scrunched her pierced nose. “You kinda stink. That might be why Granite wanted to strangle you. He can’t handle the smell of mucky ballerinas.”

“Funny.” I glowered at her, and she winked while chewing her gum.

“Shower is across the hall. Be a good a girl, and I might give you something slutty to wear. But first…” She stepped up and started flashing a camera at my face.

“What the hell are you doing?”