Page 50 of Deadfall

“You should get some sleep.”

I huffed quietly. “No thanks.”

“They won’t come back—”

“It’s not them I’m worried about,” I interrupted bitterly.

“I’m not going to touch you.” I could hear the disdain in his words.

“Why not? Rape doesn’t do it for you?” I asked, dryly.

He turned his head slightly, but wouldn’t be baited. I fiddled with a loose thread on the cuff of the sweatshirt and when he didn’t reply, I sighed.

“This is some alpha, stake-your-claim kind of bullshit, isn’t it?” He still didn’t answer, so I inched closer. “Mahoney isn’t going to like that at all.”

The sarcasm dripped from my words. I wished I could see his face, because the silence wasn’t telling me anything. I took another step toward him. He was tantalizingly close to the bars and I could see the glint of his gun at his belt. I slowly reached to grab it.

A gloved hand latched onto my wrist and before I knew it, he yanked me against the fence. His other hand went to my throat, but the pressure was firm, not restrictive. Most of his face was hidden by a face covering he’d pulled up over his nose, but his eyes glinted with a predatory look. My pulse jumped erratically as we stared at each other. Even with the bars separating us, his presence was overwhelming and unsettling in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time—

Oh shit. No. Nope. I needed to shut down that line of thought, and fast. I didn’t need to provoke him; I didn’t need to wonder at his lack of violence or interest toward me. I didn’t need to have any thoughts about this man at all, and I sure as hell didn’t need to provoke him into action. I told myself it was only clinical. I was interested because he was different, and I didn’t like different. I needed to see where his line was—I needed to see how far I could push him. For my safety. That’s all.

“So much for not touching me,” I quipped.

He pulled me an inch closer, although his grip remained the same. That control of his was locked up tight and for one wild and insane second, I wondered what it would be like if it broke.

Careful, Emersyn. They pulled you from the fire, don’t go willingly back into it.

“Is this what you were doing earlier?” He growled. “Provoking those guards?”

Well, that’s…irritating. Was he trying to test me now? The thought turned my irritation at his comment into amusement, and I smirked.

“What if I was?”

His dark chuckle caressed my face—like he knew I was full of shit. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What does that mean?”

“Anyone who touches you from this point on is going to regret it,” he growled.

“Why? Because I’m yours?” I asked incredulously. The balls on this man— “I’m sorry to break the news to you buddy, but I don’t belong to anyone.”

“Right. Says the woman in a cage.”

I leaned into his hand and smirked. “That just means I’m dangerous.”

“Looks more like it means you could use some help.”

I was momentarily caught off guard, and I took a second to wonder what he meant by that. When I didn’t answer, his thumb passed once over my pulse.

“Has anyone ever offered to help you?”

“No. I don’t need it.” I pulled against his hand, my irritation back in full force. “Let me go.”

He released me immediately, and I was so shocked that it took a minute to step back out of his reach. I hadn’t expected him to do that. Usually men made me fight for space. I crossed my arms over my chest to hide my surprise.

“So, what does G stand for anyway?”

Again, I was surprised when he answered right away. “Griffin.”