Chapter 5
1678 Words
Her sight got really blurry for a moment before clearing again with the help of a few blinks. But she could feel the darkness on the edges closing in. Without a shadow of a doubt, she knew she was going to pass out if she stayed on her feet.
But she would be damned if she looked weak in front of this man. Against all odds and for reasons she really could not even begin to explain, she straightened her back and glared at him.
“I am not your prisoner.”
Edward blinked slowly, taken aback by the unexpected comment. With visibly forced calm, he set down the shopping bag he had been carrying.
He regarded her for a moment as though trying to look right into her mind and read her thoughts, then called out, “Trey!”
She flinched and took a step back, away from him, not having expected that.
“Trey!” he called again.
“Geez! Why are you screaming my name like that?”
The voice belonged to the man who stepped out of the door on the other side. She did not know where that door led, hadn’t even seen it, but she recognized the man as one of the men she had seen before. The ink on his arms was visible under his folded sleeves, but apart from that, now that she looked at him again, he looked perfectly normal. The air of a bad boy was not so heavy around him as it was around the other man that had called him.
“Were you not supposed to watch her?” Edward asked Trey angrily.
Trey turned and saw her. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh,” Edward retorted sarcastically. Without waiting for further response, he took steps towards the woman, who looked very unstable on her feet.
“In my defence, last time I checked, she was asleep.”
“Right.”
Edward stopped when he was right in front of her. “Why did you get out of bed? Did I say you could get out of bed?”
The long silence that followed was so thick with her startled confusion he could practically see the question marks hanging over her head cartoon style.
Finally, she opened her mouth. “Did you say…?” she said in an incredulous tone. Shook her head. “Do I need your permission to s**t as well?”
A barely suppressed chuckle cut through the air from Trey. Edward shot his friend a glare.
He didn’t bother answering her ridiculous question. He just reached for her shoulder, turned her around and started leading her back towards the bedroom.
For a lean, clearly injured woman, Edward soon discovered she still had some strength and fight left in her. She suddenly dug her feet into the carpet, resisting his gentle push.
“Stop manhandling me! I don’t know who you think you are…”
“Edward is the name,” he said, interrupting her rant before it fully took off. “That is Trey. You already know Gabriel… he had to leave. Now we are all introduced… let’s get you back in bed.”
Her mouth fell open for a second before she quickly recovered. “No. What am I doing here?”
Edward took his hand off her shoulder, immediately missing the warmth of her skin. He frowned at his hand for a split second like it offended him, then lowered it and looked at the woman.
“You mean, after you threw yourself at my car?”
She shook her head. “That’s what you said, but that is only your version… I can’t remember, so I don’t know if you are lying to me. How do I know you didn’t just kidnap me?”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Edward muttered under his breath. He took a step away from her, giving her room to breathe.
“Lady, nobody kidnapped you,” Trey threw in.
“I can’t remember, so for all I know… you guys are responsible for my condition. I need to get out of here.”
“Well,” Edward snapped like a crack of a whip. “Your reasoning abilities are obviously in good condition.” He swung his arm in the direction of the door. “There is the door, please… you can use it and go to the police, I’m sure they can help.”
Trey gave him a look that screamed ‘Are you serious?’ but Edward ignored it. He actually didn’t want the woman to leave, but he needed to know what was going on in her head and how far she would go.
The mention of the police had her breaking out into a cold sweat. She didn’t even know why. She unconsciously gave the door a quick glance before taking a step back in the direction of the bedroom instead of the freedom she had so vocally claimed she wanted.
“I don’t think she likes the police much,” Trey said with a mocking cork of his head.
“I think you are right,” Edward added.
She didn’t like how they smugly stared at her. She looked away. “I want to go and rest.”
Edward chuckled and shook his head. “I thought so.”
He helped her back to the bedroom, one slow step at a time. Edward ground his teeth and patiently held back the urge to just lift her and carry her the rest of the way.
Just as they reached the bed, the woman stopped again. His frustration boiled over. “What now?”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Unbelievable. And you couldn’t have said that before we reached the bed?”
Her almost embarrassed expression morphed into one of anger in a flash. “I am saying it now. Just let go of me and I will sort myself out.”
With an irritated humph, he bent suddenly and picked her up. Like hell he was going to leave her to do more walking on her injured feet. He had her in his arms and against his chest in a heartbeat.
Instantly, she exploded into an embarrassed, furious rant. “Put me down! This is unnecessary. For goodness’ sake… you’ll strain yourself! I’m far too heavy… you don’t need to carry me!”
Edward walked to the bathroom. “You’re not heavy.” He snorted. That was an understatement, as far as he was concerned.
On some level, he was actually getting used to her body in his arms. Not that he would tell her this. Or tell anyone else, for that matter. He tightened his hold on her when her struggles picked up.
“You know? I don’t know where you are getting the energy to fight me, but I suggest you save it. You are going to do more damage by walking around on your own. Your body needs you to stay off your feet,” he pointed out.
She wasn’t listening, not even close. Thankfully, he had reached the bathroom, and he put her down on top of the cold marble that made up the vanity unit. Her gasp when her thighs landed rather hard against the cold surface almost made him smile, but he bit it back.
“Listen...you’re liable to end up with infections or permanent damage from your injuries if you keep this up. Either of those scenarios would require more medical attention and I honestly don’t need the hassle.”
He didn’t need the hassle. She didn’t know why the words stung like a slap across her face, but they did. He couldn’t wait to be rid of her, regardless of what he had said before. It was clear he was only putting up with her because of the state she was in. She couldn’t exactly blame him. If what he said was true, he didn’t know her and so owed her nothing. Hell, he had even dared her to leave and go to the police just minutes ago.
She decided to save him more trouble. “I could just leave. I don’t need your help.”
“What?” he planted his hands on either side of her, caging her in. He was too close. She could almost feel his breath on her skin.
“Where is that coming from again? I thought we resolved that fact barely five minutes ago.”
She looked away, unable to hold his angry gaze.
Edward sighed. Then took a calming breath. He needed a dose of patience and mental strength to deal with this woman. “Let me give you a recap of the situation, in case certain facts have escaped you… You popped out of the trees in the middle of the night and ran straight into my car looking like this.” He lifted one hand and made a gesture up and down her body just in case she was missing what he meant.
“Of course, let us not forget the handcuffs you had on, like an accessory bracelet to your wardrobe. Then, we now come to your physical state…” He lifted his other hand off the vanity and began counting his fingers.
“Dehydrated, weak, injured, bruised and my all-time favorite… loss of memory. Please, do tell… you want to leave and go where exactly?”
“I don’t like you,” she said heatedly.
He shrugged like it was of no importance to him. “Didn’t know I was trying to win cookie points here.”
He abruptly turned away and went to start the shower. “If you are done with the dramatics, I will start the shower and help you get cleaned up,” he threw over his shoulder.
She had already tuned him out and was trying to think through what he had said, looking for clues of her memories, but his words snapped her back instantly. “What do you mean, help me get cleaned up?”
- Writer
