Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

43: in hell, she'll be in good company (Part I)

— Satina — 

She closed and opened her eyes, trying to get used to the brightness and the blurred everything around her. Something covered her lips and nose, as warm and delicate as the silk she felt against the rest of her body. The face of a man took shape in front of her, bit by bit. He kept a finger against his lips as if asking for silence... and that was enough to jolt her awake.

"Hey, shh, it's okay," he said. "Keep it down, I'm just—"

Satina widened her eyes. Her training kicked in, and she grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it down and aside. She jumped from the bed, pushed the expensive comforter away, and twisted him around to knee the backside of the man's leg. He fell on his knees, and she twisted his arm further, keeping it tight against his back.

"Don't you know it's rude to get near a lady when she's sleeping?" She twisted his arm even more until a painful wince escaped his lips. "You fucking creep. I should tear your arm off," she growled.

"I'm sorry," he said under his breath.

Then he chuckled, and the amusement in his voice made Satina tighten her grip; any tighter than this, and she might break his wrist, so she had to be careful. The man's face was getting redder; his hand was getting darker.

"Okay, okay!" he said. "I can explain, just—shit! Please. I-I need your help. You don't know where you are, do you?"

Satina looked around and a deep crease formed between her eyebrows. Until a moment ago, she, her family, and friends were all ready to escape Toni and Jackal. Now, she was in a windowless room; there was a king-size bed taking up almost half of the space inside, vases with flowers, a tray propped on a small dresser, a golden-frame mirror to her left, and the softest, fluffiest rug under her feet. Wait, was that a bowl of shrimp paella on the tray?

Oh, there was also a man on his knees before her, kept in place and hurting by her best and most brutal arm lock yet. Satina looked down; her wrist gadget had disappeared—and with it her chances of hacking her way out of this place—but she was still wearing the same clothes as before, which was a good sign. Satina twisted her lips and rubbed her thighs together. Yep, her hidden knife was still there, safe and sound in its concealed sheath.

All right, time to get some answers.

"Let's start slowly." Satina softened her grip enough to let new blood pump onto the man's hand. Then, she twisted it again, making him wince. "I don't care who you are, just tell me where are my friends. What do you want from us?"

Satina expected a lot of reactions from him, but not a bark of laughter. She blinked, and in that moment of surprise, the man managed to free his left arm and swing it backward, aiming his elbow on her face. She dodged the blow but had to let him go. With his arms free, the man jumped to his feet and reeled backward, putting distance between them.

His movement was so quick and so desperate, he lost his footing and bashed hard against the wall, knocking down a standing lamp beside the dresser. Satina furrowed her brows. In a swift motion, she slipped a hand under the skirt of her dress and pulled her knife, readying herself for a fight.

"I'll ask again," she said. "What do you want from us?"

The man winced and groaned in pain. With certain difficulty, he straightened his back and massaged his arm. Satina used this moment to study him better. Curly raven hair, brown skin, beautiful face; there was nothing special about him or his body, except for the slight curve in his right shin—a badly healed broken leg, Satina was sure of it.

"You and your cousin are really one and the same, huh," the man said. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on his waist. One of them was still darker and redder after Satina's attack. "Although... to be fair, he didn't give me this much trouble when he woke up. And he had a tigress with him."