Firecracker (On Hold)

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

Justin's P.O.V.

I groan and rub my hands over my face as I wake up. I glance at my watch to see the time: 4:30. I haven't made any more progress with Ariya so there isn't much point me rushing out to the barn. I'm fed up of having this stupid, annoying face off with her, so I'm just going to leave her and have breakfast with everyone else this morning. It's not like she's going to eat or drink anything I bring her anyway. I am going to have to find a way to force feed her or something because she can't keep refusing to eat. It's not healthy and she's going to get very sick.

Honestly, I don't actually know how she survives on so little food, especially with all the fighting or training she does. I know she probably doesn't know when or where her next meal is coming from on the streets, but surely she's got to get hungry. Even if she doesn't rely on food every day, she still has to eat. I wonder how much damage she'll cause if I take one of the restraints off. If it's the only way she'll eat, then I might have to risk it. I can't have her getting sick or dying on my watch. I would have an extremely hard time explaining why she was bound and starved.

As we sit to eat, I say, "Mike, can you and Todd do a fence check please? There were no breaks yesterday, but I want to make sure we don't miss any. I can't afford for any of the herd to go missing. Brad is coming to pick up the cattle selected for the slaughterhouse this afternoon. Lou, you don't have to stick around for that. I know you don't like it."

"Thanks."

I notice her boldness appearing again when she asks, "J? What's happening with Ariya?"

She would never have been brave enough to ask something like that before Ariya turned up.

I smile at Lou and reply, "I'm dealing with her the only way she understands."

Her eyes widen in shock, "She's ok, right?"

"Of course she is. What do you think I'm going to do to her?"

She shrugs and Todd speaks up, "Hopefully give her a taste of her own medicine..."

"That wouldn't be very productive, would it? Don't you think that's what she wants? Why would I give her what she wants? Besides, I'm not just going to beat on a woman..."

He scoffs at that and his reaction irks me. I don't know why, but the fact he doesn't think of her as a woman gets my back up.

"Dude, she's hardly a woman. She's a beast. She should have been a guy."

"That's uncalled for, Todd. She's a female, even if you don't like to admit you got beat up by a girl. I'm sure you'd have a few things to say if she called you a girl, wouldn't you? Treat her the way you would like to be treated, even if she doesn't allow you the same courtesy. You don't have to stoop to her level. You can be the bigger person here."

I know they'll think I'm just taking Ariya's side, so I have to be careful what I say. I saw Mike's eyebrows raise when I started to tell Todd off. I know what he's thinking. He thinks I'm getting too close; too attached. Maybe he's right, but I like Ariya. Despite everything she's done, I like her. I can see something in her that isn't like how she portrays herself. I see myself in her to some degree and when I needed help, someone was there to give it to me. Why can't I do the same for her?

I send Todd and Lou off to the barn to start cleaning the stalls while Mike and I clear up the breakfast dishes. I know he wants to say something, so I question, "What? Just say it."

"You sure you're not getting too involved in this one, J?"

"Maybe, maybe not. She needs help, man. You think I wanted help when Chris first approached me? Heck, I might have even been worse than Ariya..."