Predator

26

Amelia stiffly turned her neck, the movement making a rusty sound.

"What do you mean?"

"This is how my world is." After finishing the last bite of ugali, Liam picked up a tissue from the bedside and carefully wiped the knife blade. When he looked up again, his voice had returned to its usual cold tone. "You need to get used to it."

The girl's eyes turned red. "Do you think that by humiliating me in such a despicable way, I'll willingly and obediently become your captive?"

Liam didn't respond. Instead, he handed the Damascus steel knife back to Amelia.

"You can kill me right now. Then the mercenaries downstairs will tear you apart and pass you around from bed to bed. You won't be able to take Mike with you either."

"Other than that, you have no other choices."

Amelia hugged her knees, her hands trembling as she took the knife, like a wounded animal licking its wounds and whimpering in pain.

"You poachers will get your comeuppance."

The man, who was bending down to find clothes for her, paused.

"After today, there will be no 'you poachers.' We will all be the same, none more innocent than the other."

With that, Liam placed a baseball cap on Amelia's head. "When we go out, stick close to me."

The wide brim of the cap covered half of Amelia's pale face, and from Liam's angle, he could only see a corner of her sarcastic smile. "What, you don't have a fetish for sharing women with others?"

Liam pressed down on the cap's brim as a warning. "Amelia, don't try to provoke me."

The sun outside climbed higher, but this small corner of the room remained in shadow.

"What will you do if I provoke you? Kill me?"

"There are many ways for a man to bully a woman. Want to try?"

Amelia's eyes were fierce, as if she wished she could swallow him.

"Scum!"

Liam let out a mocking laugh, his gaze drifting out the window, where several off-road vehicles were lined up outside the factory. He urged the girl in a low voice, "You'd better hurry up."

At the same time, the engine of the lead off-road vehicle roared impatiently, prompting the person in the back seat to speak up.

"Be patient."

The mercenary holding the steering wheel muttered, "I don't understand. Since when did we have to bring a woman along for our operations?"

"Liam is an untrustworthy wolf. Instead of worrying day and night about when this wild beast might turn on me, I'd rather hold onto his weakness." The man in the back seat chuckled deeply, amused. "What a rare treasure that fell from the sky."

His golden hair swayed slightly as he turned to look out the window, his pale fingers tapping rhythmically. Satisfied, he withdrew his hand.

Then his blue eyes quickly caught sight of the girl cowering behind Liam. "Here they come."

The man rolled down the window and smiled insincerely. "Liam, over here."

"Unfortunately, the cars behind are all full."

The mechanical prosthetic clicked against the car's carpet, as the man graciously offered space. "If you don't mind, the lady can sit in the back with me?"

...

"Go on." Liam turned to adjust Amelia's clothes, whispering so only the two of them could hear. "Stay away from him."

The girl neither agreed nor disagreed. She turned her head, meeting the eyes of the man in the car, filled with memories of sweet-smelling muffin cakes.

"Are you planning to escape?"

Once again, she was a commodity being evaluated, observing two butchers toasting to their deal.

Amelia silently walked over and placed her hand on the car door, only to hear the golden-haired man exclaim, "I almost forgot the main event."

"Liam, did you let your little pet choose a weapon?"

Though the question was directed at Liam, his gaze was fixed on the girl. "A hunting rifle, a spear. Which do you prefer? Or do you prefer a machete? After all, a third of an elephant's tusks are hidden in its head. You have to split it open to see them."

Amelia shuddered, finally squeezing out a reply through clenched teeth. "You are a monster..."