The Meeting

Chapter 28 - Out of the woods?

“I don’t believe I did ‘fuck up’ as you so eloquently put it. Actually, I know I didn’t, so release Zoe and give her some room to breathe. Hasn’t she had to deal with enough without your dirty mitts all over her?”

Memphis ignores Damien and just tightens his grip on my waist, pressing the gun harder against my temple and giving me an instant headache in the process.

“Would you like a list of why you both failed?”

“Actually, yes I would,” Damien responds in a cool tone, seeming a lot more relaxed than I am. However, he used to be part of this group. Maybe this is how it is and he’s simply just used to it.

“For one, Zoe wasn’t supposed to attract negative attention to herself,”

“Oh bullshit,” I snap. “No one told me about that rule.”

“Miranda told everyone at the meeting. The one where you two were more interested in each other than the task at hand,” he snarls with a look of disgust on his face.  “Damien, you were also told not to leave the vehicle.”

“Zoe was in trouble and needed help. She wouldn’t have made it out otherwise,” he says with his eyes narrowed at him.

“That’s our problem because…?”

“You’re an asshole,” I hiss at my captor.

“Why thank you,” he responds with a big dose of sarcasm. “Oh, and you left your crutches behind. You weren’t supposed to leave any trace. Now they could have your fingerprints and possibly those of whoever else touched them.”

I roll my eyes and I see the corner of Damien’s mouth twitch up as if he were trying not to laugh, but is gone in an instant and is replaced with his cool, calculating glare.

“You and I both know that you won’t kill her, so why don’t you just get your hands off her before I rip them from your body,” he says with a deathly look on his face. Even though his words aren’t directed toward me, I shrink away from him a little at his harsh words.

“Maybe we should test that theory,” he snarls, squeezing me so hard that I feel pain radiate across my ribs. I give Damien a pleading look. Why is he provoking him?

“Let’s entertain this thought of yours. Say you shoot her inside this car, right in front of me, what do you think I’m going to do?” He pauses for a moment to give Memphis time to process what he said. “From the look on your face right now, I would say that you know exactly what I would do.”

I wriggle a bit, trying to slide from his grasp, but his arms stays locked around my waist with the gun still pressed to my head, trembling slightly.

“Perhaps I’ll just wait until we’re back to the house and let Miranda make that call,” he mutters, lowering the gun and pushing me towards Damien. I fall into him and his arms swoops around me, bringing me close and kissing my forehead.

“Yeah, you’re not going to be telling her about any of this,” he replies.

“Oh and why’s that?”

“You know why,” he responds simply. “Now take us to the house.”

Glancing at Damien with questioning eyes, I just get a small shake of his head in return. I hate when he keeps secrets. Instead, I look over at Memphis and see his eyebrows furrowed as he stares at the floor in front of him, occasionally flicking his gaze up to me. There’s a look in his eyes that makes him look almost hungry. It’s the same kind of look that I’ve seen Damien give me when he’s lying on top of me in bed. It’s the kind of look that says ‘I want you’.