Heist

Chapter 4

Mariposa

Mare was seething when she returned to the room where her friends were being held. Their positions hadn’t changed, but Hunter was shooting daggers at Thatcher, who seemed intent on staring at Penny until kingdom come. Mare cleared her throat, walking through the room with purpose, and pulling Penny into her side, she stood near the familiarity and warmth of Hunter. She noticed a muscle in Nash’s jaw twitch as she sidled up to Hunter and she flashed him a megawatt smile and a wink. Nash narrowed his eyes at her and looked away. Mare smiled, having won that make-believe battle of wits. 

Griffin stormed into the room a few moments later, equally furious. He headed over to the trio. “You cannot walk away from me while we are having a discussion!”

“This is a dictatorship!” Mare screeched at him. “You are insane if you make them live here too. I will not let you drag them into this.” She pointed a finger at her friends as he came closer to her. 

 “It’s non-negotiable.” Griff crossed his arms over his chest, his face neutral. Mare could feel him assessing her from head to toe. His eyes hadn’t moved, but she knew his subtle tells. 

“What is going on?” Thatcher asked his friend. He stood in between the two, looking at Griff. “Did you get her to sign the contract?

“She signed but she doesn’t seem to understand that they were all involved in the theft and they are all being punished. Which means that they will all be staying with us and working off the debt owed.”

“This is preposterous!” Mare stomped a foot like a child and glared at him. “You just want to punish me for leaving you.”

Mare watched his eyes darken. In a flash, he grabbed her by the back of her throat, applying slight pressure above her windpipe with his thumb. His face was millimeters from her own, and even though her oxygen supply was cut off, she released a small gasp.

“I will say this once, Mariposa. You will follow my rules while you are here. All of you will. Or all of you will be punished.” Griff said slowly. "I know you remember just how unforgiving I can be."

He slid his other hand up her arm, trailing his fingers over her shoulder and along her collarbone until he reached the slightly raised pattern on the base of her neck. He touched it gently and she closed her eyes. The nearly inaudible whimper she let out was heard solely by him. Feeling a tightening in his chest, he released her and stepped back. 

“These are the terms: number one, you will all be staying at my estate in Boulder. We will take the limo home and from there you will have your own separate rooms in my wing of the house.”

“Wing?” Hunter snickered. Penny jabbed her elbow into his rubs and he grunted. He rolled his eyes, muttering, “Douche.”

“Number two,” Griff continued, a little louder, throwing a disapproving look in Hunter’s direction. “Should you need to leave the house for any reason, one of my men will escort you in transportation provided by me and only me. Once at your approved destination, you will be walked inside, watched like a hawk as you go about your business and then driven back here where you will remain.”

Mare snorted. “What happened to privacy?”

“Every meal will be eaten together. Those of you that need to hunt, you will be supervised when you need to do so. We are strict with our daily schedules. There are precautions put in place to keep everyone in this house safe. Follow the rules and no one gets hurt.” This time, Griffin shot Mare a look. “Since Mare is my dusarimae (beloved), she will sleep in my bedroom with me.”