Saving Shaw

Three

I spun around at lightning speed once I heard his voice and found Talon standing a few feet behind me. I hadn't heard him come out of that room. Had I not been paying attention or was he just super quiet? Either way, I was standing too close to someone who'd just tried to rip me to shreds. I needed to put some distance between us even if he was mildly attractive.

Putting a hand up in front of me, I backed up slowly. "Don't come near me," I warned him. He only rolled his eyes as if I were being dramatic. I took in his appearance. He now wore only a pair of sweatpants and his hair was ruffled. Other than that, you wouldn't have known he'd just transformed into a beast just moments ago.

"I don't have time for your theatrics," Talon said in a bored tone. "We need to figure out what we're going to do with you." He began walking down a hallway. Steele and that other guy who had entered the hallway after Talon followed behind him.

I looked over at Axel. I didn't trust any of these guys, but at least Axel seemed the least dangerous. After all, he did save me from Luke. He tilted his head toward the hallway as if gesturing for me to follow them. I hesitated. I could probably run out of here screaming like a banshee, but I doubted I'd get far. I could be stubborn and refuse to cooperate, but they would probably just drag me along after them.

Seeing as I was already living in a nightmare, I might as well follow them. Shaking my head and crossing my arms over my chest, I walked down the hall after the three men with Axel right on my heels.

The end of the hall opened into a kitchen and though everyone walked straight through it, I took a moment to take it in. The granite countertops and oak cabinets were beautifully done. The stainless steel appliances looked brand new as if they'd never been used and there was an island in the center with granite that matched the countertops. It wasn't a massive room, but it was a decent size for a family.

I'd always been fascinated with kitchens. I wasn't the greatest cook, but I'd grown up in my kitchen. My mom had been an excellent cook and I would watch her every night. When I did my homework after school, it was always in the kitchen and family game nights were at the kitchen table.

The kitchen was the hub of every family. I found myself imagining myself in different places around this room. For the first time in a while, I also found myself missing home.

As I wallowed in my own self-pity, my eyes went to a box on the countertop. I walked over to the box curiously and peeked through the clear plastic window in the top of the box. A chocolate birthday cake sat untouched. When Axel had wished Talon a happy birthday, I thought he'd been joking. The fact that he wasn't made me feel worse about the situation. It was this guy's birthday and here he was dealing with me. Before I could dwell on it, Axel spoke up and snapped me out of my reverie.

"Hey, are you coming?" Axel said, standing at the doorway to another room on the other side of the kitchen. I'd completely missed him walking past me.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I wordlessly followed him through the door and into a dining room.

There were six chairs surrounding a mid-sized, racetrack table. There was a chair on either end and two on each side with plenty of room to spare. Talon sat on one end and the other two men sat on the side to his left. Axel stayed by my side and waited for me to take my seat. I hesitated briefly.

"Sit," Talon barked out, causing me to jump slightly before I quickly composed myself. I chose to sit at the other end of the table. I wanted to be as far away from that guy as possible. Axel took a seat beside me as if knowing I needed someone on my side and since he'd already saved my life once, he was all I had.

No one said anything for a moment, but I could feel all four pairs of eyes on me. To feel I felt uncomfortable was an understatement. Sure, I've always liked the attention, but only when it was on my terms. These were definitely not my terms.