The earlier words of today pop into my head. I must make Hank understand; and stop his relentless assault on my neck. “Hank. What Austin and Jenni said was true. I think someone here wants to hurt your father. They want to take over.”
Hank’s heated kisses stop. He sits up and leans back on his hands. “You think so?”
I nod my head. “Yes. We heard them while we were hiding in the closet. They said they’ll take over him. They said they’ll come after you.”
Hank chuckles. “Let them try.”
I shake my head. “Your arrogance will be your downfall, Hank. You can’t handle them by yourself.”
He frowns at me. “You doubt that I can take care of myself, Amy?”
I put my head down and try a different approach. “It’s not your toughness I’m questioning, Hank, but they’ve got guns and numbers. Who knows how many men are involved? I have no idea. I just know they’re not happy, and they’re waiting for your father to let his guard down so they can pounce.”
He stares at me like he’s trying to figure something out. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth? Austin could have told you to come in here with this story, to break me and my father farther apart.”
“I can see why you would think that, Hank, but I assure you it’s not true. I just want you to be safe. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He takes my hand and holds it to his lips. “You really do care about me.”
I give him a playful shove. “Of course I do. You’re my human shield against Ruby.” I have a sinking feeling about the blonde bombshells, but I have to know. “Hank.”
“Yes, Amy.”
“Did your father order those women, like on the Internet?”
He laughs at me again! “The blondes?”
I nod my head. “Yeah, the blondes. It was kind of hard not to notice they all have the same look and the same accent.”
He sits back against the wall. “And if he did, Amy? Is that so bad? I mean, it’s like a hotel here! They lounge around all day. They don’t have to cook or clean. They don’t have to lift a finger.”
I glance sideways, muttering. “As long as they’re pretty.”
He nods his head. “Yes. That’s a fair comment.”
“And as long as they go along with being anonymous baby-making machines.”
He frowns a little. “They would be treated worse in their own country, Amy. That’s why they come here.”
Oh no, he didn’t. “And that’s justification for treating them like property? Is that what you’re saying?”
He grabs my finger. “Don’t point at me. And don’t yell at me. They belong to my father.” He sees my raised eyebrow. “They are my father’s women, not mine.”
I watch him carefully. “But you’re okay with the setup, with the idea that the men in here lay claim to their women, and the woman has no choice but to go to whoever chooses her.”
He looks confused. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
I slap the bed between us. “Well. That’s not for me. I won’t have a man telling me what to do. No, thank you.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re a feminist?” He says it like a dirty word.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t know if I’m a feminist, but I can think for myself, Hank. Very well.”
He grins like a cat that swallowed the canary. “And yet you’re here, trapped in my silo, in my bedroom, all because of a single letter.”
My stomach churns. His words make me doubt myself. What if my aunt didn’t even write that letter? What if it was someone else? No. “I love my aunt, Hank. I came here to help her. Is that so hard to understand?” I look at him and try to decide if he’s hearing me. “Why did you show up at my home?”
“What do you mean?”
I scoot away from him. “It’s a simple question, Hank. Why were you there?”
He reaches for me and I scoot back farther. I fall off the bed. He stops moving.
He stares down at me as I clumsily try to sit up from my sprawled position. I feel like a pretzel that came undone. “I told you, Amy. I came to protect you.”
I look back at him. I’m half afraid to speak my mind, but I have to. “And yet you dragged me right back here. I haven’t heard one word about my aunt, or how we’re going to get out.”
He hops off the bed. I jump up and move away from him. He tracks me around the room. It’s stupid. I know there’s no escape, but I can’t stop moving. My heart races in my chest and I’m torn between being incredibly turned on and scared out of my wits. Hank corners me. He creeps closer and approaches me like I’m some kind of frightened animal. I feel savage as I dart past him. I bare my teeth and duck as I go. His forearm shoots out. He clotheslines me and steals my breath as I hit him full force. He draws me against him. My back is to his front. I look up and barely recognize myself in the mirror; a red-faced girl with flyaway hair. A thick brown forearm covers the height and width of my stomach. Hank’s hair hangs over his face that’s ducked into my neck. He throws all kinds of heat as he whispers in my ear. “I want to be with you, Amy. Right here. Right now.”
I would laugh at the craziness of all of this, if I wasn’t torn between being frozen with fear and full of insane wanting. I place my hands on his forearm. “Hank. I can’t stay here. I don’t belong here.”
He’s not ready to let me go. His hand moves, and he strokes my rib cage. “You could give it a try. You could give me a try.”
Oh, how I want to, as his words rumble in my ear and his hot breath touches my shoulder where he nuzzles my skin. I sag against him for a second or two before I come to my senses. “No. Hank. I need to see my Aunt Evalina. Now. Where is she?”
His gentle touch turns to steel. His arm tightens around my waist. His gentle kisses turn to love nips. I feel his teeth on my neck. I relax and will myself to be compliant. He lets up and rewards me with a kiss that’s as soft as a whisper. “That’s better, my pet. Nobody likes a kitten with claws.”
I think I just threw up in my mouth. Hank is officially a sexual psychopath who can easily overpower me, and I’m locked in his bedroom. I stand here silently and wait for his next move. He drops his hand from my waist.
“I’d better go and see my father. Stay here.”