Entropy: A Dark Romance (Blood Diamond Disciples Book 1)

by Riley Ashby

  “I taught her that command specifically for you.” I settled to one knee, trying not to let my relief at being off my feet show on my face. Sleep couldn’t come soon enough tonight. “I can show you some of her other skills if you want.”

  “No,” she breathed, eyes fixed on Blanca. “Please.”

  “Now you get polite.” I patted Blanca on the head. She never took her focus off Quinn. “Stay here while I take care of something.”

  “Don’t leave me!” She gasped.

  I suppressed a laugh. “You’re lucky I don’t throw you back in that flooded room.”

  Quinn getting out of the house hadn’t been too much of a concern, given all the technology I had in place in addition to the dogs, but there was another pressing issue at hand. I had to get rid of the footage of a girl half my weight and three inches shorter getting the jump on me. The guys would never let me live this down if they saw those tapes. I would lose my credibility and this responsibility all in one fell swoop. That couldn’t happen. I wasn’t going to let her ruin everything for me.

  “What did you think was going to happen, huh?” I raised my voice as I walked away, despite the pressure growing in my head. “I told you you couldn’t get out of here without me. What if I’d drowned? You would’ve been stuck up here, alone, until someone else showed up. What if it had been Colby?”

  I sat down in front of the computer and pulled up the feed to the basement. The water had stopped running, thank God. I wiped the entire day’s footage, then leaned my elbows on the table and put my head in my hands.

  What was I going to do now? I couldn’t let her get away with this. She’d injured three of us at this point with nothing but her hands! Someone had fucked up their intel because her self-defense training was far more advanced than we’d anticipated. She’d made a complete mockery of me and almost jeopardized my position with the Disciples. That could not stand.

  I walked back out in cold blood. She’d been nothing but trouble from the moment she woke up, and I was tired of it. “After how nice I’ve been to you, this is how you react?”

  I released Blanca and pulled Quinn to her feet by her arm. The face that greeted me was streaked with tears, but her voice didn’t shake.

  “You can’t expect me to sit back and—”

  “That’s exactly what I expect you to do!”

  She flinched and struggled against my grasp, but I pulled her face close to mine. “I’m doing everything I can here to keep you from ending up in a shallow grave. How about you show a little goddamn gratitude?”

  “Gratitude?” She brought up her knee, and I twisted at the last second to avoid a blow to my groin. Undeterred, she raised her free arm, but I caught her wrist before she could strike me. Still, she never stopped moving. “You’re keeping me in a dungeon cell, away from my family, and blackmailing my mother. You think that because you let me get away with taking off that humiliating chain, or giving me a little bit of privacy to change my clothes, that I should get on my knees and worship you?”

  “Well, a thank you would be nice.”

  “For letting me eat? That you don’t rape me? This will be news to you, but you do not get a pass for that. Not raping me is the bare minimum of how you should treat me, not a gift that I get for being a good captive.” She jabbed her finger in my chest. “You are not a hero here. You are not the alternative to the monster. You’re just a different breed.”

  I grabbed her arm, a smart retort on the edge of my tongue, but the look on her face withered me to nothing. I was holding her too hard; it had to hurt, but she didn’t react.

  She spoke through her teeth. “So thank you so much, Gunner, for drugging and kidnapping me.”

  I couldn’t deal with her attitude right now. Kiss her, that will shut her up. “I should make you sleep down there, you know? So every time you have to go to the bathroom you get your feet wet. You’ll be up all night listening to that running water.”

  She sneered at me and didn’t respond. That scared her. It was obvious she didn’t want to be alone down there.

  “Just because I can’t fuck you doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to make you mine. And I know what makes you scream, remember? I’d love to watch you come with my cock down your throat, feel your teeth as you can’t help but bite down.” There were the tears I’d wanted so badly. Her lower lip trembled, shaking one loose to roll down her cheek. “I may not be a good person, but I’m far better than the rest of them.” I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her in one smooth motion, placing her on the counter before she could get her bearings and kick me again.

  “What—?”

  “Sit still,” I snapped, and for some reason, she obeyed. I dropped to one knee and rolled up the wet hem of her jeans. Her ankle was swollen and red, a clear bruise set by the cuff of her chain. I sat back and sighed, rubbing the back of my head where she hit me. “Why didn’t you mention how bad it was?”

  She sniffed and wiped the tears from her face. “You were there when it happened, and you didn’t care. Would you have done anything?”

  I bit my tongue to keep from snapping back something unhelpful as I rose to my feet. “Grab around my neck,” I said and then picked her up before she could respond.

  She had no choice. If she didn’t do as I said, she risked falling. “What the hell?” Her fingers locked behind my neck.

  “Relax. I’m trying to help.”

  “That’s a change,” she muttered under her breath. I chose to ignore her. We released each other quickly after I set her on the couch.

  “Wait here.”

  “Stop saying that. There’s nowhere for me to go,” she reminded me.

  She was staring into space when I came back with a cold pack and barely flinched as I placed it on her bare skin. After a minute, she whispered something.

  I leaned in closer. “What?”

  “I said thank you.”

  Finally. “That’s more like it.”

  She put her hands around the pack to hold it tighter against her leg, and I sat back on the couch, rubbing my temples with my cold fingers.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “Yes. What did you hit me with?”

  “My elbow. It’s a Muay Thai move. I could never perfect it in practice.”

  “Well, you did well enough just now.”

  “Lot of good it did me.” She frowned and leaned forward. “Are you going to black out?”

  “Some ibuprofen and I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me.”

  “I’m not,” she said, her voice a little too loud. “I don’t want you to die and leave me alone with those things.” She pointed at Blanca and Nicky, who had come around the couch to watch us both carefully. They were both still on high alert.

  “Settle,” I told them. They both dropped to the floor and placed their heads on their paws, satisfied the drama was over. Nicky started snoring almost immediately. I looked back at Quinn. “Terrifying, aren’t they?”

  “They almost killed me.”

  “They wouldn’t unless I told them to. Even then, I’m not sure Blanca would. She’s a little bit of a softie. That’s why she’s with me instead of a police force.”

  At the sound of her name, Blanca lifted her head and looked back and forth between us. She focused on Quinn, whining a little before letting out a huff.

  Quinn pursed her lips. “What does she want?”

  I laughed, despite the pain in my head. “Cuddles.”

  “I doubt that very much.”

  “Pat your lap and call her.”

  She squinted at me. “You’re fucking with me.”

  “I’m not. Give it a try.”

  She stared at me a moment longer, still unsure if I was serious, then patted one hand lightly against her thigh. “Here, Blanca.”

  Blanca got to her feet before Quinn was even done saying her name, jumped over the coffee table rather than going around it, and clambered onto the couch. She was so big that she could really only put her chest on Quinn’s lap, a
nd I ended up with her butt on mine.

  “Oh!” Quinn held her hands against her chest, unsure how to react. “You weren’t kidding.”

  “Told you. Pet her.”

  “Won’t she try to bite me?”

  “Are you going to try to stab me again?”

  She blew out a breath. Blanca’s ear flicked. “I wasn’t going to anyway.”

  “Then she will welcome your pets.”

  Quinn scratched her behind the ears, and Blanca sighed, letting her head fall onto her paws. Nicky looked up and started whining.

  “Great,” I muttered. “Brace yourself.”

  “Wh—”

  She didn’t have to wonder for long as Nicky got up, ran around the coffee table, and jumped onto the couch next to Blanca, facing the other way. He fell against my chest as he struggled to find enough room to sit next to Blanca, and I grunted lightly. “Easy, big guy. Plenty of room for both of you.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” But she was laughing and scratching Blanca’s head with both hands now. “What’s that one’s name?”

  “Nicky.”

  “Cute.”

  “They’re named after drug lords.”

  She laughed again, more confident this time. “I take it back.”

  I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. I should have taken her up on getting me some pills. I was going to sleep well tonight.

  When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “Are you really going to put me back down there?”

  I sighed. “Vin would, but I won’t. I don’t want that water sitting for too long. I’ll get it cleaned up tonight.”

  “I can help,” she muttered.

  There was the Quinn I thought I was getting. Not this spitfire who attacked mob members and got off in the back seat of a car with a stranger. “No, you can’t. I clearly need to keep both eyes on you from now on.”

  “Where will I sleep?”

  I fought back a laugh. “Not with me, if that’s what you’re worried about. There’s another bedroom upstairs. You were supposed to earn the rights to it, but I guess you found a way to bypass that.”

  I winced as both dogs suddenly kicked me, using my legs and stomach as a springboard to jump off the couch. I opened my eyes to find Quinn standing over me with a finger in my face.

  “I don’t have to earn the right to be treated like a human being. You imprisoned me. Still are. Get off your high horse already. You’re not doing me any favors by pretending to be nicer than the rest of them.”

  Nicky squeezed between our legs, trying to put space between us, and Quinn had to take a step back. She winced as she landed on her bad ankle.

  “Sit back down before you hurt yourself.”

  “I’d rather not,” she spat. “Tell me where I’m sleeping, and I’ll go there. I don’t need anything from you.”

  I sat forward and grabbed her by the waist, swinging her back onto the sofa. Our hips pressed together, and I didn’t let go. “Relax, okay? I don’t have the energy to bicker with you all night.”

  “Let go of me,” she whispered. Her whole body went still, and she grabbed my arms.

  “You’re not letting me.” She was almost pulling me into her, not pushing me away.

  We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, her breathing so quick it pushed her chest against mine.

  “Keep pushing me, baby girl. See who gets fucked over first.” Our noses touched as I leaned closer. “This attitude you’ve got turns me on. Can you tell?”

  In the end, I released her and pulled away before I lost control and climbed on top of her.

  “It’s on the second floor. Come on, I’ll take you.”

  She wouldn’t let me carry her up the stairs, but my arm around her waist held her most of the way off the ground anyway. I took her to the bedroom I’d prepared, the one Vin told me not to put her in until she’d proved she could behave. And here I was, giving it to her for trying to escape.

  “That’s my suitcase,” she said, frowning as she sat on the bed.

  I glanced at the red trunk in the corner. “You should have everything you need there.”

  “You went to my house.”

  I shrugged. “Didn’t want to spend money on your shit.”

  She shook her head and didn’t say anything else, but her face was an open book. The wheels were turning in her mind.

  I tried to distract her. “Are you hungry?”

  She didn’t respond at first, still lost in thought, then glanced at me briefly before sliding farther on to the king-sized mattress.

  “No.”

  “Liar.”

  “I don’t want anything you make for me.”

  “Well, you can’t starve.” That instruction had been explicit. Quinn tended to stop eating when she got anxious, and this certainly qualified as a high-stress situation.

  “You can bring me food, but I won’t eat it.”

  “I got a pill down your throat once, don’t think I can’t make it happen with a sandwich.”

  She held my eyes as she slid to the middle of the bed, acting like she was going to lie down, then at the last minute swung her legs off the bed on the other side and shuffled to the bathroom, then slammed the door. The lock clicked a second later.

  I waited longer than I should have until the sound of water from the shower drowned out her movements. She undressed with you right there. She was naked right on the other side of that door, held back by a flimsy lock I could break with my own hands if I wanted to. And God, how I wanted to. She’d held me against her downstairs. I knew she wanted my touch as much as I wanted hers. I could picture her in my mind, standing under the water and letting it soak her hair until I grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back against me. My cock would slide along her ass, prodding at her entrance, her thick wetness so different from the water dripping down her back. I could grab one breast at the same time I would bend her forward. And then she’d be right there, spread open wide and dripping, waiting for me, until I finally slid inside her—no matter the consequences.

  My cock pushed against my zipper so hard it hurt.

  I went downstairs and grabbed a bottled protein shake out of the fridge in her favorite flavor. I went back upstairs quickly and left it on the bedside table. Then I closed the door to her room and stood outside with my head against the wall, listening for her footsteps.

  I was trying to run, but thick mud around my ankles held my legs in place. My entire body strained against the suction, trying to move, but even with every ounce of strength going into the motion, I couldn’t break free. My hands were similarly heavy at my sides, held in place by … what?

  “Are you awake?”

  I couldn’t be near that voice. I’d fallen asleep to get away from him. I struggled to free myself again, and the mud and muck holding me down disappeared as I opened my eyes to a bright room, his face only a few inches from mine.

  “You can wake up. I…”

  His voice faded as I let my eyes shut and fell deep into the dream again, finding myself once more paralyzed by the makings of my own mind. I could get away from him, but it would be hard. I took a deep breath and dived beneath the water.

  “Hey! Quinn!”

  I flew out of the water and into the real world with a gasp, my limbs suddenly free from the chains of my dream. I used them to slap away the hands that had rolled me to my side and pulled me from the dream. I scrambled backward until my hand fell into empty air, and I nearly fell to the floor.

  Gunner sat at the other side of the bed, hands still hovering where they had held me, until he dropped them to his side and stood, backing away a couple of steps.

  I sputtered and grabbed at my clothes, checking I was still covered. “What the hell is going on? What did you do to me?”

  He scowled at the accusation. “I didn’t do shit to you!”

  “Why were you touching me?”

  “I tried to wake you up. You stopped breathing.”

  When? Already the dream was sl
ipping away from me. I scrubbed at my face as the memory of being underwater faded. “I thought I was … in a lake. Or a pool, maybe. I was holding my breath.”

  I wanted to rub the sleep from my eyes, but I couldn’t risk looking away from him. I blinked furiously, trying to clear away the fog still draped around me. I didn’t believe he’d left me alone all night. I’d stayed up as long as I could, eyes on the door, waiting for him, but I must have passed out eventually. “What drug did you give me this time?” I felt no pain, and my clothes were still on, but I couldn’t trust him. Why had it been so hard to wake up? He had to have drugged me again.

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I promise.” He held up his arm to show me his watch, the one he’d left for me the first night. “It’s late in the morning. I came up here to check on you, and you were still asleep. I said your name a few times, but you wouldn’t wake up.”

  I started to speak, to tell him if I was still asleep, there was a reason, and he needed to let me be, but he kept going.

  “I came in here, and you didn’t respond to anything I said, and then you stopped breathing. What the hell was I supposed to think?” He stepped forward again and leaned over to look at my eyes. “Did you take something? Maybe I left a bottle of sleeping pills up here or something—”

  “God, no, nothing like that. I just … that happens to me sometimes. I get so deep in a dream I can’t wake up. It happens more often when I’m stressed.”

  “So am I going to have to come up here every morning and shock you into breathing again?”

  “Sorry my presence is such an inconvenience to you,” I snapped. He was acting like I was a burden when I was being held here against my will? No, that wouldn’t do. “If it’s too difficult, you could always take me home.”

  “That’s not—” He stepped back and put his hands in his hair for a moment. When he looked at me again, he’d regained his composure, and he brushed his hair back into place. “Never mind. Are you hungry?”

  I looked him up and down, letting him feel the weight of eyes on his body just as I had ever since he snuck up on me on the sidewalk. I stood and crossed my arms over my chest as I started toward the door. “I’d like you to get out of my way now.” God help him if he asked me to say please.