clear as he rose to get a better look.
I immediately latched on to his forearm to pull him back down. “Darren, please.
I’m trusting you, remember?” I whispered a little too loudly. The scowl that he
returned was enough to make me withdraw my hands as if I was backing away from
a snarling animal. I sat back in the bushes in a huff, knowing it was over and he was
going to ruin everything. Again. Glancing up, Darren’s face contorted in anger as he
watched the little foxes play. After a few moments, he released a heavy breath and
sat down next to me.
“You’ve never tried to interact with them, have you? You don’t touch them?” he
asked, that anger still fresh in his voice.
“No, Darren. I just sit here and watch them for a while.”
“Jaden, do not fuck with me on this,” he growled.
“I swear!” I replied, getting a little too defensive now.
Darren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his mouth creased into a thin
line. When he seemed to calm down, he stood, grabbing my arm and taking me
with him.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ve seen enough,” he said, pulling me along through the
woods.
“Darren, I’m sorry. Look, I won’t go near them, just—”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been for you?” he said
sharply.
I scoffed. “I think I can handle a couple of little foxes, Darren. I don’t really view
them as that dangerous.”
“Hence why you don’t get to make any decisions regarding your safety. They
could have attacked you. They could have had rabies, for fuck’s sake.”
“They’re just foxes.”
“They’re wild animals. And wild animals will not hesitate to protect their young.
You will stay out of the woods until I can figure out what to do with them. End of
discussion.”
I groaned aloud, not caring if he heard me or not. I recognized the tone in his
voice—the one that told me to shut up and deal or find myself over his lap.
Darren led me out of the woods, his hand against my shoulder, pushing me
along, and I tried hard not to let my agitation get the best of me. If he killed those
foxes, I swore I’d take it out on his face.
When we reached the house, Darren left me with my guards and turned to leave,
but I had to protect those foxes. I couldn’t let him walk away just yet.
“Darren, wait,” I pleaded, grabbing his forearm to stop him. “You’re not going
to kill them, are you?”
He stared down at me, the intense anger in his eyes enough to make me regret
my decision. Instead of answering me, he turned to my guards. “Take her
upstairs,” he said to them and walked off, pulling away from my grip without a
second glance.
I felt my mouth drop open in shock at his blatant dismissal as Clive and Owen
each grabbed one of my arms and tugged me away from Darren and off toward the
stairs.
“Darren, wait! Please don’t!” I shouted at his back as I was carted away on his
orders, but he never answered. Clive and Owen had to practically drag me toward
the stairs by the time I stopped fighting them and finally broke free of their grip.
“Fuck off me,” I snarled, shrugging them off as I huffed my way up the stairs
and to my room. I slammed the door shut in their stupid faces.
Folding my arms across my chest, I paced my room. I was so fucking pissed I was
ready to flip every piece of furniture over in my room. I knew he’d find a reason; I
fucking knew it. I kept pacing until I decided I needed an outlet before I really did
destroy something.
Changing into my workout clothes, I tightened up my Nikes and pulled the door
open to find a very tall set of roadblocks. Clive and Owen were both standing in
front of the door, their backs to me as they watched the hallway.
“Move. I’m going to work out,” I announced, hoping they’d take the hint.
“You’ve already had your workout today,” Clive replied without turning around.
“I don’t care. It’s what I want to do.”
“You haven’t been cleared access to go downstairs,” added Owen.
“Then fucking get it!” I shouted, ready to bulldoze the two of them down. I
didn’t care how big or tall they were; I’d find a way around them.
Clive sighed as he said something into the Bluetooth that I couldn’t hear while I
waited, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other. After a few moments, he
finally spoke again. “You’ve been granted one hour, but—”
That was all the confirmation I needed to easily slip between the two of them
and hurry my way over to the stairs, my feet pounding against each step as I made
my way toward the gym. I didn’t bother to grab my wraps; I just quickly slipped on
my gloves, the same ones from the island, and immediately slammed my fist into
the first bag I saw.
Clive and Owen watched from a distance, one hand over the other
