I walk over and pick up the tray and then place it in front of us.
We both stare at the food—two sandwiches, two bananas, and two cookies, along with two bottles of water.
“Do you think it’s poisoned?” I ask, hesitantly. My mouth is watering at the sight, and my stomach growls softly. It’s been over twenty-four hours since I last ate. I’m hungry, but not so hungry that I would risk my life yet for food. But Langston could really use the food for strength.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Langston grabs one of the sandwiches and takes a big bite.
I stare wide-eyed before I grab my own sandwich and bite into it. It’s peanut butter and jelly, I realize as I chew.
Langston shakes his head at me. “You were supposed to wait and see if I dropped dead.”
“I don’t want to be left in this dungeon alone.”
Langston’s face softens at my words. “Eat. We are going to need our strength.”
We both eat in silence. We finish every bite, and every moment that passes reassures us further that the food wasn’t poisoned.
“What are you thinking about?” Langston asks.
“How we could escape.”
“Do you have a plan?”
I stare up, seeing a high window on the wall. “Maybe, but I’m not sure your wound is healed enough to try it. And I’m not sure I’m strong enough either.”
Langston stares up at the window. “Let’s try it.”
We both stand up, and I remove the leather jacket so that I’m a little more mobile. I feel Langston’s heated stare on me in my black dress. The jacket covered most of my curves, but now they are on full display and Langston is appreciating every inch of my body beneath the black fabric.
I clear my throat, and Langston’s eyes meet mine. “Do you want to give me a boost, or do you want me to give you one?”
“Let’s try you first; you were always a better climber than me,” he replies.
I smile, but then I realize it will be hard to climb in this dress. I kick off my heels and hike up my dress until my black panties are exposed. I tie the dress just above my hips to give my legs more mobility.
“If you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to poke your eyes out. I’m not yours to stare at.”
Langston walks over to me; brushing the hair off my neck until he thumbs my pulse. “Aren’t you? You’ve always been mine, huntress. That’s one of the reasons I’m so angry at you. You’ve always been mine, and yet you run off with other men.”
I narrow my eyes as I glare at him. “Just like you ran off with other women. You got married. You had two kids. You don’t get to be mad at me for falling for a man who isn’t you. Not when you abandoned me. Not when you couldn’t protect me. I’ve never been yours, killer.”
He breathes on my neck, before he turns me around to face him with his hands on my hips. “That’s where you’re wrong, huntress. You’ve always been mine, since we were kids. But being mine doesn’t mean that I’m going to gives you roses and pamper you. It doesn’t mean I’m going to marry you and choose you over all others. Being mine means you are mine to do what I want with. To kiss, to fuck, to kill. Your life is in my hands—even here. Remember that.”
“There was once a time when I might have been yours. But then you betrayed me; you failed me. From that moment on, I learned that I belong to no one, and no one belongs to me. I’m not property—I belong to no one. Not even you.” I step back until Langston is no longer touching me. He has a scowl on his face, but he doesn’t say anything else.
He walks to the wall, assessing the best strategy. “Climb on my back and then up onto my shoulders. I’ll boost you as high as I can, and then you can try to climb from there.”
I nod, agreeing with his strategy.
Langston leans down so I can climb on his back. I spot his wound that has bled through the T-shirt tied around his back.
I sigh and climb onto his back, careful to avoid hitting his wound. Although, he deserves for me to drive a knife into his wound, deep into the muscle until he can no longer walk.
Langston stands as I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Now, try to climb up to my shoulders.”
I try to ignore how it feels to have his torso between my legs as I scramble up onto his shoulders until my legs are wrapped around his neck.