6. Jesse

Chapter six

Jesse

W atching Erik turn tail and scamper out of that room was the highlight of my damn day. I laughed with Anders as he slammed the door shut and locked it, shaking his head like he'd gotten it wet. The water bottle was still clutched in his hand, and I moved to grab it, sending him a flash of him pouring it into the little witch's mouth. Even stone-cold Anders had been affected by that, adjusting himself when he thought I wasn't looking.

I noticed Anders's mouth was moving and frowned, waving my hand at his face. He rolled his eyes, but his hands sprang to life, including me in the conversation finally.

"- the second she was able to talk! You're the fucking idiot who stopped asking questions," Anders signed, and I looked at Erik, who was distinctly ruffled.

"What did it feel like?" I signed to him, and he flashed his cocky little grin at me, still looking a little dazed from his encounter. It reminded me of the time we got high on the beach and laid in the sand for hours, staring up at the stars. He'd been more relaxed, more boyish, and less in his own head. Like the Erik I grew up with.

"It's like pillow talk," he replied, and I glanced at Anders, who scowled at that response, his hands already demanding clarification. I sent Anders a vision of him and the girl naked in bed, clearly post-marathon sex, chatting casually. He nodded at me, a small flush of pink spreading over his cheeks.

"So, no mind-control?" I signed to Erik, and he shook his head.

"No, it's more like… you're one beer deep and having an easy conversation?" He shrugged. "I just… wanted to tell her the truth, but I wasn't forced to. I was still in control of my mind."

"It's probably stronger for regular people," Anders added, peering through the small window Erik had installed in the room. The girl, Grace, was starting to stir again, trying to sit up with her hands still trapped behind her. The short dress she'd been wearing at the club was riding up as she struggled, flashing more of her bare hip before she gave up and fell back onto the bed.

A hand brushed my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. I looked at Erik, who signed for Levy. "Maybe Jesse should go in. I bet she can't sign, so he won't be able to spill any secrets." I shrugged, looking to Erik for direction. I knew he bristled at giving up the lead on this, but he'd already been affected by her once, so we had to try something else. I watched his chest heave as he sighed, and he held out the water to me.

Water in hand, I unlocked the door and stepped inside, noticing how Grace's eyes widened when she saw me. A hand brushed over my shoulder, and I smiled slightly, glancing over to the mirror. Levy was apparently my backup. Her mouth opened, and I could see her trying to talk to me. As I got closer, she curled up tighter into herself, and a wave of blissful calm spread over me. It was like all of my troubles fell away, and I beamed at her. What a neat little trick. Her lips were moving again, and I tried to understand what she was saying, but I couldn't lip-read for shit, and she was talking too fast.

I waved a hand to cut her off, and turned my head, pointing at the tattoo of a mute button I had under my ear. Her nose wrinkled when she frowned, still not understanding. Using one hand, I signed at her, not official ASL but the universal gesture for Sorry, can't hear you. Her eyes widened in understanding, and she glanced back at her tied arms, giving me an apologetic look. Right, this was ridiculous, I was easily twice her size, and clearly her hands weren't much of a weapon. I set the water down on the floor and approached her, my hands raised where she could see them.

Fuck, she was skittish, like a little bunny. Her whole body shook as I got closer, and she tucked her legs tighter into her chest, pressing her face into the bedspread. That's when I noticed the bruises on her thighs and the inside of her knees. I leaned over her and saw more bruises, these ones faded and half-hidden with makeup, circling her neck and along her jaw. Scowling, I straightened and signed toward the window, telling Erik about the injuries. I pushed a quick vision of hands untying a knot to her, and her chest heaved with a little gasp. I caught her eye and winked at her, leaning over to try and untie the ridiculous web Anders had woven around her limbs.

After a couple of attempts, I found a slip knot and tugged, the whole thing unraveling in one go. She pulled her arms in front of her, flexing her fingers as she cradled them against her chest. Her soft gray eyes met mine, and she mouthed a thank you , making my heart melt. I shot a pained look at the little mirror, where I knew they were watching. We hadn't stolen a weapon, which is how Erik had justified this. We'd kidnapped an innocent and scared woman, and I was not a sociopath like Anders, I couldn't abide wanton cruelty. I sent them both a flash of themselves burning in hell, hoping that Erik would feel guilty at least.

Movement caught my eye, and I glanced down at the blond on the bed. She was shifting to sit up, tugging down her dress modestly as she avoided my gaze. I saw her eyeing the water bottle on the floor, and I quickly picked it up and held it out to her. She hesitated a moment before taking it out of my hand. I stood, waiting, as she gulped it down with a fervor that startled me. Watching her throat bob as she drank made me swallow roughly, thinking terrible things. Great, I was no better than those idiots outside.

She finished the whole bottle, flushing a pretty pink as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. I held out my hand for the empty bottle, and she handed it over gingerly, avoiding my eyes. I waved to draw her attention, and pointed at her legs, sending a picture of the bruises. She drew her legs back up onto the bed, pulling away from me. I crouched so she couldn't avoid my gaze, pushing a quick flash of Sergio into her mind. Tears formed in her eyes, and I glanced at the mirror briefly before turning back to her. Her mouth was moving, and I sighed, wishing I could tell what she was saying. As if realizing her mistake, her lips pressed together to form a thin line, and she tucked her legs into her chest.

Okay, change of tactic here. I sent a picture of a plate of food, touching my stomach and pointing to her as a question. She shook her head quickly, but I knew that couldn't be true. She had to be hungry, she'd been here for nearly twelve hours and hadn't eaten anything while we'd watched her at the club. Levy said she'd puked in the bathroom at one point too, so she was definitely running on fumes. I patted the bed, making her flinch, and walked toward the door, letting myself out. Erik was hovering outside, waiting to pounce, his hands moving so fast, he fucked up some of the signs, but I got the gist.

"The bruises weren't us, you were with her the whole time, you know we didn't touch her," he told me firmly, and I nodded, heading upstairs. I felt the weight of his footsteps right behind me, but I didn't bother to turn until I was in the kitchen, rummaging through our fridge for something easy for her to eat.

Erik slapped my arm to get my attention, and I huffed and turned to stare at him, sending him a vision of Sergio pawing at her legs in the back of the car. He recoiled, grimacing at me, and I turned back to the task at hand, finding some strawberries that were still good, as well as an apple. Thank god Anders was a health nut, the strawberries were even washed and cut up. I quickly sliced up the apple and set everything all nicely in a bowl, grabbing another bottle of water out of the fridge while I was at it.

"Did she try it on you, too?" he signed, and I settled for nodding since my hands were full.

I saw Erik mouth a curse, his hand going to his hair, and I let him think all of this over as I headed back downstairs. Anders was leaning against the wall across from the window into the room, clearly bored. He noticed the fruit in my hand and frowned slightly, probably annoyed that I'd stolen some of his food. Sharing is caring, you selfish prick —I thought, sending him an image of two kids splitting a popsicle. He flipped me off, and I laughed, tucking the water bottle under my arm so I could let myself into the room.

Grace flinched as I walked in, scooting against the wall, and I held up the bowl of fruit to show my intent. A hand touched my arm, reminding me that Levy was still nearby, and I brought the food over as she watched me warily. I felt like I was trying to coax a wild animal into trusting me, the way she drew herself in as I neared. I set the bowl on the foot of the bed, as well as the water, and backed away from it, giving her some space. Her eyes tracked me as I stepped away, but made no move to grab the bowl of fruit.

"Eat," I signed, pointing at the bowl. She pursed her lips and shook her head at me, and I sighed, glancing over at the mirror. Levy tugged on my arm gently, pulling me toward the door. He was right, maybe she'd be more comfortable once she was alone. I gave her a little wave and backed toward the door, leaving it open long enough for Levy to slip out with me. Once it was locked behind me, I joined the others at the little window, watching her like an animal at the zoo.

She sat completely still, not even fidgeting, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees as she pressed herself against the wall. I assumed she'd have to move eventually, if only to stretch out her muscles or use the bathroom, but after an hour of nothing, I was starting to worry that something was… well, broken.

"Did she hit her head?" I signed at Anders, and he shook his head, scowling at her through the window. I knew this must be driving him insane, he was like a kid who was itching to poke the animal with a stick to make it do something. Erik tapped my shoulder, signing for Levy. "Maybe it's shock?" He looked visibly disappointed, and I knew he was expecting some kind of cold-hearted assassin on a gold leash, not a timid, broken young woman.

"What now?" I asked him, and he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.

"Now we wait." He shrugged.