hadn’t gotten her into the hospital gown with their eyes closed. No. Her body wasn’t hers—before or now.
She got off the mattress and went to the door, flipping the pathetic excuse for a door lock. It was not the thought that counted. Then she laid back down on the mattress and closed her eyes before yelling, “Come on in.”
Alex was carrying a black garment bag and smiling. Eden hated it when she smiled—it just meant Alex was about to do something to show how likeable she was. Eden hated her.
She held the bag out. “It isn’t much, but it’s better than the scrubs.”
It wasn’t as if Eden had anything else to change into. The clothes she’d been wearing when they kidnapped her—despite their protestations it was for her own good—had been tattered anyway. From when Hyde had ripped them off her. Wow, she really needed to make new friends. The crowd she was hanging out with right now sucked.
“You bought me clothing?”
“No, I brought you clothing. I don’t wear it anymore, and I thought you might like it. Now that you’re going to stay, we’ll get your things out of storage and—”
Eden jolted up. “What did you say?”
Alex’s smile got bigger. “It’s just a summer dress, Eden. Really not anything to get worked up about. There are some flats in there too.”
Eden ripped the bag out of her hand. “I’m not talking about the dress. I’m talking about my stuff. Why did you move it?”
“Oh,” she said slowly. “Well, we needed to make sure Carter hadn’t left anything behind that tied him to us. And since he was unconscious at the time, we thought it was best to just move everything. But you can have it back whenever you want.”
“ Now . I want it back now .” Her jaw was so stiff, she had to speak slowly and carefully to get the words out. “I want you to go get a truck and fill it up with all my worldly possessions that you felt you had a right to paw through. And I want them all put back. Now .”
“Okay, I’ll put someone on it.”
“No, Alex. Not someone. You . I want you to do it. Because, for some ungodly reason, you seem to think that this is normal. That it has no effect on me whatsoever. I want you to take my life, which I assume is now in boxes, and I want you to move my life. And as you get more and more tired and achy, I pray that you will finally understand that I am a person. I have feelings. I have memories. And no one has the right to touch those without my permission. Do you understand?”
At least the woman had the decency to look ashamed. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my choice.”
“Whose choice was it?” Eden asked, opening up the bag. It didn’t matter. Her point had been made, and all she really cared about was getting out of here and seeing Mitch again. And she knew she wouldn’t get a decent answer, anyway.
“I don’t know. Someone above me. They don’t discuss those kinds of things with me.”
Surprise, surprise. Eden pulled out the sundress, holding it up and trying to imagine Alex wearing it. “No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as a sundress kind of person.”
“I’m not.” She looked down at the khakis and button-down blouse that she wore. “I bought it because I thought it would impress a man I was interested in.”
“No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as the kind of person who was interested in men, either.”
Her shoulders slumped and she tilted her head. “Wow, Eden. That wasn’t very nice.”
“What does ‘nice’ have to do with anything?” Eden shook her head. “Our relationship isn’t about being nice to each other, Alex. It’s about being honest.” Or pretending to be, at least.
“You want honesty?” she snapped, all pretense of politeness gone. “ Honestly , if you don’t help us, Mitch will die. He’ll become more and more violent. He will hurt anyone around him— without transforming. And then, at some point, he will transform. And he’ll stay that way. The
She got off the mattress and went to the door, flipping the pathetic excuse for a door lock. It was not the thought that counted. Then she laid back down on the mattress and closed her eyes before yelling, “Come on in.”
Alex was carrying a black garment bag and smiling. Eden hated it when she smiled—it just meant Alex was about to do something to show how likeable she was. Eden hated her.
She held the bag out. “It isn’t much, but it’s better than the scrubs.”
It wasn’t as if Eden had anything else to change into. The clothes she’d been wearing when they kidnapped her—despite their protestations it was for her own good—had been tattered anyway. From when Hyde had ripped them off her. Wow, she really needed to make new friends. The crowd she was hanging out with right now sucked.
“You bought me clothing?”
“No, I brought you clothing. I don’t wear it anymore, and I thought you might like it. Now that you’re going to stay, we’ll get your things out of storage and—”
Eden jolted up. “What did you say?”
Alex’s smile got bigger. “It’s just a summer dress, Eden. Really not anything to get worked up about. There are some flats in there too.”
Eden ripped the bag out of her hand. “I’m not talking about the dress. I’m talking about my stuff. Why did you move it?”
“Oh,” she said slowly. “Well, we needed to make sure Carter hadn’t left anything behind that tied him to us. And since he was unconscious at the time, we thought it was best to just move everything. But you can have it back whenever you want.”
“ Now . I want it back now .” Her jaw was so stiff, she had to speak slowly and carefully to get the words out. “I want you to go get a truck and fill it up with all my worldly possessions that you felt you had a right to paw through. And I want them all put back. Now .”
“Okay, I’ll put someone on it.”
“No, Alex. Not someone. You . I want you to do it. Because, for some ungodly reason, you seem to think that this is normal. That it has no effect on me whatsoever. I want you to take my life, which I assume is now in boxes, and I want you to move my life. And as you get more and more tired and achy, I pray that you will finally understand that I am a person. I have feelings. I have memories. And no one has the right to touch those without my permission. Do you understand?”
At least the woman had the decency to look ashamed. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my choice.”
“Whose choice was it?” Eden asked, opening up the bag. It didn’t matter. Her point had been made, and all she really cared about was getting out of here and seeing Mitch again. And she knew she wouldn’t get a decent answer, anyway.
“I don’t know. Someone above me. They don’t discuss those kinds of things with me.”
Surprise, surprise. Eden pulled out the sundress, holding it up and trying to imagine Alex wearing it. “No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as a sundress kind of person.”
“I’m not.” She looked down at the khakis and button-down blouse that she wore. “I bought it because I thought it would impress a man I was interested in.”
“No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as the kind of person who was interested in men, either.”
Her shoulders slumped and she tilted her head. “Wow, Eden. That wasn’t very nice.”
“What does ‘nice’ have to do with anything?” Eden shook her head. “Our relationship isn’t about being nice to each other, Alex. It’s about being honest.” Or pretending to be, at least.
“You want honesty?” she snapped, all pretense of politeness gone. “ Honestly , if you don’t help us, Mitch will die. He’ll become more and more violent. He will hurt anyone around him— without transforming. And then, at some point, he will transform. And he’ll stay that way. The
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