Golden Binds

“What?”

“You never swear.”

“I can swear if I want to.”

Garret tipped his head to one side. “There’s something different about you today. You seem irritated, ruffled.”

“You just smacked my hand with a hot spatula.”

“Nope, you looked grumpy before that. What’s going on? You’re never grumpy.”

“Don’t know why, since I live with the two of you. If Saywer’s not going off on some paranoid, crazy rant then you’re running around fucking anything in a skirt.”

Garret sucked in his breath. That wasn’t exactly fair. Sure, from time to time he went into town. And if some pretty lady invited him into her bed then he wasn’t exactly going to say no, but he was no man whore.

This was not like his oldest brother. Joseph was the epitome of cool, calm, and collected.

So what the fuck was going on? What had changed?

Then it clicked.

“Have you been to see our inmate?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Joe snarled.

“You’ve been talking to her, haven’t you? That’s what’s got your knickers in a knot.”

“Who’s all this food for?” Joseph countered.

“I’m taking it in to our pretty prisoner. She’s got to be starving by now.”

“Sawyer said he’s going to take her some food.”

“Right. And we both know what kind of a cook Sawyer is. He’ll probably give her a can of baked beans and a can opener.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Sawyer walked into the kitchen. “It would be stupid to hand her a weapon like that.”

“A can?” Garret asked.

“The can opener. Someone could do a lot of damage with one of those.”

Garret sighed. “Dude, you have got to get out more.”

“You cooked breakfast? Good. I’m starving. I’ve been in the security room all night, waiting for her to crack.” He turned to Joseph. “Saw you go in there last night and give her clothes and a blanket. That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“And freezing her to death was?” Joe countered.

“A few hours of discomfort, and she would have talked. Now, I’m going to have to get nasty.”

Garret shared an alarmed look with Joe. He didn’t think Sawyer would actually harm the small female. At least, he hoped he wouldn’t. But there were other sorts of harm he could inflict beside physical pain.

He smacked at Sawyer’s hand as he reached for a piece of fried potato. “That’s not for you.”

“Ow. Fuck. Watch what you’re doing with that thing!” Sawyer glared at him. Then his gaze turned thoughtful as he stared down at the spatula.

“What?” Garret asked, feeling alarmed.

“That spatula is giving me an idea on how to get our prisoner to talk.”