I take a deep breath and smile coyly. I take another step forward. “You like me, right?”

He nods big and slow.

“If you let me and Ethan go, you can, uh, smell my hair all you want.” I have no intention of honoring this promise.

He leans his giant elbows on his giant knees. The log rocks beneath him. “Boss’ll be mad.”

I walk in front of him and lean down until we’re face to face. “You’re bigger than boss. You don’t need to listen to him.”

He eyes lock onto the expanse of flesh below my neck.

“Come on, Hatch.” I say with honeyed voice. “I need you.” I swallow hard and think of Mama.

He’s up and grabbing my arms. He hoists me to my feet until my toes scrape the ground. I struggle, but it’s no good. He holds me up to eye level and peers in my face.

“You messin’ with me?” he growls. “You messin’ with ol’ Hatchy?” His fingers dig into the flesh of my arms.

“N—no,” I stammer. The pain pulses where his big fingers cut into me.

He pulls me closer until his face is inches from mine. I can see every hair in his stubbly beard. A jagged line runs from his nose to the top of his lip, what Auntie called a harelip. Something green lurks in the cracks between his teeth.

“Kiss me.”

I shoot him a terrified look. “What?”

He tightens his grip on my arm. I wince in pain. “If you mean it, you kiss me.”

Kiss him? Kiss this man ten years older than me with dim eyes, oily skin and chunks of his dinner between his teeth? This cannot be my first kiss. Please no.

I look pleadingly into his eyes. “Hatch, no.”

His grip tightens on my arms until a cry of pain escapes my lips. I can see in his eyes if I don’t give him what he wants, he’ll take it.

“If I kiss you, will you let us go?”

He nods once.

Tears wet the corners of my eyes. What’ve I done? “Okay.” I nod once and choke back a sob.

The big grin creeps over his face as he enfolds me in his giant arms. When his rough lips meet mine, I can’t help myself. I pretend it’s Clay.

The kiss is rough and wet. His tongue probes at my lips, but I clamp them shut. The stubble grates on the skin around my mouth. I pull back. “Okay,” I say. “Let me go.”

Hatch shakes his big head, still smiling, though his face has lost its innocence.

“Nope. I keep you.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

The rough twine around my wrists burns, but not as much as knowing I’ve brought this all on myself.