Jo stared at Ernie as he came around in front of her and she could see him again. He wasn't bad-looking, or wouldn't be if he showered and maybe fixed himself up a bit, but the man looked like he did everything he could to make himself look as bad as possible. He also made absolutely no sense to her. She had no idea who this Basha was, or what he meant when he said he was immortal instead of no-fanger. What the hell was a no-fanger? All she'd gotten out of that little speech was that Ernie seemed to be jealous of his brothers and felt his father appreciated them more than him and planned to deliver her to him in the hopes of earning his approval. Great, she thought unhappily.
"Where are your clothes?" Ernie asked suddenly, sounding irritated. "We have to get out of here before Mortimer shows up but I can't find your damned clothes to make you dress."
"They're in the wash," Jo answered at once. She was not averse to the idea of not having to stand around naked any longer.
"In the wash?" he asked, and actually looked amazed. As she'd suspected, laundering his clothes obviously wasn't something he bothered with often. He probably wore his clothes until they fell off. His top was covered with stains, no doubt from being a messy eater. She'd had a friend like that once who always seemed to wear the day's meals on her clothes like a walking menu. There appeared to be only one dish on Bad-Breath Boy's menu, blood. She was sure that's what all the stains were.
"If they're in the wash they'll be wet," Ernie said with irritation.
"Yes, well, that's my problem, isn't it," Jo said dryly.
Ernie sighed with exasperation and gestured a hand toward the door. "Well, lead the way then. I can't take you to my father like this. I may not be interested in sex, but not all my brothers are past that stage yet, and taking you like that would be seen as an invitation. They'd tear you to pieces before I could tell Father who you are."
Jo managed not to wince at his words, but merely said, "You have to release me if you want me to—" Her voice died when her knees suddenly went weak and she nearly collapsed on the bedroom carpet. She had been released. Catching herself, she sighed and headed for the door to the hall.
Jo considered making a run for it the minute she reached the door, but had barely had the thought when Ernie was suddenly in front of her, barring the door.
"Don't waste my time with escape attempts. I'm inside your mind, reading your thoughts as soon as you have them. Any little plan you come up with, I'll know the moment it's hatched and I can take control of you again in a heartbeat. So do what you're told like a good little cow and don't strain my patience."
Jo stared at him wide-eyed, knowing that everything he'd said was true. There simply was no escape for her. He was privy to every thought she had, and even if an opportunity for escape did suddenly arise, he could take control of her before she'd got one step away from him. She was a goner.
"Good. Now that you have a grasp of the situation, get your clothes and get dressed, or I will take you as you are and let my brothers do what they will."
When Jo swallowed and nodded, he stepped out of the way. She immediately moved into the hall to the end closet. She opened it to reveal the stacked washer and dryer inside and started to reach for the washer door before noting that the dryer was humming. It was on, she realized, staring blankly at the empty washer, and then slammed that door and reached for the dryer door instead.
The moment Jo opened the dryer door, her borrowed T-shirt fell out. It was dry, she noted, and realized that Nicholas must have thrown the clothes in the dryer for her when he'd gotten up, probably before he'd even dressed to leave. She was amazed he'd even thought of it, and the consideration it showed made her swallow as she quickly tugged the T-shirt on. Jo then reached in to grab the jeans and panties still inside. Like the T-shirt, the panties were dry, however, the jeans were still a bit damp. But then, Jo supposed at this point catching a chill from wearing damp jeans was the least of her worries and she pulled them on without hesitation.
"Good," Ernie said as she quickly did them up. "Now let's go. I don't want to be here when Mortimer arrives."
Jo turned with resignation and started up the hall, trying very hard not to think at all. Not just about possible ways to escape, but about anything at all. It was terribly uncomfortable knowing someone could hear your every thought, and she had no desire to share any thoughts with this man.
They went down the stairs rather than the elevator, Jo leading the way. On the main floor, he had her take the side exit and then walked her to a car in the visitor parking area. Jo glanced around as they crossed the short distance, hoping to see Nicholas or Mortimer or just anyone , but it was early enough that there was no one.