Free Hear Me by Skye Warren

her spine.
    Even when Brendan returned inside to the table, Sam and she worked in silence, the air shimmering with tension. She carried in a plate of steaks while Sam finished grilling the vegetables.
    Brendan stood when she came in and took the plate from her. “Here,” he said. “Have a seat next to me.”
    She eyed the chair on the far end with longing.
    “That’s no good,” Brendan chided. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. The prettiest thing I’ve seen in weeks. Months even. You wouldn’t deny me the pleasure, would you?”
    Her trepidation rose at his flowery words, meant to trick and subvert.
    “Ah, brother,” Brendan said. “You finally made it. Tell your girl here to have a seat before she falls over.”
    Sam frowned, but he said slowly, “Sit down, subby.”
    She did.
    “Good.” Brendan sat beside her. “Right in the middle. We can share her.”
    When Sam raised his eyebrow, Brendan merely smiled. “The sight of her lovely face. I was just telling her how long it had been for me since I had seen someone like her. Too long.”
    “You’ve been working too hard,” Sam said. “Give us some details. We were just wondering what it was you’re shipping this time around.”
    Brendan paused in the act of transferring a steaming steak to his plate. “Is that so?” He gave her an opaque look. “What a curious pair you two make. Sports equipment, if you can believe it.”
    “Really?” Sam asked, taking a bite. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a cargo-hold full of basketballs.”
    “All varieties of recreational activities, or so I am told. I haven’t inspected the merchandise.”
    Sam was looking at her now, head tilted. Probably because Brendan had been focused on her, completely, the entire time he conversed with his brother. Brendan was going to give it away like this.
    “I loved going with you today,” she told Sam quickly. “I hope you’ll take me again.”
    Sam smiled slightly, though he seemed far from appeased. He wasn’t stupid, and the subtext was fairly screaming. “Sure, subby. I like having you around.”
    Brendan needed a full minute to recover his silver tongue. “She speaks. This is new, yes?”
    “Since earlier,” Sam said smoothly. “So you see your worrying wasn’t necessary. She’s already getting better here.”
    “I still say she should come back with me.” For once he turned and looked quite seriously at Sam. “What about the people she left behind? Her family. For all you know she has a lover waiting for her, and here you are fucking her in a shithole cabin.”
    “That’s enough,” Sam said, his voice soft and menacing. “I let you give me a hard time, but I’m not going to let you disrespect her.”
    “You’re not going to let me disrespect her? Oh, that’s rich. She’s a dirty little sex doll you found washed up, used up, half dead , and instead of sending her to people who might actually care about her, you dress her up in Amanda’s old clothes and give her commands like she’s a dog.”
    “Get out.”
    “Brother,” he started.
    “Now,” Sam said with more than enough heat to show he meant it. If he had spoken to her that way, she would have cowered. Even now, she cowered.
    Brendan took his time getting up. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked between her and his brother. She tried to ignore that, didn’t let their gazes his meet. He would leave and she would be fine. He would leave, and she would go back to being Sam’s recycled sex doll. She wanted to die.
    “Fine, brother. Choose the girl, again. See if it turns out any better this time.”
    The door slammed shut behind Brendan, belying his coolly-spoken parting shot. Sam wouldn’t look at her.
    “Sir,” she said. “Master?”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    She recoiled. He was mad at her.
    “Please,” she tried.
    “My name’s Sam. That’s what you can call me. Say it. Say please Sam. ”
    “Please, Sam,” she whispered.
    He looked at her then, but she almost wished he