He wasn't hungry. Not when the guy with the messy hair told him he was going to be fed, and not when Muscles, now clad in a t-shirt and jeans, came to see him either.

“You can fuck off,” he said the minute the man entered the room. “Actually, no. You can let me go, or call the cops.”

“You're wanted,” Muscles said. “And you'd last about two minutes outside this place without us.”

“Yeah? I managed to live thirty years without you. What makes you suddenly so necessary to my survival?”

“Bobby Cornoli.”

Shit. That was one name Aiden really didn't want to hear.

Muscles held the food out. “Eat.”

“Nah.”

“I'm not asking. I'm telling.”

“I don't give a shit what you're doing. I'm not hungry.”

“Fine.” Muscles put the bowl down. Aiden figured he'd won when the man left the room, but Muscles was back a second later with a kitchen chair in hand. He plonked it in the middle of the floor, grabbed Aiden and carried him across to it. Being picked up as if he didn't weigh anything at all didn't please Aiden at all. He struggled against the hard lines of Muscle's body, cursing and swearing, but it didn't do anything. Muscles put him in the chair, grabbed the belts that Aiden had woken up with around him, and started wrapping them around him, belting him into the chair.

“You're going to eat,” Muscles said grimly.

With his arms pinned by his sides, Aiden was only left with the option of clamping his lips closed as Muscles crouched in front of him, took a spoonful of food and moved it toward his mouth.

“Here comes the choo choo train,” the monster of a man said, smirking with amusement. “Open up.”

No way. Aiden kept his mouth firmly closed. Maybe this asshole could manhandle him into a chair, but he couldn't force-feed him.

“Do you want this, or a tube down your throat?” Muscles said. “Because that's the next step.”

Okay, maybe he could force-feed him.

“You're sick...” Aiden didn't get any more out because the moment his mouth opened, Muscles pushed the spoon into it and then there was food on his tongue, a chicken and rice stir fry sort of thing. Actually tasted pretty good – but Aiden had no intention of chewing it. He spat it back out at Muscles and grinned defiantly, even though most of it had landed back on his own lap and nowhere near his tormentor.

Muscles turned his head and bellowed. “Rob! Get the tube!”

The door opened and the other man walked in, took one look at the scene and frowned.

“What's going on, Steve?”

Steve. So that was Muscles's name.

“He wouldn't eat. What did you expect me to do?”

“Not cover him in it,” Rob said, shaking his head.

“That was his choice, not mine.”

Aiden sat there as the bodyguards bickered, the remnants of taste in his mouth actually making him feel sort of hungry. It had been a long time since he'd eaten. He actually couldn't remember his last meal. He still felt dope sick, but maybe food would actually help with that.

“You feed him,” Steve said, pushing the bowl into Rob's hands. “See how you do.”

Rob sighed, put the bowl down again, and began to unwind the belts from around Aiden's body. Thank god there was somebody sane in this little clusterfuck. Muscles was on a power trip Aiden absolutely wanted off of.

Once Rob had him disentangled from his impromptu bondage, he picked up the bowl and handed it back over.

“Eat something,” he said. “You need your strength.”

It was worth the irritated expression on Steve's face just to start eating without complaint.

“See,” Rob said as Aiden started to nibble at the meal. “No need to be rough.”

Aiden gave a little smirk toward Steve, a private look of manipulative triumph. Steve cracked his knuckles in response, making Aiden snort into his food. Threats of violence from a bodyguard. That was a new one.

“Mmm, pretty good,” Aiden said. “Thanks, Rob. For the food, and for not tying me up to eat it.”

Steve shook his head, turned on his heel and walked out the door. Pity. Aiden was looking forward to tormenting him a little more.

“Don't taunt Steve,” Rob said. “It won't end well for you.”

“I'm not taunting anyone,” Aiden said, wide eyed and innocent, as if being accused of such a thing hurt him deeply.