| |
––––––––
PAIN SHOT THROUGH MY head as something struck my temple. Awareness slowly returned as I reached an unsteady hand up to rub the sore spot. Without opening my eyes, I tried to assess my situation. The familiar jolting told me I was most definitely in a car. Since I was able to move my hand to my head without restraint, then I wasn’t tied up. For a panicked second, I feared I might be in a trunk, then I realized I was sitting up not lying down. My head colliding with the window must have been the pain that had woken me up.
Slowly, I cracked my eyes open, expecting blinding sunlight, but the dark sky surprised me. So many thoughts were running through my head, but the main one seemed to be screaming louder than the others. Who had taken me?
When I turned my head to inspect the person behind the wheel, I found that I knew exactly who had taken me.
“I should have known,” I said, groggily.
He looked confused for a moment as if he’s not sure what I meant.
“Do you get kidnapped often?” He asked, arching an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to answer such a stupid question. There were more important ones to be answered.
“How did you find me?” I had managed to stay hidden for so long, I was genuinely curious what all he had discovered.
He rolled his eyes, looking back to the road. “Darlin’, if you were hiding, you were doing a piss poor job at it. What I can’t figure out is how you stayed unnoticed for so long.”
My back straightened and I could feel the anger rising. Anger was good. I would need every ounce to get myself out of this. “You can’t take me back. Going back means death. I’d rather die right here and now. So, pull over somewhere. Let’s get this over with.”
He chuckled as if he didn’t think I was serious, but I just stared him down. I was dead serious. When my expression didn’t falter, the humor on his face turned to surprise. I imagine he’s not used to people asking for death. More like begging not to die.
“‘Fraid I can’t take you up on that. Now, I’m more of a shoot ‘em then return ‘em kind of guy, but I’m under strict instructions to hand you over unhurt and alive.” He actually looked sad about it.
Why did I get the feeling this wasn’t a normal bounty hunter?
“Well, if you’re too afraid to do it, then hand over a gun. I’ll happily do it myself.” God, the satisfaction of my father finding out I single handedly ruined his whole plan, would be worth it. He never would have considered I would rather be dead. He always considered me too weak. Nothing would make me happier than to prove him wrong.
“You’re a mob princess, darlin’. How bad could your life have been?” He looked confused. As if growing up knowing that your father’s the worst sort of human being who would sell his own daughter to gain power wasn’t that bad because he also bought me pretty, shiny things.
“Mob princess? More like mob prisoner,” I snarled.
“Ah, come on. It couldn’t have been so bad.” He really didn’t have a damn clue.
He’s probably a sexist pig like the rest. Sure, some women in my world lived for the mob. They were happy to spend all their husband’s dirty money and were perfectly content with being trophies in a bloody war, but that’s not me. I refuse to be a pawn in their game.
“You don’t know anything,” I snapped. “What do you care, anyway? You’ll collect your check. I bet it’s a good sized one. Lord knows my father wants me back something fierce. He wouldn’t spare a single penny to make it happen.”
“You got me there, darlin’.” He looked like he’s already mentally spending all the cash he’s going to get.
I shot him a disgusted look, before turning back to my window. “How long before we arrive in Las Vegas?”
“A while,” he told me, but it’s not a real answer.
I needed a plan. Some sort of idea on how to get away before we arrived because once we were in my father's city there would be no escaping again. He wouldn’t allow it to happen twice. It wouldn’t surprise me if he locked me in a safe room until I was needed again.
“What?” I snapped when I realized he’s watching me.
“Don’t think about it,” he warned.
It’s as if he could read my mind.
“Don’t think about what?” I asked, trying to look innocent.
He swerved the SUV to the shoulder and slammed it in park before turning to level me with a look. And it’s a scary look. I had to work to not scoot as far as the seat would allow. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing I found him scary.
“There is nowhere for you to go. If you try to run from me, I will make you sorry.” His voice dripped with menace. “Normally, I don’t do bounty hunter type bullshit. Most of my clients what their target dead, but you’re a special case. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Let me tell you something, darlin’, the hard way is you being tied up and gagged in my trunk. Now, let me repeat myself. Do. Not. Think. About. It.”
Holy shit this guy’s the real deal. My father sent a fucking hitman to find me. That is reaching the bottom of the barrel. He must be real out of sorts to trust someone like this man to bring me back. He’s smart to do it. There’s no chance in hell I would get out from under this guy.
He had me. My father fucking had me.
I stared at the mountain man for a long moment, not bothering to hide the panic that welled up inside of me. A guy like this could probably smell it. Hell, at this point I wasn’t sure who I feared more, my father, who was no doubt going to make my life a living hell, or this guy, who could probably kill me a thousand different ways after he made me beg for death.
My breathing became ragged and tears were threatening to spill. Panic swept over me. I pushed open my door and stepped out, slamming it behind me. I leaned my back against the SUV and squeezed my eyes shut, willing back the tears. The last thing I wanted was to turn into a sobbing, hot mess.
A few seconds later, he came stomping around the car.
“Don’t worry,” I sniffed. “I’m not thinking about running. I just need a second to process my fate.”
“Get back in the car,” he said as if I wasn’t in the middle of a mental break down.
My head snapped up and I leveled him with a glare. “I just need a minute.”
He stepped closer until he’s towering over me, forcing me to look up at him.
“Get in,” he growled. The way he said it made me think that if I said refused, he would put me in.
“Fine,” I growled back, whirling to pull the door open, not caring that I knocked into him.
He’s a cold hearted asshole.
* * *
MANY HOURS AND TWO fuel stops later, I was sick to death of this SUV. The sun had come up and gone back down again and the mountain man showed no signs of discomfort as the miles between us and Wyoming grew. Every time my mind would stray to my small town, it made my heart heavy. I couldn’t imagine what Sam and Liz had thought when I didn’t show up for work a few hours ago.
Did they call the police? If so, it wouldn’t matter. Ever Williams didn’t exist, so it would be like chasing a ghost. My heart skipped and I sucked in a ragged breath at the thought of being lost to them. I hadn’t gotten the chance to properly thank them for everything they have done for me.
Shifting in my seat, I turned my back on the mountain man. He probably thought any sort of emotion was weakness. I didn’t want him to see me upset. The last thing I needed was for him to find me weak. Not that it mattered. Soon enough he would hand me over to the monsters of my past. The very people I worked so hard to hide from.
He surprised me when he pulled off at the next exit. I turned to look at him.
“We’re stopping?” We shouldn’t be getting gas again. Our last stop was only a hundred miles ago.
He just grunted at me, as he pulled into the closest motel, near the exit.
Hell yes! This was perfect. This was my chance to escape.
Once we were parked and headed into the motel office, he spoke. “We’ll get a few hours of shut eye, then head back out.” He grabbed a hold of my arm, pulling me into him close enough for his lips to brush my ear. “Do not do anything stupid.” Each word was pure threat.
I should have heeded his warning, but I had to do something. I couldn’t go back to my father. What’s the worst that could happen?
The woman behind the counter smiled at us as we entered.
“Welcome to...” she started before being cut off.
“One room,” He grumbled, pulling a few bills out of his pocket. “Cash.”
“O-okay,” she stammered, picking the bills off the counter. Within a few moments she held a room key and change out to him.
“Room 265. Have a nice stay.” She tried to smile, but one look from the mountain man had her faltering. He’s a scary guy.
He pulled me back out the door toward the car. He moved the car closer to our room and hauled me up the stairs, keeping me in his line of sight. It’s not as if I could just bolt. He would just catch me. I wouldn’t embarrass myself by pretending like I thought I had a chance at just flat out running for it.
Once inside our room, he tossed a bag onto the bed and sat down beside it.
I moved toward the bathroom, mostly because I needed one, but I needed the space to sort out a plan.
His eyes tracked my movement.
“I’m just going to shower,” I snapped. “Are you going to perch on the sink and make sure I don’t escape down the drain?”
He gave me a hard stare as if he’s considering doing just that. After a beat, he shrugged, bending over his bag, pulling it open. Turning on my heel, I went into the bathroom, shutting the door. To my displeasure there’s not a lock.
As I showered, a semi-decent plan formed in my head. It’s probably not the best plan, but it had to work. It’s my last chance. We were probably closing in on Vegas. My chance to escape was running out. It’s now or never.
I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a thick white towel around me. Looking around, I realized I had nothing to put on except my dirty work dress. I picked it up off the floor and held it up, wrinkling my nose as I smelled the stench of grease coming off it. There’s no way, I was putting that back on. I’d rather walk around naked. Maybe that would put him off and he would let me go. I shook my head. More than likely that would get me in a whole other kind of trouble. I wasn’t about to go there.
Cracking open the bathroom door, I peeked out. He’s sitting right where I left him, but now his attention was on his cell phone. I took a deep breath, then pulled the door open and stepped out. When he looked up, I met his stare head on.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” I told him as I walked further into the room, clutching the towel tighter around me.
He motioned toward the bag beside him not taking his eyes from his cell.
“Who are you always texting? Is it my father?” My voice dripped with disgust. I could imagine the joy my father must feel at the thought of me being found.
He hadn’t bothered answering me. He didn’t even look up from his phone. His fingers kept on clicking away. Maybe he’s composing an email? Shaking my head, I decided it didn’t matter. He’s more than likely informing my father that he had me. Taking a deep breath, I unzipped the black bag and was surprised to find a few of my clothes inside.
“This has got to be the strangest kidnaping ever,” I mumbled as I pulled out my comfy yoga pants, a t-shirt, and underwear.
“How would you know?” He asked, finally acknowledging me.
“Something tells me packing a bag for the person you kidnapped, isn’t in the abductor’s handbook.” It couldn’t be normal protocol for a hitman.
He snorted. “No, I don’t think it is.”
I pulled my underwear on under my towel. Once I felt less naked, I let the towel drop. He looked back just as the towel hit the floor. Maybe it’s a trick of the light, but his eyes seemed to darken. His adam’s apple bob as he gulped.
Quickly, I pulled my shirt and pants on, looking away.
“I’m sure it’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” I said, trying to cover my unease. Looking around, I noticed a problem. One big enough to distract me from the odd look in his eyes. “Wait. There’s only one bed.”
“Yep.” Was all he said as he finally pulled his eyes from me.
“But where are you going to seep?” I asked.
“In the bed,” he said.
“Then where am I going to sleep?” Surely he didn’t expect me to sleep on the floor.
“In the bed,” he repeats.
“I’m not sleeping with you,” I told him.
“You don’t have a choice,” he ground out. He stood, walking toward me. “You realize I’m a hitman, right? Whatever is going on in that pretty little head of yours, I’ve already thought of.”
My heart rate’s starting to rise, and I had to take a deep breath.
“I thought we already discussed that I wasn’t going to run for it.” I rolled my eyes and moved around him, to sit on the bed.
“Darlin’, I’m not stupid.”
He moved toward me and I scooted further on the bed, moving away from him, but he just kept coming. He didn’t stop until he’s looming over me. Quicker than I had expected, he grabbed my wrist and handcuffed me to the bed frame.
“What the hell?!” I demanded, pulling on the cuff. This would totally ruin my plan. I didn’t have a freaking clue how to get out of handcuffs.
“I’m going to take a shower now.” He backed away, turning toward the bathroom. “When I’m finished, we will have a little talk.”
My mouth just gaped open as I watched him disappear into the bathroom. Surely he didn’t intend to keep me like this while I slept tonight. If so, my plan’s done. My whole plan revolved around him sleeping while I snuck out. It’s not original, but it’s worth a shot, and it wouldn’t work if I was chained to the bed.
I was still lost in my worry when the bathroom door opened and he walked out only in a towel. My mind went completely blank as I took him in.
Growing up, my father sheltered me. He hadn’t allowed me much freedom and because of that I had little to no experience with men. Some of the bodyguards I had were well built, but I’d never seen one without their shirt on. That would have been a death sentence. But something told me that nothing would compare to this man.
Water glistened off every inch of him. I could see scars here or there on his chest and torso. I had a feeling there were hazards of the job. I wondered if any were bullet wounds. Thinking back to my initial reaction to seeing him for the first time, I decided I had been correct. He had some serious muscles going on. His body’s definitely as fantastic as his face. Someone so scary shouldn’t look so delicious.
When his eyes met mine, I flushed, looking away. I tried not to watch as he crossed the room and dug through the bag, pulling out his own clothing to wear. And I absolutely did not look as he dropped the towel without a hint of modesty, to pull on his clothes.
After he dressed, he walked over to sit in the chair across from me.
I looked pointedly at the handcuffs, then back to him. He made no move to take them off.
“Are you seriously going to just leave me chained to the bed?” I asked.
“We need to discuss a few things, then we’ll see about taking them off,” he told me.
“Fine. What do you want to discuss?” I asked, annoyed.
He studied me for a long moment. I could see he was considering me. It only made me more nervous about what he’s going to say, though it couldn’t be any worse than him telling me that he’s here to return me to my father. That’s hands down the worst thing that could happen to me. Even worse than death. I was ready for whatever he had on his mind.
“I’m not taking you to Vegas,” he announced.
“So, we’re meeting my father somewhere else?” That held a world of possibilities. I would never be able to escape Vegas again, and if we didn’t go there to meet my father, I stood a better chance of getting away again. Things were looking up.
“No. I’m not taking you back to your father.” He couldn’t be serious.
“But if you don’t take me back, then you won’t get paid.” Why did I sound like I was trying to talk him into taking me back?
“Some things are more important than money.” He said it sincerely. I almost fell for it.
“You’re a hitman. Isn’t it all about the money?” I mean, he killed people for money. What could be more important than money if you’re willing to commit murder to get it? He didn’t answer my question, but I still didn’t feel relieved about the fact that he’s not taking me back to my father. What concerned me more was why he’s not returning me. “Why aren’t you taking me back, then?”
“My real target is your father and his future business partner, your fiance. You are the leverage I need to get close enough to take down his entire operation.” What?
“Take down his entire operation? How?”
“I’m going to kill them all.” Did Christmas come early this year?
What he’s saying was too good to be true. He’s going to kill my father and everyone else that’s involved in his disgusting skin trade. It’s the best news I had heard in my life. If he had to use me as leverage, then hell yeah, I was in.
“I’m in! Whatever we have to do, I’m all in.” I sat up the best I could and grinned at him.
“You’re not in,” he said slowly. “You are leverage.”
“Done! Whatever you want, I’ll do it. I’ll help you take him down. To take them all down.” I’d sell my soul to the highest bidder if that meant I could end my father and his operation.
“What?” He looked thoroughly confused. It’s kind of cute.
“I said, I will help you,” I told him.
“There is something seriously wrong with you.” He shook his head in disbelief as he stood, moving toward me.
“No, there's not.” I tried not to take his comment to heart, but my father used to say the same thing. He never understood my dislike for the mob and family. Those words his me hard.
“Whatever you say, darlin’. So, if I take these cuffs off, you won’t make a break for it while I sleep?” He looked uncertain, but he just didn’t understand.
“Hell no. I’m not leaving. Not until my father is dead and cold. There’s no way you’re getting rid of me now,” I assured him, a grin pulling at my lips again.
He just shook his head in disbelief. “Something tells me, I’m gonna regret this.”
“You’re probably right,” I laughed, rubbing my wrist where the cuff had been digging into my skin. “But there are no take backs.”
He grumbled something under his breath as he climbed into bed beside me, turning his back to me. I did the same, turning my back on him. As I lay there, a whole new plan formed in my head. One with my father and his empire in shambles and him at my mercy for once. Things were finally looking up. Maybe this time I would be rid of my father once and for all.
Right before I drifted off, I realized I never asked mountain man his name.
“What’s your name?” I mumbled, sleepily. It’s not important, but I was curious all the same.
“Shade.” I heard just as I drifted off to sleep.