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Juarez Durante leaned against the large two-way mirror waiting for Natasha to lift her head. His plane landed less than two hours ago. He was anxious to see her since he made those idiots get her off the boat and bring her here. He had a plan to break her down and then make her commit suicide like his sister did. Juarez looked around the decrepit hiding place. He had not used it in a few years. The scent of dust and mothballs almost made his eyes water. The house was more than one hundred years old with several creaking floors and oversized rooms. He peered in at her petite frame lying on the small cot that was jammed against the wall alongside a makeshift table and chair. He had spent the last few years tracking her every move waiting for the right time to grab her. For the last day and a half, she’d been kept in this room. He had instructed his men to keep her at this particular stash house until he returned.
Five days ago, he had been summoned to his father’s California megachurch to parade around in the dog and pony show during the revival. He hated the Bishop and everything his pious double-dealing self-stood for. He could barely be in the same room with him. No sooner than they gave the benediction in the final service he hopped in his jet and flew back to North Carolina. Natasha was the first plot point on his map of revenge. He figured while he was out of town with thousands of people as witnesses now would be a good time to grab her. She appeared very small curled tightly in the fetal position. A part of his heart felt an inkling of tenderness towards her. Just a few minutes ago he found himself focusing on her petite body and shapely backside, which caused primal urges to rip through him. She was just as beautiful today as she was when he first laid eyes on her years ago. Normally he did not care how old a girl was when they took possession of her. But not Natasha, he purposely waited until she was an adult. A young adult, but an adult nonetheless. Fresh, impressionable and easy to manipulate.
He raised a brow and stepped back from the mirror when she moved. She wiped her face and stood on her feet. She raced towards the door and began beating on it. He let out a breath and waited to see how the crew interacted with her. Juarez frowned deeply; he still had a hard time getting past them mistakenly placing her on the boat to be auctioned off a few days ago. For the first time in his life, he felt a twinge of fear. He sighed deeply... they would learn firsthand just how lethal he was.
He watched as she stood back and began kicking on the door. “She is feisty,” he said to no one in particular. Watching her scream, beat and kick the door was stretching his already thin patience. He was seriously second guessing using this group of bumbling idiots. Just as he made his decision to go in and calm her down the door flew open. The short stout man was obviously not ready for someone as desperate as Natasha. She whizzed right by him, out the room and down the hall right past the room he was standing in. Juarez felt his anxiety level tick up several notches. He heard the man’s screaming get louder followed by several grunts, kicks, and slaps. He fought the urge to swing open the door and slap one of them. Relax, you don’t know what’s happening out there yet. He paced back and forth several times in front of the door. He had to keep his cool; he could not afford to blow his cover this early.
He heard her being carried down the hall. Juarez rushed back over to the window to observe what was happening. They were struggling to contain her. Moments later they were able to pin her down to the bed. Fury wafted through his soul, he banged on the windows before bellowing out, “Enough.”
Slowly they both crawled away from her and made their way out the door locking it behind them. His protective instincts kicked in, he wanted to go in and alleviate her fears. He shook his head to remind himself she was part of the plan and eventually she would die.
Juarez left the safe house with Natasha on his mind. He had discounted the impact of her presence. He didn’t expect to be so deeply attracted to her so soon. He needed to shake this thing off. He had a plan to accomplish and no twenty-one-year-old girl was going to stop it.