I hated giving in, but I had no choice.
I would do this for my girls. They had no one else. I was the only one who cared about them. I had to save them.
“Tony!” I shouted.
I waited. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen.
Where was that arse?
The door opened.
And, suddenly, there he was, his impressive body filling the doorway. My breath caught as he leaned against the doorjamb, cocking a brow. The black hair that had been spiky with mousse last night was now disheveled, sticking out at all angles. The red Polo shirt was wrinkled, but feck if he didn’t look even sexier now than he had last night. The unkemptness gave him a wilder look. He’d re-buttoned all but the two top buttons of the shirt, which allowed it to lay open at the top, revealing a small expanse of that hard, masculine chest with its sprinkling of hair. My mouth watered traitorously at the sight. Could he be any more perfect physically? He was too gorgeous for his own good.
“I, um, have to pee.”
He strode into the room.
I held my breath as he paused beside the bed. He looked bigger, more imposing up close like this, especially since I was stuck in this vulnerable position.
His gaze traveled down my body and back up, a slow, steady perusal. Heat swept through me, settling in my core. Shite! Why couldn’t I ignore this fierce attraction between us?
Our gazes collided.
He smirked. “Do you admit defeat?”
Just do it. The only damage will be to your pride.
“Yes,” I whispered. Then, more quietly, “For now.”
“For now?” That black brow shot up again. Amusement danced in his eyes, then admiration. “You think you’ll beat me somehow later?”
I lifted my chin. “I know I’ll beat you later.”
His eyes darkened. “I’m looking forward to the next round with you, chica.”
I stared into his dark eyes. So was I. And that shocked me. I actually liked sparring with this man. It was exciting. And it turned me on. I sensed our battle of wills had only just begun. How long would it last?
I’d won the first round. He’d won the second. And I planned to win the third.
“What does that mean?” I asked. “Chica?”
He hesitated, as if he didn’t want to answer, then, finally, he admitted, “In general, it means ‘girl’, but it can also mean a hot girl, one who you take great pride in knowing.”
Our gazes locked. Was he complimenting me? Heat swept through me again.
I’ll admit I wanted him in my bed. I wanted his hands and mouth all over me. I wanted my hands and mouth all over him. He’d already given me a taste of what it would be like, and I wanted more. Much more.
The sexual attraction between us was torrid. Dangerous. We could all too easily get swept up in it. I would be wise to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Use him and lose him.
If he found Teresa and Camille, I would give him one night like I promised.
And never see him again.
“So can I get up to use the restroom now?”
Without a word, he leaned over and freed me from the handcuffs, first one arm, then the other. I scrambled backward as soon as I was free, eyeing him warily.
“You didn’t agree to my rules yet,” I reminded.
He shrugged. “If it ever comes down to us actually having a night together, then we can discuss the rules at that time.” He strode for the door. “Go pee, then I need you to give me a ride to the edge of the forest. We’re going to need help, so I’ll have to check with the other dregs to see if they’re willing to help you.” He walked out, leaving me alone.
For a moment I just sat there, stunned.
The edge of the forest? What was at the edge of the forest?
I heaved out a sigh. Was he really going to help me? Would the other dregs help, too?
Would he be able to find Teresa and Camille?
Hope flared inside. I leapt off the bed.
Forgive me, girls, for being so stubborn. Just hang tight. I’m coming for you.
Soon, you’ll be safe.
And afterwards, I’d have to give Tony what he wanted. What I’d promised.
One night.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tony
Grace drove me to the edge of the forest and pulled over to the side of the road where I indicated. It was only a few blocks away, but in broad daylight, I was better off hitching a ride than risking someone seeing and recognizing me as I walked to the woods. “I’ll be back at nightfall,” I told her. “Hopefully with the other dregs. If not, then it will just be me. Be ready.”
Her green gaze delved into mine. “Where…are you going?”
I opened my door. It was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon now. I would have to be careful about anyone spotting me and possibly following me back to the maze.
“Home.” I slid out of the car.
Grace rolled down her window as I came around the vehicle. “Is that where Alissa is? Where you’re going?”
Movement in the trees caught my eye. I tensed, focusing on it.
A flash of brown and white.
A bird. Harmless.
I glanced back at Grace. “Yes.”
“Is Nate treating her good?”
I snorted. “If you knew Nate, you wouldn’t even ask that. Of course he’s treating her good. He fucking worships her.”
Her gaze searched mine. “Oh. Well, okay, that’s good.”
I turned away, heading into the trees. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Her car door slammed behind me.
I spun around.
Grace marched toward me. “I’m coming with you.”
“The fuck you are. Go back home.” The last thing I needed was a cop knowing where our hideout was. She was already too close as it was.
Grace didn’t back down, her gaze never wavering from mine. “I want to see Alissa.”
Stubborn woman. “You just saw her a few hours ago,” I reminded. “Besides, everyone will be asleep now.” I pointed at her car. “Get in and go home.”
She resisted, yanking her arm from my grasp. “I want to see where Alissa is staying.”
“Are you always this stubborn?” I nearly shouted. “If you want my help, you’ll go home right now. Do not follow me.”
Our gazes locked. Finally, she heaved out a sigh. “Fine. I’m going home, you big arse! Tell Alissa I want to see her soon. And that she better stay longer than ten minutes this time.”
My lips twitched. “I’ll tell her. Now go.”
I waited. She waited.
I cocked a brow.
At last, she turned away with a curse and strode back to her car.
Just as she was opening the door and sliding behind the wheel, I couldn’t resist calling out, “I won this round.”
She jerked her head up, her gaze narrowing on me. With a smirk, I turned away, stepping behind a tree trunk. This time, I made sure to disappear so she couldn’t follow me.
I watched from behind the tree to see what she’d do. She glared after me for a long moment, her gaze searching the woods, the expression on her face one of confusion. She was probably wondering where I’d gone. Good. Let her wonder. I was The Smuggler. She wouldn’t find me unless I wanted her to.
She turned away with a sigh and pulled the car door closed.
Moments later, she drove away.
I hurried back to the maze, my senses alert for any other presence. Fortunately, I only encountered a few deer, and a tree squirrel. No humans.
I finally reached the old plantation home and sat down on the old rotted porch, putting my face in my hands. Damn, that woman was making me crazy. Half the time, I wanted to fuck her. The other half of the time, I wanted to strangle her. Not literally. But she pissed me off. I couldn’t deny I enjoyed the continuous battle of wills. As soon as I found her foster kids and brought them home, I’d collect what she promised me. Would she surrender willingly? Or would it be a battle to convince her to give
in? She would surrender, I vowed, and when she did, she’d be begging me to take her. My jeans grew tight at the thought of getting my hands on her again. I’d never wanted to kiss a woman until her. Now, it was all I could think about. Covering her mouth with mine. Licking. Sucking. Tasting. Devouring.
Owning her.
I’d never wanted that, either. To completely possess a woman and make her mine. Sex had always been nothing more than a physical release.
But fuck, I wanted Grace. She was hot and wild and free, and I wanted to tame her. That was highly unlikely. A woman like Grace was meant to be wild and free. Untouchable. A woman like Grace was completely out of my league. A woman like Grace would choose her own lovers. She would decide who received the privilege of sharing her bed.
And she’d offered one entire night to me.
I had to admit that made me feel pretty fucking good. She was attracted to me. Me.
“What’s eating you, invisible man?”
I jolted, turning my head as Phillip the unfriendly ghost came out the front door of the mansion and hovered behind me, his presence strangely comforting. Phillip had been born at this plantation before the civil war. His mother had been a black slave working the cotton fields, and his father the white owner of the plantation. Phillip’s story was tragic. He’d fallen in love with a white girl from a neighboring plantation, and when they’d been caught together, the girl’s father had hanged Phillip from a large oak tree. After he’d died, he’d watched the girl he loved marry another—a white man who’d treated her horribly. Understandably, Phillip didn’t like whites, even though he was half-white himself. But he liked me. Probably because I was mixed race also and looked more Mexican than white.
I sighed. “A woman.”
He chuckled. “You? No way.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Me.” Go figure.
“Is she hot?”
“Smoking hot.”
Phillip settled next to me on the rotted steps. When I’d first encountered Phillip, his speech had been way different than mine, consistent with the time period in which he’d lived. Now, after a year of conversing with me, he’d picked up a lot of the modern speech patterns and talked more like me. “What’s she look like?”
I pictured Grace in my mind. Her lithe, toned body. Those large, perfect breasts. That wild, sexy red hair. Those pouty lips. Those soulful green eyes. That pale skin that was soft as cotton. And those freckles. Fuck, those freckles…
“She’s a redheaded goddess,” I murmured at last.
Phillip quirked a brow. “A redhead? No shit? Is she as fiery-tempered at they say redheads are?”
I chuckled softly. “Yeah. I’ve only known her a few hours, and it’s been a near-constant battle of wills ever since I laid eyes on her.”
Phillip’s expression turned wistful. “Women sure know how to make a man crazy.”
I turned away, staring off into the trees. Was I seriously having this conversation? Me?
“Once I fuck her, she won’t make me crazy anymore. I’ll be done with her.”
Phillip snickered. “You poor sucker. Do you really believe that? Trust me, once you fuck her, you’ll just want her more. And more. You’ll never get her out of your head.”
I leapt up from the porch. I was so done with this conversation. He didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m going to bed. Have fun haunting the empty mansion, dead man.”
He chuckled. “You’re in denial. As soon as you accept that, it will be easier to deal with. You’ve got it bad for her.”
I flipped him the bird. “Fuck off.”
His laughter followed me all the way to the entrance to the maze.
Smartass. I don’t know why he hung around here. Shouldn’t he be in heaven or hell or wherever dead people went? Today was one of those days I wished I couldn’t see dead people. Or talk to them. And today I wished like hell they couldn’t talk back.
Josephine jumped into my path as soon as I entered the maze.
Carajo! Not her, too.
Josephine had died at the age of thirteen when an old wheel on the cotton wagon had snapped under the weight, and the wagon had collapsed, crushing her beneath it. She’d been reclining against the wheel at the time, resting in its meager shade. Despite her unpleasant demise, she was a much friendlier ghost than Phillip. Josephine haunted the tunnels of the maze, following whoever entered. There were other ghosts who hovered near the surface and some who remained deeper in the maze, but they never pestered me. Josephine was like that annoying neighbor kid you could never get rid of. Always in your face. Always underfoot. She was curious about everyone and everything. Continuously asking questions.
“Hiya, Tony. Whatcha doing?”
“Go away,” I ordered. “I’m not in the mood for company.”
She followed me down one tunnel after another. “Where ya been? Whatcha doing out in daylight? There’s something different about ya today.”
“Shut up, Josephine.” I grumbled. Despite having died in her youth, Josephine was quite knowledgeable about the world. She was also extremely intuitive. Like Nate. It was hard to keep things from her, because she just knew.
“Ya seem happy for once,” she observed. “Not so grumpy. Not so sad.”
I ignored her. I didn’t know the meaning of the word “happy”. She was delusional.
“Did ya meet a girl?” Her eyes sparkled. “Ya did, didn’t ya?”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “Will you please just shut up?”
I finally reached the corridor that contained our living quarters. Josephine trailed behind me, her persistence making me growl with annoyance. “Go. Away.”
“Party pooper.” With a sigh, she disappeared like a puff of smoke.
Nate’s door opened and Alissa stepped out, pausing when she saw me. “You’re back.” She hesitated. “Who were you talking to?”
I hesitated. I’d told Alissa about the ghosts. I’d been badly wounded at the time and not in my right mind. I don’t know if she’d believed me.
“Josephine.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “One of the ghosts?”
“Yeah.” Not even Nate knew I talked to ghosts. Unless Alissa had told him.
She eyed me a moment longer, concern crossing her features. Did she think I was insane? Probably.
“Everything okay?”
I glanced away. “I agreed to help Grace find her foster girls.”
“I knew you would. You’re a good guy. Did you reach a deal you both liked?”
I hesitated. I didn’t want Alissa—or anyone else—to know about the deal I’d made with Grace. And I doubted Grace wanted anyone to know about it, either. We still had the details to hash out, if it ever came to that.
“Yeah. We did. I’ll probably need the other dregs to help me.”
“They will. You know they will.” Alissa paused, watching my eyes. “Maybe you can, um, free Darcy too while you’re there.”
I turned away. I didn’t give a fuck about Darcy. She’d tried to blackmail us. She was the reason I’d gone after that shareholder in Atlanta in the first place. And inadvertently, the reason I’d died temporarily. I didn’t care if she shared the same biological father as me and the other dregs. She wasn’t my family and never would be.
“Grace wants you to visit her,” I informed. “And she said you’d better stay longer than ten minutes this time.”
Alissa chuckled softly. “Sorry we left you like that. Nate believed you would be okay and I knew Grace wouldn’t hurt you. It was a little, you know, awkward.”
I snorted. Wasn’t that the truth?
Alissa blushed and lowered her gaze. “Grace is a good person,” she murmured. “Just thought you might want to know that. She was the one who saved me.”
I jerked my head in a nod. Yes, it seemed Grace was a good person. The perfect woman, apparently. Way too perfect for the likes of me.
Alissa lifted her gaze to mine. “She’s so gorgeous. And that Irish accent drives men wild. She’
s a real catch, you know.”
Irish. That’s what her accent was. Irish.
She’s a real catch, you know.
Alissa should know Grace was too wild to catch. At least not for long. I’d caught her for a short time, then freed her. I couldn’t deny I wanted to catch her again. And I was certainly going to take advantage of my one night with her.
“Please don’t hurt her.”
What? I scowled, jerking my gaze back to hers. “What makes you think I will hurt Grace?”
She reddened. “I wasn’t talking physically. You might act like a brute, but I know you won’t hurt her that way. Grace is just so open and giving. She cares about people. I just meant please don’t break her heart.”
Break her heart? I nearly choked. What the fuck? I wasn’t even going to respond to that. It wasn’t like there were any feelings between us. I wanted to fuck her, but that was all. I didn’t have a heart, anyway. If I did, then I would feel guilty about using her for one night. But I felt no guilt. Just anticipation. Eagerness to get my hands on her.
“I’m getting a couple hours of sleep. Tell Nate I’ll talk to him later.”
I went into my apartment and slammed the door.
Please don’t hurt her.
What did she think I was, a monster?
I took a hot shower, then climbed into bed.
Please don’t hurt her.
I groaned loudly.
I might not have a heart, but Grace obviously did. She was a foster mom for hell’s sake. She took in unwanted children. She was willing to give herself to me for one night in exchange for freeing those kids. That was very generous of her. Very selfless and giving.
Very brave.
Was she afraid of what I might do to her? How did she know I wouldn’t rough her up?
Alissa believed I wouldn’t hurt Grace physically, but there was no telling what I might do once I got my hands on Grace. Even I didn’t know what might happen. I didn’t plan to hurt her, but I wasn’t exactly a gentleman, either.
I intended to take full advantage of my one night with her.
Then an unexpected thought struck me.
What if I couldn’t find her foster kids?
If I didn’t find and free them, then I wouldn’t earn the right to touch her.
I wouldn’t deserve one night with Grace.
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