by Crimson Syn
“What?” I asked, dumbfounded. “What do you want from Lucian Steele?”
“He’s good, I’ll say that. Knows how to hide, how to keep what we want in his tight little vault. But we’ll get to that vault very soon. What I need from you, Sabrina Montgomery, is for you to do exactly what we tell you to do.”
“What are you talking about?” I flinched as he tugged back on the arm again.
“I told you to hold still.”
“Fuck you!” I snapped and he laughed.
“Damn, I love the red heads. You girls are always nice and feisty. Maybe later we can get to know one another better.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Well that can also be arranged, especially if you insist.”
I stayed quiet as that hated fear started to crawl up my spine. He held up a small item in front of my face. “Do you see this tiny little black box?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“This will tell us exactly what we need and how to get it. See, we figured we’ve tried every measure to get Mr. Steele to cooperate with us, but it doesn’t seem to work. So maybe a pretty thing like you, with all the right connections, could help us.”
I closed my eyes, praying this would be over soon. “And what can I help you with. Lucian Steele abhors me, there’s absolutely no way you’ll get to him through me.”
“We’re not looking for you to sleep with him, Miss Montgomery. But we know how well you two get along,” he stated sarcastically. “We figured you’d like a little payback.”
They had no clue how I felt about Lucian, and if it was payback they wanted me to gain, they had the wrong woman. But I wasn’t going to tell them that. I wasn’t going to give them more information than they had. Because their source of intel was greatly faulted.
“What kind of payback?”
“There we go,” he released my arm and swung me around. My shoulder ached but I met his gaze. I was seeing his face, and I knew that if I didn’t cooperate I’d be dead. Fuck, I was a dead woman walking either way.
“Take this and place it right next to Mr. Steele’s desktop, then simply wait for our instructions.”
“And if I don’t do this?”
He smirked and finally he took out what I had been waiting for this entire time. The knife played at my throat, pressing in as I swallowed my fear. “You know what will happen, don’t you Sabrina? My boss doesn’t play games like the others. We will hurt everyone you know before we decide to take you in. And I promise you will not like when that happens. My boss knows exactly what to do to make pretty girls like you scream.”
He pressed his forehead against mine as he made the knife dance along my throat and ran it down, snapping the first button on my silk shirt. “So, do I.”
Instead of giving him the satisfaction of shaking in fear or recoiling I shoved at him. “Fine. Give it to me,” I reached my hand out, palm up. He smirked at me as he placed the box in my hand.
“Look at that,” he tapped at my palm with the edge of the knife. “You’re holding your life in the palm of your hand.”
Reaching over he pressed the button to open the elevator door. “Have a great day, Miss Montgomery.”
I sagged against the wall, dropping until I was crouched down on the floor. The elevators closed and started to move, but I was barely aware of them. My eyes shot up to the numbers, one by one they went up. Thoughts started to swirl around in my head. A whirlwind of death and numbers.
Who could I go to?
What would my father say?
What the fuck was I holding?
Was it a bomb, a weapon of some sort?
I stopped the elevator on the tenth floor and stepped out. My friend Steven used to work in the defense network, he was a tech whiz. If there was anyone who could tell me what this was, it was him.
“Hey, honey.” He was seated in his four by four cubicle surrounded by posters of nineties rock bands and Pop figurines.
“Hey,” I plopped down in the seat beside him and he swirled his seat around. His big blue eyes immediately widened, and his tone was hushed.
“What’s wrong?” He stared at me with concern as his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose.
Steven was my oldest friend, if you could call him that. Attractive, yes, but also completely unavailable. Him and his boyfriend of six years were going to tie the knot in a few months and I was the lucky chosen one to be their Matron of Honor. And it was a true honor. He deserved all the love in the world. Alex was not only a great friend, he was also the smartest man I knew and the only one I trusted.
I leaned forward and produced the small square box I still had in the palm of my hand. “What is this?”
He stared at me for a moment before pushing his black rimmed glasses up his nose. Eyeing the box he twirled around and started to pick at it. I scooted closer to him, watching as he took out one of his many gadgets and pried it open.
“It’s fucking Russian. Top of the line too. Where did you get this?” His eyes met mine and he instantly knew something was wrong. “Did somebody hurt you?”
“That was given to me. Just now, on my way up.”
“By whom?” He asked, his words holding a sense of caution.
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you that.”
He hung his head, thinking for a minute. “Did they hurt you?”
I looked down at my hands and a tear escaped down my cheek.
“Goddammit, Sabrina!”
My eyes shot to his, wide and terrified that someone may have heard us. “Hush!”
We both turned, looking around us, but no one was paying attention to us. They were all too busy working on my father’s projects.
“This is Russian spyware. It’s an interpreter, it intakes information from any system it’s nearby.”
“Like, right now?”
He nodded. “Yup. It can read my computer.”
“Well shut it down.” I grabbed at it, but he tugged it back.
“I can’t. If I do that they’ll know it’s been tampered with. What did they tell you to do with this?”
I looked slightly right, then left, making sure there was no one around. Lowering my voice, I leaned towards him. “I can’t tell you details, but it involves Lucian Steele.”
“Holy fuck!”
“Steven!”
I took a deep sigh and stared down at the disassembled box. “Is there nothing we can do to manipulate the information it’s transmitting?”
He ran a hand across his chin and sighed. “Give me a couple days. I’ll see what I can do.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“You’re protecting him, aren’t you?”
“What? Who?” I turned to him right before heading out.
“Mr. Success. You like him?”
“That’s none of your business, nosy.”
“As long as he doesn’t break that sensitive little heart of yours, then we’re all good. If not, my man and I will drag him into the darkest recesses and give him a beating he won’t forget.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Bye, Steven!”
“Bye, sweetheart! And let me know if you need anything!” He shouted as I sashayed my pretty rear out of his area. Lifting a hand, I waved at him without looking back.
As I came up to the elevators, I stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not to get on. I decided on the ladder and turned to take the stairs. I’d rather go down ten flights then get in that metal box again.
My thoughts swirled in my head as I thought what my best resource was. Tell my father? That could backfire quickly. My father could be a lot of things, but he was not one of the most understanding people I knew. He wouldn’t listen. He never has. He’d probably tell me to find a way to handle it. There really weren’t many people I could turn to, and for a moment I thought of Lucian.
What would he do?
Would he listen to what I had to say?
Would he prot
ect me?
I shook my head and kept moving until I reached my car. Taking a quick search of the area, I suddenly felt so alone in that parking lot. But the worst feeling I got, was this sense of being watched. I quickly shook that feeling off and decided that no one would take my sense of safety. Especially not anyone attached to Catchfire.
2
Lucian
I sat at the corner booth, assessing the clientele at Jimmy, the upscale bar eighteen stories up at the James Hotel New York in Manhattan. The swanky bar had the same money, always lingering to see what easy targets they can find to lure into their new business deals. They all knew not to fuck with me, I wasn’t the type to fall easily for their lies and deceptions. I sat there watching them talk about making money. And as easy as a card sharp shuffles his deck, while the fools who boast about how much money they have, they became fresh bait for the sharks.
My Father was just like them, always searching for the next dollar, always seeing who would fall for the next investment. He’d already be planning on how to steal it from them even before they could pull their wallets out. He was a conman, a rich motherfucking conman, but a conman nonetheless. He knew just how to manipulate, he’d done it to my mother for years. Even on her deathbed he’d lied telling her how much he’d loved her while his mistress sat in the other room sipping from my mother’s fine wine glasses.
I abhorred Richard Steele. He was never a father to begin with. He was never home, never a part of our family. The first time he ever had a heart to heart with me was to tell me that he wanted me to help him with his new deal. He’d taken my hard-earned money and invested every penny of it into Ravenhead. One hundred thousand dollars that I had earned through investing in stocks and making the right moves, hours of my work were all put into this Corporation. A business I couldn’t stand, a business I’d been conned into. As soon as he’d made the transaction, he’d been diagnosed with cancer. A year to the date my Mother had died, my father had passed away.
Good riddance, I’d thought. One less liar in my world, but he’d left me in the hands of ten other board members that were all just like him. All they cared about was making money and they didn’t give a shit who they made contracts with as long as they got their way. That’s why the stipulations came into play when I came in as the President of Ravenhead.
At twenty-six I had taken over my father’s company in a matter of months. I worked hard to show them that I wasn’t just a name, I had a say with my money. They didn’t know that every penny, every brick laid down for this Corporation came from my money. It was all mine, and before my father passed I made him put that in his will. Of course, they didn’t know that. They thought they still ran the damned thing, but I was the sole owner. Sure, they had their share of the company and the profits, but one of the stipulations was that a Steele would always run Ravenhead. There was no way that they could pull the power from me, and in a way, I enjoyed the struggle.
That is, until they brought in Sabrina Montgomery. She was the daughter of Joseph Montgomery, the head of the executive board and the next in line for the presidency if they hadn’t voted me in. Making me President was their downfall, because they knew damn well I was keeping the title. The only way for them to take it away from me was over my cold dead body.
But Sabrina, she was my burden to bear. From the first moment I’d seen her I knew she was meant for me, and in reality, she could be mine if I truly wanted it. Joseph would have her spreading her legs for me in a heartbeat. He’d do anything, even sell his own daughter, in order to gain the upper hand. He fought me every step of the way and he was the one most interested in expanding the property as well as the contracts. One of the amendments for the contracts to go through was that they would only be approved by the President of Ravenhead. The board could send as many as they wanted, but if I didn’t approve them, they were screwed. And boy did I like to screw with them.
That’s when they sent Sabrina, probably to soften the deal. The fiery red head came into my life like a whirlwind and she continues to come by to leave it in shambles whenever she damn well pleases.
I shot back the shot of McCallan and ordered another round. This was always the case when she left. I’d spend hours pining over the beauty, cursing myself for letting her go again. I fucking hated what she did to me. I hated that she could affect me in any way. I should hate her too, but hate was a harsh word and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. But I also couldn’t trust the tempting vixen. She was the daughter of my closest enemy and I wasn’t about to let her in, as much as I wanted to. I wasn’t going to slip, there was no fucking way.
“Fuck,” I growled and swung back another shot of whiskey. I closed my eyes and let the burn glide down my throat. As I reopened them, my eyes caught a familiar red glint. As my gaze focused, I realized the fiery curls belonged to the one person I couldn’t get out of my mind.
She sat by the fireplace talking to Peter Sentry, a US government official who was one of our biggest clients. The man ordered weapons like I ordered shots. His armory was top of the line and it was all made by Ravenhead Corporation. What the hell Sabrina Montgomery was doing with him tonight, giggling like she was, and talking all close like that, somehow grated on my nerves.
Why the fuck was her skirt so damn short, and since when did she wear dresses like that. As I took another shot, my eyes took her in. She had on this tight white dress that raised slightly as she leaned forward, revealing the most tempting eyeful of long, toned legs and soft thighs. I had this urge to have her tied up on my bed wearing that same dress, her legs parted as I raised that hem just a little and revealed what color panties she was wearing under that tiny fucking dress.
I shook my head and ordered a fifth shot, the bartender eyed me as he came by and poured the drink.
“Sir, I think I may have to cut you off soon.”
I glared at him and set a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “You keep them coming until I tell you to stop. Understood?”
The kid had guts and he shook his head and walked away without taking the bill. Smart kid, I thought. He wasn’t about to lose his job for a millionaire asshole like me. A bubbly giggle caught my ear and my eyes immediately found the culprit of the blissful sound. She had thrown her head back and was laughing heartily at something Sentry was whispering to her. The fucker had even reached over and placed his hand on her knee.
That was it, that was the last straw. Downing the drink, I stood, the motion making me waver for a moment. I held onto the bar top until I steadied myself, straightened my tie, I stumbled in their direction.
What are you doing, Steele?
You’re going to make a fool of yourself.
Fucking idiot.
My last thought, as I approached the happy couple. Sabrina spotted me first and as she watched me sway behind Peter, she shot up, not giving me a chance as I stared at her body. That fucking white dress, the color of pureness, was covering a body full of sin. She narrowed her eyes at me right before she smiled down at him. Her eyes crinkling sweetly, her lips coated in a deep wine color that I thought would look perfect smeared along my dick after I was done fucking her mouth.
“I’ll be right back, love. Just need to use the little girls room.”
He smiled at her like an idiot and watched as she sashayed past him, his eyes on her round ass while her eyes bore down on me as she swept past me, a clear sign that I was to follow her. I fisted my hands to my side, but just like the idiot behind me, I followed her like a dog on its leash.
When I rounded a corner, I was suddenly pushed back and slammed against a wall. I raised my hands as she shoved at me, glaring at me like she was about to murder me.
“What the fuck were you doing, Steele?”
“I just came by to say hello. What? I can’t say hello, Princess.” I smirked, tilting my head as I watched her pretty face. Those wine-colored lips pursed and a frown outlined her brow. “You look better when you’re laughing.”
“Stop calling me Princess,” she
gritted.
I shrugged. “But isn’t that what you are. Daddy’s Princess.”
“I know you, Steele. You didn’t look like you were going to just say hi. What was your plan?” She slammed a finger against my chest and I simply snapped. Having enough of this, I grabbed her hand and swung us around so that she was now the one trapped against the wall and my chest.
Her soft gasp of surprise stirred my cock and I swayed slightly against her.
“You’re drunk,” she stated with a sneer.
“What do you care if I’m drunk? You seemed to be having fun with Peter over there. I bet you were getting him nice and ready for the next deal.”
“As a matter of fact he asked me out. I am on a date.”
“A date?” I guffawed looking past her to the empty table where her date was sitting. The fool looked impatiently at his watch while he waited for his date, who was currently pressed into a dark corner by another man only a few feet away from him.
“So that’s who you date?”
“I do have a life outside of you and Ravenhead, Steele. I do get asked out by men, good men, like Peter Sentry.”
I remembered all the women that I’d seen Peter Sentry bring into this bar. It was always the same, a little talk, a touch on the knee, a few drinks, and I don’t know what the fucker did, but he’d be taking them home only to boast about them the following day as if they were another notch on his belt.
“I suggest you do your research when you go out with men like Sentry. He may seem like an upright US citizen, but he has more skeletons in his closet than you can imagine. And believe me, some of them have managed to get out and I’ve had the honor of seeing them.”
“He’s been a perfect gentleman the entire time I’ve known him. Much more than I could say for you.”
I growled. “Don’t be naïve, Sabrina. You’re a bright girl, can’t you make out a façade when it stares you in the face. You can do better than that.”
“Oh, please. Now don’t go acting all jealous on me, Lucian Steele. It definitely doesn’t suit you.”