Tamed: (A Dark Romance Kidnap Thriller) (The Dark Necessities Trilogy Book 2)
Page 24
Rising to his feet, Connor inhaled, taking in the smell of damp and stale urine which regularly frequented the dark, dank cellblocks. He followed the two guards out of the block, lowering his face as they emerged into the gray autumn day. Dozens of camera flashes met his brief entrance before he was bundled into the back of the prison van. The press had gone fucking mental for his story, and he’d been met by the army of reporters every day he’d attended court. As the doors slammed shut behind him, he was thrown back into an imposed darkness, and the van began to pull away.
They had probably been driving for about fifteen minutes when it happened, but it was really impossible to know. Connor’s watch and phone had been confiscated as soon as he was in custody, so he had no access to time anymore. The first thing had been the noise. The loud, ear-shattering sounds of tires screeching, followed by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Guns were still pretty unusual on the streets of London, and although Connor had handled more than a few in his time, he had always abhorred the weapons. Falling to his knees out of instinct, he lowered his face as though he expected the bullets to come firing past his head. In reality, the metal van had taken the impact, although as Connor raised his head in the direction of the force, he could clearly see the dents that the bullets had made.
“Oh shit!”
The guard who’d accompanied him in the back of the van was practically hyper-ventilating by this point, his wide eyes evident even in in the gloom of the van. Connor could sympathize to some extent. His heart was also pounding out of control, although unlike the poor fella in the uniform, he had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.
The second round of gunfire seemed even louder, and this time the unknown assailant achieved what Connor assumed had been his target all along; bursting what sounded like two tires of the prison van. The vehicle lost control at once, swerving frantically before coming to a grinding halt. In the back of the van, the two men were thrown unceremoniously around in the blackness, and with his wrists cuffed, Connor wasn’t even able to protect himself from the impact. By the time he was aware of voices shouting in the darkness, his head was pounding, apparently trying to keep up with the fast-paced events.
“On your knees, fucker,” came the growl of one of the voices outside, and something about it was vaguely familiar. “Not you. You open the back. Now!”
There was a moment of silence, when all Connor could hear was his own ragged breathing. His ears were still ringing with the noise of the gunshots and his shoulder ached from the way he’d landed against the side of the van. And then it happened. The doors were pulled open slowly, allowing gray light to flood the back of the van. Connor blinked reflexively, his pupils adapting to the sudden change even as the intruder climbed in beside him.
“Stay the fuck down,” he commanded as he waved his automatic weapon in the face of the horrified guard.
Officials in England were not used to coming face to face with weaponry like that, and it showed. The guard backed down immediately, raising his hands and nodding as the guy dressed entirely in black aimed the gun in his direction.
“Time to go.”
This was meant for Connor and he raised his chin to try and get a better look at the guy.
“No time for that now,” his rescuer insisted. “move your arse.”
Something about his words melted the paralysis in Connor’s limbs and he complied, unthinkingly. Stumbling to first his knees, and then his feet, he staggered behind the intruder, leaping out of the back of the truck.
“In the car!”
Someone else in the obligatory black ski-mask and outfit gave that command, but he gestured around the side of the prison van to where a dark sedan was waiting. Connor’s feet were moving as instructed, but he couldn’t help but smirk at the irony as it hit him. He was being recused by men in a black sedan; the same choice of vehicle he’d taken Molly in.
The back door opened at his approach and two arms appeared from the interior, yanking Connor inside. There was the sound of more yelled commands as he was dragged across the large leather seat, but those words barely registered. Before he knew it, he’d been joined in the back by one of his unknown rescuers, another leaping into the passenger seat, and then they were gone. The car moved at a rapid speed, projecting Connor forward against the front seat, but for now, the sensation barely registered. He was free, and as the events of the past few minutes began to coalesce, he allowed his eyes to close.
Free.
Free of the rank smells and sounds of prison. Free of the odious cretins who resided there. Free of the sickening excuse for food, but perhaps more significant than all of that, free of the fucking binds. They’d be no more handcuffs, no more locked doors, no more imposed bondage. At least, as soon as he could get rid of the ones which still held his wrists together.
“Fuck man, that was close.” The panting man pulled the mask from his face to reveal a face Connor knew.
“Dalton!” He lurched toward his brother out of instinct, although the speed of the car soon threw him back again.
Dalton laughed. “Hello to you, you silly fucker.”
He reached forward, pulling Connor’s body into the seat next to him. “Good to see you, too.”
“I don’t think they had time to call it in,” cried the guy the in the passenger seat. “But we should shift, just in case.”
Connor nodded, although he didn’t recognize the face of the man who had spoken. “Agreed,” he called back, “and thanks.”
The stranger twisted in his street, throwing Connor a nefarious grin. “You got it, man. When one of us is in trouble, then we all are, right?”
Connor laughed at his enthusiasm. He wished it was infectious. “So I’m told,” he replied. “But still, it’s good to see it demonstrated, you know?”
Dalton ruffled his hair in that way older brothers always thought they could. “We’re sorry it took so long, mate. Morrison wanted to wait for the right moment to grab you.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” sighed Connor, relaxing against the seat. “I’m out. It’s over. Now, can one of you fuckers get these cuffs off me?”
The car sped on, weaving through the back streets of London with casual nonchalance. There were no squad cars following them, and no obvious signs of undercover reconnaissance. The plan had been executed to perfection. In the back seat, Connor’s mood lightened. He was back with his peers, back with friends he hadn’t seen for years, and he was shrouded in the protection of The Syndicate. He might technically be on the run, but the reality was where he was going, he could access virtually anything he wanted. The Syndicate dealt in money, politics and power. Drugs and women were easy to come by. He’d have everything he wanted.
Except Molly.
The nagging voice in his head had returned, the rapid succession of recent events having seemingly quieted it for a time. It was right of course. He didn’t have Molly. But she was out there somewhere, and in his heart, Connor knew he’d find her again. The world was not such a big place anymore, especially with the contacts and technology of The Syndicate at his fingertips. Swallowing back the disconcerting anxiety that he might never see his kitten again, Connor forced a smile to meet Dalton’s latest query. He had to keep on moving, and believe what he already knew to be true. His and Molly’s story was far from over.
The End
Thank you for reading this Felicity Brandon e-book.
Devour the beginning of Molly and Connor’s dark romance, in the Amazon bestseller, Taken (Book One in The Dark Necessities trilogy).
Molly and Connor’s irresistible attraction concludes in
Entwined (released January, 2019).
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Table of Contents
Tamed
Book Two in The Dark Necessities Trilogy
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five:
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
More sexy romance by Felicity Brandon