“I guess you have other women to kidnap after you’re through with me.”
He moved away without answering and I jerked uselessly at my wrists. The door was still open but even when I sensed him next to me, I didn’t stop struggling.
He cupped my chin.
I jerked away.
Inexorably, he forced my face back to his.
“What do you want?” I snarled.
Instead of answering, he put something over my mouth. It took a few seconds to figure it out. He’d gagged me—there was tape or something over my mouth and I couldn’t even speak. While I was still fuming and struggling to comprehend what he’d done, he gestured to the horizon where the sky had finally given way to dawn. “The sun rises in the east. Pay attention, darling.”
Chapter 9
Spectre
Sometimes, boy...you can walk too close a line. If you don’t have a clear focus, something to center you, it gets real easy to stumble and lose your balance.
Sarge’s voice was so loud in my ears right now, it was as if he was right there, talking to me. I could almost imagine he was, too. Under most circumstances, I might have appreciated it. He’d been dead five years but not even six months had passed before I’d started to lose the sound of his voice. Not his words. Not the rules he’d drilled into my head. I might as well have those carved into my flesh. He’d made sure I understood them and if nothing else, I’d keep to them out of respect to him for saving me, keeping me alive.
Respect, son? Is that all you got for me?
At the driver-side door, I paused and dragged a hand down my face, frustrated. Of all the times for the old bastard to rise up to haunt me, now wasn’t the time.
I sucked in a breath, scraping my nails over the light stubble on my cheeks, then stopped as a scent teased my nostrils. Hers. My blood was already running far too hot because of her, far too close to the surface. Those big, dark eyes locked on mine as she glared at me, her fear hidden behind a mask while her anger lay naked for me to see. It was a subtle thing, that anger, her emotions almost muted, but...not.
Her features were smooth, hardly revealing anything. But her eyes...they showed so much.
Light splashed over us and I looked up to see a vehicle approaching. Jumping into action, I climbed into the SUV and looked over at her. Tia had her head bowed but as the truck neared, I saw her tense, awareness blooming. “Don’t go doing something to attract attention, Tia. It’s not worth it.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, a pithy fuck you there, plain to see.
Humorlessly, I smiled. Once I was on the road, I glanced back over at her. I was tired of the fear in her eyes. It shouldn’t bother me, but it did. “The sun rises in the east, right?”
Her brows came together and she stared at me, confused.
Shrugging, I shifted my attention back to the road. “If we were heading toward Boston, wouldn’t we be heading northeast?”
She made a muffled sound behind the tape I’d put over her mouth and again, that pang of guilt surfaced. “It won’t be for long,” I told her. “Somebody will call soon and I can’t have you interrupting and making things worse. Once I’ve dealt with a couple of matters, I’ll take the tape off.”
She screamed at me. There was no other way to describe that sound.
Clenching my hands on the steering wheel, I kept my eyes glued to the road. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I knew that. Soon, she’d figure it out.
She’s still scared, you prick.
I knew she was. I couldn’t do anything about it.
Ahead of us, the horizon was still mostly dark, the road west not quite ready to greet the day. My phone rang before I could think of anything else to say that might make her feel better.
I was relieved, though. This was one of the two calls that needed to happen before I could take that tape off her mouth. Picking up the phone, I accepted the call and put it on speaker. “Hello, Tommy.”
“Spectre, you finally decide to answer the fucking phone,” he said, his voice silky.
Next to me, Tia stiffened and her breaths came faster, harder. I hoped she didn’t pass out, but I couldn’t worry about that now. “I was taking care of some matters, Tommy. I wasn’t aware you’d put me on retainer. Sorry if you had that impression.”
“I hired you to do a fucking job, you cunt.”
“That’s not entirely accurate, now is it? You sent me to evaluate a job. I had yet to decide if I’d take it. I haven’t given you an answer yet. The last time we talked, I hadn’t made up my mind.” A car sped past me on the right and I could see another pair of headlights in my rearview mirror. We weren’t exactly in any sort of early-morning rush, but there were more cars on the road than I liked considering I had a woman restrained with duct tape over her mouth in the seat next to me. “I’ve made up my mind, though. Would you care to hear my answer?”
Tia had gone still—deathly so.
“I’ve already sent another team down there, you stupid bastard. Maybe if you’re quick, you can get in on the action, but the money won’t be even half what it was going to be. I’m not somebody to fuck around with, you get me?’
I laughed, some of the icy-cold rage I’d felt since reading up on Brian O’Halloran leaking into the sound. “You never did ask what my answer was, Tommy.”
He snorted, but abruptly demanded, “What the fuck is your answer?”
“It’s no.” At his snarl, I laughed again. “And your men are going to have a hard time doing any sort of job when they can’t find her. Who did you send? That stupid fuck, Ben Leary and his ham-handed brother Griffin? Those two couldn’t find their dicks in the dark with a flashlight and the guidance of a paid professional.”
The rasping sound of his breath made me smile. “What are you up to, Spectre?”
“That’s easy, Tommy. I took Mac Bailey’s sister out from under your nose. She’s out of your reach...where you can’t touch her.”
He bellowed, the sound loud enough that the dog in the back jumped, rattling the cage. Next to me, Tia swallowed. I heard it, the audible click in her throat.
“You dirty feckin’ bastard,” he rasped, the faint Irish in his words thicker now. “I’m going to find you and rip your balls off for this.”
“Stupid boy.” I allowed myself a small smile, relishing his fury. “You can’t find me. The only way you’ll ever get close is if I’m breathing down your neck...and when that happens, it will be because I’m about to tear it open.”
I disconnected the call, then picked up the phone and punched in another number.
“Bailey speaking,” an easy voice said, clear and alert, despite the hour, the words softened with the lazy drawl of the south.
“Mac Bailey?”
“That’s me.”
I looked over at Tia. She was staring at me, wide-eyed.
“You’re going to want to listen to what I have to say very, very well, Detective Bailey. It’s regarding Tommy O’Halloran.”
I couldn’t see the man, but I felt the way he snapped to attention, as though a string connected us through the phone line.
“I’m listening. Didn’t catch your name, though,” he said. The easy drawl was still there, but the sharp undercurrent made it clear that only an idiot would underestimate this man.
“I didn’t give it. Nor will I. A few days ago, I was contacted by O’Halloran about a job. It concerned your sister.”
“What?” The word came out clipped and harsh, all attempts at being casual gone.
In my mind’s eye, I saw a mental picture of him. I’d done my research, watched the various interviews of him, seen him on the stand in news recordings as he testified against Brian O’Halloran and the other people involved in the trafficking rings. Dark-gray eyes, deep-red hair, lazy smile to match the lazy drawl. Those eyes had gone hard as onyx as he described the conditions of the victims. They’d be hard like that now—harder perhaps, because Tia was his sister and he loved her.
Love. How much did that affect one’s
actions? I didn’t know, but it had to be considerable.
“Tommy O’Halloran has grown tired of trying to intimidate or pay you off when it comes to his brother. He is ready to try more...definitive, damaging tactics.”
“Listen, you prick,” he said, voice coming lower now.
He must already be at the station, I decided, and was looking for privacy. I cut him off, because I needed to end this. Tia still sat there with tape over her mouth and the fear I felt bleeding from her was suffocating me.
“I think I told you to listen,” I said shortly. “I’m not your real problem. He hired me to kill your sister. I...declined and she’s effectively out of his reach. He’s going to react very badly to that.”
“What the fuck do you mean she’s out of his reach?” he shouted.
No attempts at being quiet now.
“I have her with me.” I looked over at her. She sat with her head slumped, shoulders rising and falling rapidly. I could make out her lashes moving rapidly, too. Focusing back on the road, I continued the conversation. “He won’t be able to find her. But he may well come after you, guns blazing.”
“Are you telling me you kidnapped my sister?”
“Yes.” There was no point in lying.
“You called a fucking cop and told him you kidnapped his sister?”
“There’s no point in going to this trouble if Tommy then directs his attention toward you and you end up dead and somehow his brother gets out of prison early,” I pointed out.
“You kidnapped my sister, but give a rat’s ass about some piece of shit human trafficker sweating away down in a federal lock-up in Georgia? And you want me to believe Tommy O’Halloran hired you to kill her, yet you didn’t because...why?”
“Let’s say Tommy missed his mark with me, Detective Bailey, like he missed his mark thinking you could be bribed. I have to end the call now. I’m sure you’ll attempt to track it. Give it your best shot, although I’m going to say upfront—you’re wasting your time.”
“Wait—”
Next to me, Tia surged forward, jerking against the seatbelt and zip ties.
I ignored her, and Bailey’s protest. “I’ll touch base with you by this time tomorrow. Hopefully, I can let her talk to you then.”
I ended the call, then turned off the phone. There was a truck pull-off ahead and a quick look showed it was empty, save for one lone truck at the very front. Pulling in, I quickly removed the phone’s SIM card and battery. Rolling down the window, I tossed the battery out and gave Tia a look. “Just in case you get ideas.” I dropped the SIM card into the cup holder for disposal next time we stopped and shoved the phone back into the pocket of my cargos. Leaning closer, I reached for the tape on her mouth. She jerked back. “You want me to take that tape off or not?”
Her nostrils flared, eyes wide.
“The longer it’s on, the tougher it will stick.”
She closed her eyes, then sagged, sinking closer.
Carefully, I caught the edge I’d left peeled in and tugged. It came off easily enough, although as soon as it cleared her mouth, she jerked her head, ripping the rest of it. I swore. “Damn it, Tia!”
“You son of a bitch! What kind of game are you playing!” she shouted.
Up ahead, a light in the truck went on.
Fuck. Without thinking, I caught the back of her head and yanked her against me, my mouth coming down on hers. At the same time, I freed the seat belt. Then, grabbing a knife from a cargo pocket, I cut the zip ties away. It took only seconds. Tia was frozen in shock.
She finally jerked away, managing to get a few bare inches between us. From the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow descending from the truck.
Determinedly, I pulled her back to me and whispered against her ear. “There’s a trucker up there. He heard you. I’m not going to hurt you, but you won’t be safe from Tommy O’Halloran as long as he’s after you. If he gets you, you won’t die right away, but you’ll wish for it. You’ll beg for it. And you’ll do it for a long, long time before he finally kills you. So for now, you’re stuck with me. I don’t want to hurt or kill an innocent man, but if you push me...”
“Asshole,” she said, voice shaking.
“Yes. Remember that.” Then, brushing my lips over hers, I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap. She was stiff with shock as I rubbed my mouth over hers, breath coming hard and fast.
She was pissed off, angry and scared.
I was becoming the monster Sarge had never wanted me to be, because the predominant thought in mind...
Fuck, she feels amazing.
Chapter 10
Tia
You are not going to do this Stockholm shit!
My mind recited over and over and over as his mouth skimmed mine, as he slid one hand up my knee and his free arm went around my back, a firm brace that didn’t imprison but also didn’t allow for much movement, either. His taut body was hot and hard and strong, the wiry strength the kind I would have found fascinating any other time. I could see myself wanting to draw him, watch him when he wasn’t looking so I could commit the lines of him to memory.
But this wasn’t any other time.
The hand on my knee slid higher, along my side and my breath caught. Tensing, I braced for him to grab my boob, but he grazed by, going completely past and to my horror, my nipples drew tight and throbbed in resentment. My pulse was slamming by the time he curved his hand over my neck and tugged me in closer, arching my head back.
In the dim light, I couldn’t make out the green of his eyes, but to me, they seemed darker, so much more intense, so much more dangerous as he bent over me.
“He’s ten feet away. You decide what happens, Tia.”
He kissed me, his mouth absurdly gentle and such a distraction that I couldn’t figure out what he meant. Ten feet away? Who? O’Halloran? I’d finally figured out we were heading west—then that phone call.
His tongue came into my mouth, past the paltry barrier of my parted lips and a startled groan left me.
I didn’t like kissing.
I mean, I never had.
I’d put up with it with one or two of the guys I’d dated, and there had been one guy I’d been somewhat serious about who had actually been somewhat decent at it so I’d grown to...well, not hate it.
But I never liked it.
Except that weird noise just now? It had come from me. His tongue toyed with mine, teased, then withdrew and he caught my lower lip. I shivered as he bit me and that was when I realized my fingers hurt. I’d reached for him, my left hand clutching at his shoulder and my fingers all but sank into the hard pad of muscle there, as if I was trying to leave permanent impressions on his skin.
He lifted his head a bare inch and in the ever-growing light, he stared at me. He had a faint glitter in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. I had no time to process it, either, because his mouth was on mine again and the arm he’d wrapped around me had shifted. Now he played his fingers over the small of my back and I shivered, the light touch far more erotic than if he’d dipped his hand between my thighs.
“Everything okay?”
I jerked in surprise.
The man holding me—my kidnapper—let go. His hand fell from my neck. He stopped kissing me. His head sank back onto the padded headrest and he gazed at me from under lashes that I could now see were tipped with gold. We touched all along the right side of my body where I pressed against him—my ass, hip and leg. But he wasn’t holding me. His left hand still danced over my lower back but it was a gentle stroke, not at all restraining.
The look in his eyes was clear, his words echoing in my head, He’s ten feet away. You decide what happens, Tia.
Without looking away from him, I swallowed, then answered, “Yeah, everything is fine. My...boyfriend and I are...or were having an argument. Hope we didn’t wake you up or anything.”
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded stiff.
“You sure?” the guy called out. “You’re not in trouble or anything?”<
br />
I half turned, glancing over my shoulder in the dim light. “Yeah. He’s just being an asshole. Don’t know why I expected anything else, but I’m not in trouble. Thanks, though.”
“All right, honey. If you’re sure.” The taut silence lingered and I knew he was still waiting.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Thank you, again. I mean it.” The hand on my spine slid higher, then back down to play with the bare skin where my shirt had ridden up.
I stared straight ahead, listening to the gravel and trying to slow my heart. There were other problems, too, like my stiff nipples, abraded by the worn fabric of the T-shirt I always slept in, my pussy, aching and wet beneath the pajama bottoms. I squirmed on his lap and he made a low noise, not quite a groan, but louder than a sigh, under his breath and I realized something—Bianca had been right.
He was most definitely hung. I could feel the throb of his cock against my hip like a brand and I had the insane urge to turn, shift so I could straddle and rock against him, cuddle as close as I could and ride him until this ache abated.
But I couldn’t do any such thing.
However, I didn’t have to acknowledge my aching pussy, my wet panties or the crotch of my pajamas, even the tight buds of my nipples. I didn’t even have to acknowledge him or what had to be a fantastic cock.
“He’s climbing back into his truck.”
I scrabbled back into my seat and hurriedly dragged my seat belt on as if that alone would undo what had just happened.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“Why?” I stared stonily out the front window.
He put the SUV into drive before answering. “I already told you I didn’t want to hurt or kill an innocent man. But I would have.”
“You could let me go,” I said sourly.
“But then I’d be killing you, in effect.” His voice was quiet, but the words were steel. “I meant what I said about Tommy O’Halloran. If I had to choose between hurting or quickly and painlessly killing an innocent man, or letting an innocent woman be raped and tortured, then murdered? There’s no question which one I’d choose.”
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