The Rise of Saint

by J, Bella

  While Saint and his two men cocooned us in the back with their tall frames and broad shoulders, I watched him stand there in his expensive suit. The confidence he exuded, the power he emanated made the atmosphere feel thick and threatening. All I could think about was how desperate I was to escape, to run and try to save myself from whatever he had planned for me.

  My heart hammered against my ribs, the beat pulsing in my ears as adrenaline surged through my veins. Sweat trickled down my spine, yet my skin felt ice-cold. We were only five people in an elevator which had a two-ton capacity, but the way my every breath got caught in my throat felt like there wasn’t enough air for me to breathe properly.

  The elevator chimed, and the door opened. But it wasn’t the floor to the foyer of the hotel.

  Saint turned halfway and caught me staring. My lips parted when his hand latched on to my hip, no one else aware of how he firmly pinched just above my hipbone, pain shooting around my waist, bruising my skin. “Head. Down.” He lightly jerked me closer, the brim of my hat the only thing shielding me from his grueling glare while hiding the fear in my eyes. “Do not. Test. Me.” His warning was hard and frightening, and I obeyed by lowering my head so my chin almost touched my chest. He didn’t let go of my hip, his cruel touch lingering a few seconds longer. For others, it would probably have seemed like two lovers, a man leaning in to whisper sweet words to his woman. Not a kidnapper murmuring threats and demands into the ear of his victim.

  It was only once James started moving that Saint removed his hand from my side. And it was only then that I managed a decent breath.

  Elena’s hand remained on my elbow as she guided me. We walked fast, almost as fast as my heart was beating. No one spoke a word, and my senses went on overdrive. My sense of smell. Sense of hearing. Sight. Even my sense of taste.

  I could smell the citrus scent of the clean carpet my heels walked over, see the tiny dirty spots one would think a hotel as grand as this one would not allow. I heard phones ringing and the footsteps of people around us. Tasted the metallic tang of blood as I bit my tongue, desperately trying to push through the paralyzing fear.

  Hinges squealed, and the carpet beneath us disappeared as we stepped on tiled floor before descending a flight of stairs. My legs felt unsteady. I wasn’t used to wearing heels, and the staircase made it harder to keep my balance. But Elena didn’t let go of my arm once, steadying me as she stayed beside me.

  The sound of our rushing footsteps was like an echo of how horrifying every passing moment was.

  We came to a stop, and for a second I forgot his instruction, his warning about me keeping my head down.

  I looked up and caught a glimpse of James opening a gray double door, but that was also the moment Saint glanced back at me. I saw the anger in his eyes before he opened his mouth. “What the fuck did I tell you about keeping your head down?”

  “I’m s—” It was instinct to want to apologize, but then I remembered who he was and what was busy happening. I wasn’t about to apologize for looking up while being kidnapped.

  I bit my tongue and met his glare, channeling all the hate I could find inside me toward staring him in the eye while I held my head up, and shoulders squared.

  His lips parted, a reprimand burning like hot coals on his tongue. But there was no time as James rushed us all through the door.

  There was a split second before I lowered my head, a split second when I noticed the kitchen in front of us. Empty. No sign of any staff. I’d worked in a few restaurant kitchens before, washing dishes and cleaning up after rude and angry chefs. I knew what a busy kitchen sounded like, the clinking of utensils and cutlery, the shouting of a perfectionist chef. The kitchen in front of me lacked all that.

  Elena pulled on my elbow, urging me to move faster, and I lowered my head as instructed. I knew we were on our way through the back exit of the kitchen. Why else would we come through here? I also knew that once I was out that door, taken to wherever, my chances of escaping would become slim. But he made it clear I’d have the blood of others on my hands if I chanced it.

  Doors opened, and my feet rushed down a single step. The early spring breeze was nowhere near cold enough to warrant the trench coat they made me wear, and my entire body burned with the flames of adrenaline.

  “Elena,” Saint said, “you take the front car. Mila and I take the middle, and James will ride behind us.”

  “Do you not think it would be better for Mila and me to go together? There’s a greater chance of you two being seen together if she goes with you.”

  “No. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

  This time, I lifted my head so I could look at him.

  “I’ve been searching for her for far too long. And now that I found her, I’m not letting her go.” The smirk on his face was colored with secrets, and he knew his words just ignited an arsenal of questions he never planned on answering.

  Elena accepted his response immediately and let go of my elbow, heading toward the black SUV parked in the front. Saint grabbed my arm, his grip tight as his fingers bit into my flesh. He didn’t care whether he was hurting me, or whether he was causing me to stumble by dragging me to the car. He didn’t give a fuck about anything except getting me out of there as soon as possible.

  We reached the car, and he pulled the hat off my head, grabbing the back of my neck, fingers biting my flesh as he forced me into the back seat of the SUV. His touch was merciless and cruel, and if it weren’t for my heart trying to claw its way up my throat, it would probably hurt more.

  Saint got in next to me, and the second the passenger door shut, the car moved. I scurried to the other end of the back seat, desperate for distance between us. It was instinct to reach for the door handle, but I was hardly surprised to find it locked.

  “You’re not getting away from me, Mila.”

  “Why are you doing this?” I leaned against the door, suddenly not brave enough to look at him.

  “Because it’s your destiny. It’s our destiny.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Something your tiny little head won’t understand.” He shifted in his seat. “Because it’s been kept from you since the day you were born.”

  This time I looked at him. “What?”

  With narrowed eyes, he studied me like he knew me. Like he knew more about me than I did.

  “Our families go back generations.”

  I snorted. “Which one? I’ve had many.”

  “I’m not talking about one of your foster families.” His face turned to stone. “I’m talking about your real family.”

  My stomach turned inside out, my skin ice-cold. “My real family?”

  He nodded, secrets hiding behind the line of his sealed lips.

  “You know my real family?”

  His lips curved, a look of sheer amusement as if he loved every second of mind-fucking me with words that made no sense. Frozen to the spot, I could only watch as he reached out and placed the back of his cold hand against my cheek. “You, dear Mila, are the world’s best kept secret.” His voice dropped to a low, dark whisper. “And now…you’re my secret.”

  5

  Saint

  The look on her face was priceless. I could see how her body shuddered, how her eyes screamed with the need to know every dark secret I kept so close to my chest. Secrets I didn’t plan on sharing with her any time soon. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t use it to torture her…just a little.

  I knew her head was drowning in questions, yet she kept her mouth shut. I wasn’t sure whether it was her stubbornness stopping her from asking them, or whether her mind was too fragmented by what I had just revealed. I knew her family. I knew her heritage. I knew her entire goddamn bloodline. But the best part was I knew the answer to every fucking question she ever had about her life, about who she really was.

  I sat back in my seat, settling in as we sped through the streets of New York. The three cars split off in different directions when we roun
ded the first corner away from the hotel. Every security measure had been put in place for this, for me to get her out of New York as soon as possible once she was finally brought to me. I would have gone and pull her out of the slums in Syracuse myself if I thought it could be risked. But I couldn’t risk it in case I was being watched.

  The entire way to Teterboro Airport, Mila remained as silent as a mouse. She didn’t even move next to me, keeping her gaze out the window the entire time. It was just past midnight, and the tinted windows allowed her to see nothing but the blur of streetlights. New York was slowly fading away, and I wanted to tell her to take a hard look at it all because it would be a long time before she saw it again, if ever. But I appreciated the silence for what it was. Heavy, suffocating, foreboding with a hint of excitement brought on by me knowing what her future held in store for her. For us both. And the sadistic fuck in me loved the fact that I could torture her so easily by simply withholding all I knew.

  Any other man in my position would probably feel a slight twinge of guilt knowing he was about to ruin a woman’s life in order to fulfill a ten-year-old vendetta. But not me. The blood in my veins went cold a long time ago, and I no longer concerned myself with the wellbeing of others. Especially a Torres girl. The girl of a family who thought they could fool us—fool me. Well, they were in for one hell of a surprise when I was ready to reveal all.

  The car drove through the gates of Teterboro Airport, the security letting us in without stopping us—as instructed. A lesson I had to teach Mila quickly—money and power were the only things you needed to rule the fucking world.

  Lightning cracked across the sky, and for the first time during the entire trip, Mila looked at me. “Why are we here?”

  “It’s an airport. What the fuck do you think?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Don’t you mean to ask where am I taking you?”

  “It’s the same thing.”

  I smirked. “Asking where we are going implies you’re going willingly. Asking where I’m taking you states that you have no say in the matter.” I shrugged. “Which, in this case, is better suiting.”

  She squirmed in her seat, her cheeks ash-white, her fresh make-up no longer able to hide the circles under her eyes. “Stop screwing around.”

  I scoffed. “Such a mature response. I can see we have our work cut out for us.”

  She turned to face me head on. “Forgive me if my main concern isn’t speaking in a mature fucking way.”

  “Something we’ll be dealing with in days to come. Now, when that door opens, you get out and follow James to the private jet. Do not even think of running.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, disdain screaming from the swirls of her emerald irises. “And where the hell would I run to, exactly? And judging by how easily we just drove in here, I’m pretty sure you have everyone working here on your payroll.”

  “You’re quite the observant one.”

  Her door opened, James extending his hand, but she kept her eyes on me, not moving.

  “It happens when you live around people whose sole purpose is to hurt you.”

  With those expensive high heels Elena had her wearing, she stepped out of the car, and I followed, closing the door behind me. More lightning cracked across the sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder before rain started to pour down. If I were a superstitious bastard, I’d see it as the universe’s way of telling me bad shit was about to happen. But I didn’t need the universe’s warning. I already knew bad things were to come, because I was the one bringing them.

  6

  Mila

  I had never been on a plane before, let alone a private jet. As I set foot inside, it was like stepping from that cursed elevator into the luxury suite of his hotel again. I smelled the strong scent of rich leather, custom wood veneer adding more than a touch of elegance to the interior. Natural shades of tan, beige, and umber welcomed me, and the click of my heels was muted by the lush, beige carpet. It was a strong display of wealth and power. It was also a reminder that my chances at fighting him, surviving him, were slim. There was no way a girl like me could compete with this kind of power.

  I bit my lip as I glanced around. If this was under any other circumstances, I’d probably be bouncing off the wall with excitement. But it wasn’t. And I was everything but excited. In fact, I had never been this terrified in my entire goddamn life. I tried my best to be brave, to keep the expression on my face from giving me away. The last thing I wanted was for Saint to think I would cower while I withered away through whatever he had planned for me.

  James helped me out of the trench coat I wore before showing me to my seat. I let out a breath when I sat down, the comfort of the wide armchair doing nothing to settle my apprehension. “Where are we going?” I looked up at James, but he didn’t even blink at my question, let alone answer. It was as if he didn’t hear me at all, ignoring me like I wasn’t even there.

  Saint took a seat across from me, no longer wearing his suit jacket. His tie had been loosened a bit and the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up mid-arm.

  “Who are you?” My voice shook, my hands on my lap with fingers weaved together.

  “You can call me Saint.” He answered like I just asked the world’s dumbest question. “I’m the man who owns this plane—”

  “And let me guess, half the world?”

  James handed him what looked like a glass of bourbon. “Hopefully, when this is all over, I will own the whole fucking world.”

  “I meant to me.”

  He cocked a brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “I meant who are you to me?”

  That arrogant smirk appeared on his face once again. “That’s a very odd question to ask.”

  “And this is a very fucked-up situation.”

  “You have a foul mouth, Mila.”

  “My choice in words is not really a concern for me right now.”

  For the longest time, he studied me while nursing his expensive drink, leaning back in his chair like a man who didn’t have a care in the world. If I was a clever girl, I would have looked away, not demanding an answer by keeping his gaze. But I wasn’t a clever girl—at least not now.

  “Are you going to answer my question?”

  Saint smacked his lips as he took a sip of his bourbon and cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, you aren’t ready for all the answers just yet.”

  “Is that your professional opinion?”

  He frowned. “Sarcasm is very unbecoming.”

  “So is kidnapping.”

  He snorted. “I have a feeling you and I are going to have a lot of fun together.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  “Do you want answers?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned forward, and I let out a silent breath when his fingers brushed my knee, his touch slightly warmer than before. A shudder traveled down my leg as fingertips brushed against my naked skin, his lips slightly parted, the look in his eye that of a hunter.

  He licked his lips, and for a single moment I let my guard down, allowing my gaze to drop to the subtle movement that reminded me of how I thought about his lips as perfection when I saw him for the first time…right before he killed my friend.

  Abruptly, his hold on my knee tightened to a point of pain, and I closed my eyes as I gasped.

  “Then stop behaving like a fucking brat.” His hard voice complimented his cruel touch.

  Tears stung my eyes, and I was only a few breaths away from letting them slip free, exposing the level of fear I felt.

  Saint reached out, and I closed my eyes as he towered over me. Through the threatening tears, I could smell the scent of his expensive cologne, a mix of spices—rosemary, black pepper…and dominance. The click of the seatbelt made me stiffen, and I could no longer keep the tears from falling. It was a slow trickle of fear down my cheek, my lips trembling as it lapped past my mouth.

  “Now, now, Mila.” He wiped at a tear, and I turned my face away fro
m him without opening my eyes, unwillingly giving him access to lean even closer, his lips brushing against my ear. “I like it when girls cry.”

  Without warning, I felt his teeth nip at my earlobe, and I whimpered with trembling lips.

  “You’ll be smart to remember that.”

  I didn’t need to open my eyes to know he was no longer leaning over me. Just by finally being able to take a stable breath, I knew he was no longer close, and I opened my eyes as the plane engines started. I refused to look at him across from me and stared out the window into the darkness. As quickly as day turned into night, my life changed from a reality I had always known to a nightmare, and I had no clue what it held in store for me.

  One would think I’d be a little more excited when the airplane started moving since this was the first time for me. But it managed to make me feel even worse. The acceleration had me clutching the armrests tightly, the pressure pushing me deeper into the seat.

  My heart raced, my mouth as dry as it was in the elevator back at the hotel.

  “You’ve never been on a plane before.”

  I gave a quick look his way but didn’t respond.

  “Relax. The takeoff is the worst part.”

  I pressed my eyes closed, swallowing hard. There was a clunk when the plane lifted off the ground. A sinking sensation came over me as we kept ascending, my chest tight and gut heavy. I didn’t look out the window. It was too dark to see anything, anyway. But I felt it, the incline as the plane climbed. Shutting my eyes, I felt sweat beading at my temples, and instead of feeling the plane lifting into the air, I imagined it plummeting to the ground.

  I squirmed in my seat, trying hard to concentrate on my breathing and to not let the impending panic attack crush my chest.

  “Mila. Look at me.”

  I gripped the armrests tighter.