by Tess Oliver
I stand there trying to mentally slow my pulse. "Do you really know?" I ask. "Or have I been faking it this whole fucking time just to get you to leave me the hell alone." I stomp back down the steps leaving him sufficiently speechless. For the first time, it feels as if I just outplayed the genius. If only it were true. If only I had been faking it all those times, then maybe I could feel just a touch less ashamed about how easily I succumbed to the madman's charms.
I step hard onto deck. My eyes lock instantly with Maddox's questioning gaze. My heart sink likes a stone. What have I done?
39
Angie
After my disastrous negotiation session in the wheelhouse, I surrender to my will and sit down next to Maddox at the bow. With his hands cuffed behind his back, he has no choice except to sit awkwardly forward. I still manage to rest my head against his shoulder. I'm keenly aware of Kane watching every move through the window of the bridge, but I no longer care. Oscar has pulled a sun chair out on deck. He's stretched his long legs out and crossed his hands behind his head for a nap.
I take a deep, steadying breath. After so many weeks in my underground bedroom, the sun and fresh air are intoxicating. The nectar is slowly leaving my bloodstream. More and more, rational thoughts storm through my head, but I would give anything to turn them off.
"What the hell is he doing up there?" Maddox grumbles.
"Not too sure." I place my hand on his arm. His muscles are taut with tension. "Whatever happens, Maddox. I'm sorry I screwed up."
"No, Ten, I'm the one who screwed up. I just couldn't handle not knowing what had happened to you."
I wrap my hand around him to hold his arm closer. "No, I mean I'm sorry that I wasn't a good partner."
He turns his face. "What are you talking about? You were the best fucking partner a guy could have."
I release him and look up at his face. We are sitting on a madman's yacht waiting for our fates to be handed out and all I can think is how breathtaking he is. My voice wavers now at the thought of us dying and me never being able to tell him how I really feel. "But you wanted a new partner."
"Shit." He drops his face. His thick hair falls forward. "Shit." He lifts his face again. "You really don't know, do you? Everyone in the precinct knew. Even Clark. Shit, Clark before anyone else. He knew even before I figured it out."
"What? You've lost me."
"I'm in love with you, Ten. I've loved you for fucking ever, but I knew everything about us being together was wrong. And I figured you'd probably just laugh if you found out. It got so bad I thought, hey, I'll find someone else, fall in love and that will be that. But when I woke up every morning thinking about you, even with Tiffany right next to me, I knew that my stupid plan was just that—stupid. I thought if we weren't working together, I could just get you out of my head. Another useless plan that really backfired."
I'm blinking up at him as he speaks and wondering if I am still more drugged than I realized. But with each word, the true weight of it sinks in. I blink back tears.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I ask with a half sob, half laugh.
"Isn't this a cute scene." Kane's voice falls over us. It's a sound I used to wait anxiously to hear but now it makes me tense with rage.
I glance around at the water. There is nothing but ocean and horizon, but it's easy to see that we are staying in one place. "Where are we?" I ask.
"The ocean," Kane answers snidely.
Oscar walks up behind him, casting his big shadow over all of us. I don't notice he's holding a rope until he brings it out from behind his back.
I sit quickly down on Maddox's lap. "Whatever you do to him, you do to me too."
"How Romeo and Juliet of you, Sweet Sin." His nickname makes Maddox tense beneath me. Kane, who misses nothing, notices too.
"Do you like it?" Kane asks Maddox. "It comes from her sweet cinnamon coloring. See, while you sat in the same detective sedan with her, thinking about kissing her, touching her, fucking her, I was doing all that and more."
Maddox's body grows hard like stone. The hot red blush of shame spreads over my entire body.
"Oh, that's right, Maddox. You already had a little peek of what we were up to when I showed you the video." Kane motions for Oscar to come forward.
"You fucker," I scream and jump at Kane. He easily pins my hands behind me. Tears cloud my eyes. I'm just as glad not to have to look at Maddox. I'm sick from embarrassment.
Kane tries to whisper something in my ear but I elbow him hard. He keeps a firm grip on my wrists. How many times has he bound my wrists for pleasure and I yielded quickly, wanting it, enjoying it. But this time, my hands are bound with cruelty. I hate him for it.
Oscar kneels down to tie the rope around Maddox's feet. I know the second he crouches down that he's made a huge error. Maddox's knee comes up so hard, Oscar's nose sprays blood over the leather upholstery as he stumbles back. He lands with a solid thud on deck.
Kane moves both of my wrists to one hand. I feel him move behind me and gasp when the cold metal barrel of a gun presses against my temple. "I suggest you let Oscar tie your feet or I pull the trigger."
Maddox looks him in the eye. "Bullshit. You won't kill her."
"Good point," Kane says as he turns the gun on Maddox. "On the other hand, I have no problem killing you."
Oscar wipes the blood off his face with the back of his arm. He picks up the rope and lumbers unsteadily toward Maddox. But rather than tying his feet, he throws his big meaty fist at Maddox. Maddox ducks and takes it on the edge of his chin. Oscar brings his fist back again and hooks the side of Maddox's head. He's out cold.
Oscar sets to work tying his feet.
"Maddox! James! Wake up," I scream. Kane's grasp on my wrists tightens. I'm sure he's going to break my bones.
"Starboard side," Kane instructs Oscar.
Oscar grabs Maddox's feet and yanks him off the bench. His arms are pinned behind him and his head smacks the deck. He wakes with a groan.
"Maddox, he's going to throw you overboard," I cry.
Maddox writhes and twists, but with his feet and hands bound he has little recourse. He draws his knees up and kicks out his rope tied feet. Oscar easily ducks out of the way.
"I don't think I can lift him over the railing alone," Oscar tells Kane.
I pull and squirm trying to break free of Kane's hold. He pulls me easily along to the railing where Maddox is working hard to get free of his constraints.
"Don't do this," I plead. "I'll do anything you ask. Anything. I'll be your prisoner for the rest of my life. Just please don't do this."
Kane pulls me roughly against him. "Prisoner? Is that what you would be? My prisoner?" Without warning, he shoves me hard. I stumble forward several feet before falling to my knees on the deck. I push to my feet and spin around just as they are struggling to lift Maddox over the railing. Maddox manages to get in one good blow with the back of his head into Kane's forehead.
"Fucker," Kane growls.
I lunge at Kane and wrap my arm around his neck but it's useless. They drop Maddox over. I scream out when I hear the splash. I grab the railing and am just about to throw my legs over when Kane pulls me back hard on deck.
"Get her below," Kane orders Oscar. He hands me roughly over to his bodyguard. I clutch at the railing. "No just drop me in too," I cry. "Just throw me over."
Kane's shoulders are stiff with tension as he walks toward the wheelhouse steps. Oscar rips my hands from the railing and throws me over his shoulder. I pound his back with my fists and kick my legs but he barely notices.
"Maddox!" I scream. "Maddox!"
"Stay strong, Ten!" he cries back. "I love you."
The yacht lurches forward. Oscar stumbles to the side but manages to keep his hold on me. He tosses me into the bedroom and pulls the door shut. The lock is on the inside but he holds it tight. I glance toward the porthole and see the horizon blur as the boat moves quickly over the water. And away from the man I love.
Ther
e’s no wait!
Conclude this addictive trilogy with book 3, DEVOTED—out now!
"I am so in love with this series" ~Robin
"This book is pure genius" ~Sandra
About the Author
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Tess Oliver lives in Southern California, the land of perpetual sunshine and traffic, with her husband, kids and a small herd of pets. Her titles have hit both New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. As an exclusive bonus, you can get a copy of her sexy, angsty romance Dirty Shame for free when you sign up for her newsletter [Sign up here!]
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