“To adopt?”
“We’ll see.” His gaze traveled down my body, and then followed the leash I was holding to Trixie, sitting patiently on the end of it. “Is she yours?”
“No.” I shook my head. “My current apartment doesn’t allow animals. And if I let myself adopt her, I’m sure it would get out of hand.” I let out a little laugh, and Trixie looked up at me with wide eyes.
The man knelt and rubbed her fondly behind the ears. “She’s so sweet. I don’t know how you can resist her.”
“Maybe you’d like to see about adopting her then,” I ventured, but the man merely smiled up at me.
“I fear I don’t have enough time for a dog, especially a sheepdog puppy like her. If I was going to adopt one, I’d want to make sure I could give them everything they needed.”
His eyes were on me as he said this, and part of me wondered if he was saying it just to get on my good side. The tone was a little flirty after all.
“Perhaps a cat then?” I suggested. “They need less attention, and if you get a bonded pair they’ll pretty much keep each other entertained.”
“A bonded pair?”
“Yes, like really good friends.” I looked at Hailey with a smile. “Or sometimes lovers.” I blushed and looked down as I said this, not quite wanting to meet the man’s gaze.
“How lucky they must be,” he said. “The life of a cat is wondrous, to lounge around in bed all day, and eat all you want. And then to have a lover to share it with you…. ” His gaze was dark as he stared at me, and although I would normally cringe away from the suggestion behind the words, I couldn’t help but feel a strange pull to him.
“Only if they’re a good lover,” I countered, deciding I could afford to be a little flirty. “Most cats are known for being lazy.”
“On the contrary, I think they just know where to spend their energy.” His gaze traveled down the length of my body and then back up to my face. “In that way, they’re very smart creatures.”
I smiled. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“There are a lot of things that make me happy. And putting on a good face in front of pretty ladies is one of them,” he said, turning to Hailey and pulling a checkbook out of his pocket. “I’ve come here to make a donation, who do I write it out to?”
Hailey looked positively shocked, her mouth hanging open like a fish on land, so I stepped in for her. “The Humane Society of Los Angeles should be fine.”
“Got it.” He took a pen from behind the desk, and began making out a check, then handed it over to Hailey. “Hopefully I’ll see you again soon,” he said with a wink, directing this at me as he turned and left.
“Girl, did you just break your promise already?” Hailey asked when she finally came to her senses. “Why didn’t you get his number?”
“I never promised you anything! Besides, he was too old for me, and a little full of himself.”
“And why shouldn’t he be? Did you see that body of his? And how expensive his suit looked? That man would be a fine catch, and he was definitely into you.”
“It’s fine. If he really cares, he knows where I work, so he’ll come back.”
Hailey shook her head. “I can’t believe you just let that one get away.”
“I’m gonna put Trixie back, and then take my break, okay?” I said, wanting to get away from the conversation. I needed some air, and a little bit of distance before Hailey started teasing me about the handsome stranger again.
Just because I felt attracted to him didn’t mean I wasn’t still wary, or ready to even try anything with anyone.
I put Trixie back in her kennel and then, after making sure she had food and water, headed out the back door to get some fresh air.
It was spring, so it was still chilly enough to actually feel refreshing outside. Once summer came, I wouldn’t want to take my breaks outside as much unless there was a nice breeze. It wasn’t like we had much scenery to look at either.
The back door led into an alleyway behind the buildings. It was the kind of place you wouldn’t necessarily want to be in after dark, but that was perfectly fine during the day.
At least, I thought it was.
I got a prickly feeling on the back of my neck again as if someone was watching me. But before I could turn around, a large hand placed a chemical-soaked rag over my nose and mouth and pulled me back against the hard frame of their body.
I tried my best to struggle but lost consciousness too quickly to do anything.
Before I knew it, my whole world was black.
Chapter Three
Malcolm
It was so hard to hold off when she was right there. I insisted that Misha drive while Leroi and I sat in the back seat. I had more chloroform at the ready in case she woke up, but the truth was I just wanted to be near her.
She looked so innocent in that unconscious state. Her mouth was slightly open, and I couldn’t help but fixate on her soft, plump lips. I knew that they would feel so good against my own, and I could only imagine what she would taste like.
I clenched my hands into fists as I forced myself to look away. I didn’t want to touch her, not when she was so vulnerable. I couldn’t bring myself to violate her like that, not even just to run a finger across the surface of her lips.
I might have been kidnapping her, but I wasn’t a monster. I had my reasons, and this was a solution that would hopefully mean no one had to die.
“You doing okay boss?” Leroi teased, looking between me and Aurora’s sleeping form. “If she’s too much of a temptation for you, you could always sit up front.”
“Not with a player like you in the back seat,” I retorted. “Who knows what you’d do.”
“Nothing you wouldn’t.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I felt the heat of anger surge through my core.
“Shut it, before I throw you out of the car.”
“Jeez, didn’t know it was that sensitive.” Leroi raised his hands in surrender.
“Then don’t talk about it,” I snapped.
“Okay, no worries, I can be silent too,” he said, then settled into a quiet vigilance.
I knew that I shouldn’t be snapping at him like that, especially when he had so readily agreed to my plan. He had been the first to volunteer to help me too. But still, it never felt like I could trust him with women. He complained about having to do damage control for most of our missions and ended up creating an even bigger mess with the ladies.
Besides, there was something special about Aurora.
Normally I wouldn’t be this angry, or this drawn to someone. Sure, I had been with plenty of women before, but none of it had ever felt meaningful. Their faces blurred together in my memory, but something about Aurora stood out.
She was special, that was for sure.
Who knows, perhaps it was just some latent primal instinct to create children kicking in.
We got her to the house without any more issues, and I had Noah and Leroi take her down to one of the lower rooms and ensure she was secure. I couldn’t trust myself to be around her any longer, and I knew that Noah would make sure the job was done right.
Instead, I headed to my favorite lounge in the large mansion we all lived in together and settled into my favorite chair.
It had the vibes of one of those villain chairs from a Bond movie, and I found I did my best business deals while in it. And now, I needed all the mastermind energy I could muster.
The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Malcolm Astor, I should have known you would call.” I could practically hear the sneer that had taken permanent residence on his face.
“Liam Hawthorne, a pleasure as always,” I said. “How are you doing on this fine day?”
“Cut to the chase, Astor. What do you want?”
“If you knew I would call, shouldn’t you know what I’m calling about?”
“I don’t have time for your games today. I’ll only say it one more time, what do you want?”
Talkin
g with Liam was like a dance. Or an intricate game of chess. I bantered and skirted around the subject at hand to assert power, but I had to be sure I didn’t go too far lest I lost the ability to play entirely.
“I want to come to an arrangement.”
“Oh yeah? You know I don’t do business with your scum, Astor.” He spat as he said my name, disgust coating every syllable.
“I think we can come to an arrangement. Call off Kline, Hawthorne, and I’ll see what I can do about my men.”
“Call off Kline?” He emitted a belly-deep laugh. “And what makes you think I would ever do that?”
“So you admit.”
“Of course I admit. You know I want you dead, why hide it?”
“Who knows, perhaps I may use this call against you.”
“You wouldn’t dare, Astor. You have a lot more to hide from the police than I do, and you know it.”
“Perhaps I do, but the point stands, call off Kline. His daughter is currently in my possession, and you know he won’t dare to make a move on me while I hold her.”
“Fucking shit, you bloody asshole.” He took a moment to compose himself. “Unfortunately, you don’t know Kline like I do, he’s a cold-blooded killer. I don’t think he cares whether or not you have his daughter. What he cares about is cash, and I can certainly compensate for her measly life with that. Enjoy the rest of your short existence, Astor.”
He hung up, leaving me no chance to say anything further. I felt extremely uneasy at his words, even though I knew he had to be bluffing, or just being an idiot. There was no way Kline would endanger the life of his daughter.
Even so, I knew I should probably do something about it. With a sigh, I rose from my seat and began to wander through the house in search of Misha.
The Four lived with me in my mansion in Beverly Hills. The neighborhood was quiet, gated, and didn’t ask questions. The neighbors knew not to be nosy, and tourists didn’t come so far into this area.
I had been able to purchase a fairly large property with funds from my inheritance. My family had been in the oil business for a long time, and it was enough to sustain me. I could probably live as extravagantly as I wanted, and I wouldn’t ever run into any problems. There were other people to run the company and take care of the money.
But I wouldn’t be satisfied with that. I wanted to leave my footprint on the world, to make a real impact if I could.
I just couldn’t stand by and see the world stay in the state it was. Poverty was rampant, and drugs were a large reason for it. The poor were often targeted by sellers, and it kept the class system in check. I wouldn’t stand for it any longer.
So we used the house as a base of our operations. There were training and weapons rooms, and we had secret places to plan out how to act.
On the surface I was a wealthy benefactor, supplying money to causes that would help clean up the inner city and get addicts into rehab programs.
But beneath?
I was in the drug business to destroy it, from the inside out.
Eventually, I found Misha, exactly where I expected him to be, drinking a cup of tea and overlooking the extensive gardens from one of our balconies.
On the outside, he seemed like a hard man, and he was. He had escaped from a Russian work camp when he was young, and I personally made sure that he got citizenship in the US. He could fight, and he could command the guard staff on my estate like no other.
But he also liked the simpler things in life. Cats, tea, and poetry books. Once you got to know him he was a real softie.
I hoped that at one point he would find a woman who shared his interests, and realized how wonderful he was. I wanted to see him happy in all aspects of his life.
“Good tea?” I asked, taking a seat next to him.
“Imported from Japan,” he replied. “Best I’ve had in a while.” He took another sip and continued to stare out.
“I have some bad news.”
“Figured.”
“I called Hawthorne, and he doesn’t want to negotiate.”
“Man’s a fool, of course, he wouldn’t.”
“But it gets worse, he seems to think that Kline will act whether or not we have his daughter.”
Misha took a moment to think, likely considering all the options he had, considering this new information. He didn’t like to speak unless he knew exactly what he was going to say. It was in that way that he was a man of few words.
“I’ll put more guards on rotation. More on her door too. You really should accept a bodyguard.”
He tried to pull this on me several times before, but I wouldn’t have it. I couldn’t handle someone following me around all the time. I needed my privacy, my space.
“You know what my answer is going to be Misha. I can take care of myself.”
“Not saying you can’t.” He sighed, then looked at me with his heavy blue eyes. “I just want you to be safe.”
“Nothing’s ever safe in this business, Misha. And at this point? I’ve accepted that, through and through.”
Chapter Four
Aurora
When I woke up, the world was still dark. I didn’t know for several minutes if I was still sleeping, or even if I could open my eyes.
But then the feeling came back into my body.
There was a blindfold over my eyes, and my wrists were tied behind my back with silk rope. I tried to move my legs and found they were in the same situation.
I was sitting on the cold, concrete floor, and there was a terrifying moment when I realized I had no idea what was around me. For all I could tell, the room went on for infinity and never stopped, and there would never be a way out.
Panic overtook me. My chest constricted and I screamed for someone, anyone, to come tell me what was going on.
I felt like I couldn’t breathe as I sat there, screaming, my voice growing hoarse.
Finally, there were muffled footsteps, and then a click as the door opened and shut behind by someone. The footsteps approached me, and then stopped right in front of me.
A hand touched my face, and breath hit my forehead. I flinched away, and the touch stopped.
“I’m sorry you woke up alone,” a voice said, and I think I recognize it. It sounds like the man from the Humane Society, but I can’t exactly be sure. “But you’re alright. No one’s going to hurt you. It should all be over soon.”
It didn’t feel alright. I couldn’t see anything, and I had no idea why I was here. “What do you want from me?” I spat, summoning the last dregs of my bravery.
“You don’t want to know,” he said, and then he stood. I could feel his presence moving away from me as the footsteps faded, and I immediately regretted it. It had felt somewhat comforting to have human warmth near me.
I was all alone again.
Memories were starting to surface, images that I had repressed for a very long time.
There were gaps in my memories, from when I was much younger, maybe between the ages of four to six. It was the kind of thing that you couldn’t exactly place in time, and I hadn’t thought of it before.
I had been young. It was normal to not remember much from those years.
But with the recent events, I was beginning to recall certain things from my past.
I remembered ropes like the ones I was bound with now, but no blindfold. In my mind’s eye, it was dark, and streetlights were passing by as I cried. They blurred into a fuzzy haze across my vision. I was in a car, and dark figures were towering over me.
They discussed things that I did not understand, but I knew it had to do with my father.
Every so often they would turn their faces to me and a large grin would split them in half like a monstrous deformity
In this memory, I didn’t know where I was, just that I was scared. I didn’t know why I was there either, and they refused to tell me. The way that they looked at me made me want to curl up and get very far away from them.
Time passed, I knew, between this memory and the ne
xt, but it was hard to gauge how much.
There was still a black depth where nothing was clear. Just the occasional fuzzy image that I couldn’t make out. There was no sense of time in that place. It felt like it was in a different reality entirely, as repressed memories often do.
Then, there was a bit of light, a touch of something good. My father was there in that next memory. He took me away, back to the home I knew where everything was safe.
But it seemed like he didn’t know what to do either. In my memory, he comforted me, but he also didn’t talk to me about. He just said It’s going to be okay over and over again.
It was that same voice, those same words, that often played in my head when something was going wrong. I hadn’t wondered much where they had come from, but it was clear now that they were remembered from that experience.
My father hadn’t discussed it anymore with me though, and it was clear from the fact that these memories were just now surfacing that I had never gotten therapy for it.
I was going to have to talk to him about it when I got back to him. I needed to know what had happened, and why.
Clearly, this was not the first time I had been kidnapped, and this might not be the last thing that my memories were hiding from me.
Chapter Five
Malcolm
I knew I should be celebrating, but part of me just didn’t feel like it.
I was in the VIP section of a luxury club with the Four, and there were plenty of drinks to go around. In their minds, my genius idea allowed us to avoid bloodshed, and soon this whole feud with Liam would all be over.
But all I could think about was Aurora.
“You should have seen his face in the car ride home,” Leroi said, raising a crystal glass with some alcoholic concoction to his delicate lips.
“Don’t act like you’re completely innocent, I could see you wanted her too,” Noah said in response, sipping at his glass of wine.
My Dad’s Billionaire Enemy Page 2