She attempted to walk past him, but he grabbed her hand. “Don’t do this, Tania. Trust me. I’m going to get to the bottom of this mystery. There is something fishy going on in my organization. They haven’t told me anything. I’ve to figure out what they are hiding, and I am going to need your help to do so.”
She attempted to shrug out of his grip. Why the hell would she help him? She didn’t even believe him. He was merely spinning silly stories now to befuddle her. “You are crazy.”
He didn’t let go. “Please. I am crazy about you. I love you. This wasn’t meant to happen. There is more to this story and even I don’t know the half of it. Together we can find out.”
She didn’t have any idea as to what he was saying but she didn’t want to listen to his lies anymore. “You’ll have to do it alone. I’ve got other things to do, such as finding a new job.”
He looked aghast. “You lost your job?”
“I did, yes.” She lifted her chin high. No way was she going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he broke her. “But don’t worry about me, Riley. I am going to bounce back. No one can keep me down for long. Worry about yourself and your soul, because that needs a lot of work.”
He let go of her arm. “I am so sorry, Tania. I didn’t know. Believe me, I didn’t know.” She couldn’t – dared not – trust a word that he uttered. He was snake, a low life, and he wanted her back in his bed because maybe he had a good time there, but he certainly didn’t harbor any real feelings for her. She was done with him. “I love you,” he said again.
The control that she maintained for so long slipped fast. How dare he make a mockery of their relationship? Did he think she was so stupid that she would fall under his spell again? In a corner of her mind, a new noise registered. It was a sharp click followed by a strange humming sound. Since she was upset, Tania didn’t even bother to glance around to see where it originated from.
“Don’t say those words to me. I don’t want to see you ever again,” she shrieked.
“But I can’t live without you,” he said.
She sneered. The anger, the hatred, that was roiling in her veins spilled forth so that she was enveloped in a strong fountain of emotions. She was angry. Tania had never been so enraged in her life. No one ever hurt her quite like this. He could say these words to her a hundred times but she would never be able to believe him because he didn’t mean them. If he meant them, he wouldn’t have done what he did. Love meant sacrifice. Love was commitment. He didn’t possess those qualities. He was far from her ideal man. How could she have ever thought that she would be happy with him? It was her mistake. And she would never make such an error again.
She laughed. The sound echoed in the silence of the place. It was as if they were the only two people in this world. No one else existed or mattered. “If you can’t live without me, Riley, then, perhaps, you should die…because in this life, you are never going to get me ever again.”
With those words, the world exploded. Since she faced the warehouse, she saw the red hot flames and the huge fountain of fire that erupted. She couldn’t believe what she saw. It was unreal. In movies, this looked amazing, but in real life, it made her freeze. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move. She was stuck on the spot. The sound was deafening. Crash. Boom. Sizzle. And the heat was intense. She screamed.
Her gaze shifted to Riley and, much to her surprise, he was flying towards her. He lunged forward and when she fell on the hard ground, he was on top of her. Something whizzed past his head, maybe some kind of a metal sheet that was blown away by the explosion.
“Stay down. Down!” he yelled.
Those were the last words she heard. Her only thought was that he was trying to protect her. At this time when he should have been thinking of saving his life, he covered her body with his so that she wouldn’t get hurt. A man who meant to deceive her wouldn’t have done it. Maybe he did love her. It was now too late. Everything was ruined. Everything went black. It was the end – and now maybe she would find some peace.
Chapter Eleven
She’d been in many dicey situations before when Tania woke up on that fateful day; she knew that this was nothing like she ever experienced before. It took her a few seconds to realize that she wasn’t in a familiar place. She sat. Memories flooded into her mind and she resisted the urge to speak – the red-hot flames, the explosion, and the searing pain in her arm where she was hit by a piece of metal that was blown off the roof of the warehouse when it blew up.
Riley! He tried to kill her. She couldn’t think of another explanation. The man she’d thought she was nearly in love with, the great guy who charmed her, he was the one responsible for putting her in this impossible situation. Sure, at the time when he lunged at her when the explosion took place, she might’ve initially assumed that he was trying to protect her, but that was her imagination. She’d wanted to believe that because it made her feel better. Now, she knew the truth.
Did he bring her here after the warehouse was destroyed? Why did he blow that place up? It wasn’t an accident. She was pretty damn sure of that. Someone triggered that blast. He likely had an accomplice.
Who was Riley? He wasn’t the man she thought he was. Had she been dating an illusion?
With a wince, she rolled out of bed and stood. The room was bare except for the bed she slept on and a table that was shoved against one wall. Walking over to the door, she turned the handle. As expected, it didn’t budge. She was a prisoner in this place. Tania felt dizzy, not because she was weak but because she was scared. Whoever brought her here did it for a reason and she was pretty sure that she wouldn’t like it when she found out what it was.
Before her captors came to see her, she needed to escape. She marched to the window and shoved aside the dark brown curtains that covered it. Much to her disgust, the entire window was boarded with wooden planks that were nailed to the wall. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to remove them with her bare hands. Since she didn’t have another choice, Tania went into the adjacent bathroom. She took a quick shower and wore the same clothes again.
Hunger gnawed in her stomach but at least she felt slightly human. The only window in the bathroom was eight feet off the ground, contained bars, and was only a foot in width. There was no way she could escape from this place. Rather than make unsuccessful attempts and deplete her energy, she went back to the room and waited for someone to come.
She would bide her time and flee when the opportunity presented itself. Tania wasn’t a quitter. She was a fighter – and there was no way in hell that she was ever going to give up without a battle.
Her watch didn’t work, making it difficult to know how much time had past before someone opened the door and strode in the room. With no absolution, she estimated that it must have been at least two hours since she had woken up. The man wore a black mask on his face, and he was carrying a tray. Was it Riley? From the width of the shoulders and the height, she could tell that he wasn’t.
When he spoke, her assessment proved correct. “Here is something to eat.”
She glanced at the tray he put on the table. It contained three pieces of bread and butter. She was desperately hungry, but she was keener to get some answers. “Who are you? Why have you kept me here?”
He surveyed her as if she was something of mild interest. “You’ll stay here until we figure out what to do with you.”
That sounded ominous.
Her heart pounded as she fought to control the fear that threatened to overwhelm her. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What did they want to do with her? “I…let me go. You can’t just kidnap a person against their will. It’s against the law.”
He laughed. “It’s not the first illegal thing we’ve done. You worry about yourself, and let us figure things out for ourselves.”
He left the room before she could make up her mind regarding her next move. Tania instantly regretted her decision not to attack him the moment he strode inside. She’d wanted to get some answers ou
t of him, but it was obvious that he – or they – weren’t willing to tell her anything. The man’s statements were menacing and didn’t bode well for Tania’s future. She needed to leave this place as fast as she could before they decided to take some action.
What did she know that made them wary? There was something in her past that landed her in this trouble but, for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out as to what it was. The only connection that made sense was Riley. He had to be the reason why she ended up here. She was in this trouble because of him. If she ever got her hands on that man, she would wring his neck gladly.
Where was he? After locking her here, didn’t he have the courage to come in front of her? Didn’t he have the guts to face her? If he didn’t, she would find him and make him pay for what he did to her.
Tania went to the door, put her ear to it, and listened for any sound. None was forthcoming. Where was the man who gave her the food? Had he gone away from this place or was he still around? There was only one way to find out and that was to leave the room. Sitting here and moaning over the situation wasn’t going to change something. She would have to do something drastic to escape. If she waited for them to make up her mind about her, the end result might not go in her favor.
Who were these people? Why did they hold her prisoner? What did she know that was dangerous to them? She didn’t have answers, only questions. But one thing she had in abundance was her courage. Tania sat on the bed to consider what she could to change this situation. She didn’t want to remain here for long. Her gaze fixed on the door. It was locked, of course. She’d heard the distinct click when the man went out but…
Her hand moved to her head. After the shower she’d left her hair open, but it wasn’t that way the morning she went to office for the last time. Walking into the bathroom, she picked up the two pins that she’d left on the counter. She examined their sharp points. It might just do. Tania wasn’t a wild child during her childhood days, but one of her friends certainly was. That girl, Mia, could open a locked door or window with a pin. She’d once sneaked into the principal’s office to steal the exam papers. Tania had never approved of her friend’s underhand ways, but she did spend some time learning them – one never knew when such skills would come in use.
And now, she was going to find out if she had, indeed, learnt something helpful. She took the pin to the door, sat on her knees, and studied the lock. It was an old fashioned one that used a key. Luckily, she couldn’t see the key on the other side and she could see evidence that the lock was recently removed and then put on backwards so it could be locked from outside, rather than the other way around.
“Piece of cake,” she muttered.
Taking her bobby pin, she snapped it in two. Dropping half of it on the floor, she bent the other half until it was at a ninety-degree angle, making it resemble a makeshift tension wrench. Putting the point of it inside the lock, she wriggled it around while holding it steady. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought the person on the other end, if someone were, indeed, standing there, would hear it. She heard a click and felt the pin move, almost as if she held a key in her hand.
She stood, took a deep breath, and turned the handle. The door opened without a sound. Without wasting any more time, she walked out. She stood in a narrow, dusty corridor that was no more than four feet wide. To her right was a door straight in front and another in the wall, and to her left was another door in the wall. She’d to choose which direction to take. Tania could hear a low murmur of voices coming from her right. There were at two least people in the room next to hers. She gazed at the door that stood directly opposite her and decided that it must lead outside. She could smell freedom as easily as she could scent her own sweat. But in order to get to it, she would have to walk past the room in which people lingered.
Or she could go to her left and explore the room, but if there were no chance of escape from it, she would waste precious minutes doubling back. She’d never been a nervous decision maker. Tania edged along the wall until she reached the door from where she could hear voices. Two people were talking.
“She can’t stay here for long.”
“We’ll get word regarding her soon,” said the same man who had given her food. “The high members will tell us what to do.”
“If they tell us to…”
“What must be done will be done,” said the man in a cold voice. “She is a danger to Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood and if she has to be removed, we will do so.”
What the hell were they talking about? Who was Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood? And by removing, did they actually mean that they would kill her if they thought it was necessary? Fear coursed through her veins as she realized the danger she was in. It hadn’t fully sunk in until this point. Now, she felt an overwhelming need to rush across and head for the door but if they saw her, she would be hurled back into the room and there might never be another chance like this.
“Did she eat her food? I should go get the tray back.”
Her heart skipped a beat. If the man came out now, she would be discovered. Perhaps she could go back and sit inside, but then she would never be able to lock the door from inside.
“Leave her alone for some time. I’m just waiting for that call,” growled the other man.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Someone stood and walked to the other side of the room. Taking a chance, she peeped in to take a quick look. One man was heading towards the bathroom door and the other was bent over his phone. She didn’t wait to see if this was the right opportunity. Tania seized it. She rushed towards the door and pulled at the handle. No sound came from that room. They didn’t see her. She was safe for now.
What if the door was locked?
The handle went down all the way and the door opened. She edged out and stood in the front yard of a house. The garden was bare; not a twig grew and a single tree stood against one wall, but the gate was open and she couldn’t see a lock. She knew this was her opportunity. Without wasting any more time, she rushed through it and found herself on a street she didn’t recognize. She’d never been out to the suburbs before and, looking around, she noticed the houses were all run down and dilapidated. Not a car sped by on the street.
She ran towards the nearest juncture she saw. Reaching it, she turned the corner and sped on. Any moment now, she expected someone to scream her name and rush behind her but she didn’t hear any commotion. Maybe her absence still hadn’t been detected. If so, it was indeed a lucky break. She didn’t have any money or phone, and she knew hitching a ride was definitely not a good idea, especially when she didn’t know where she was. She finally reached a busy street and took deep breaths. Her legs hurt and sweat dripped down her forehead. What could she do now?
Should she head for a police station? What would she tell them? She’d been in such a hurry when she escaped the place that she didn’t notice the house or street number. It was doubtful she would be able to find it and even if she did so, those people might not be there. They would certainly not be there for her to bring the police on their head. She would look like a fool if she showed up there and didn’t find any evidence that she had, indeed, been kept as a prisoner.
No. It was better to head back home and count her blessings. For now, she was free and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Twelve
Riley took the needle from his arm and ignored the piercing pain that throbbed through his veins. He’d had enough of staying in the hospital. When he woke up in the morning, he tried asking about Tania, but the doctors didn’t know anything. He was found at the warehouse after it exploded and the ambulance brought him here.
He was kept under observation and treated for a wound in his leg and back. He could feel the bandages under his shoulders where he was hit by metal objects. The police questioned him, and he told them he didn’t know anything about it. He told them he’d been trying to finalize the deal, that it was finally done, but he came to inspect the property and wasn’t sure what happened to it.
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Riley had his suspicions, but he wasn’t sure if he was right. He suspected the Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood to be behind it, but he didn’t want to be right. What would he do if his own club, the people who were supposed to be family, had done this to him? Before he sought those answers, though, he needed to find Tania. Where was she? Did she survive?
He refused to think something happened to her. All he recalled was diving on top of her to keep her safe right before something hit his head and he fainted. When he became conscious, he was in this place and she was nowhere to be seen.
A nurse rushed into the room. “What are you doing, sir?”
He sat, swung his legs to the side, ignored the throbbing ache that enveloped his body, and stood. For a moment, he was dizzy but he forced himself to concentrate. “I am getting out.”
This Savage Love: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set Page 105