Affrica straddled him, allowing her lower body to grind over his groin. His chocolate brown gaze heated as he positioned his hands on her hips. She removed her shirt and leaned forward to join their mouths.
“I’ve missed you, Affrica.”
“I’ve missed you as well, Reeve.”
He cupped the nape of her neck and teased her skin. “I say we make up for some lost time.”
“Aye.” She couldn’t agree more.
* * * *
Reeve watched Affrica as she and Tori acted like kids out in Central Park. They were having a great time and he didn’t mind watching them. Granted, it was more, way more, that he watched Affrica than Tori. What can I say? I want to stare at my woman. Part of her hair had been gathered in a handcrafted pewter stick hair accessory. The Celtic knot on the design was beautiful; she’d just smiled and told him who’d made it for her. She had canvas shoes on her feet and a pair of jeans, which she wore a little loose. Her long sleeve had a shamrock on it and the words: Kiss me, I’m Irish. He’d personally taken the message to heart and had listened.
He sat up a bit more when someone called out Affrica’s name. His confusion turned to amazement as a tiny pink wearing pixie strode up. The women hugged, and he headed toward them as Affrica introduced Tori to Landi, Dimitri’s wife.
“Reeve?” Landi asked when he made it to Affrica’s side. Her gaze flitted between Affrica and himself. “Oh boy. How unhappy is he?”
“I’ve nae talked to him in a few weeks.” Affrica shrugged but he could hear the hurt in her voice.
Landi, bless her, just rolled her eyes. “Aidrian will get over it. I think the two of you make a cute couple.” Her smile stayed in place even as she looked at him. “But I’ll be leading the women when we come after you if you hurt her, Reeve.”
Shit, she never even missed a beat when she said that. And the smile stayed in place. “No plans to. Jayde already warned me.”
Landi nodded. “She’s bloodthirsty; you wouldn’t think so but she is. Probably the worst of us all. Doesn’t help you never see it coming from her. I mean, she’s so quiet, you wouldn’t expect it. If she did as you say, Reeve, trust me. It wasn’t a warning. It was a promise.”
Like that didn’t shrink my balls. “Noted.”
“Wonderful, now, are you ladies ready?”
“Yes.” Tori spoke while Affrica gave a nonverbal agreement.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m taking Tori to a meeting with a man for her work. Affrica is coming along because someone else there wants to talk to her about her pictures. You can come along if you want but it may be boring for you.” Landi scrolled through her phone.
“I’m in.”
The four of them walked to a waiting car. The women got in the back, and he took the passenger seat. He took in the sights of New York as he listened to their chatter and laughter. Three women, three accents. New York for Landi, British for Tori, and of course, his lovely Affrica and her Irish one. He loved it.
At their stop, he got out and watched the women depart. With a nod for the driver, he trailed them inside and up to the tenth floor. Models were everywhere in various stages of dress as they talked and moved. He looked around as he followed the trio he’d arrived with. Some of the women stopped and smiled at him. He returned them but kept on.
In the back, in an office, he watched as Landi got each woman to the person they needed to go to before she focused back on him. She strode up to him and stared at him, her gaze sharp and assessing.
“What’s your game with Affrica?”
He paused. “Excuse me? My game?”
“Is this something so you can get at her brother, or yours? Because if it is, let me—“
“Hold up now. I’m with Affrica because I want to be. Not because of who her brother is or how it may affect my relationship with my own.” Christ, two inches over five feet and she’s like a pit bull. “It has nothing to do with any of the team. Just me and her.”
“And you think you’re good enough for her?”
“Nope. Not yet, but I’m not the person I was when I first met her either. I’m changing, becoming a better person.”
She led him to a coffee bar, and following her lead, he fixed himself a cup. Then, they went to another office. Hers. She settled behind the desk and leaned back, watching him. He figured he was there for a bit and sat.
On the wall behind her was a full image of the suit she’d designed with her husband in mind. He’d heard the story of how she’d done that, and Dimitri had shown up at her show wearing that suit. They’d married that very night.
“I’m not going to tell you you should leave her alone; like I said, I think the two of you make a cute couple. Just don’t hurt her.”
“I’ve been warned.”
She nodded. A brilliant smile lifted her lips, and he wondered if he’d passed some kind of test. “So, since we have this time together and I’m horribly nosy, tell me more about you, Reeve. What do you do and all that jazz?”
He flexed his fingers along the cup. Great, so much for keeping her on my side. What am I supposed to say? I don’t have a job, I live off and spend money I didn’t do a damn thing to earn and act like a brat. I buy expensive things and live in a condo. I used to go through women like people change clothes. Yeah, that will keep her on my side about dating Affrica.
Nothing like feeling ashamed for how you’ve lived your life in the past. He took a drink of coffee and began talking. She didn’t appear to like him any less when the time came for them to leave. The four of them rode down in the elevator to the ground floor.
He had his arm around Affrica as they stepped from the car and had just brushed his lips along her temple when she stiffened.
“No.”
The word was drenched in fear and disbelief. Reeve’s protective instincts raced forward as he tried to figure out what she saw. The gunshot took him by surprise. The guard went down, and people screamed.
“Affrica!”
A man stepped from the left, his weapon trained on them. The woman at his side vibrated but Reeve wasn’t sure it wasn’t with anger.
“Miles.”
Now, he was sure it was anger. Derision dripped from his name. Reeve knew the name; this was the man who’d sold her out in Australia. He stepped forward, shielding her with his body.
Miles tsked and waved the pistol. “Get away from her.”
“No way.”
“Affrica, tell your wannabe protector I will shoot him if he doesn’t get away from you and you come to me.”
She put her hand at the small of his back. “Dinna push him, Reeve. He’s nae all there.” Her voice, which had been at a whisper, grew louder. “Why are ya doing this, Miles?”
“You belong to me. I was promised you in Australia, and you vanished. Years, I’ve wanted you, but you thought you were too good for me.” He shook his head. “Come here. We’re leaving.”
She took a step but Reeve stopped her. “You’re not going with him.”
Affrica looked at him with her large brown eyes. “Aye, I am. I’ll nae hae anyone’s death on my hands. I go. You get that man help, and you know who to call.”
“Affrica!”
Reeve let her go with the most reluctance he’d ever felt in his entire life. A low growl erupted when the man clamped a hand around Affrica’s arm.
“Affrica,” Reeve called.
“Aye?”
“I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Shut up!” Miles yelled. He pointed the gun at Reeve. “I see anyone stick their head out the door, and I blow it and her away. Got it?” He sniffed. “In fact, I think you need another injury to keep you here.” The man fired, and Tori jerked and screamed. Reeve caught her before she hit the ground and lowered her gently as blood poured from the wound on her side. Reeve couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman he loved. Affrica struggled, crying out for her friend, but Miles dragged her back to his side and toward the door.
Landi crouched besi
de Reeve and put her hand over the injury as he stared at the man he wanted to kill more than take his next breath. If this was how those men of the Megalodon Team felt, he understood why each of them were so protective of their wives. As well as why they’d not wanted him around Affrica at first—he hadn’t been worthy.
Affrica’s stricken expression was the last thing of her he saw as Miles vanished from view.
I’m going to make you pay, bastard. I will find you and get her back. You? You will die for what you’ve done here today. Anger coursed through his blood, and he longed to cause injury.
Tori cried again, a mix of sobbing and asking what had happened to Affrica. He tore his attention from the door, knowing Affrica wasn’t about to walk back through it, and looked to the woman bleeding on the floor.
“Tori,” he said. “Hang in there.” He whipped out his cell phone and called the cops. It did his heart some good to see Landi on the phone as well—he knew who she was calling.
A few hours later, after the cops and the ambulance had gone, he and Landi stood over the bed where Tori lay recuperating. He’d gone through her phone where he’d found her parents’ number to call them and let them know what had happened with their daughter.
The hospital room door burst open and through it stepped Dimitri, Hondo, and Maverick. Each man had a scowl on his face, although Dimitri’s softened as he gathered Landi close.
“What happened?” Hondo demanded in a tone which sent chills up Reeve’s spine.
“Miles showed up. Shot a guard and then shot Tori to keep us from following.”
“And you let her go?” His black eyes snapped dangerously.
“She went to save people from getting hurt.” He stepped closer to Affrica’s brother.
“How’d that work out?”
“Look, I get it. You don’t like me. Fine. I don’t give a fuck. I know I’m not one of your illustrious teammates. This isn’t about me; it’s about your sister who seemed to think you’d be able to get her back.”
“You let her go with him. Why didn’t you go after them?”
“Because I can’t control her like you can your woman and sister. Oh wait, you can’t either. You may as well face it, Aidrian O’Shea. I love your sister, and once she’s back safely, she’s going to know it. I want to marry her. So you can like it or not, I don’t care, but that’s how it’s going to be. I didn’t rush him because he’d already shot one and she, your sister, went to him to save more from being injured. No, it didn’t work out but it was better than him opening on all of those in the lobby.”
Maverick said something to Hondo in Irish, and Hondo’s scowl grew deeper. Then, Maverick switched to English. “Let it go, brother. He’s man enough to stand up to you with more of us with you. You know your sister. We need to get her back. He’s passed the test. He manned up and showed he not only cares for your sister, a great deal I would wager, but that he also has a backbone.”
“He did,” Dimitri added.
“I concur.”
Reeve glanced to the door and watched his brother stride through. “Scott?”
His brother’s blue eyes were hard even as he gave him a nod. “Let’s go get her back.”
Landi kissed Dimitri and settled beside Tori. The five men left the hospital room.
“What’s the plan? You can’t launch your own attack in the city of New York.”
“We can’t?” Dimitri pressed the elevator button.
Maybe I should have said they shouldn’t, because they most definitely can do it. Reeve glanced at each of the men. Their expressions gave nothing away as they all piled into the elevator and rode down in silence. He trailed them to an SUV in the parking lot. Scott got behind the wheel and drove them to a hotel where, still silent, they all went in to the second-story room.
Chapter Fourteen
“Get moving!”
Affrica did her best not to stumble at the shove Miles delivered to her back. He’d given her some sort of shot in the car, and she’d just woken a bit ago, disoriented and unsure of how long she’d been out. Her arms were secured behind her back so she couldn’t check her watch.
Okay, so agreeing may not have been the smartest thing I’ve done but I couldn’t let him shoot and possibly kill more people. Images of Tori getting shot filled her mind and she blinked back tears. She was fine. She had to be. Reeve would keep her safe.
What about you, genius? ’She'd been wondering that since she woke up. What about her? She didn’t know. All she knew was if Miles was going to go through this, he didn’t want to kill her. He said I was promised to him. That tells me he wants me alive. So I have a bit more time. A bit. Hopefully, it would be enough for her brother to get to her.
Miles shoved her three more times until she fell. Hands back as they were, she was unable to stop herself and hit with a grunt. Rolling to her side, she stared up at the man there. He held a pistol as if he longed to use it.
“What happened to ya, Miles?” she asked.
“You,” he seethed. “You happened.”
Okay, she’d not been expecting that response. “Me? Yar sayin’ this be mah own fault?”
“Yes.” He gestured with the gun. “Get up.”
“If ya wanted me on mah feet, you shouldna hae pushed me.” She got to her knees and lurched up.
“I don’t need you perfectly unharmed. Bleeding will work as well,” he snapped. Miles pressed the barrel of the gun into her arm. “Get moving.”
He’d snapped. She knew that for sure. There was no sanity left in his gaze. At all. She wasn’t sure there ever had been, but now, she knew for certain there wasn’t any. She stumbled along in the direction he indicated.
Okay then. Perhaps he would shoot me. They made their way down a narrow hall, one light shining at the end. The air was musty and tickled her nose. More tears arrived as she began sneezing.
He sent her into the room with a not-so-gentle nudge. Again, the floor welcomed her with open arms as she fell. This time, she remained there, on her side, and didn’t move.
Miles crouched over her and sliced through the restraints on her wrists. “Stay here, I’ll be back soon.”
He left, and the door closed behind him. She heard two locks engage and sighed heavily.
Affrica took her time in getting up, rubbing her wrists. One recessed light offered illumination so she took in her new digs. Spartan. A thin mattress along one wall. No windows and nothing to sit on.
“Hurry, Reeve.”
She rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the chill which settled around her. I can do this. I’m in a building; there will be a way to get out. This isn’t me humping it across the Outback with men trying to kill me.
In the far right corner, she noticed a blinking red light. Great, the fuck has a camera on me.
She went to sit on the mattress, and while it wasn’t much of a stretch, she did her best to look scared. Resting her head on her drawn up knees, she stared at the door. Think about all your brother taught you. Him and the others. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and did another slow take of the room.
When the door opened, she realized she’d not moved for a good chunk of time for her limbs protested when she got to her feet. Miles still held his gun and beckoned to her.
“Come on.”
She walked toward him and noticed how he backed up to keep her at the other end of his gun. “Why are you doing this, Miles?”
He gestured for her to go down the hall. Not a word was spoken as he took her to a room that had a long table spread with food on it.
“Eat.”
She was hungry and didn’t argue. Scooping some of the food on her plate with the silverware, she sat at a chair and picked up the spoon, only to place it back and grab the fork. At least it’s not plastic. Of course what good was a butter knife when the other person had a pistol?
Miles got himself some food and sat across from her. She ate, well aware of his brown gaze burning into her.
“Are ya gonna answer mah question
?”
“You should have stayed with me out there. You shouldn’t have left me. It would have gone much better.”
She swallowed the potatoes au gratin and put the fork down. “Ya handed me a file with pictures of genocide. Ya know how I feel about things like that, Miles. Why would ya think I’d go along to cover it up?”
His expression gave her pause. She shook her head in shame. “Wait, they got to ya o’er there.” He ground his jaw. “For what, Miles? Money?”
“Money and you. It didn’t matter; they were going to stop the story. Why shouldn’t I get part of the pot? These people are savages, and no one cares about their loss.”
She shook her head. “That’s nae true, Miles Horne. They had families and loved ones. And the story dinna get stopped. It went out there and brought the awareness needed.”
“So naïve, Affrica. You think just because you did that exposé makes you safe and popular?”
“I dinna give a damn about accolades, Miles. That was yer thing, ne’er mine. I took photos. I take photos, and I’ll ne’er let money turn my head from injustices in the world.”
“Such a martyr. Yes, I did. Is that what you wanted me to say? I did it. I took money, and I didn’t report on the truth.” He shoved his plate away. “So what? I’m richer, and I have you. So I got what I wanted from the deal. I don’t care if the story did get out.”
“Ya dinna have me, Miles. Ya ne’er did.”
“Ever since I first saw you, Affrica. I wanted you. I wanted to date you, fuck you. I would have treated you like a queen. But you continually shunned me. Blew me off. I didn’t like that. So when the opportunity arrived, I took it. Sue me. I’m may be a bastard but I’m an opportunistic bastard.”
She toyed with her fork then wiped her mouth. Drinking some water, she sat in silence as the room began to get a bit fuzzy. Damn, he’d drugged her again.
Affrica woke in that same room, lying on the mattress. The light from overhead cast shadows down in the corner by the door. As she lay there, she stared at the heavy door. Two locks on the outside, how was she going to manage this?
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