by Bella King
I didn’t have time to wash my hair before I heard footsteps coming back down the hall toward the room. The masked man had barely given me enough time to get clean. Maybe he was checking to see if I really was bathing, but I wouldn’t give him the pleasure of seeing me naked.
I leaped out of the tub and snatched the black silky garment from the bed, throwing it on to find that it barely covered me. I snatched the sheet from the bed and pulled it over myself as the door came open, and the masked man stepped inside again.
“Greetings, Ruth,” he said. “Time to go.”
“I didn’t finish my bath,” I said, trying to buy more time as I clutched the sheet in front of me.
“Seriously,” he said, motioning for me to come to him. “Let’s go.”
I detected urgency in his voice, but I wasn’t sure why. I stepped back, not wanting to comply. I didn’t like where this was heading.
“Jesus Ruth, just come with me. I’m serious,” he said. His voice sounded odd but familiar like he had changed it since leaving.
I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I came toward him, keeping the blanket pulled up against my chest.
“Drop the sheet and come with me,” the masked man demanded.
I sighed and dropped the sheet. I felt exposed in this outfit, but I went with the masked man. It was better to comply, especially if that meant I could leave my room. Maybe I could somehow escape on the way. I thought about my options as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out the door.
“Where are we going,” I asked as he yanked me along the empty hallway. My bare feet slapped against the cold tiles, and I found myself wishing I had worn shoes.
“Um, somewhere bad,” he said.
“What?” I asked, looking up at him.
“A very bad place for very bad women like you,” he continued.
There was something strange about the way he was talking, as though he had no idea what he was actually doing. Was this the same man who had brought me to the room in the first place, or was I being led through the hallway by someone new.
I stepped ahead of him as far as I could while we walked, trying to look for the piercing blue eyes that had belonged to the man who had first worn the white mask. I was shocked when I saw a hint of green under the mask. This was someone different!
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Not important. Just stay cool,” he said, pushing through a set of double doors and bringing us into a room with several armed guards, all wearing masks.
One of them whistled when he saw me wearing the skimpy outfit. “Good catch,” he said.
The masked man chuckled. “She’s the lawyer’s daughter.”
“Shit, I would pay for a piece of that action,” the guard replied.
The other men chuckled, and the masked man laughed with them. “You’ll get your turn, but I need you to open the garage. I need to get something from the van before I take her to the boss.”
“You have the keys,” the guard answered.
“I lost them,” the masked man said.
“Johnny, just open the fucking garage,” another guard yelled.
The first guard, Johnny, groaned. “Listen, it’s the procedure. He has to get his own keys.”
I was growing suspicious that the masked man was acting out of his usual role, but I didn’t say anything. Going to a garage could mean that I had a chance to escape, and that was the only thing I could think about as the masked man tightened his iron grip on my arm.
“The boss want’s Ruth now, so I don’t have the time. Do you want to piss him off?” the masked man asked.
“Johnny, open the fucking door already. It takes you like two seconds,” the other guard shouted.
Johnny shook his head. “You two are making me break protocol, and I’m going to talk to the boss after this and tell him all about it,” he said, but walked to what I assumed was the entrance to the garage and unlocked the door.
“You do that,” the masked man grumbled, then jerked me through the door when it opened.
Johnny continued shaking his head as he closed and locked the door behind us.
The masked man and I walked down a row of black vans, all identical to the one I was initially kidnapped with. Just seeing the vans brought back the horrifying event, but I couldn’t stay panicked for long. Something odd was going on, and I wanted to find out what.
“What are you doing with me?” I asked, pulling back from the masked man as he opened the driver-side door to one of the vans.
“Please shut up until we’re in the van,” the masked man said.
“No,” I said, pulling back against him.
“You’re not going to get away from me, so just listen to me if you want to survive this ordeal,” he replied, dragging me around to the passenger’s side. “Get in.” He opened the door and lifted me up by the waist, tossing me into the seat.
I hadn’t been expecting them. I was pretty sure I would have given him a clear view of my ass had he not slammed the door behind me immediately after putting me into the van. I watched him through the window as he rushed to the driver’s side and hopped in.
“Alright, Ruth. I’ll be real with you once we’re out of here, but first, I want you to explain this,” he said, tossing a piece of white fabric with embroidery on the front of it.
I picked it up as he started the van and hit the gas. I gasped as I realized what I was holding. It was Saint’s beautiful green eyes, the embroidery that I had started while I waited for my audition.
Chapter Ten
“Saint?” I asked, looking up at the masked man as he ripped through the opening of the garage and out onto a back ally road.
“That’s what I thought it was. Why the hell are you sewing pictures of me?”
“Saint?” I asked louder, reaching for the mask that was on the man’s face.
He pushed my hand away, but pulled the mask off himself, revealing the handsome face of the man that had now twice saved me from the Southside Syndicate.
I gripped the seat of the van as we raced down the road. “How the hell did you find me?”
“No, first you explain the weird sewing thing. These are my eyes, aren’t they?” he asked, pointing to the embroidery in my hands.
“Yes, it’s you,” I admitted.
“Why?” he demanded.
“You have nice eyes. I don’t know. I kind of liked them,” I said, feeling a bit embarrassed by his question.
“I don’t want you making pictures of me,” he said. “You’re going to have to get rid of that thing.”
I clutched my art to my chest. “What? I don’t want to. You saved me. I think I should have a picture of you.”
He laughed, but his emerald eyes were serious as he focused on the road ahead. “So that you can give it to the cops when they ask about me? I don’t think so.”
“Why would I give it to the cops?” I asked. “Maybe you should explain to me what’s going on.”
“Later,” he said.
“Now,” I said, buckling down on my request.
“Jesus, Ruth. You ask a lot of fucking questions for a dumb blonde. Just shut your mouth and let me get us out of here before the Southside Syndicate catches wind that I’ve snatched you.”
I pouted and slumped down in my seat, crossing my arms and frowning. “You’re a jerk,” I muttered, but Saint ignored me. I looked out the window, but I couldn’t tell where we were. None of these streets looked familiar to me. “Where are we?” I asked.
“Florida,” he answered.
“Well, I could have figured that out myself. Where are we specifically?”
“South Florida,” he said.
I groaned. “For someone trying to rescue me, you’re not very helpful.”
“I don’t have to be,” he replied. “You’re the one who is going to be helping me.”
“With what?” I asked, perking up. I was curious as to why he wanted to rescue me at all. There didn’t seem to be much of a point of risking his life
to get to me unless there was a larger picture that I wasn’t seeing.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew something was up.
Saint glanced in the rearview mirror, checking that we weren’t being followed, then turned to look at me when we stopped at a red light. “I have to bring you to my place. You’re not going to be safe at your apartment anyway.”
“I figured,” I replied. “I already know the Southside Syndicate wants to use me to blackmail my mom into swaying a case against them.”
“So, you really are a Bishop,” he replied. “That’s good to know.” He looked at my bare thighs, his pupils growing large as he realized the amount of skin I was showing.
I pulled down the silky garment, but it didn’t do much to cover me.
“They put you in that?”
I nodded. “I think they were preparing to take me somewhere.”
He shook his head. “Looks like they were going to rent you out. You’re lucky I got there when I did.”
“Fuck,” I said, holding a hand over my heart. “This is really fucked up.” I couldn’t believe that I had narrowly avoided such an awful fate. Even if Saint was kind of a dick, he had saved me from something horrible, and I had to thank him.
“Well, it’s not over yet, but you’re probably safer with me than you are with them,” Saint said, looking back to the road as the light turned green.
“Probably?”
“Yes, probably. We have some unfinished business.”
I didn’t know if I liked that. At this point, I could try to hop out and escape down the street. If I screamed bloody murder, I was sure that someone would come to my aid. Maybe I could get myself seen by the cops and get back to my mother, squashing the Southside Syndicate’s pipe dream of using me to influence the case. For all my mother knew, I was still with them, and they had the pictures to make her think so.
“You’re not leaving, by the way,” Saint said, reading my mind.
“Why can’t I?” I asked.
“Because I still need you. Plus, I have your cat,” he said with a wink.
“Mrs. May?” I asked, nearly bouncing out of my seat. “You took her from the apartment?”
He nodded. “Yes, I figured you wouldn’t want her to starve to death. She’s at my place now, if that’s any reason to comply.”
That was the only reason I would willingly go with Saint. His good looks weren’t enough to convince me to go along with whatever insane stunt he was pulling, but my cat was. Mrs. May had been there for me when nobody else had. I had gotten her when my parents kicked me out, taking her through all my adventures. She wasn’t missing out on this one either.
“She really likes me,” Saint said.
“She doesn’t like anyone but me,” I said, remembering when she had scratched my brother for looking at her for too long.
“Obviously not true. I think she’s nicer than you are,” Saint teased.
I rolled my eyes. “She doesn’t know better.”
“Neither will you,” he replied with a smirk.
I shook my head. “Is it going to be long until we get there?”
“We’re almost there. I’m going to need you to do something for me, though,” Saint said, pushing a hand into his pocket and pulling out a shiny metal object.
I didn’t recognize what it was until the cuff was around my dainty wrist. Saint placed the other cuff on his wrist and bound us together.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, yanking at the handcuff.
“Making sure you don’t leave me,” he said, using his uncuffed left hand to drive.
“You’re just as crazy as the Syndicate,” I said, raising my voice in frustration. Had I been rescued, or just kidnapped from my kidnappers?
“Believe me. You’re much safer with me than you are with them,” Saint replied.
“What are you going to do with me?” I demanded, staring at his face, searching for some sign of emotion in his stoic face.
“This isn’t about you, Ruth. It’s never been about you,” Saint replied.
That brought me down a notch. Was this still about the trial that my mother was overseeing? I wanted to get to the bottom of all this, but I didn’t have the chance to start asking questions again. We pulled into a parking deck under a swanky building, and Saint parked the van in a spot near the elevator.
He turned to me. “This is my apartment. I expect you to be polite and not break anything while you’re here. I’m pretty sure your cat has already destroyed my blinds.”
I laughed. “Yeah, she likes to do that.”
A smile graced Saint’s lips for a fraction of a second, and then he grew serious again. “Just behave, okay? I don’t want to have to kill you.”
“You would do that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. It seemed like an empty threat.
“Okay, probably not, but I doubt you want me to keep you tied up,” he said.
I didn’t say anything.
Saint looked over my body again. “On the other hand, we might be able to have some fun that way.”
“Just take me to Mrs. May,” I said, done with his sexual innuendos.
“Sounds like a plan,” Saint replied, pulling the keys from the ignition and putting them into his pocket.
I watched him do this and noticed a bulge in his slacks. Either he was packing a gat right between his legs, or he had a boner. I couldn’t have just found a nice man to spend my time with. It had to have been a horny thug keeping my hostage for god only knew what purpose.
“Come with me,” Saint commanded, pulling gently on the cuff to get me to slip over to the driver’s seat while he slowly climbed out the door.
I jumped over the center console, thankful for how much space was between the seat and the steering wheel. Saint was a large man and needed plenty of room to drive.
I hopped out onto the oil-stained concrete with him. No matter how nice the building, the parking decks always looked like somewhere you would get stabbed at night. Little yellow lightbulbs were fastened to the textures ceiling. I heard they made it like that to reduce the echo, but I still heard our footsteps all around us as we walked to the elevator.
I spotted an elderly man beside a red sports car checking me out while Saint hurried me into the elevator. The man probably thought I was a hooker or something, the way I was dressed. It would have been funny if I weren’t still terrified of what was going on.
“Can I get a change of clothes or something?” I asked as the elevator doors rolled shut.
“What’s wrong with what you have on?” Saint asked, smirking as he looked me over again.
My nipples were hard beneath the silk, and very visible, but I wasn’t cold. I was embarrassed to be seen like this in front of Saint, but there was also something exciting about it.
I swallowed, trying to moisten my dry throat. “I think we both know this is too skimpy to wear around you. Just look at your boner,” I said, pointing to his crotch.
Saint looked down at his pants and laughed. “This?” he asked, patting the prominent bulge.
I nodded, blushing wildly. I was surprised he was so bold about it. I would have expected some humility, but then again, this was Saint I was dealing with. He wasn’t a normal man.
“You are making me hard in that, but this isn’t my cock, darling,” Saint said, reaching into the front of his pants with his cuffed hand, causing my hand to be brought against his crotch.
My heart skipped a beat as I touched there.
To my surprise, Saint pulled out a gun. “This is what you’re getting all excited over.”
“I wasn’t excited,” I replied.
“Sure, you weren’t,” Saint said, an arrogant smirk replacing his normally serious expression.
I wasn’t going to admit to him that I was aroused by the thought of him having an erection, even if I was. I knew better than to get myself mixed up with a criminal like Saint. I didn’t like lawyers, but that didn’t mean I liked criminals instead.
Saint shoved the small
black firearm back into his waistband, throwing the hem of his shirt over his belt to hide it. I guess he didn’t care that people would think he was walking around with a perpetual erection. The only thing that seemed to bother the man was my incessant questions.
There was a gentle ding sound as the elevator reached the floor of Saint’s apartment unit. He was on the top floor, which was likely the most expensive part of the whole building. I wondered what he had done to acquire so much money, but I was afraid of the answer.
“Come,” Saint grunted, leading me out of the elevator and down the hall.
The carpet inside of the building was lush and dark-blue, and the walls had gold accents. This place was nicer than I had expected, even for someone who was obviously wealthy. Even my parents didn’t live in a place this nice, and they raked in a cool six figures each.
“The neighbors don’t like a lot of noise, so I hope you’re not like the last woman I had over,” Saint said as we arrived at the door to his unit.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Saint made a crude gesture with his hands and winked before opening the door to his apartment. I was offended at first, but then I heard a meow. Mrs. May was waiting for me.
Chapter Eleven
Mrs. May looked happy to be in Saint’s large and expensive apartment. She let out a happy meow when she saw me, and I scooped her up in my arms, pulling Saint with me.
“She’s taken a liking to the couch,” Saint pointed out as we walked to the living room.
It was true. The moment Mrs. May caught sight of the white couch, she squirmed out of my arms, racing to deposit more black fur right in the center of the couch.
“Sorry about that,” I said when I saw the mess she had already made. Not only was the couch covered in her fur, but the blinds were also torn to shreds, and I could already see strings hanging from the base of the couch where she had sharpened her claws. Mrs. May wasn’t very well-behaved.
“It’s not a problem. I actually like having her around. I have a soft spot for animals. They’re a lot easier to deal with than people, if we’re being honest,” Saint replied, leading me to the couch and sitting down beside Mrs. May.