by Tina Saxon
Right before I graduated high school, Amy and Ted got married. I couldn’t have picked two better people to be together. Two puzzle pieces lost in this world until one day they found each other and fit perfectly. No cracks or bends, two pieces that became whole that day. I loved Ted like the father who I never had. I was happy to leave Amy in Ted’s capable arms. It made me feel better about going away to college and leaving her behind. As much as we had been through those last eight years, our bond was stronger than ever. I chuckle, thinking that I didn’t leave her behind for very long. She begged Ted to move closer to me. Loving that they live an hour away now instead of three, I’m not sure how I’m going to manage being a couple thousand miles away from her when I move to New York.
* * *
My thoughts keep me occupied during my drive, so I end up driving longer than I expected. When I drive past a sign for a hotel, I blow out a long breath, finally ready to relax. I pull off the exit and locate the hotel. I park out front and looking at my map, I’m in a town called Mt. Vernon just a little east of St. Louis. I shut off the rental car and grab my overnight bag. After checking in, I get up to my room and immediately head for the shower; I need to wash away the memories. My memories have emotionally drained me, but I’m starving. A quick search on Google tells me there’s a great Italian restaurant right down the road from the here. Yum.
It is a beautiful night outside. Warm but with a breeze to make it not miserable since it is the end of July. The restaurant is beautifully decorated inside. It’s reminiscent of Italy. Well, it’s what I think Italy looks like seeing as I have never been there. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to go; it’s my number one place to visit on my bucket list.
“Party of one, please,” I tell the hostess as I walk in, slowly inhaling the mouthwatering scents.
She sits me at a table by the front window. It’s perfect. I can people-watch while I eat. People stride along on both sides of the street. Mt. Vernon is a small town and its main street boasts brick roads and small shops. Twinkling lights run on both sides of the street. It’s very peaceful and quaint.
“A beautiful woman like yourself shouldn’t be dining alone,” a sexy male voice greets me, pulling me away from the sights outside as he hands me a menu.
“Well, thank you,” I say, looking up and blushing. Standing before me is a very attractive waiter: six feet, tanned skin, built in the right places, big, chocolate brown eyes, and a beautiful smile.
“What can I get you to drink, beautiful?” His Italian accent sends a little thrill throughout my body. I think I’d like to have a drink of you.
I shake my head at my very inappropriate thoughts. “I’ll take a glass of red wine.” I smile up at him.
A few moments later my waiter takes a seat in the vacant chair across from me. “My name is Marco. Would you like company for dinner?” he asks.
Confused, I look around the restaurant. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“I own this place and I think I need a break.” He shrugs. “Especially when a beautiful woman decides to come into my restaurant and sit by herself.” His handsome face and perfect smile are hard to resist.
“I’m only here for the night. Just passing through town. But if you’d like to join me for dinner, then please…” I signal to the chair he already occupies. He seems innocent enough, maybe a little flirtatious, but nothing I can’t handle.
“What would you like me to feed you?” he playfully asks.
“I love all Italian. How about you surprise me.” I smile and raise my eyebrows.
“Mmm… you know I’m Italian,” he replies with the huge, sexy grin. I laugh, shaking my head. When I don’t respond, he continues. “Okay, I’ll surprise you.” Marco calls over to another waiter and tells him our order in Italian.
“So, tell me, do you have a name?” He tilts his head.
“I seem to like ‘beautiful.’” I smirk.
“Mysterious. I like that. Where are you going?”
“Up north.” Since this trip is more of an undercover mission, I don’t feel the need to divulge any information to this stranger. No matter how sexy he is, we need to keep this simple.
“Well, beautiful, who is traveling up north, I think my shitty day has turned into one lucky night.” Marco leans back in his chair, looking relaxed and smiles.
Talking with Marco is easy. His eyes sparkle when he talks. He’s a nice guy. Dinner is amazing, the best Italian food that I’ve ever had. The wine unwinds me from my long, emotional drive and it turns out to be a great evening. Unfortunately, it needs to come to an end. I stand to go use the restroom and sway a little; the wine affects me more than I thought it would. As I come out of the restroom, Marco is leaning against the wall with his arms folded, waiting for me. My eyes peruse his body and my pulse quickens. With a slow, smug smile, he grabs my hand.
“Let me walk you to where you’re staying. It’s late and I wouldn’t want anyone to take advantage of you.” He winks as he flashes a sexy grin. Why do men automatically think a female needs protection? I laugh at my thoughts.
“Are you laughing at me?” He sticks his lower lip out. His lips are perfectly shaped. Images play in my head at what he could do with those lips and mouth. Yep. Definitely a little too much wine.
“Marco, you can walk me to my hotel but that’s it. Even your little sexy grin won’t get you a pass to my room,” I playfully respond, putting a hand on his chest.
“Hmm… how about something else that is sexy and not so little?” Oh, my God. I burst, laughing.
“That was a horrible pickup line, Marco.” I try hard to contain my giggling. “No, even your big, sexy thing isn’t going to get a hall pass.”
He shrugs. “Well, I thought I would try, beautiful. Still, I will walk you to your hotel. No expectations. I had a fun night with you, my beautiful, mysterious friend. I hope you find what you are looking for.” He intertwines our fingers and we walk out of the restaurant.
When we get to my hotel, I seriously wonder if I should change my mind. This handsome man, who has complimented me all night long and has had my body wound up all night, is standing right in front of me. I fight with myself, but my brain wins the battle. I stare up into his big, brown eyes.
“Thank you for eating with me, Marco. I’m glad I walked into your restaurant.” I smirk as I lean up and brush my lips to his, giving him a soft kiss. Time seems to stand still with our lips touching, enjoying the few seconds that our bodies share together. I break our kiss and smile up at him. He gives me his sexy grin one more time and winks.
“Ciao, Marco.” I turn and walk into the hotel.
“Ciao, beautiful,” I hear him call out.
Chapter Five
THE REST OF the drive goes quickly. Following the directions on my phone, I drive by where Travis Stein supposedly lives. It looks like a compound and has a fence all around it. Hmm… how I should go about this? Do I go ring the doorbell? Hey, did you kill my mom? Shit… I should have thought this through more. I’ll recognize the guy who killed my mom. That memory never fades away. I hate that the memories of my mom aren’t as clear as her murderer’s face. I know it wasn’t Travis himself but maybe it was one of his men. How do I get a good look at his men?
I park the car a couple of blocks away and stuff my actual driver’s license and gun under my seat. I don’t plan on going on the property. I just want to look around. In case someone does ask who I am, I’ll have my fake license on me. I put the key to my car in a hide-a-key case that slips under my bumper. I don’t want to have anything on me that will link me to my real identity.
As I round the corner to the house, I walk along the fenced yard. It’s huge and beautifully manicured. The fence is black metal with bushes lining it on the property side. I try to look around the bushes as I walk by, trying to see if I recognize anyone. I let out a quiet growl. It’s hard to see anything with these damn bushes, and I don’t want to stop on the sidewalk and stare through them. That would be a little too o
bvious. Maybe if I jump the fence I can hide in one of the bushes and take a better look. I look to see if anyone is around or driving by. The coast is clear so I jump the fence.
Dammit! I’ve walked too far away from the house. Moving from bush to bush, I get closer to the house. Movement at the front of the house catches my eye, so I stop and duck behind a bush. God, I hope they don’t release any dogs. That would be my luck. My heart is pounding.
This is stupid. Go back!
Thoughts of Sydney warning me to stay away from trouble fill my head. Sorry, Syd, I can’t stop now. Taking a deep breath, I look again and don’t see anything, so I continue edging closer. As I’m in between bushes, two arms wrap around me, holding something over my mouth.
Don’t breathe, Addison!
I know it’s probably chloroform and need to act quickly. I bring my arm up and elbow the guy as hard as I can. I grab two of his fingers and bend them backward. I hear them crack.
“BITCH,” he screams. But he releases me. I take off running as fast as I can, gasping for a deep breath of fresh air. I turn around quickly to see if he’s following me before I try and jump the fence again. As I turn back around, another guy grabs me and throws me down on the ground. The second guy catches up and there is no way I’m going to be able to fight them off. The rag is put back over my mouth. I fight it as long as I can.
SYD IS GOING TO KILL ME!
“She’s a fucking feisty one.”
That’s the last thing I hear.
* * *
I wake up in a bed with my hands over my head, handcuffed to a headboard. Panic registers in my brain as I shake the cuffs. Holy shit! I have the worst headache. It’s difficult to focus my eyes as I’m still a little groggy from whatever they drugged me with. I quickly take notice that I’m still wearing clothes. Thank God. I move my body around, making sure nothing feels damaged. Other than my head feeling like it’s about to bust open, I’m okay. Once my eyes focus, I look around. It’s a beautiful room. Dark wood dressers, walls painted gray, but empty, with white trim everywhere, hardwood floors. I’m lying on a white, fluffy, down comforter. It’s definitely better than waking up on the ground in a cellar, not that I know what that feels like, but I can imagine. I lean against the headboard, wondering how the hell I plan to get out of this. The door opens and in walks Travis Stein and two other men. I can feel my heart beat faster. The two beef-heads stand side by side against the wall while Travis moves a chair to the end of the bed and stares at me. I tilt my head to the side. I feel like I’m looking into my own eyes. His eyes are the same color as mine, except they are cold. His gaze sends a shiver down my spine. The pictures online can’t show the emotion behind his eyes; in person he is much more intimidating and fierce. His jaw is tense as he stares me. I sit up tall, trying to hide the fear in mine.
I glance over at Tweedledee and Tweedledum standing off to the side. I check both of them off the list of being my mom’s killer since they look to be around my age. I notice one of them is wearing a splint on his two fingers. “Hope I didn’t break your trigger finger,” I spit out, releasing a little anger. Asshole.
“Don’t worry, bitch, I’m ambidextrous,” he hisses.
“Oh, big word for you.” I’d clap if my hands weren’t tied up.
“BITCH, I oughta break your fucking fingers! All of them!” He starts toward me.
“Joe, back up,” Travis commands. He immediately retracts to his place against the wall. I smirk and wink at him.
“Are you done?” Travis’s condescending voice asks, and I whip my head back to him to see who he is talking to. It seems that question is for me. I stare at him.
“Do you know who I am?” I shake my head no, claiming ignorance. “My name is Travis Stein. And you were trespassing on my property.”
“Nice to meet you?” It was more of a question. I’m definitely skipping the pleasantries of meeting someone when I’m handcuffed to a bed.
“Who are you?” he asks as he tilts his head.
“Look. I’m not sure why I’m here. I was looking for my dog. He ran away from a friend’s house that I happen to be staying at. I thought I saw him in your yard. I was trying to get him. Then your thugs attacked me. This could have been easily avoided if those assholes would have asked me what I was doing. Now you have kidnapped me and are holding me against my will.” I make a show of my handcuffed hands. Just in case he hadn’t noticed what his guys have done to me.
“I’ll ask you again. Who are you?” he commands with a chill in his voice.
“Renee Pearson,” I respond boldly, sitting up straighter. I’m sure he has my fake driver’s license. Travis continues to stare at me. He’s clenching his jaw together. I know it’s my mother’s name, actually her middle name, but it’s not an uncommon name. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have used my mom’s name if I thought Travis had any involvement with my mom’s murder. But it happened thirteen years ago. Well, note to self: undercover work is not my calling.
Travis and I stare at each other. If this dude thinks I’m going to say anything while he has me handcuffed to a bed, he’s going to find out how stubborn I can be.
“JETT.” I jump as he barks out some guy’s name. Well, I’m assuming it’s a guy’s name. It could be some torture device, but I’m kind of hoping it’s a name. Our eye contact never wavers though.
The door opens and a man walks in.
I quickly glance to the door. Holy. Shit.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful man in my life. He’s around six foot two and pure muscle. He’s wearing a black T-shirt that fits his wide chest like a glove. The muscles on his arms bulge, making the sleeves fit tightly around his arms. Moving down, his dark jeans fit like they were made for him and only him. I’ve read books where they refer to a guy as an Adonis and I never got it, but there isn’t another word for this perfect male specimen. His jawline is perfectly chiseled, his lips are full, and he has huge, emerald green eyes. His hair is dark brown, almost black and short but long enough to run your fingers through. After my perusal of his body, I look back up to his eyes. He cocks an eyebrow with amusement in his eyes. I blush from embarrassment and look away.
I take that back. Maybe he is the torture device. This might not be so bad. Heat creeps across my body at the thought of that man touching me. Oh, my God! What is wrong with me?
Travis gets up from his chair and moves to where Jett stands. I take these seconds to shake my inappropriate thoughts away. They talk quietly and then Travis and his two thugs leave the room. Jett sits on the same chair, directly in front of the bed. He tilts his head, sitting back, arms crossed, legs spread apart. His assessing eyes are fixed on me.
It feels like he’s looking into my soul for answers. And holy shit, I’m afraid he’s going to find them. They are so intense I have to look away. I take another peek, but he hasn’t moved an inch. If his jaw wasn’t clenching, I would have thought his face was made of stone.
I can’t have this beautiful man sit here and stare at me all day. My body is on the verge of overheating under his scrutinizing stare. The silence consumes me.
“So… any way you can take these off me?” I ask, fidgeting with the handcuffs.
“Nope,” he responds with a smirk.
“I’m harmless,” I whine. “Look at me, I’m like half of you. My hands are going numb.” I try to sound needy. Trying the damsel in distress.
“I am looking at you. I was also looking at you on the security monitor when you took Joe down. You’re not as harmless as you say.” He brings his full lips into a half smile. A small dimple appears. His voice is all man, deep and rich, which sends vibrations straight down to my sex. I cross my legs to slow the building ache. What the hell is wrong with my body? It’s never reacted this way to anyone.
What a waste of a beautiful creature to not have that body on display. “I think you picked the wrong occupation.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
He chuckles to himself while ra
ising an eyebrow. “Oh, really? And what occupation do you think I should be in?”
A model, a hot fireman in one of those calendars, anything where that face and body can be shared by all women. I don’t reply, though. He shakes his head slightly with a knowing smile. That one dimple turns into two and that smile sends warm waves to my inner core. I squeeze my thighs together, shifting positions. Shit.
I look around to avoid his stare. Two windows, three doors. “It ain’t gonna happen,” he says, watching me. See? Those fucking eyes can read what I’m thinking.
“What’s not going to happen? You guys releasing me? You know people are going to be looking for me when I don’t return from my walk!” I bark out. If only that were true.
He ignores my questions but responds, “You have beautiful eyes.”
I stared at him dumbfounded. My brows furrow.
“Really? Now is NOT the time for pickup lines.” I roll my eyes. Even though this is the worst timing, my body doesn’t seem to agree.
“So, your name is Renee.” It was a statement more than a question. “Why are you really here, Renee?” I wish he’d send in Tweedledee and Tweedledum; at least I could keep my uncontrollable libido in control. His looks and voice are very distracting.
“I don’t know why you people aren’t listening to me. I was looking for my dog. I’m assuming you don’t have him, so can I please go?” I sigh. “Is this something y’all do normally? Kidnap women?”
“Nope… to both your questions.”
Chapter Six
Jett
WHY THE FUCK am I in here babysitting this girl? This is not my job. Don’t get me wrong, she’s gorgeous. Sinfully gorgeous. I could stare at her all day and wish she was under me all night. Seeing her squirm, knowing that I’m making her blush is killing me. I’m having to constantly think about my grandma to avoid getting a fucking hard-on. But she shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be in here with her. Although, when I think of the alternatives, Joe and Bill, it pisses me off. There is no way they are getting anywhere near her. I may think about doing dirty things to her, but hey, I’m a good guy. Those dipshits, on the other hand, might try to take advantage of our guest.