“What the fuck? One tiny girl and you can’t find her? What the fuck kind of PI are you?”
Knuckles had gone sheet white under the fluorescent light. The dude was already pale and flabby, but my anger drained him of all color.
“She ain’t used her credit cards,” he stammered, almost drooling with fear. “She ain’t used her ID, she ain’t been sighted. It’s all I can say.”
I grunted rudely but it wasn’t that weird actually. Because for a month, I’d kept the redhead hostage in my cabin where no one could find her. Was it so odd that she’d disappeared successfully? After all, I’d taken her off the grid, so Anna knew all the tricks of the trade already. The female’s intelligent, astute, and savvy, and I was impressed by her ability to vanish.
But still, when I don’t get what I want I’m pissed, so I stomped back to my office in a foul mood. Smoke practically rose from my ears. Where the fuck was the little filly? Ann-Marie was out of the way now, I’d kicked her to the curb. My brother Chance was safely unengaged, he’d finally seen through that treacherous girl’s fake smile. But what about me? I’d met a woman who was beautiful, loyal and smart, and now I was the one up shit creek. I was the one with my balls tied in a knot, biting my tail like a lunatic dog. Fuck!
But there was nothing to be done. So I worked like a maniac, throwing myself into my writing while trying to put her out of my mind, but she never went away. Anna, Anna, Anna, her name rang in the back of my mind. Baby girl. Sweet thing.
I managed while the sun was out, typing like a mofo, but nights were pure torture. Darkness would descend only to be filled with visions of the curvy redhead again, that sweet smile, generous hips and big ass. Oh god, how I longed to lower her on my pole once more, pussy spreading wetly around the thick man meat. How I wanted to fuck that butt again, shuddering as those tight, hot cheeks clamped around my shaft.
But it was all wet dreams because we never found her. It’s been six months now and my book’s fucking climbed to the top of the NYT charts, and yet I feel as hollow as a bell. It’s a fucking farce, I don’t give a shit how many copies it sells when the girl who helped me, who deserves half the credit, isn’t here.
“Mr. James, what was your inspiration? What makes Michael Phoenix who he is? Do you see traces of yourself in your main character?” chirped a reporter.
The questions drove me insane because the answer was always Anna. Anna, my sweet assistant. My copy editor, my beta reader, my lover. It was her, always, and yet I couldn’t say. So I’d choke out some bullshit reply before ending the interview abruptly, going home to drink until I blacked out. Better unconsciousness than missing her.
But per my contract with that fucking publishing house, I had to go on tour to promote the book, and grudgingly, I packed my bags. Shit, they’d sell fewer copies after readers met me, not more, but what the hell, it was their dime. And one rainy Sunday, we flew into some city in Washington State, I have no idea which.
At the book store, I took a swig from my flask back stage. The whiskey burned mightily, but what the hell, I’m always better at these fucking readings when I’m a soused. So putting a fake grin on my face, I walked out at the sound of applause, adjusting the microphone so it didn’t make a high-pitched whine.
“Welcome Mr. James,” simpered the female moderator, some blonde hipster wearing heavy-framed glasses. “Tortoise Bookstore is entranced to have you here. Entranced!” she fluttered.
Holy shit, this was unreal. The moderator was gonna have a heart attack right here on the floor. But the woman continued.
“Mr. James is here to read from his newest release, His Captive, the latest Michael Phoenix thriller. Please join me in welcoming this esteemed author!” she squealed, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. I smacked a fake smile on my face, already dying for another sip of whiskey when suddenly I saw her. Anna. She was here, in this fucking bookstore, looking at me with those beautiful caramel eyes.
And the asshole in me flew into motion because immediately, I strode into the audience and grabbed her elbow. A murmur of shocked whispers began.
“What in the world?”
“What’s going on?”
“I thought he was an author, not some insane lunatic!”
Anna was embarrassed too. She turned those sparkling eyes to me while trying to hold her arm away.
“Robert, stop!” she hissed. “Stop, you’re here to do a reading! Stop, there are people watching!”
But I didn’t give a fuck. This was my woman, the woman I’d been looking for high and low for the past six months. And to materialize at one of my readings! Fuck fuck fuck! That’s right, I was absolutely gonna seize the moment.
Ignoring her protests, I dragged her out of the bookstore to the continued babble of the audience.
“Oh my god, what’s going on?”
“Holy shit, he is insane!”
And the last one:
“Should we do something? Because that woman’s pregnant!”
That’s right. Growling, I charged ahead like a mad bull, intent on doing damage. Because I’d seen the bulge of her stomach, the soft swell that indicated life inside. And shit, but that was my child. My sweet girl was filled up with my baby, the virile jism had done its work and now I was going to be a father. My face a mask of rage, I dragged the female outside and straight to the car.
“Robert!” she gasped again, still flailing in my arms. “Stop stop!”
“Shut up,” I ground out. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Stop!” she pleaded again.
But it was too late. The seatbelt snapped snugly around that swelling tummy, and I folded myself into the driver’s seat of the Porsche.
“Just shut up,” I ground out, eyes on the road as we squealed out of the parking lot. “Shut the fuck up.”
My driving was so frenzied that Anna actually didn’t say anything during the trip. She stared at the speeding pavement, eyes wide and knuckles white as we blazed down the highway to the hotel.
And finally, once inside my room, she spoke again.
“I know what you’re up to Robert,” the woman said in a low voice. “I know.”
“Then what?” I raged, pacing like a caged animal. “What the fuck am I thinking?”
“You want me to get rid of it,” she said in a trembling voice, hands protectively shielding her stomach. “But I won’t. He or she is my child too, and I won’t.”
That made me see pure red, a fiery blaze blocking out my vision for a full two seconds.
“Like hell you’re getting rid of the baby!” I roared, literally pounding the wall with my fists now. “Like hell.”
Anna took a deep breath before exhaling, and for the first time, I calmed enough to see true fear in her eyes. Oh shit, had I done that? Was I the one who’d scared my best girl shitless, who made her fear for our child’s safety? Immediately, I stopped pacing, my expression calming.
“Baby,” I began, hand out in entreaty.
“Don’t baby me,” she snapped, turning her face away.
But I wouldn’t be denied.
“Anna,” I said again, this time kneeling by her feet and taking one small hand in mine. The palm was cold and small, and she tried to yank it away at first. But when I wouldn’t let go, she gave up, letting it lie still and lifeless in my large grip. Fuck. I’d done this to her, and I’d never forgive myself.
“Anna,” I tried again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. About the kidnapping, about making you lose your job, about your sister, my brother, everything.”
Her head whipped around then, brown eyes heated.
“Oh, so now you’re sorry,” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You literally pulled me off the streets, threw me into the trunk of a car, and kept me locked up for a month. Sorry makes all that okay?”
I dropped my head before looking at her again, blue eyes blazing.
“Of course not,” came my growl. “It’s not okay, I treated you abominably and you did
n’t deserve that.”
But that just set her off even more.
“You’re right, I didn’t deserve that,” she bit out. “Because I was an innocent. The whole time, you were looking for my sister, not me. I told you from the very beginning, and you wouldn’t believe me! So sorry doesn’t cut it.”
I gripped her hands tighter in my own.
“Sorry absolutely doesn’t cut it,” I rumbled fervently. “If I could do everything over, I would, beginning with that stupid kidnapping. I understand if you want to cut off my head or shoot me in the nuts, but I’m sorry, and I’ll make it up to you Anna.”
She glared at me even more.
“How?” came her flat reply. “By being a dad? Who says I want you as a dad? For your information, I’ve met a really nice man. His name is Rusty and he has a special place in my life.”
For the first time in my life, I was absolutely thunderstruck, speechless without anything to say. Because never had I thought that my best girl would be seeing another man.
“Rusty?” came my hoarse rasp. “Who the fuck is that?”
“It’s not your business,” she said coldly. “He’s a man I know who’s kind and good, and that’s more than I can say for you, Robert Morgan.”
I took deep breaths, wiling my lungs to inflate. Because this changed everything. There was another man in the picture, another alpha, and my hackles raised. Holy shit, I’m not afraid of doing battle with a competitor, but still. Anna was pregnant with my child. That was my baby in her stomach and possession rose within me in a wave, so strong and furious that I felt lightheaded.
“That’s my child, isn’t it?” were my words, curiously calm.
Anna looked ready to spit nails but then her look softened, hands rubbing the curve of her belly.
“The baby’s yours,” she confirmed. “It’s not like that with Rusty, we’re just friends,” she relented. “But still, this doesn’t let you off the hook. Not one bit.”
I closed my eyes then, relief washing over my frame. Thank fuck. The baby was mine, my little girl hadn’t given it up to some other dude. She hadn’t fucked another man, that pussy was all mine, still mine. I had her ass, it was curved to the shape of my dick, and no other guy had ever tasted her sweet insides. Right?
“Please tell me you haven’t slept with this Rusty asshole,” I rasped, eyes boring into her hotly. “Please tell me that.”
Anna got all prickly again, but her voice was even when she answered.
“No Robert. If you haven’t noticed, I’m six months pregnant. I haven’t been getting it on with any other guy, no one wants some huge whale for their girlfriend.”
Again, I shut my eyes, letting the relief wash over me. There is a god. Thank you, our father who art in heaven. Thank you, thank you. And this time, I didn’t wait. Scrabbling in my suitcase, I found something before crossing back to her in two huge steps. And taking her hand, I did it then. I jammed a huge diamond onto her left ring finger, a five carat stunner that sparkled wildly under the lights.
“Robert stop!” she shrieked, trying to pull her hand away. “Stop stop!”
But I wouldn’t be stopped. I continued pushing the ring down until it sat snugly against her knuckle, marking the female as mine.
“This belongs to you,” I said roughly. “We’re getting married. You and me, Anna, it’s always been you and me.”
I half expected her to yank the ring off and throw it into a corner, but she looked at it, eyes wide, lips trembling, and suddenly, a single tear rolled down one cheek. That was worse than the anger, the rage, the tirades. Yelling and screaming was okay, but tears? Oh shit, I had no idea what to do.
“Please baby,” I said, stroking her cheek. “Please don’t cry.”
The tears just came harder then, flowing like a river, making my goddess even more beautiful.
“Robert, I can’t,” she choked. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked, my growl gentle now. “Why?”
She paused for a moment, looking down, wiping her eyes.
“Because of everything that’s happened between us,” she said softly, refusing to look at me. “And now I’m pregnant to boot.”
“It’s because you’re pregnant that we should get married,” I growled roughly. “I need this. You need this. Our child, bless his heart, needs this.”
She shook her head again, still looking down.
“Robert, what’s happened between us is indescribable,” she said tearily. “You kidnapped me, don’t you remember? Literally bundled me into your trunk and drove off, with me bound and gagged inside. And then instead of fighting back, I … I …” and here, her voice broke.
“You what?” I rasped, bending forwards, grabbing her hands. “You what?”
The world hung in the balance. I needed it. I absolutely needed to hear the words, and Anna delivered, as always.
“I fell in love with you,” she said, raising her eyes, the gentle brown a salve to my soul. What I would have given to erase the sadness, to see those lips curve in a smile instead. But the redhead lowered her head, staring blankly at the ring. “I fell in love with you,” she continued in a numb voice. “It wasn’t right, it wasn’t okay, but it happened.”
I seized that small chin in my hand.
“Baby,” I ground out roughly. “That’s a starting place. That’s a damn good starting place because I love you too, and we’ll make this work. I’ve fucked up, over and over again, ever since we met, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“But how?” she lifted tear-stained eyes to me. “How could you make up the kidnapping? Keeping me locked in your cabin? How could you?” she wailed softly.
I shook my head, unsure. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know how to behave. Usually I just throw money at things, buying my freedom, buying my forgiveness, but in this case, it was different.
“I don’t know,” I rumbled slowly. “I don’t know, but I do know this, Anna Jones. I love you too, and I will always do my best by you and the baby for as long as I live.”
She took a deep breath, those brown eyes still unsure.
“I hear you,” she said softly. “But you have to understand. Words make things a little better, but they’re not perfect. After everything that’s happened, I can’t just give it up like a nincompoop. I have to see real change, Robert,” she said, looking at me seriously then. “I have to see something different. I’m not sure what, but something has to be different.”
And that was my opening. Immediately I was on my knees before the sweet girl.
“Whatever you want,” I rumbled, taking her hands in mine. “Whatever you want. We don’t have to get married if you’re not ready. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want. We’ll take it slow,” I promised fervently.
Anna took a deep breath then, those beautiful breasts rising, her belly resting gently against our clasped hands.
“Okay then,” she said, her voice reserved, still a whisper. “Let’s see how it goes.”
And I knew that opportunity had just knocked. Because my best girl was giving me another chance. After everything I’d done, Anna was opening her heart a crack, letting me get a toehold as we began this phase of our lives together.
Because I was a fucking asshole. Worse than that, I was a criminal who literally abducted a girl off the street, keeping her locked up in my cabin with the thinnest of excuses.
And because Robert Morgan never makes mistakes, I hadn’t believed her protests. I hadn’t listened, when she said this was a case of mistaken identity. What other gorgeous redheaded temptress was there? Of course my stupid younger brother had fallen for the flame-haired vixen, it had to be her.
But as soon as Ann-Marie made her appearance, it was apparent I’d fucked up in a huge way. Because Anna is hardworking, generous, giving, and smart as a pin. Ann-Marie was the exact opposite, a shallow, deceitful little bitch, dark where her sister was light, evil where her sister was good. And me, Robert Morgan, had fucked this up, m
aking a fatal error.
So it was up to me now, and I thanked god for second chances. I thanked whatever I’d done in a past life to grant me this opportunity, the nine lives I’d wasted, the tiniest hair which had allowed me to escape. Because none of the stupid shit mattered anymore. I had Anna. I had my gorgeous girl, and even more, she was pregnant with my child. I was going to work this out no matter what because she’s the light of my life, the star by which I sail my ship. After tooling around like an idiot for months, finally the female’s reappeared, and I’m determined to do right. More than that. I’m determined that our relationship will be perfect. After all, she’s my captive … and nobody will take her away again.
EPILOGUE
Anna
Two years later …
“Are you sure?” I gasped, looking at the wire cage. “Are you sure?”
The cage was human-sized, about seven feet tall and three feet across. It was big enough to stand in, with shackles on the sides and at the top. The wire mesh was a little scary to be honest.
But Robert wasn’t having any of that.
“Naw baby girl,” he rumbled, blue eyes gleaming. “It’s all good. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
And taking a deep breath, I stepped inside. Because safety is a big deal between us. For the longest time, I didn’t trust Robert, and for good reason. He was an alpha male who always got his way. He’d pulled me off the streets and thrown me into his car, keeping me prisoner in his cabin. So no, I didn’t trust him. Even though the billionaire gave me a big diamond and sweet words, it wasn’t enough, not at first. Not after everything I’d gone through.
So the first couple months were tough. He wanted me to move in with him in a fancy penthouse in Manhattan, but I wasn’t having it.
“No, I can’t,” I said slowly. “This is my life now. I have a job here, and my baby’s going to be born in Seattle.”
Robert looked at me carefully.
“There are four bedrooms in my New York apartment,” he rumbled. “You don’t have to share my bed, baby girl.”
But it wasn’t just that. At that point, I just wasn’t ready to change my life for him, especially not something as big as moving across the country. So I shook my head firmly.
His Captive: A Revenge Marriage Romance Page 13