by Nana Malone
She recoiled from the spittle he sprayed in her face.
"Like a bitch in heat. I was there, listening at his place. I mic’d it. I know what you did. How you practically begged him to fuck you. I saw his hands all over you. When we're done here, I'm going to kill him for defiling you like that. I could have forgiven it when I thought it was love. Los Angeles, the way you two were sneaking around—I hated him for touching you. But as long as you came with me, I wasn't going to kill him. After all, you were the whore. You seduced him. I couldn't blame him for taking the bait. He seemed to love you. But then, I saw you with him on the balcony as he took you from behind. That was fucking. I could tell. What you did on the balcony, that was fucking, that wasn't love."
Tris bit her bottom lip to keep the tears away. Saul might be certifiably crazy town, but he had a point. If something happened to Shane, then that was her fault. All of this was her fault. From the moment she'd felt scared or worried, she should have had all hands on deck. Instead, she'd been too worried about her stupid independence. And now Shane was in danger. Think Tris. Think. Think.
"What do you want, Saul? What's the play here?"
He cocked his head and stared at her like she was crazy. "I want you. That's all I've ever wanted. I want us to be together."
"How do you think that's going to happen? You may have killed my friend and my bodyguard. There’s no way my father lets you walk away from this."
"He will if you tell him you want to be with me."
She blinked. Oh, okay. So he was crazy, crazy. Obviously, she knew he was several marbles short, but he was delusional. He really believed that's how it would work. It was one thing when she thought she might be the only one to die, but it was not okay if Shane had to die because she wanted freedom. She had only one option here. Fight like hell to stay alive.
"Okay, I tell him, then what? Where are we going to live? Because hovel chic is not really my style."
Saul ran a hand through his hair. "I know. I know. This place isn’t what you deserve. I know, baby. But I had to stash you somewhere first, so you didn't run. I have the perfect place, in the mountains. Far from anybody where we can just be."
"Saul, did you ever stop to think that all you needed to do was ask me to come with you?"
"You wouldn’t have come."
"If it meant protecting my friends, I would have."
He frowned. "You would have come with me?"
She nodded. "Xia's like my sister. I wouldn't want her hurt."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry about that. But I know she's fine. I checked in at the hospital already."
"I'm going to need some proof, you understand. I know I made you angry, and I won't do that anymore. Never again. But I need to know she's okay. She's my best friend."
"I'm not an idiot. I'm not letting you see her—you'll run."
She shook her head. "No. I won’t, and I don't expect you to let me see her. I know how angry I've made you. And that wasn't my intention. But if you let me talk to her just for a second so I can hear her voice…"
He started to shake his head, but she pressed on. "Okay, look. I know, but you obviously would have to hold the phone, so if I say anything stupid, then you cut off the call. But if I call her and tell her not to look for me, they won’t look. Xia will convince them this is what I want."
He studied her closely, his rank breath making her head spin. "If you do anything stupid, I'll beat your brains in, then I'll go after Shane and make that cocksucker suffer."
She tried to keep her face impassive. If he thought she was doing this for Shane, he wouldn't allow it. "I understand. But I need to talk to Xia."
"Fine. I'll get my phone. It's in the car. I would cut your restraints, but you know I can't trust you, right?"
She nodded. "I know. I understand."
He pushed away from her, and she took a breath, wrinkling her nose. She watched him as he stalked out of the room and closed the door then locked it behind him. The moment he was gone, she scooted to the edge of the couch and used her legs to brace herself into a sitting position. She worked her bound hands under her behind and cursed herself for ignoring Xia's invitations' to go to yoga with her. Right now, being stretchy would be an asset. Nevertheless, she managed to get her hands behind her knees, and then rolled backward and worked first one leg through the restraints. The other took considerably more effort. "Come on, come on," she mumbled to herself.
Finally, both hands were in front of her so she could see the zip tie. Fantastic. Forcing her legs to move, she stood and raced to the counter in the kitchen. She yanked open the drawers. Mostly, all she saw were butter knives, but in the last one, she found a rusty steak knife. Then she saw it, a flyer for the skydiving school she'd attended with her friends. Were they nearby? In the distance, another plane sounded above.
She had no idea how much time she had, but outside, she heard the distant slam of a car door. "Move your ass, Tris," she mumbled.
It was only after she turned around that she saw the dusty parachute gear in the corner. She knew where she was. She, Syd, and Xia had gone skydiving only a couple weeks ago. She was close to the school somewhere. She ran back to the couch and placed the knife between her knees sharp end facing out. She worked the ties over the serrated edge back and forth.
“C’mon, c’mon,” She muttered as she frantically sawed through the plastic. So close. The plastic bonds tore most of the way through, but she heard his footsteps approaching from the back. “Damn it.”
Quickly, she tucked her feet back through her still looped hands and slid the knife up under her sleeve, wincing as the sharp edge nicked her. Then she said a silent prayer that he didn't notice.
Saul barged in to find her in the same position he'd left her. Suspiciously, he glanced around. But his shoulders relaxed when he didn't see anything out of order. "Here you go. I'll call Xia for you."
She smiled up at him tremulously. "Thank you. I appreciate this. Once this is done, we can go, okay?"
He nodded and gave her a smile as he dialed. She calmed her mind and hoped Xia would understand.
Her friend picked up the phone with a whisper, "Hello?"
So she was okay. At least he'd been telling the truth.
"Xia?"
Her friend's relief was palpable. "Tris, oh, my God. Where are you? Do you know—"
"No questions, Xia. Listen to me. Tell my father he has to stop looking for me. I don't want to come back. I want to go with Saul."
She could hear the question in her friends' voice. "Tris, I don't understand. Please just tell us—"
"No, Xi, it's like we talked about when we jumped. You only live once. And I want to really live. This is the only way to do that. Goodbye."
Saul yanked the phone away from her ear.
"Are you happy now?"
She nodded. "Yes, thank you."
He nodded. "Fine. I need to make some arrangements for travel. I'll be back in thirty minutes, then we're leaving together, do you understand?"
"I hear you. You have my word, and I have yours." She just prayed thirty minutes was long enough for Shane to find her.
11
Hang on Tris. I’m coming for you.
Shane and his makeshift team parked their vehicles a quarter of a mile away and hiked in across the airstrip. Luckily, they had the cover of night on their side.
Roland had given them some information of his brother's mental state, but he didn't know how far Saul would take this, if he'd hurt Tris or not, and that blind spot made Shane nervous.
Caleb's voice came through his earpiece. "We're in position."
He and Jase had taken the rear of the tiny structure, and Shane and War took up the front. Zeke Munroe had insisted that some of his men be on the team, but given Roland's duplicity, Caleb had put the kibosh on that. Everybody here had only Tris's best interests at heart. And they were all on the same page. If necessary, they would shoot to kill, not wound.
While War radioed that they were
in position, Shane prayed they were right and Saul and Tris were still here. Prayed that that psychopath hadn't hurt her. All Shane wanted was her home safe. Even if she never wanted to be with him again. At least she'd be home. He had his gun raised, waiting for Caleb's mark when War held up his hand and gave the signal to Caleb to hold. Footsteps were coming their way.
The two of them receded into the shadows to wait. Saul came out first, dragging Tris behind him. She was gagged and looked like she was bound. And despite his vise-like grip on her arm, she certainly wasn’t going willingly. Instead, she dragged her feet behind her.
Saul stopped and dragged her body into his. "Let's not forget you agreed to this."
Her voice was strong, which was a good sign. "Yes, I agreed to go with you, but I didn't agree to be dragged."
"Then pick up your feet. Or, do I have to remind you lover boy's life hangs in the balance? Maybe I should add your friends Xia and Sydney to that list. If you don't come, I'll kill them all. You can guess who I'm going to take my time with."
Shane's gut twisted. The little shit had threatened his life. Well, he more than welcomed a fair fight...the moment Tris's life wasn’t in danger. Caleb gave them the hold command. He had snipers in position, but he didn’t want to risk Tris's life since Saul had a gun on her.
The asshole dragged her to the back of a black SUV and unlocked it. "Get in."
Bile rose in Shane's throat. There was no way she was getting in to that trunk. She'd hyperventilate and suffocate. He made a move, but War shook his head. Fuck! The blood rushed in his skull. He knew how she felt. Know how terrified she must be and it killed him. But then she surprised him.
"I'm not getting in there, Saul. Not after what Matt put me through last time. I can't."
He shoved her, but even though she stumbled, she didn't acquiesce.
"If you don’t get in, I will force you." He leaned into her face. "You wouldn’t like how I force you."
She glanced around like she was looking for something. Was she looking for him? I'm here, baby. Just a few more seconds until you're out of range of fire.
"You're going to have to force me then because I'm not getting in."
When Saul wrapped his arms around her neck, Shane ignored the hold command and burst out of the shadows, gun raised. But he was too late. Tris knew how to take care of herself. As she appeared to fall backward, her hand shot up, and then she twisted and brought it down sharply. Saul's yelp of pain echoed in the silent night.
Tris delivered an elbow next, straight to his nose, and Saul's head snapped back. But the true coup de grace was her hammer strike to his neck. What Shane didn't know, and what Saul clearly didn't know, was she was in possession of a knife. The knife made a sickening sound as it stuck into his neck. Tris wasted no time as she booked out of his grasp.
But Saul wasn't letting her go that easily. He lunged after her, and Shane ran for him. He tackled Saul's legs, earning a knee strike to the head for his efforts. But there was no way he was letting him go.
They grappled and rolled on the ground, and Shane managed an elbow to the gut before Saul delivered a good round kick to his head. Fuck. The ringing in his ears had him rolling over, and Saul took full advantage, even with the knife in his neck.
Eyes bulging and teeth bared, he did his best to choke Shane out, but his strength waned, and Shane managed to buck and roll so their positions were reversed. He was strong enough, and his one-handed choke held as he yanked out the knife. Blood oozed out, and Saul gurgled, but Shane didn't let go. Instead, he applied more pressure. He couldn't hear anything around him. All he knew was this asshole had tried to take the woman he loved from him. And for that, he had to die.
"Shane, listen to me, it's not worth it."
Tris? Her voice trickled through as he watched the life drain from Saul's eyes. "Tris?"
She kneeled next to him, and at first, he couldn't believe it. "It's me. I'm okay, Shane. I'm okay. You don't have to do this. Don’t give into him. Don’t let him own this part of you."
He didn't let go.
"Shane, I'm okay. Let him go. Come home with me."
That got through to him, and he let go. On his left, War and Caleb had guns trained on Saul. He released the pressure, but kept his left hand on Saul's wound. "We need an ambulance. He's bleeding out." Saul had long since stopped struggling, but the blood still flowed, and under his fingers, Shane could feel his weak pulse.
"Already on the way," Caleb said as he took Shane's place. "I'll do this. You take care of Tris."
Tris. His body heaved as he turned toward her. She was okay? Not hurt.
Despite his shaky legs, he pushed into a standing position and tugged her to him. When she wrapped her arms around him, he knew one truth. He was never letting her go again.
12
Tris blinked awake, and darkness surrounded her. Her heart rate ticked up in tempo as panic set in. Had it all been a dream? Was it a lie? Was she still in that shit hole?
"Relax, baby. I just kept it dark so you could sleep. I'm here. You're safe."
Shane's voice instantly soothed her, and she relaxed when he turned the bedside lamp on. Tris blinked in the brightness, the hospital room coming into view, the seafoam green blandness of the walls offering little comfort. "Hi," she managed weakly.
"Hi, yourself." He gave her his half-smile and stroked her hand. "You sleep okay?"
"I don't think I'm going to sleep particularly well for a while, but for now, I got a little." She tried to push herself into a sitting position.
He put a hand on her shoulder. "You need your rest, Tris."
She puffed out a breath. "Are you gonna hover over me? Because you know how I love a hoverer."
When his full smile broke free, butterflies tugged low in her belly.
"And you realize I lost whole years of my life when you were gone? I'm going to hover, just a little. But I'll also trust you to look after yourself...when you get out of the hospital."
She rolled her eyes and sank back down. He might have a point. Her head felt like she'd had it rolled flat by a Mack truck. "Fine."
He kissed her forehead softly. "Do you mind saying that again, so I can record it for posterity?"
She scowled at him, but he only laughed in return. She knew he was worried about her. And truth be told, she'd been worried too. Mostly about him, but she'd also been afraid of what would happen to her. But it was over now. "Thank you for coming for me." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. That last time, I was awful, and you still came for me."
He shook his head. "You were pissed, and you had every right to be. I lied to you. I kept who I was from you."
"It just felt like maybe it was all pretend."
"It wasn't. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you dancing up there for me. I felt trapped once I got my assignment. I wish there had been another way."
"There is no one else I'd rather have protecting me."
His lip quirked. "Not even Xia?"
Tris grinned. "Okay, maybe Xia, and Syd."
"She's a tough nut. And don't discount Sydney. You should see the hospital staff. They're terrified of her. She made sure you had the best room, the best everything. She knew you wouldn't accept it if your dad did it."
"Yeah, well, she'd be right." Her father had been with her when she first arrived, but he still had tried to control the situation. Control her. He'd tried to get her on a plane home to Trinidad. He hadn't taken it well when she said she wasn’t leaving.
"He'll come around, Tris. He loves you."
"Yeah, well, sooner or later, he'll have to realize that loving me, doesn’t mean controlling me. I take full responsibility for my stupidity. I should have told you about the pictures right away, but I was so painted into a corner I couldn't think straight. So I did what I thought was best and reached out to Caleb. I knew Dad would go ballistic."
He nodded. "I know. You guys will find middle ground."
She took his hand. "And what about us? Is there middle ground?"
She prayed he'd say yes, that he still loved her after everything she'd said to him.
He grasped her hand tight. "Woman, when are you going to understand that I meant what I said? I'm not giving up on us. No matter how much you run. I love you, Tris."
She nodded. "I love you, too."
"I know. And for the record, even when you said you didn't love me. I knew you did."
"Good. Because I can be really stubborn."
"Don't I know it. So now that I’m officially not your RA or TA anymore, you’re aware you owe me a dance."
Tris grinned up at him. “You just want to see me in those shoes again, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure you realize just how seductive you are in those stilettos of yours.”
“Duly noted. In that case, I think I’ll hang onto them a little bit longer before they make their way to the next girl.”
The End
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Thank you for reading SEDUCTIVE IN STILETTOS 5! I hope you enjoyed this installment from the In Stilettos Series.
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