When I opened my mouth again to speak, his hand immediately covered it. “Stop, querida.”
My eyes squinted in confusion at his mood. He hadn’t been abrupt with me in a while, and I didn’t like it. What had happened this evening?
He saw my reaction and sighed. “I know you want to know what’s going on, but you can’t know much. Something happened at the yacht tonight, enough to make Roman move us to his compound here on the island.” When I started to open my mouth again, he shook his head. “No, I can’t tell you what happened, just that we need to get off the boat. His compound is large and hidden. We will share a room. I’m not leaving you alone for a second, querida.”
I had no idea what to say. What had happened? “What about our stuff?”
“It’s already at the house.”
Of course it was.
“Who is Mancuso?”
He put a hand to the back of his neck and started rubbing. “Oh, Penny, he’s someone you need to forget you ever met.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. “Why, Tag?”
“Just trust me. He’s someone you never want to get mixed up with.”
“Is he a mobster?”
His hand moved to his face, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “You could say that.”
Feelings of ice going through me made me rest my head back. What kind of shit was Tag messed up in?
“How does Mancuso know my father?” I suddenly asked him. “I know he was lying when he said he made a mistake.”
That made Tag shift on the seat so he could face me. “Enough, Penny. Don’t you realize how much it kills me not to be able to tell you anything? Dammit! I swear I’m going to lose my shit any minute.”
His outburst made me nervous. There was so much more going on than I realized. Suddenly a sick feeling came over the pit of my stomach. Was he really going to help me escape, or was he setting me up?
“Stop.”
I jerked my gaze to him. “What?”
The limo hit a bump, throwing me into Tag’s chest. The solid wall of it never ceased to amaze me. His hands framed my face and tilted my head to look at him.
“Don’t question my loyalty to you.”
My eyes lowered, ashamed he knew what I’d been thinking. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “There’s just so much you do you can’t tell me about. I hate it.”
He planted his lips on my forehead, pressing a gentle kiss there. “I know, querida, I’m sorry.” When I tried to sit back up, he wouldn’t let me, only pulling me closer to him.
“You have been more than patient, not asking too much,” he started to tell me. “For someone who was kidnapped and held hostage, you’ve been amazingly good.”
My hand went to his cheek, my thumb rubbing along his dark scruff. “That’s because of you, baby…because of you.”
His eyes darkened with lust, his lips heading for mine. I closed my eyes in anticipation, heat starting to pool in my lower belly. But his lips never touched mine.
The limo suddenly slowed, and a voice came over a speaker.
“Mr. Reynolds,” it said. “We’re at the compound.”
Tag ran a hand down his face, and sat back against the seat. “Okay, thank you. We’ll get out in just a minute.”
When his face turned to look at me, I felt the ice return, washing over me. “What is it?” I asked him.
His face was serious, his jaw twitching. “This is Roman’s private compound. Not many know it exists. It’s only because he had no choice, we’re here now. You can’t ever tell anyone you were here, Penny, I mean it. Do you understand?”
Feeling like something was clutching at my throat, preventing me from talking, I just nodded. He smiled a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and pressed another kiss to my forehead. “That’s my girl,” he whispered, then opened the door.
Chapter 24
Rico.
That bastard had tried to get to her. The fact he’d actually made it back onto the yacht blew me away with all of Roman’s security. The idiot was determined, and smarter than I thought.
When Roman had told me the situation, it nearly brought me to my knees, but I stayed strong and didn’t let on. He was still gathering information on how Rico had escaped from his men taking him to Mexico and made it back to the yacht. When he told me Theo had caught him and that Rico was behind bars on the island for breaking in, a bit of relief came over me, but not much. The little weasel was still an issue.
And Mancuso.
That was unexpected. He had been one of Roman’s allies at one time. When he broke off and started his own cartel, Roman was surprisingly gracious, as long as Mancuso promised to stay out of his business. So far he had, but that could change at any moment. Roman had kept a close eye on him through the years but hadn’t actually seen him until tonight.
All signs were pointing to something being up.
“What are you thinking about?”
I looked over to the beautiful girl beside me in bed and felt some of the stress roll off my body. While the Rico situation had me off guard for a moment, ending up on land at Roman’s compound couldn’t have come at a better time. Getting her out was much easier this way. Once I got a hold of my contact, I knew our plan could speed up and the action could begin.
Very soon.
I gave her a smile and ran a hand through her hair. “You—getting you out of here.”
She smiled back but had a worried look in her eyes. “I’m scared.”
“Shh,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” I told her, and I wouldn’t. I’d give my life to make sure she made it back home safely.
“I’m so confused, Tag,” she said, her breath hitching. “There’s so much I don’t know, and it scares me beyond words. I’m afraid of what I don’t know, of what it could mean in my life…I’m terrified…”
She paused, and I saw her throat constrict with a big swallow. “What, sweet girl?” She tried to turn her head, but my hand stopped her. “Tell me.”
“I’m so scared of losing you,” she said in a rush, her head dropping to my chest.
I groaned, the absolute pain of her words, her fear, hitting me right in my chest. I lifted her chin so she’d look at me, then pressed my forehead to hers.
“You listen to me,” I instructed. “I am going to get you back home… nothing is going to stop me. You never deserved this, and I’m going to make it right.”
A single tear dropped from her eye. “I’ll never regret being taken, though, because it brought me to you.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on my face. “And I’ll thank my lucky stars every day Roman brought you to me, though I still could kill him for it. And I promise you, querida, you aren’t going to lose me if I can help it.”
“Promise?”
How does one promise the love of his life she won’t lose him when the chances are more than great he’ll die getting her to safety?
“I promise to do everything I can. Now stop worrying and focus on getting back home, where you belong.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. “I belong wherever you are, Tag.”
And just like that, my chest expanded, my heart beating a mile a minute, all because this beautiful girl, my beautiful girl, just told me she belongs with me.
I was sitting outside on a large sofa on Roman’s manicured patio a few days later. My phone was in my clutched hand, just having ended another call with my contact. He had been overjoyed at the latest development that had us on land and told me to prepare myself and Penny for breaking out soon.
Soon.
Whatever that meant.
The sun was beating down on my face, the sound of the ocean waves distant in the background. Theo and a few guys had brought everything of mine and Penny’s over from the yacht. Penny had been so happy to see all of her sketches and paper and pencils. Of all the things to be happy about that made it to the compound.
Theo had told me they’d erased every t
race of Penny on the yacht. It was like she’d never been there. Who the hell knew where the yacht was now. I just knew neither of us would be on it again.
Roman had gathered Theo and I for a few meetings. He had made sure that Rico would be in his cell for a long long time. It helped when you had most of the police force on the island on your payroll. Rico wouldn’t be seeing the light of day for years, if ever.
While I wasn’t going to question Roman’s reasons for making sure we never had to deal with Rico again, a part of me couldn’t shake the feeling it had to do more with Penny than he let on. In the past, Roman seemed to have a blind eye to Rico’s ways…until he attacked Penny. Ever since that night, Roman had been acting different. He was more involved with each of his men and their assignments, especially me and mine.
My gut was telling me it had everything to do with Penny.
I felt his presence before he sat down next to me.
“Nice day,” Roman said as he crossed his leg over his knee.
I didn’t turn to him, just kept looking ahead. “Beautiful.”
“How’s the girl?”
The girl. “As good as she can be.”
I saw him stroke his thin mustache out of the corner of my eye. “I have plans for her.”
That got my head to turn to face him. “What kind of plans?”
He let out a hollow chuckle. “I believe that’s the first time you’ve just asked me outright what I’m doing, Tag.” He shifted to his side on the sofa, his light blue eyes staring me down.
Shit.
“Forgive me, sir, but your statement took me off guard. I’m sure it will come as no surprise I’ve become a bit protective of her after all these months watching over her.”
“Of course, it’s only natural.” He nodded, still not taking his eyes off me. “You know my home in Majorca?”
His change in subject was not surprising. I was used to it, but it was all I could do not to pound him to the ground and demand he tell me what he was going to do with Penny. Rather, what he thought he was going to do with Penny.
“Yes, what about it?” I asked instead.
His eyes suddenly clouded over, obviously not seeing me anymore but deep in thought. “Once we leave here, we’ll be flying there. I plan on settling her there.”
Settling her there? What the hell?
“She can have a wonderful life there,” he continued. My heart was racing and my hands were itching to close over his throat, to drain the sick life right out of him. Instead, I stayed silent so I could hear his plan. “It’s beautiful, and the island living is good for the soul. Her father is still looking for her, you know.”
He talked in circles. He was now focused back on my face. “I know.”
He let out a hearty laugh. “He amuses me, Tag. The man is dense, weak. He’s lost his touch now that his precious daughter is missing.”
“So you never planned on returning her?” I asked, ignoring his comments on Raul, feeling the rage climbing my body.
He suddenly stood up and took a cigar out of his shirt pocket. He gave me a look that seemed to ask how stupid could I be. “No, Tag, that was never an option.”
He walked off, saying nothing more, leaving me with my fists clenched at my sides. Son of a bitch. He had never planned on letting her go.
What reason could he have for keeping her, unless he planned on killing her?
Over my dead body.
Unclenching my fists, I pressed a button on my phone. “We’ve got a problem,” I told the other line when they picked up.
I was deep inside her, thrusting harder and harder. Her moans and begging for me to go faster, harder, were bringing the tingling at the back of my spine to a full blown orgasm.
I cried out in ecstasy, shouting her name over and over. Her legs were wrapped around my waist, and she was planting kisses across my jaw. When my spasms subsided, I collapsed on top of her, then pulled her with me so I was on my back and she was draped on top of me.
We were sweaty from our hard lovemaking. When I’d returned to our room from my conversation outside with Roman, it was all I could do not to rip her clothes off and bury myself inside her while pushing her against the wall. He had gotten me so worked up, so worried for my sweet girl, I had to be with her.
I was never letting her go.
And I was making damn sure she was never taken to Majorca.
Looking up at her face, seeing her beautiful eyes staring down at me, made my throat constrict. I loved her so damn much. Pushing some of her hair behind her ear, I pulled her head toward me and kissed her lightly on the nose.
“I love you so damn much, querida,” I whispered gruffly.
She rested her head in the crook of my neck and pressed a kiss there. “I love you too, baby,” she replied. “So, so much. When we get back home, we will start our life together. Daddy will hire you in one of his businesses, I know it. We will be happy.”
I was tracing circles on her back and didn’t say anything. Daddy won’t be hiring me to work for him, but I didn’t tell her that. I wouldn’t burst her bubble until I absolutely had to.
“Tag?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re going to stay with me, right?”
Not again.
“Querida, I’ve told you—nothing will stop me from being with you.”
Except death.
She sighed, her warm breath hitting my neck. Soon enough, her back was rising and falling in rhythm, telling me she’d fallen asleep. I didn’t move, didn’t want to lose this time with her. I had no idea what would happen to us, to me, once we broke out of here, but one thing I did know was that Roman would never have her. I’d take bullets before letting him take her to his home on Majorca.
Or he would.
Images of putting bullet holes all over his body flooded my mind. The man would be lucky if that was all I did to him. Once I got Penny home safe, I knew I’d come back and change him.
There was never a doubt.
Roman Vitale had no idea what he did when he brought me into his cartel. He had no clue who he was playing with. Roman Vitale didn’t know that bringing me in would be his downfall.
And the decision to kidnap Penny, well, that only solidified it. The man was greedy, and it was finally going to put him where he belonged.
In hell.
Chapter 25
It was coming.
The time for us to make our escape was close, Tag told me.
While I was so excited to finally get back home, I was also scared to death. I didn’t say much to Tag, but I knew it was dangerous. I knew we could die.
I also knew what he wasn’t saying. I knew he was worried he wouldn’t make it, that he’d give up his life for me. What he didn’t know was that I wouldn’t let that happen. He would not lose his life trying to save mine.
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