by Mae Doyle
Well, it’s not that our staff thinks we’re angels, exactly, but that’s still no reason to push it with them.
“Geez, woman, you trying to get someone to calm the cops? Chill the fuck out.” I kick a chair out from under a table and drop her down into it, sitting down next to her right away. I don’t want to have to manhandle her to get her to pay attention, for fuck’s sake.
She’s breathing hard, her chest bright red and splotchy, and I swear, there are tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. “Why would you do this to me?”
“Marry you? Trust me, Hannah, you’re not the sweet dream that most guys want. Fuck, you’re a handful.” I run a hand through my hair and eyeball her. She’s a mess, sure, but she’s still hot as fuck.
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to marry you.”
“Newsflash, darling, I don’t want to marry you either, but family calls, and I’m going to do what they ask me to. If you want to try to enjoy this with me, that’d be great.” She doesn’t move and I sigh, reaching deep into my pocket and then slamming a small box on the table.
Her eyes dart to it but she doesn’t reach for it. “What is that?”
Fuck, is she dense? “You know.” Before she can respond, I flip it open and turn it around so that she can see the massive diamond I picked out for her. Now I’m not so sure that she’s going to like it. She definitely seems like more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of broad, but I didn’t know it was her when I went shopping.
But women always like big diamonds and cocks, so I figure I can’t go wrong with this ring.
“I don’t want it.” She crosses her arms on her chest and tilts her chin up at me, like she’s daring me to do something.
I can hear my blood pumping in my ears. This little broad has no idea how close she is to getting some real punishment for how she’s acting. She doesn’t want it? Who the fuck does she think she is?
“Yeah, I don’t give a shit what you want.” Before she can stop me, I grab her hand and the ring, slipping it easily onto her finger. It fits perfectly.
Just like my cock in her cunt.
She’s staring at it like it’s a wild fucking animal that’s going to tear her finger off at any second. I can’t help but enjoy the way her mouth moves a little while she’s trying to think up something that she wants to say.
“Listen, Hannah, it could be worse. We had a good time the other night, and we’ll do that again. I mean, just imagine if you had to marry some asshole who couldn’t even make you cum.”
She glances up at me and pulls her hand from mine. “I wouldn’t know what that’s like.”
“You wouldn’t know? What the hell does that mean?”
She shakes her head and I put it all together. She was so tight. The way she cried out. The bit of blood on my sheets.
The realization that she had been a virgin when I took her for myself makes my lower stomach twist. Fuck, no wonder she’d been so delicious. No wonder she’d loved what I had done so much.
She’d never had anyone fucking touch her like that before.
“Well, for what it’s worth – ” I begin, but she stands up suddenly, pushing her chair back so that it clatters to the floor when she moves.
“I don’t want to hear what you’re going to say,” she tells me, glancing around the bar. Coming home was a mistake. Meeting you was a mistake. This…” she gestures around the Claw like she’s trying to take in my whole word and everything that I am. “This is all a mistake. You are a mistake.”
With that, she turns and runs for the door.
At first, I don’t realize what’s happening. I’ve never had a broad run from me like this. Usually it’s towards me, and they’re begging me to take them to bed. It takes until her hands hit the door for me to stand up and chase after her.
“Fucking hell, Hannah, get back here!” I scream at her as she struggles with the door. They’re huge and heavy, and she’s just a little thing, but she finally manages to shove it open and she bursts out onto the sidewalk.
Thank fuck she’s not screaming, but she is running.
Well, the best she can. Those fucking shoes are goddamn ridiculous and she’s not going to get very far without twisting an ankle. I hate to think of her getting hurt, but at least she wouldn’t be able to get away from me then.
Hannah glances over her shoulder at me and then screams before putting on the speed and running straight into someone.
Fuck. Now she’s done it. I pick up the pace, jogging to reach them faster, but everything happens so fucking fast that I’m left with my head spinning.
I don’t know the guy. Never seen him before in my life, but that doesn’t matter. I don’t know a lot of the assholes around here, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t need to watch out for them. His face darkens when he sees me coming and he wraps his arms around Hannah, pulling her off the sidewalk.
What the fuck?
I put on the speed now, desperate to reach them. I have to get her back, and fast, but there’s a car waiting by him with an open door. With a hard shove, he throws her into the backseat, reaching in to push her to the other side before he hops it and slams the door.
As soon as he does, the car peels away from the curb, almost hitting another care in the process, but it doesn’t slow down.
I do, and pull my pistol from the back of my pants, leveling it at the tires as the car speeds away, but it’s too late. There are too damn many people standing out here right now, and the last thing I need to do is shoot down a busy street.
Fuck. Motherfucker. As soon as I slip the gun back into my pants, I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Pops. He’s going to be pissed, but the sooner we can get on top of this, the better.
Chapter 9
Hannah
There have been a lot of times in my life when I have fucked up or wondered how big of a mistake I’ve made, but this is definitely the worst. The guy who threw me into the car didn’t even wait until we’d gone half a block before turning on me and holding a pistol in my face.
Looking down that barrel is enough to make me second guess a fuckton of my choices that I’ve made in the past, let me tell you.
“Who are you?” My voice shakes, but I’m not just going to sit here and ignore the fact that I’ve been kidnapped. Even though I hate the thought of Arlo coming for me, I know full well that he’s not going to let this stand. Not when our families are so damn keen on us getting married.
He doesn’t answer, which I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by, but he does hand me a blindfold. I take it from him and then scoff.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You want me to put this on so you can take me somewhere and kill me. No, thanks, I’d rather enjoy the view.” Ignoring the look on his face, I drop it on the seat between us and then turn to look out the window.
I don’t get to enjoy more than a block before he grabs my shoulder, his fingers digging into my skin, and turns me back around. “I’m sorry, I don’t think that I gave you a choice. Put on the blindfold or I swear to God, I will paint the inside of this car with your brains.”
Chills run through my body and I nod, picking it up and slipping it on. It does a great job blacking everything out and I immediately start to feel claustrophobic.
“Don’t you think that you could just tell me where we’re going though? I get sick on long car rides.”
He’s silent for a moment, and I think that he’s going to actually give me some information, but then something hard slams into the side of my head. Luckily, the intense pain only lasts a few seconds before I pass out.
***
What the fuck is happening? My head aches, but when I reach up to touch my temple and see if I’m bleeding, I realize that I can’t move my hands. There’s pressure on my wrists when I try to pull them up, and it makes a bit of panic rise up in me.
Forcing my eyes open, I’m surprised to see that the blindfold is gone. I guess that they thought that since I obviously can’t move, there’s no reason why I can’
t see. My ankles scream from the pressure of being tied to a chair and my stomach rumbles, but I have the distinct feeling that none of them are going to care just how hungry I am.
“Hello?” Even my voice doesn’t sound right to me, and it’s probably because my tongue is thick and heavy because I’m so thirsty. Clearing my throat, I try again. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
This time I hear movement in the corner of the room behind me. I turn my head, trying to see what’s back there, but there are huge straps across my chest keeping me pinned in place on the chair, and I can’t do more than just barely glance over my shoulder.
Footsteps, though, and they’re coming to my front, so maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe I’ll be able to get some answers.
Oh, hell, it’s the asshole from the car. He grins down at me like a sadistic fuck, and then drops to a crouch so that we’re face-to-face.
“So glad to see you up,” he says, the cheery sound of his voice grating on my nerves. “You were just a little too chatty in the car earlier, but now I’d love to hear everything you have to tell me, so spill, Hannah.”
He knows my name. Fear shoots through my body and I clench my fists. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”
This makes him laugh, and holy fuck, he looks even scarier now. He’s a big guy, with broad shoulders and a scar on his cheek. Even though he’s covered in muscle, there’s still one person I know who’s bigger and stronger.
Arlo.
I just hope that he’ll come for me and not count his lucky stars that someone threw me in their car and drove me away.
“I want to know all about the Torenti family, Hannah. I know that you’re involved with them. We saw you out with one of them on Friday and when we watched you today, we couldn’t help but notice that lovely ring you’re wearing.”
My ring. For a moment, I’m actually afraid that they may have taken it from me, and I glance down in panic, but it’s still there, still huge, still shiny. I’d breathe a sigh of relief, but I’m afraid to give this guy any ammunition that he can use against me.
“I don’t know anything about them.” I’m being honest, but it’s obvious from the look on his face that he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. “My parents got into an agreement with them and that’s how I met Arlo. Honestly.”
“Sure. You want me to believe that this giant rock on your finger is just because of a family agreement?” He scoffs and stands up, stretching. When he does, his jacket pulls up over the hem of his pants and I can’t help but catch a glance of his gun.
My blood chills.
I’ve already had that pointed in my face once, and I’m not really keen on having it happen again.
“Seriously. I don’t know anything about any of them. I met Arlo, we…” My voice trails off.
“You fucked him?” He helpfully offers for me. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“What is?”
This makes him laugh again. I want to press my hands up against my ears so that I don’t have to hear his horrible laugh. It makes my stomach clench and twist, but my hands are still tightly bound to the chair and I can’t move.
“That you’re willing to sleep around to get what you want. If nothing else, dear Hannah, maybe you’ll be able to help me enjoy the afternoon. Or you can give me some information on the Torentis. Your choice.”
He shrugs, like I really have much of a say in the matter. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t take no for an answer.” Before I even see his hand coming, he rears back and punches me, making my head spin to the side with the impact. I cry out and squint against the pain, but I can’t reach up to touch my face.
I can’t do anything.
He chuckles again and pulls a phone from his pocket. After snapping a picture of me, he gleefully types something out and then slips it back into his pants. “That should get your little fiancé on the move, I’d imagine. Nobody wants to think that they’re going to marry someone with a fucked up face, you know?”
Fuck. I can hear him, but I barely register what he’s saying. The pain from my limbs and the shocking throb in my face make it hard for me to concentrate, and I know that I can’t say anything in response.
Instead, I glare at him, but it’s hard when my vision is blurry from my tears.
He clucks his tongue at me and leans back down to whisper in my ear. “You better hope that that little text gets Arlo coming, my dear, or it’s only going to get worse for you. I’m not a very patient man, but I will give him a little time to get his shit together.”
He stands and turns like he’s going to leave, but then quickly turns back to me. “I meant to ask you, Hannah, water or dirt?”
“What?” I couldn’t have heard him right. That question makes no fucking sense.
“Water or dirt, you stupid bitch. Which do you prefer?”
I’m thirsty. So thirsty that it’s hard for me to think about anything else. “I’m so thirsty, I tell him. I’d like some water, please.”
He claps his hands together like an excited kid. “Water! Oh, I love it. Most people choose dirt, you know. Water it is.”
This time he does leave. I hear the door slam shut behind me and the sound of a bolt being slid into position.
What the fuck did I just ask for?
What the fuck is going to happen?
And more importantly – is Arlo going to come for me?
Chapter 10
Arlo
The family wasn’t far away when I called Pops, but I knew that he’d take Ma back to the house first. There wasn’t any way he was going to bring her to a place where a broad got kidnapped off main street, for fuck’s sake.
That meant that I had to wait, but it didn’t mean that I had to sit quietly and not do anything. I’m on my phone as soon as Pops and I hang up and I talk to Matty, Valentino, and Ricky before Pops and Roque make it back. They all pull up at the same time and hop out for us to meet.
The Claw is probably going to be closed for the rest of the day. Matty hangs a sign on the door and we all file in, pulling up chairs to talk.
“Tell me again what you saw.” I swear to fuck, I’ve told Pops what happened three times, but I take a deep breath and walk through it again. Everyone listens and nods as I speak, but when I finish, none of us know what to say.
Or where to start.
“You didn’t recognize him at all?” Roque asks.
A flash of anger flares in me. “That’s what I fucking said, Roque. No idea who the prick was. He was there when she was running, grabbed her, and drove off.”
“Wouldn’t have happened if you had had her under control,” he shoots back and I slam my hands on the table and stand up.
He wants to go? So do I. It sounds a hell of a lot better than just sitting here and hoping that she’s going to be brought back.
“Fucking calm down, Christ, it’s like you two are babies again.” Pops slams his hand on the table and I slowly sit back down. “We’re all on the same page here. We’re going to get her back,” he says, pointing at me. “And you have no room to talk about fucking up with a broad,” he tells Roque with a scowl.
“Did you happen to see the plate?” Ricky and Valentino already have their phones out, and I know that they’re just itching to reach out to their contacts for help, but when I shake my head, they both frown.
“It was fast,” I tell them.
Ricky nods. “As soon as they contact you, you just let us all know. We’ll find out where they are, okay?”
“I know, but I haven’t heard anything.” As if to prove my point, I take my phone from my pocket and flip it onto the table. It immediately buzzes once for a text. Swiping my thumb across it, I open it and my stomach turns.
Hannah’s got blood dripping down her cheek. Her face is turned slightly away from the camera, but even from this angle it’s easy to see the pain in her eyes. She’s tied to a chair and I can see that she’s trying to reach up to touch her face but her wrists ar
e bound too tightly.
“For fuck’s sake.” Pops grabs the phone from me and then turns it so that everyone can see my broad all tied up. “Who the fuck did this shit?”
I grab the phone back and scroll down to see if there’s any text. If they didn’t give instructions, then we are really and truly fucked and I might as well kiss the thought of seeing Hannah again goodbye.
“He gave us the address for where to pick her up.” It’s not on this side of town, and I’m not particularly familiar with it, but when I read it off, Matty nods.
“I know where that is. There’s a bunch of factories and warehouses in that area, so he probably has her stashed in one of them. It won’t be a problem to find her, okay?” He’s doing his best to remain calm and talk me off of the edge, and I nod at him.
“Good. Okay. We have to get her ASAP.” I have all the information that I need, and I push back my chair to stand up, but Pops reaches out and puts his hand on my arm to stop me.
“You didn’t say what they want.” Ever the businessman. He knows that we need to get Hannah back as quickly as possible, but that we also need to make sure that we have our ducks in a row. There’s no use bursting in there with guns blazing if we don’t know what we’re going to be getting ourselves into.
“Money. But that’s not going to be an option.” It’s never an option, not with our family. No matter what shit they think they may be able to pull, nobody’s ever been able to get money out of us. We win. It’s what we do, and this fucker obviously didn’t do his research on the Torenti family if he thought that this situation was going to be any different.
“Good.” Pops sighs, and I get the feeling that we’re all in for a long morning. None of us will rest or go home until we have Hannah safe and with me. I’m the only one who can keep her safe right now, and that thought makes my cock swell in my pants.
Fuck. Now is not the time.
“I’m sure they told you to come by yourself, am I right?” Roque’s asking the question that everyone wants to know the answer to.
