Chasing Fire (The Fire Duet Book 1)

by Billie Lustig

Fuck, he shouldn’t be allowed to smile.

  This man must have broken a hundred hearts in his life. His arms look strong and rock hard even when he relaxes them against the sides of his chair. I turn my face towards Liam, breaking eye contact with Kane. I know I should just shut the fuck up and not poke the angry bear even more, but I can’t help myself.

  I never can.

  The funny flutter in my stomach doesn’t just calm me down, but it also raises my confidence. It makes me feel like I’m sky high, and I have nothing to fear, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “Maybe we should throw a party on this damn boat. Lighten the mood a little,” I joke to break the thick tension in the room. They both turn their gazes towards me, and I give them a small smile. They don’t respond, both keeping their eyes locked on mine. While Kane’s expression is dark but amused in an evil way, Liam’s face fills with aggravation just by hearing my voice. It is like two wolves staring down their next supper. It is unsettling and frankly a little unfair since there are two of them and only one of me. It makes me more on edge than just having to deal with Kane. Kane having a thing for my pussy gives me a small advantage when it comes to him, but Liam hates me to the core simply because my last name is Reyes. Sitting here with them is like eating breakfast with two vicious dogs. I never know when one of them is going to bite.

  Or how hard.

  “Yacht. It’s a yacht.” Kane gives me a mocking smile, and I roll my eyes in response.

  What is it with this guy and his ‘yacht’? I decide not to respond, because I know that is exactly what he’s after. I don’t know the man very well, but in the last twenty-four hours, I’ve found out that he likes to push buttons. He tests how far he can cross boundaries.

  He was ogling you while you were in the tub. He fucking breaks boundaries, girl.

  It’s true, Kane likes to obliterate boundaries, making them nonexistent, but still, he isn’t the one I fear.

  It’s Liam.

  He’s stayed out of my way most of the time. In fact, during the last few days, I only saw him at breakfast and dinner. But I never know when he will lash out.

  Like a viper.

  Like he did ten minutes ago. I’m sure he doesn’t touch me because of Kane, but there is no doubt that he wants to snap my neck.

  “I’ll throw a party when you’re off my fucking yacht.” Liam finally scowls.

  “Liam,” Kane reprimands in a deep rumble. He does his best to maintain a poker face around me, doing his best to make me feel insignificant, but the defending tone of his voice tells it all. The amount of times his eyes find me gives it all away. My body betrays me, but his eyes do exactly the same. Although he does his best effort to hide it, I’m not the only one with a lingering appetite.

  “Revenge, leverage, or information?”

  They both lower their cutlery and stop chewing, startled by my bold question. Prisoners don’t get answers. Prisoners don’t deserve answers. I know this, but I’m not your regular captive.

  Liam narrows his eyes, just staring at me. They probably aren’t going to share shit, but I’m curious enough to try.

  “Why am I here?” I press again.

  “Does it matter?” Liam barks before he swallows the food in his mouth. I’ve clearly hit a nerve by having the guts to ask for information. The movement in his neck as he eats makes it visible how strong his physique is. I can actually imagine him biting someone’s head off.

  I place my mug on the table while keeping my face straight, doing my best to hide my eagerness.

  “It does. You see … if you’re about to kill me as revenge, I suggest you get it over with. Although I highly doubt that’s your plan because you could have just put a bullet through my brain when you slept with me instead of knocking me out by a few of your guard dogs and putting me on a boat. If it’s information you want, I can already tell you I don’t have any. And if I did, you may as well kill me now because I won’t break. But that isn’t logical either, because why would you give me a nice room and all? Unless you hope to gain information by earning my trust. But if that’s the case, it would’ve been less trouble if you’d just seduced me in to your bed after a night of clubbing.” Instinctively, my eyes move to Kane while saying that last sentence. My cheeks heat at the thought of his bed, but it’s too late to take the words back. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it, but I did, so now I’ll just have to roll with it.

  His eyebrows move up, the look in his eyes changing from aroused to straight up lustful.

  The change is so subtle, I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t seen it before. But I do because when he had his fingers between my thighs last night, he was wearing the same look.

  “You want me to seduce you?”

  I chuckle even though I want to smack the smug expression off his face. I’m not going to confirm or deny anything, but he’s not wrong.

  He shoves his plate to the center of the table, then leans back in his chair, clearly finding this conversation more interesting than his food. Liam does the same while his eyes keep their focus on me.

  “So it’s leverage,” I conclude, ignoring Kane’s question. “My dad has something you want.”

  “You talk a lot,” Liam grumbles.

  “Yeah, I know.” I shrug, my lip curled into a smirk like the smartass that I am. “What does he have?”

  Kane leans forward, his arms resting on the table as hostility washes over his face, and I seriously wonder if he is going to slap me.

  “Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over.”

  I tilt my head at his insult. He tries to portray me as incapable, naïve, and weak, but we both know I’m none of those. I just proved to him a few days ago that I’m not some pretty little girl. I’m scared to death he might kill me, but I’m not some little girl.

  “This ‘pretty little head’ killed three of your men in less than two minutes. So I would say I’m not that little.”

  Liam lets out a devilish chuckle.

  “Damn, I wish you didn’t make that agreement. I would love to fuck that sassy mouth of hers.” Kane’s face tenses at his brother’s comment, but I’m quicker with my response.

  “Don’t pretend you’d ever rape a woman,” I snap.

  I am absolutely filled with anger at his remark. If I was a dragon, this would be the point where I would be spitting fireballs. I know this is all part of the crime lord act, but I don’t appreciate the subtle threat. Him trying to intimidate me, but I don’t appreciate the subtle threat. If he thinks he can cause me fear by threatening to rape me, he’s fucking wrong. It’s a power play, and I’m not having that. I’m calling his fucking bluff. I don’t know a lot about the Carrillo brothers other than what I’ve seen this last week, but having psychopath Fernando grace me with his visit this morning taught me one thing: They are evil as fuck, but they are not sadistic psychopaths.

  He freezes, and all I can see is him clenching his jaw in hostility.

  “Maybe I’ll make you my first.” Liam wears the same look Kane does, and I realize I’m in some serious trouble. I refuse to back down now, though. I picked this battle, I will fucking finish it.

  Not sure if it will end without a fresh black eye, but I’m going for it, anyway.

  “Nah, you won’t,” I explain, full of sass, bluffing my ass off like I’m empty handed in a poker game. I don’t know where my boldness comes from, and to be honest, I’m a little anxious about what I’m saying, but my ego is too big to shut up.

  “You’re the best in your world, and according to some, you’re the best in the world. You thrive on power, and you’re sitting on the top of your throne, even if it was built with arrogance. You demand respect but prefer to earn it by compelling people to respect you instead of forcing them. It hurts your ego if people refuse and you have to force it. You want everyone to know and accept that you are the king, rather than have to explain it to them. And you don’t rape women because your ego is too big to accept the conclusion that rap
ing someone must mean there is someone out there who would reject you.”

  Liam keeps his gaze on me without saying a word. I move my eyes back to Kane, who is looking at me with a pleased grin.

  “You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” Liam hisses.

  “This is about me, my life. So don’t you think I have the right to know?” I come full circle to my original question. “To know what my life is worth this time?” I almost spit out the last sentence because I’m sick of not knowing why I am here and what it is that was worth taking me hostage. What meaningless object has the same price as my life. The look in his eyes changes to the cold, heartless crime lord that he is, changing the energy in the room like a thunderstorm suddenly moving in.

  Fuck, here it comes.

  My heart falls to my stomach at the sudden change of the situation. I feel it racing against my ribcage.

  I never learn.

  I know I’m playing with fire. This man has probably never been questioned in his entire adult life, yet here I am, a perky little redhead grilling him like I’m his mother.

  Liam rises to his feet, hovering above me, leaning on the dining room table just like his baby brother did minutes ago.

  I can see the veins in his neck getting thicker with his rising anger, his blue eyes getting so dark they are almost black.

  I know people are scared to death of this man. I know he is a serious threat, but my attitude just doesn’t seem to care about that. There is just as much fear in me as there is desire to backtalk to him. The angel on my shoulder wants to crawl under the table and cry, but my devil friends are scowling fiercely while raising their pitchforks in the air as if he is no match to me.

  “You have no rights. You are our prisoner and nothing more. You will do as you’re told, and you will be grateful that we feed you and give you a nice bedroom. Talk to me about rights or any other bullshit again, and I will throw you back into that cell and give my men the key. You got it?” He didn’t raise his voice, but he didn’t need to. It’s like he gets bigger the longer he keeps staring at me. His piercing eyes telling me he isn’t playing games.

  I stay quiet while I hold his gaze. I know this is not the time to speak, but I will not back down like a dog with its tail between its legs. I have too much pride for that. I keep looking at him, summoning every ounce of strength I can find in my body. His nostrils flare like a raging bull, and it takes everything I have not to break eye contact.

  “Liam.”

  Liam’s face snaps back to his baby brother, and I silently take a relieved breath.

  “Don’t you fucking defend her,” Liam growls.

  Kane just stares at his brother until he shoves his chair back and storms out.

  I let out another relieved breath before I notice the displeased look on Kane’s face. Shit.

  “You snuck out last night.” His lips press together like he is doing his best to keep his mouth from blurting out shit he may regret. I keep quiet for a while, not knowing what to say. The corner of my mouth rises a little while I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

  Why the fuck does he even care?

  “I didn’t take you for a cuddler,” I mock.

  “I’m not.”

  “I figured, so I guess I did you a favor,” I remark like a smartass.

  “Don’t do it again,” he rumbles. His face is stern, but I can see a spark in his eyes. His blue eyes darkening the same way they did last night. When his pants came off. The palpable tension of Liam’s aggression is replaced by a sexual one in the blink of an eye.

  He wants more. He looks like he is going to throw me on this table and fuck me until I scream. The thought takes my fucking breath away. I’m not going to walk into that trap again, though. I need to focus on survival, not getting fucked into oblivion. The smart thing is to shut up and just agree with him silently. Sometimes I’m not smart, though.

  I am stubborn and impulsive.

  “Don’t do what exactly?” I ask boldly. Not only did I freak out when I woke up in her arms in the middle of the night, but I also thought I’d done him a favor by leaving. Making things less awkward by just going back to my own room. Pretending it didn’t happen. You know, us being enemies and all. But the look on his face makes one thing clear right now: he isn’t done with me.

  Too bad. I’m not crossing that line again.

  His face softens a little, and an arrogant smirk appears on his face. He moves forward and rests his arms on the table. His muscular torso distracts me, reminding me how good he felt on top of me. How his weight between my legs gave me the explosion no man has ever given me before.

  Multiple times.

  “Leave without permission.”

  “Excuse me?” I blurt out sharply, his comment pulling me from my memory, bringing my rage from a zero to a hundred in a split second. “I already told you. I don’t ask permission, asshole,” I snap, leaning forward in challenge like he does as I slam my fist on the table.

  “You’re sexy when you’re mad, do you know that?” The smirk on his face makes me want to punch the motherfucker. I hate him, because I hate the effect he has on me.

  “Whatever. What happened last night was a one-time thing. Don’t think you can summon me or make me ask for permission. Ever! I’d rather die.”

  “Be careful, Callie. That may just happen.”

  I lock my angry gaze with his.

  “Then. Do. It.”

  These brothers should scare the shit out of me. I know what they are capable of. I know they don’t hesitate to kill anyone. But I know he is full of shit about this. He isn’t going to hurt me. He isn’t going to let anything happen to me.

  He still wants me.

  He still needs me.

  He answers with his silence, but he doesn’t seem provoked in any way. He actually looks amused.

  “Exactly. You won’t do shit.” I scowl. We continue glaring at each other, like we are in an intense stare off. This is fucking ridiculous. Every second that passes by makes it harder for me to keep a straight face, but I refuse to give in. It feels like the temperature in the room is rising again, and I feel my heart racing.

  But this time it’s not due to fear.

  “What does my father have?” He didn’t answer me the first time I asked, but maybe after last night he’ll be more willing to share.

  His eyes narrow in response, his jaw clenched as he gets up. I don’t understand why that hit a nerve. Whatever my father took from him, it must have been personal.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Let’s go where?” I ask skeptically. If he’s going to torture me, I’m not going to go willingly. If he is demanding sex, I’m not going to give that willingly either.

  Probably.

  “Let’s go,” he growls, looking at my pissed off face.

  “What did we just talk about?” I cock an eyebrow. I don’t know where my bravery comes from considering the man throws knives at my head on a daily basis, but then again maybe it’s just stupidity. But I have zero tolerance for commands, and blind obedience is not in my vocabulary the majority of the time. My father hates that as well. Junior always does whatever he says. No questions asked. That has never been my nature. I want to know what I’m doing and why.

  I don’t follow anyone blindly.

  “Please.” His voice is deep and raw, and he barely gets the word past his lips. He struggled to get it out, but he got it out, anyway. I try to hide the amused surprise from my face.

  I fail.

  I choose to take this as a win and get up before I follow him out the door and into the hallway leading to the deck. His back is wide and looks hard as steel. My hands are aching to touch it, wondering if the scratches from my nails are still visible on his soft skin. Like a tiger, I want to pierce my claws into his body.

  “Where are we going?”

  He quickly spins around and pushes me against the hallway wall with one arm before he cages me in, his body pressed against mine. The move is so sudden; I have no time to
react. I can feel his hardness between my legs as he bends his knees a little bit. My breathing speeds up while I look up into his ocean blue eyes. They look playful, and I have to restrain myself from kissing him when he brushes his nose against mine. I can tell he is freshly shaved because there isn’t a single hair visible on his jaw, and though I want to rub my fingers against his skin, I keep them hanging beside my body.

  “You ask a lot of questions,” he whispers as his hand snakes under my shirt and strokes the skin on my lower back. The feeling of his hands on my body is addicting. Like a drug, one soft touch from him makes me ache for more instantly. The sensations his touch elicit cloud my head within seconds.

  “You already know that. Better get used to it,” I huff boldly, trying to keep my head together. I narrow my eyes at him, trying to provoke him with a look. The feeling of his breath fanning my face makes it hard for me to concentrate.

  He moves back a little, locking his eyes with mine. His gaze is intimidating, and his energy seems to intensify, like he is angry at my comment. I don’t know if he is going to strangle me or kiss me. Finally, a grin appears on his face before he tells me, “I’m showing you the rest of the yacht.”

  I let out a breath, relieved I didn’t have to fight my way out of his grip, yet disappointed at the same time that his mouth is not covering mine. He lets me go and starts walking away from me.

  “You’re what?” I’m confused, but I follow after him. He stops in his tracks and faces me again.

  “You said you needed something to do, right? I’m showing you the rest of the yacht so you can find something to do during the day.”

  “You’re letting me walk around?”

  “Sure.” He shrugs.

  My lips thin at his boyish grin, wondering if there is a catch. When he is being like this, he is so easy to be around. Like he’s just some guy I met at a club, and we hit it off.

  “During the day? So I can’t walk around at night? You’re setting a curfew for me?”

  His grin gets even wider.

  “We both know you will be occupied at night.” He winks before he turns around and starts moving. “Let’s go!”

  He did not just say that to me. My eyes widen. If this was a cartoon, this would be the point where I literally drop my jaw on the floor with a loud bang. I want to smack the back of his head for making that assumption, but the tingly feeling between my thighs suggests I really want to do something else.