“And me?”
“You’re the Morenov princess.”
She pulled back. “I told you not to call me that.”
He ran the pad of his thumb along her lower lip. “My princess.”
Her lips were dry, her entire body heating up. God, she wanted to be his.
She gasped when an alarm sounded in the other room. Cayden was on his feet within seconds, rushing to shut the blinds. “Get down. Don’t move.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s my tripwire.” He opened the closet and pulled out an assault rifle. Cayden knew how to handle his weapons. “I’ll take care of it. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She was on the floor, stomach down, watching him rush to the door of the trailer. First, he’d kidnapped her; now he wanted to protect her. All she could think about was him getting hurt.
A few tense minutes later, she heard him call her.
She bound out of the trailer. “It was just a deer.” He pointed to the white tail scampering off. It was beautiful. This entire week in the wilderness had been an experience in itself.
The smile on her lips faded when someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her backwards, a gun to her head.
“Cayden!”
He whirled around, immediately bringing his rifle up into a shooting stance. “Let her go, asshole.”
“Back off. I don’t care about you. I just want Vasily’s girl.”
Cayden didn’t look afraid. Was he afraid of anything? “How’d you find us here?”
The man holding her chuckled. “It wasn’t easy, that’s for damn sure. There were seventeen stolen cars within thirty clicks of the factory the day you took her. Some were older models with no GPS, others were dead leads or already stripped. Then I traced the last known location of this one.” He nodded to the car they’d driven here in almost a week earlier. “And here I am. Patience pays off.”
“You alone?”
“Don’t try anything funny,” said the man.
“I just want the girl.”
He laughed. “I don’t plan to split the bounty, if that’s what you’re thinking. Not with you or anyone else.”
“Last chance. Let her go.”
“Fuck you.”
Sophia screamed when Cayden’s gun fired, deafening in the natural calm. A bullet hit the man in the leg, his weight dipping, and then she felt the spray of blood as a head shot took him out. She stood rooted in place, the body sprawled out beside her on the ground.
So much blood.
Her trigger.
Her voice stopped working, and she began to shake.
Cayden carried her inside the trailer, her mind a blur. He took her into the small bathroom with the broken toilet. He kept cursing under his breath as he turned on the shower.
She felt like a rag doll as he stripped her completely naked and helped her under the water. Sophia looked down as the blood swirled down the drain. She was too dazed to focus.
“Sophia!”
He jostled her, and she looked him in the eyes, reality slowly seeping back in. It was the story of her life. She’d go into shutdown, her survival mechanism to spare herself the horrors. Without Hawk. Without Cayden. She would be lost.
“Am I shot?”
“You’re fine. And clean.” He wrapped a towel around her as she stepped out of the shower. “Get dressed. We have to leave here now. I’m not waiting until tomorrow.”
“Where will we go?”
“I’ve tracked Hawk’s car. It’s time for you to go home.”
She didn’t have a home. Not anymore. Home was a feeling. She wanted Hawk and Cayden. Both pushed her away, supposedly for her own good.
It was an impossible dream to hope she could have both men.
Which meant she’d never be happy. Imagining life without Hawk, her rock, was indigestible. But she’d fallen in love with Cayden, despite what he’d done. She couldn’t stomach the thought of never seeing him again.
Maybe it would have been better to have gotten caught in the crossfire.
Chapter Eleven
Hawk peered under the dressing on his side, grimacing at the sight of the wound. He’d stapled himself back together in a rush, so it wasn’t going to be pretty when it healed. The bullet had gone cleanly through his side, but he’d cut off the tattoo that piece of shit had given him. He wanted no memory of Vasily. If only he could cut the memories from his head as easily.
He looked out the window of his hotel window, the sun starting to set.
“Where are you?” he murmured.
He’d told Cayden to take Sophia. It was the only way to save her. But now he couldn’t track her down. To know if she was okay.
He trusted no one. Especially with such a high bounty on her head.
Hawk picked his drink up, the ice jingling in the glass.
He’d come too close to blowing his own brains out at the factory. Luckily, he’d emptied his clip into that piece of shit Vlad first. It was hard to come to grips with his entire life being a fucking lie. Nothing made sense. He didn’t know what was real or fabricated.
The fact Vasily Morenov had killed his parents, nearly raping his mother, changed the entire game. Sophia was the daughter of his enemy. But he’d never blame her. She was nothing like that bastard.
And she was his for the taking.
If he could find her.
He sat back on the sofa with his drink, the decanter on the coffee table. The place was a disaster—thanks to his rages and refusing the cleaning service. He’d been having nightmares, waking up in cold sweats. Memories of his mother haunted him. Her sweet voice singing him to sleep, her homemade meals, her blurred smile. He had so few memories, probably to block out the trauma he’d endured at only ten years old.
He tried to remember his parents’ faces but failed. Hawk didn’t want to forget them. It was bad enough he’d never have a chance to see them again.
Everything was taken from him thanks to one man.
Vasily was a fucking monster.
Sophia had always believed it, but Hawk had sided with her father, believing he was faultless. Hawk had been told Vasily saved him. He’d always wanted to be his real son, to belong and make him proud, but there was no love, only strict discipline, training, and mandatory compliance.
Vasily ruled by fear.
It was all Hawk knew, and he never questioned the way the family was run. He’d been loyal to a fault, to the point he’d almost lost Sophia’s respect.
He wanted to right the wrongs but wasn’t sure who he was any more.
His identity, his focus, his past and future were all in upheaval. He’d have to investigate his parents’ history when the pain wasn’t so fresh. What he needed right now was Sophia’s sweet innocence. If he could focus on helping her, on being her hero, he could ignore his own pain. He needed someone familiar.
The phone rang.
It was probably hotel security wondering what all the fucking banging was earlier. He had a lot of anger he needed to vent. Anything not bolted down had been destroyed. Luckily, this was a Morenov-owned hotel. “Yeah.”
“Mr. Smith, you have a guest in the lobby. Did you want to come down or would you like me to send her up?”
“Who is it?”
“She says her name is Sophia.”
His heart skipped a beat. He bolted upright in his seat. Just hearing her name brought him to full attention, despite the alcohol in his system. It could still be a trap. The lobby was bustling, so it was a good place to meet.
“I’ll come down.”
Hawk poured the rest of his drink down the drain, splashed some water on his face, and ran his hands through his hair. He was a fucking mess, but still couldn’t wait to get his ass downstairs.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, he scanned the lobby for Sophia.
There she was.
She stood near the far wall, alone, her long, blonde hair all natural again. As he got closer, he saw her face was blotchy from cryin
g.
Once she noticed him in front of her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He draped his arms over her. “Thank God I have you back. Tell me what’s wrong, Sophia. Tell me what happened.”
She peered up at him, fresh tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. “He’s gone.”
“Who’s gone?”
“Cayden. He just dropped me off here with a room number. He wouldn’t even come in.”
“I thought he wanted his fucking cat.”
She cried again, deep sobs as her tears soaked into his shirt. What had Cayden done to her? She should hate him. She did hate him at one point.
Hawk was finding it difficult to pull up the same murderous passion now that he knew what kind of man Vasily was. Vasily Morenov had taken all their families. Made them all orphans.
“Let’s go upstairs. I have a room.” He kept his arm around her shoulder and led her to the elevator. It was surreal having her back. So much had happened. He’d nearly gotten her back last week, but then Vlad showed his true colors and he’d lost her again.
He couldn’t let her out of his sight now. Hawk needed her as much as she needed him at this point.
Hawk ushered her inside his room and closed the door. He led Sophia to the sofa and sat her down, then moved to the open kitchen.
“Can I get you something? Water, pop, tea?”
“Hawk…”
She looked at him, her face tearstained, her lower lip trembling. He didn’t want to fuck this up. His feelings for Sophia were a blur. He wanted to be her protector, the man her father expected him to be. But that asshole was a memory he wanted to wipe from his mind. He had no one to be loyal to at this point—except her.
Sophia had been through hell, and if he added his real feelings into the mix, it would break her. He had to be her rock. Had to put her first.
He reluctantly came and sat on the sofa. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. He was good to me. And he doesn’t deserve to have a hit on his head. Please, call it off.”
He nodded. “You’re safe now. There’s no reason for Antonio to go after him. I’ll call him and tell him to stop looking.”
“Thank you.”
They were both quiet. He didn’t know where to start.
“You’ve had a change of heart about him. About Cayden.”
“My father killed people he loved. He’s not a monster.”
He tilted his head, thinking, wondering. The way she spoke of Cayden now was a lot different than before. He wanted to know everything that had gone on between them but was too afraid to ask. He remembered the rumpled comforters in the basement of the factory.
“Are you still a virgin, Sophia?”
She swallowed hard, her lips parting. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Answer me.”
“We didn’t have sex, Hawk, so yes, I’m still a virgin. In fact, he was a perfect gentleman.”
Every bone in his body felt like jelly for a moment as the huge weight eased off his shoulders. He exhaled, one hurdle crossed.
“Good. You’ve been through too much. You’re probably not thinking right.”
“I’m thinking fine,” she said. “What happened with Vlad?”
He blew out a breath. “I killed him. He wasn’t who I thought he was.” He didn’t expand on the information he found out about Vasily. Sophia had issues with her father, but he wouldn’t reveal just how deep his sins reached.
“What about you, Hawk? Are you second guessing things?”
“You’re worried about me killing you or turning you over to your father’s enemies? Watch your damn mouth, Sophia. I’m here because I want to be.”
“Because of your loyalty.”
“No,” he nearly shouted. “Because of you.” His voice petered out to a whisper.
She scooted over to him, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “I want this to end. I want life to be normal.”
“We’ll meet with a lawyer tomorrow. Get things sorted. Are you going to want to move back home once things are safe?”
Sophia shook her head. “I can’t go back there. All the good memories are tainted with blood. I’ll only remember that day.”
“Then we’ll arrange a sale. Get all the paperwork together.”
“Thank you for helping me. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Vasily had thought himself invincible. Immortal. He had no plans in place for after his death. Everything would revert to his only heir.
Being there for Sophia helped him to focus on something other than his own pain. The fact his entire life had been a lie, and the man he’d loved killed his family.
“Are you hungry?”
“No, we had food on the way over.” She absently played with the collar of his shirt. Her scent was familiar, unique to her, even without the strawberry shampoo.
“Do you recognize this place?”
“Should I?”
“Your father owns it. Well, you own it now.”
“I don’t care. There are still a lot of people who want me dead. I’m not safe anywhere.”
“Who told you that?”
“Someone already tried to kill me this afternoon. That’s why Cayden brought me here. He says he’s going to go after whoever put out my contract.”
Cayden couldn’t take on Oscar Esperanza on his own. He had a small army of men working for him, and the contract wasn’t exclusive, meaning every hitman in the city wanted a piece of the three million. Then again, Cayden had managed to take out Vasily Morenov and his top men in his own home.
At least one other person seemed to care more about Sophia than the payout. Hawk should help Cayden, maybe team up and get this done, but he also couldn’t trust anyone else to watch over Sophia. He couldn’t leave her alone.
“Did you get hurt?”
“I’m fine. He killed the man and took his car. I don’t know where Cayden’s going to go. He says all the places he stays at are hot.”
“I think he can handle himself. He’s survived this long.” He didn’t want to hear about Cayden any more. Hawk was starting to get a complex. “You know what next week is?”
She took a minute before she knew what he was talking about. “Doesn’t matter.”
“You have to care. You’ll be turning twenty-five.”
Hawk got up and went to the bar.
“And my father would be planning one of my big birthday parties.” She pulled up her legs, curling up on the sofa, then tucked her hair behind her ears. “I really don’t want to think about it.”
He hated seeing her sad. She looked so fucking lost.
“We’ll do something special.” He poured his drink.
“Why are you limping? You’re hurt.”
Hawk leaned against the bar and took a swig, looking at her as he lowered the glass. “I was shot. It’s not the first time. Nothing serious.”
“Where?”
“My leg. My side.”
She jumped to her feet and rushed over to him. “Because of me.” Her hands were on him, her little fingers fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. He set his glass down and stilled her hands.
“Sophia, I’d die for you. I wouldn’t think twice.”
She cupped his face.
“I love you, Hawk. I’ll always love you.”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Sophia alone was capable of toying with his emotions. “I love you, too.”
“What kind of love?”
He slipped around her. “Let’s not do this. It’s late. I’m going to jump in the shower quick, and then you can have the bedroom.”
What was he supposed to say?
He’d been in love with her for years, keeping his real feelings bottled up because her father would never approve of him pursing her. Now he wasn’t sure which path to take. If he told her he was madly in love with her, there was no turning back. She needed a stable person in her life right now, and adding romance would only co
mplicate things. She may not even be thinking straight, just looking for love because of her grief.
He tugged off his t-shirt in the bathroom, tossing it on the floor. Then he peeled away the bandage on his side. His wound had been healing for nearly a week, but still had a long way to go. Luckily it had been one of his smallest tattoos. He’d put some antibiotic ointment on after his shower and let it air out overnight.
Once in the shower, the warm water rushing over his body, he soaped up and thought of Sophia. He was a bastard for thinking about sex when she was in such turmoil. Hawk ran his hand over his hard length, stroking his cock, imagining Sophia’s tight little virgin pussy. She was just outside in the living room, so vulnerable, so damn beautiful. He pumped his hand faster, bracing the other on the tiles. If he didn’t relieve himself, he wouldn’t be able to keep his cool around her. She was too tempting, always teasing, even if she didn’t realize it.
She knocked on the bathroom door, startling him.
“Just a minute,” he called out.
He kept jerking off, the pressure rising, his balls pulling up tight. Hawk groaned as he came, the relief instantaneous. He stayed under the water for a minute, his breath normalizing.
Hawk towel dried, then wrapped it around his waist.
He cracked open the bathroom door. “Sophia?”
She pushed her way inside, despite his body blocking the way. “Let me see,” she said. She trapped him against the counter, her eyes on the gnarly wound with the unsightly staples. “Hawk…”
“It looks worse than it is, honestly.”
She ran the tips of her fingers around the area. The room was humid and smelled like Irish Spring. “The tattoo my dad gave you. It was right here.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You said it was special.”
“It was.” Past tense.
He moved around her to the bedroom, grabbing a fresh pair of boxers and slipping them on under the towel. He rummaged through the drawers for a pair of joggers, but she wouldn’t leave him alone. She wasn’t the only victim here. Her father had done a real fucking number on him, and he’d only just discovered it.
“That doesn’t look like a gunshot wound. I’ve seen so many.”
He shrugged, stepping into his joggers, trying his damnedest to avoid her. “Look, I was lucky to get out of there alive. Okay? Let’s move on.”
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