“So you kill for him. You protect a man who is a criminal.” My mouth was starting to run away with me.
I wasn’t surprised by what he was telling me. Hell, I’d lain next to one of the men he’d killed. But hearing the words shook me. Talking about it made the reality sink in. This was too much.
“Lazar’s the head of a small but powerful family. It’s dangerous as fuck to be on the wrong side of him, but he’s loyal too and he’s given me a good life. He gave me a reason to live when my entire family was gone.” Dane hadn’t let go of my hands and he led me back to the table. We sat down. Our meal together seemed like a lifetime ago.
“You kill people, Dane.”
“I solve problems, Abby.”
“Men like Arseny are a problem for the whole fucking world. He believed like Macek, that sex slavery is the direction our business should take. He believed in stealing women from their lives and their futures, raping the fuck out of them and turning them into mindless addicts that sick shits like him could use and kill at will.” Dane was angry now, his black hair swinging forward along his jaw as he spoke. “He’d have done the same to you Abby. He’d have put a fucking needle in your arm and you’d have been gone.” He turned black eyes on me. “All the passion in you would have died Abby, and you’d have been dead before the year was out.” He put his palm to my cheek. “Lazar has no intentions of running that kind of shit. Arseny had been skimming too, stealing from us, but that wasn’t the real reason for the hit. Lazar wanted to send a clear message that prostitution is not what our people do. Or will ever do. He has daughters of his own…so does Nic.”
I looked into Dane’s eyes and I knew he was telling me the truth. I was also very sure that Arseny was only one of…of how many others? How many had Dane killed and had they all deserved it so much? Were all of them problems for the world…or just for Dane and his kind of people. Uncertainty ran through me, leaving a cold trail behind. I was so out of my depth here.
“So why did Cutter come to find you? You wanted him to think I was a prostitute,” I said uncomfortably. “I could tell you needed me to play alo…”
“And you did it disturbingly well,” Dane said thickly. “You’ll never be so close to that fucking prick again. Ever.” I shivered.
“Do you think he knows, that he suspects something? Did he see me in that room with…?”
“He couldn’t have seen. But he suspects. We need to get the fuck out of here, soon. I need to get to the boss before he does and tell Lazar the truth.”
“Tell that I saw you?! That I witnessed you committing murder?” Panic rose and I stood from my chair looking at Dane with a mixture of anger and fear.
“I don’t care for that word and I don’t like your tone,” Dane said, too quietly. “Sit back down.”
I obeyed, irritably, wondering why I always seemed to do what he told me… Because I never had any other choice, I thought darkly.
Dane rose, picking up his unfinished drink and tossed it down. He walked the length of the room and back to the fire. He watched it burn in silence and I watched him. We’d been so close such a short time ago. A picture of us together in the bed, naked and entwined flickered in my mind. That was how the evening was going to end, before Cutter came. I’d wanted Dane more than anything. Now I felt cold and distant, the way someone feels alone in a room with a dangerous stranger.
Dane turned on the fire and walked to the telephone. Picking up the receiver, he dialed and waited only a moment. “Concierge please.” He rested his eyes on me as he spoke. “Jimmy. It’s me again.”
“Yes, the stay has been fine. We find we’ll be leaving earlier than I’d anticipated. Bring the clothes now… Yes…yes. Thank you, as always.”
Dane saw the look in my eyes. “Is Jimmy one of your people too?” I asked angrily. “Does everyone always do what you tell them?” He ignored my outburst, but stood close and looked pointedly down at me.
“I need a shower. The concierge will be bringing fresh clothes.” His gaze shifted from me to the hotel room door and he took my arm none too gently, my robe falling from my shoulders and baring my breasts.
“You’re coming with me.”
11
Dane
“Sit,” I said, indicating the side of the tub Abby had bathed in. Fuck, even when she was pissing me off I wanted her. Maybe it made me want her even more. I looked at her pulling her robe back into place and remembered catching her off her feet in the woods, how she scratched and fought me, full of passion and spirit. My cock hardened.
I stepped to the enclosed glass door of the shower and stripped off my clothes. Pissed as I was, I was hard as a rock and she was going to see me. Long and thick and hard for her.
“I’m going to shower and we’re going to dress and get the fuck out of here fast. I just need to know you haven’t slipped out on me, so you’re going to sit. The rest…,” I said, running the back of one finger down and back up the deep cleft between her breasts, “will have to wait just a little longer.”
I stood before her only one step away. She was nervous, her tits lifting and falling rapidly with her breaths. But her eyes never left me. The feeling of her eyes on my cock was hot as fuck. I wanted to pull her into the shower with me and bury myself to the hilt. Hot water and her fucking slick pussy… My cock jumped, the thick shaft thickening more. The head swelled and darkened, wanting release inside her. My balls were heavy and aching, but I loved that she couldn’t take her eyes off me. I had plans for this girl when we were safely at the compound. I was going to fuck her like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
“I…you…you’re…,” Abby stumbled, her eyes flashing between mine and the throbbing erection before her. Her anger seemed forgotten. Good. But I saw fear mixed with the desire in her clear blue eyes. Too much fear. A sudden thought bloomed in my mind. The way she was staring. I hadn’t seen it often, but I recognized the look and I suddenly realized. This girl was a fucking virgin.
“Abby,” I knelt down before her. The movement startled her. My cock was still raging. “This is new for you, Abby, isn’t it? I can see. I’m…”
“Oh my god…,” she breathed between soft full lips.
I took her face in my hands and looked in her eyes. “This isn’t happening now, Abby. Not here, not tonight. We have to leave here and soon.” She pursed those fucking hot lips slightly and her eyes slid away from mine. “But I am going to have you.” I locked her eyes back to mine. “I’m going to have every inch of you baby, and I promise you now it will be very very good. I will make sure of that.” I kissed her lightly and felt her respond. I jostled her head gently, keeping her eyes on mine. “Trust me.”
I turned away and stepped into the shower, turning the hot on full blast. I washed quickly and ran my hands through my lathered hair. Fucking hell, it felt good to be clean again. I wanted a shave, but wasn’t going to take the time. I wanted a fucking hell of a lot more than that too, but I was going to have to take my time with Abby. Time we didn’t have now. Getting Abby to safety fast mattered more than anything. We had to get to Lazar before Cutter did.
I kept an eye on her slight form through the fogged glass. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower in a swirling cloud of steam. There was a knock at the door beyond. Our clothes had arrived. Fucking Jimmy could manage anything in a pinch.
Grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my waist and cast a glance at Abby. She was silent and watching me. She looked a little less fearful, but I couldn’t read her and I didn’t like that. I left her sitting in the bathroom and brought in the bags left at our door. She wandered back into the living room and I handed her the smaller bag.
“Get dressed, sweetheart. It’s time to go.”
12
Abby
The image of him naked and primal was rioting in my head. I’d seen his arousal tight and hard in his jeans and I’d felt him as he’d crushed himself against me. But nothing had prepared me for the sight of him naked and throbbing with desire.
Tall and dark skinned with a dusting of black hair across his huge muscular chest. Hard cut abs tapered to lean hips and long powerful legs. He was the most incredible male I’d ever laid eyes on…the only male I’d ever laid eyes on…
His cock was as huge and powerful as the rest of him. I‘d been instantly soaking wet. I’d wanted to reach out for him. I wanted to touch him, to stroke him. I needed the feel and the taste of him… But how could I…would he…? Could I take so much inside me? The thought that I might be disappointing to him was terrifying.
Trust me, he had said. I took the bag he handed me and looked inside. There were jeans and a soft cream colored sweater, some basic underthings and a pair of gorgeous brown leather boots. I looked at the labels absently. This was good stuff.
Trust him. Could I trust him? I slid into lacy black panties and a matching bra. Exactly my size, I noticed and not easy to come by. These two items alone would cost more than my rent.
His eyes caressed my body as I dressed and I felt my cheeks grow warm. I saw a smile in his eyes. I pulled on the jeans and sweater. Good. Even the boots fit comfortably.
Dane had dressed fast in jeans as well, along with a black cable knit sweater and black leather boots. He looked huge and powerful, his back to me as he rummaged in his duffle bag. He pulled out a handgun that looked disturbingly like the one Cutter carried and tucked it into the back of his waistband. He was Dane the killer again, dark and beautiful and dangerous as hell. And I was headed into his world along with him.
“That’s it, Abby. We need to move.” He turned to face me. “It’s a long drive ahead of us and Cutter’s got a head start.”
“And you need to see Lazar first?” I asked, not fully understanding why. “What if Cutter just calls him? He could say that he suspects I was there … and that I’m with you now.” Dane pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder and put his heavy hands gently on my shoulders.
“Abby, I know this has been a lot to absorb.” He took one hand from me and ran his nails along his bristly jaw. “Shit, the circumstances have been all fucked up from the start. You deserve so much better. But right now we need to get to the compound. It’s…the heart of the organization. It’s the one place I can keep you safe, but we need Lazar on our side first. Cutter wants Lazar on his side but he’ll have to accomplish that in person, not with a call. We need to get to Lazar fast and he needs to meet you for himself.” He put his hand to my face, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin under my ear. That spot seemed to have a direct connect to my clit. I felt it pulse in response. “He’ll like you, and he’ll help me to protect you. Will you trust me Abby? Can you put your trust in me now?”
His thumb made its way to my mouth and I captured it with my teeth, with my lips. He’d kept me alive and wanted to continue protecting me now. I was in this whether I liked it or not and I needed this man’s help. I didn’t know a lot about the workings of the mob, but I knew that if Cutter told Lazar he suspected I was a witness, they’d send someone to put a bullet in me. For the first time it occurred to me that Dane could be in danger too. Because of me. Because he hadn’t killed me too, the night he killed Arseny. The night we first met.
I leaned up and put my hands on Dane’s hard warm chest. I remembered the safety I’d felt with him from the start, like an instinct. I felt it still.
“I trust you Dane,” I said. “I will trust you.”
His arms crushed me to his chest, hard and fast. I looked up to a wide smile that lit his whole face. My heart skipped a beat. ‘Let’s go…now,” he said, grabbing my small hand in his. “We need to move.”
We were in the Jeep and heading out fast, all the time my head still reeling. I’d put my life in his hands yet again. I tilted my head against the headrest to look at him. We were out on the highway and doubtless breaking all kinds of speed limits. He was easy in his seat, one big hand on the wheel, his legs splayed casually as he tore up the road.
“You’ve been missing from your life for a while Abby. I’ve been thinking about that. That there are people who might be looking for you,” Dane said gently. “I wanted to let you call from the hotel. I might have…and then Cutter came and things got complicated. I hope there’s no one who’ll be missing you too much by now.”
“I know... I know. My parents won’t be too worried yet, but I’ve missed some shifts at work. And I’ve missed a lot of classes. I don’t know what I would have told anyone if I had called.”
“I’m sorry Abby. Truly.”
“Arseny was the one who took me, Dane. This was all Arseny.”
“And now it’s me.”
“Now it’s you,” I said, looking at his steady hand on the wheel. “It’s okay Dane. The life I had before seems like a million years ago.” He turned to look at me and smiled.
“Tell me about who you are Abby…who you were. I want to know you. There’s so much I know nothing about. I don’t even know your last name.”
“Carson,” I said smiling, liking that he’d asked. “You know, there’s a lot about me you do know better than anyone else,” I said, brazenly reaching out to tuck his hair behind his ear. I liked when he wore it loose.
“So I was right,” he rumbled from deep in his chest. “There’s been no one. No one but me.”
‘Yes. I…I’ve dated some in college but I never, I mean, there’s been no one like that. I was too busy and they only seemed to want something fast and meaningless. It never felt right.” He squeezed my hand.
“Tell me about your life Abby. What classes do you take? What are your dreams?”
“I study art history. I moved away from my parents farm a while ago, so I’d be closer to the school. I’ve got a little apartment of my own and a job in a greasy spoon as a waitress. It’s hardly my dream, but I’ve been getting by and I’ve been able to keep up with my classwork.”
“What do you aspire to, Abby?”
“I want to work in an art museum one day,” I said with a sigh. It seemed so far away before. Even farther now.
“You have the intelligence Abby. You have the look too. Classy, sleek.” He shifted comfortably in his seat, looked at his watch and sped up even more. “You’ll like the compound. Lazar has a great interest in art. He collects…unusual paintings.”
“Oh, do you know the artists?” My breath caught. What kind of art could a man like Lazar collect…or steal? A powerful man with unlimited means and unlimited access...
“You can see for yourself when we get there. He hangs everything. No vaults for Lazar. The place looks like a museum. He says it raises us up, gives us class to be surrounded by beauty.”
“He’s right, you know. Art should be for everyone. It helps us to see beyond ourselves, our own lives and worries. It gives us a view of the world from a perspective other than our own, an opportunity for a fresh experience of familiar things.”
“That’s why Lazar needs to meet you. Why you need to meet him. In spite of who he is, I think you’ll like him. And I’m counting on him liking you.”
“Will it change things if he does?” I asked, noticing Dane sitting straighter in his seat and looking hard at the rearview mirror.
“Abby, I need you to listen. Don’t ask questions.” I heard the strain in his voice. He reached over and pulled my seat belt tighter. “I need you to keep calm and get down below the window. Get as low as you can. Put your hands over your head.” His voice was louder. “Do it Abby. Now!”
I leaned forward onto my knees, flattening myself as best I could. What in hell was happening now? I heard tires squeal behind us. Suddenly we were flying and the engine roared loud in my ears. I could see Dane from the corner of my eye. He was alert, shifting his eyes fast from road to mirror and back.
“There’s someone on our fucking tail,” his voice was deep, angry. “I can’t be sure, but I think he’s one of Macek’s.”
“Macek wants us dead?” I squeaked. Dane put a warm hand on the back of my head and pushed.
“Arseny was his. This may not be about yo
u. Keep yourself DOWN.”
I felt the Jeep swerve and accelerate hard. I could see only Dane from where I was and he was looking out his side window. I knew from the noise there was a car beside us. We swerved again toward it and that’s when I heard gunfire break.
Rapid blasts came fast never letting up. That was automatic fire. The window was hit and the clear glass crazed opaque. I saw Dane’s head jerk toward me and my pounding heart lurched sickly in my chest. Was he hit…had Dane been shot?
“Abby, get the gun from behind me. Give it to me…now!” He leaned forward, his intensity on the road. I reached behind him and grabbed the gun from his waistband and put it in his open hand. “That’s my fucking girl,” he roared, knocking the remaining glass from the window with the barrel and firing at the same time.
My ears rang with the sound. There was smoke and an acrid taste in my mouth. I’d never been next to a gun, firing at someone firing back. This was all too much, too much. The idea that Dane was killing again to save me, that he might die trying to save…
Dane fired several more rounds and I heard tires screeching. There was a moment of silence and then a crash and the sickening shriek of tearing metal. I forgot Dane’s order to stay low and I sat bolt upright, looking behind us. There was a heap over the side of the road at the bottom of the embankment rolling black smoke into the sky. We were moving so fast it was out of view in a moment. Only the column of smoke marked its place.
“You’re done mother fucker.” I heard Dane say the words softly out the window.
He put his steady hand to the back of my neck, slowing the car only slightly. He took a handful of my hair gently in his fist and turned my face to his. “You’re okay Abby. You did fine. We’re safe and it’s over. You’re okay, baby. Nothing is going to hurt you. Ever. You’re mine.”
Steal Me Page 18
