by Lara Swann
This was one of the issues with refusing affiliation to any of the gangs or mafia groups. It gave me independence and anonymity - but no protection and far less awareness of the subtle shifts in different cities’ underworlds. I didn’t mind that I had to work harder for some of the hits, but when I needed those things…it could be fucking perilous not to have them.
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel as I drove, heading in the broad direction of the safe house but sifting through options in my mind, trying to work out whether there was anything else I could accomplish tonight. Any way at all out of this mess.
I might not like it, but with something this big - I needed help. If it were just me, I’d disappear without another thought. But Alessa was a witness, so I couldn’t leave her behind - and if my options were to kill her, disappear with her or to figure this out and get the Russian’s off my back…
Why did the last seem like the easy option?
I ignored that thought and ground my teeth together for a minute, before finally giving up and punching a familiar number into my phone. The ringing echoed through the car on a too-loud bluetooth, but I didn’t turn it down as I called the one person who wouldn’t turn me away. Probably.
The only stroke of luck I had was that this had all happened in NYC. The one place I had any sort of support network at all. Or rather, a support person. The guy who’d watched my callous gang killings, picked me up off the streets, put a gun in my hand - and then shown me how to actually use it.
I hated all form of attachment, but if there was one guy I could make an exception for, it would be Jay. And we’d done enough for each other over the years that he wouldn’t turn me away. Or not immediately, anyway.
The car’s stereo continued its dull tone as I tapped at the steering wheel again, uncharacteristic impatience taking me. Then I heard it click off and I cursed. No answer.
My fingers were redialing before I could stop them and then the speakers flared to life again, giving me another slow minute of wretched anticipation before it cut off in exactly the same way. It had been pointless to try again - Jay wasn’t the kind of guy you could reach through dumb persistence - but this whole situation was getting the better of me.
He was probably out tonight, doing who-knew-what for god-knew-who as usual.
I ground my teeth together and accelerated back home - I’d have to call around tomorrow and hope for the best.
With a sigh, I glanced at the pizza sitting next to me on the passenger seat and wondered whether Alessa would be interested in a midnight snack. The idea of trying to sleep tonight didn’t sound fun, even if my pounding headache was telling me I needed to.
Chapter Five
Alessa
Footsteps coming down the hallway drew me out of the half-doze I’d fallen into, and I sprang up immediately as sudden adrenaline raced through me.
I had no idea what time it was - late enough for my watchful vigil to have given way to slumping down against the wall and drifting off - but he was back.
I gripped the dry wood of the broken desk leg tighter in my hand and tried not to let my nerves get the best of me. One quick look around the destroyed room made it clear that I could hardly take this back now.
A knock on the door beside me had me jumping out of my skin and I forced myself to calm down, tensing my body in readiness to spring as soon as it opened. I stayed silent and hoped he’d just assume I was asleep - and open the door to check on me.
Please, please, come in…
Nothing for several long moments.
Then the door opened and propelled me into action. I swung with all my strength, launching myself at him as best I could and bringing the makeshift club down at his head. The cuff bit into my wrist with the sharp movement, and I hissed as the sharp metal reopened the cut that had formed earlier, but I ignored the sudden flash of pain, eyes fixed on the powerful man coming through the doorway.
He reacted faster than I could have believed possible, one hand coming up to grip my wrist as his whole body turned to slam me back against the wall, pinning me there helplessly.
No, no, no—
“What the fuck?!”
I struggled uselessly as his gaze swept around the room - taking in the mess of bedding and the broken desk in one sharp gesture before turning back to me.
“What the hell are you doing?” His rough voice was lower now, with both anger and surprise.
Frustration and rage boiled up inside me, making me lash out without thinking. “What do you think I’m trying to do, asshole?”
My pulse ratcheted up within me, the beginning of fear curling through my nerves at the failure to escape, and then antagonizing him further. But I was too damn angry to care.
His baby-blue eyes narrowed as they met my glare, but the anger there had faded into a frustration of his own as he slowly took in what I’d done to the room.
“Listen, princess - I don’t know how you thought this was a good idea, but it would be a hell of a lot easier for me to just kill you and be done with it. So I suggest you start helping yourself out here.” His voice came out just above a growl, the threatening tone combining with the carefully controlled expression on his face to make me shudder.
“So why haven’t you then?” The challenge came without thought - I hated the idea of letting this man scare me, and more than that, I didn’t understand why he was doing any of this.
If it was better for him to kill me, why was I still alive?
The question made him pause for a long moment, and I felt myself start sweating as I considered all the reasons that was a stupid question to ask.
When he finally replied, I caught the hint of an ironic smile on his full lips, and he leaned close to me as he spoke. “Right now, princess, I’m wondering the same thing. Do you really want to make me think about it?”
I swallowed and glanced away from him as my body finally noticed just how close we were, his deep voice stirring something within me even as I struggled to think past the fear and confusion of the situation.
Instead, I shifted under his grip, trying to relieve the discomfort of having my arm forced up above my head while tension bit into my other wrist from the cuff - but his hard body pressed me back immediately, that easy strength making my struggles useless.
The small movement brought us even closer together, and the powerful warmth from his body confused my senses and had my heart catching in my throat for a few brief moments. The heat that ignited in his eyes flared through me in that same instant, and it took every ounce of willpower I had to remember where I was - and who I was with. The frustration redoubled inside me and I struggled again.
Being trapped against him like this made me feel weak and helpless. I was more surprised than I wanted to admit that he wasn’t yelling or hurting me for what I’d just tried to do, but I still couldn’t just accept this. I had to find some way out of here.
“Why are you even doing this? Why do you want to kill me, or kidnap me, or any of it?! Can’t you just let me go?” My voice started out strong, but the helplessness came through at the end, and I hated that I couldn’t stop it.
Something clouded his expression for a moment, and then his face tightened - but to my surprise, he answered me.
“You’re a witness, girl. You think I’m going to let you run around telling people exactly who killed Viktor Kovalski?”
I bit my lip and shook my head quickly, as his obvious motivation finally washed over me. And with it - a chance. “I won’t tell anyone. Just let me go, I won’t—”
The humorless laugh hit me like a slap in the face, but when I looked up at him the contempt in his eyes shifted into something resembling amusement. He raised an eyebrow and cast another look around what I’d done to the place.
“And you seemed like you had a little more intelligence than that…”
I flushed at the insult, anger overtaking the fear again.
Of course. Of course he wouldn’t believe me. He wouldn’t let me go just on m
y word. But he didn’t have to be such a bastard about it - it had been worth a shot.
“So what are you going to do then? You can’t just keep me here forever—” Can he? “My—my father will find me—”
“Mm, your father.” His hand tucked a lock of hair back behind my ear, finger lightly brushing my temple and distracting me as I watched his lips produce that intoxicating drawl in his voice. I wanted to be repulsed - to flinch away from the touch - but it was all I could do not to lean into it. His voice brought me back again. “Unfortunately he’s not at the top of my concerns right now, princess—”
“Stop calling me that! My name is Alessa.” I snapped, his attitude provoking me too far.
“But that’s what you are, isn’t it? An Italian Mafia princess. And since you don’t seem able to go more than a few minutes without mentioning your daddy, it’s only polite to let you know that I haven’t forgotten, hmm?”
I glared at him, body tensing as I wished I could reach out and try striking him again. It didn’t matter that I’d dropped the desk leg in the initial scuffle or that I’d get nowhere against his strength - it would still be immensely satisfying. He gave me a cocky smile and I hated him even more for how good that made his handsome features look. Bastard.
Then the smile died as he considered me seriously for a moment.
“I’m not going to lie, girl - my job went to shit. You weren’t supposed to be there. I wasn’t even trying to kill Viktor. So, yes, I can’t keep you here forever - but until I find out who set me up and can give them to the Kovalski’s to beat on, you’re stuck here with me. And since I’m under a helluva lot of stress right now, I suggest this is the last stunt you try to pull.”
Our gazes locked for a moment, and the way my body reacted to that intensity disturbed me more than I wanted to admit. His warning was almost lost in that surge of confusing emotions, and I tried to pull away from the heat of his body against mine, wanting to focus on his intentions - and what that meant for me.
“And…and if you don’t find…whoever it is?” I regretted jumping to the worst case scenario almost immediately, but my mind wouldn’t stop going there. I had to know.
His eyes darkened briefly, and his voice matched that gaze as my breath caught. “I’m very good at what I do, Alessa - but if things go wrong…well, I suggest you keep hoping that your daddy finds you.”
A shudder ran through me and his expression eased as he noticed, but he didn’t say anything to offer comfort - not that I would have taken it from the murderer-slash-kidnapper who was threatening me anyway. Instead, his gaze lingered on my face, and the slow heat that was building underneath the tension and fear became a distraction in itself. He paused there with his eyes on my mouth in a way that made my blood tick up, anticipating the moment when he leaned forward and—
Stop it!
I flushed red as my pulse beat hard in my neck and made it hard to think about anything other than his hot gaze on my skin.
He’s just taken you because you’re a witness. That’s what he said. Nothing else. No need to fear…anything you’ve been thinking about.
“So you’re not…you’re not going to…” I bit down on my tongue hard to stop myself from finishing that sentence, cursing at the way my brain-to-mouth filter had abandoned me tonight. I couldn’t help it though - everything about him was screaming how much more he intended to do to me, and not knowing whether to be terrified or…something else…was driving me crazy.
“To what?” His brow furrowed slightly, a blank expression slipping over the heat of a moment before.
You’re really going to make me say it?
My gaze slipped past his for a moment, hovering on a spot on the opposite wall before darting back to him, trying to look defiant and angry.
“I’ve seen the way you look at me.”
He blinked, and I saw the open surprise across his face as he realized what I was implying - before it shifted to obvious anger. “Fuck.”
The hand resting next to me clenched into a fist and he took a deep breath. When his gaze returned to me, the heat there radiated danger and intensity, but the cocky smile made it obvious he’d regained control - and turned that look into something almost seductive. He ran his eyes up and down my body and I had to lean back against the wall as my knees weakened.
“I’ve looked at you the same way any hot-blooded man with eyes would, princess.” His hand curled through my hair and I bit my lip as he leaned in to murmur against my ear. “But I don’t touch women like that - I don’t have to.”
From the way he was making my heart jump against my chest, I believed him. The bastard had kidnapped me and still managed to reduce me to a puddle on the floor - god help any ordinary woman.
He glanced up at me, mouth inches from mine with a knowing look that told me he saw exactly what he was doing to me.
“Unless of course, that’s what you’d like?” The seductive growl made me shudder and for one terrifying moment, I thought I was going to say yes.
But the shock of that was enough to have me jerking back, scowling at him as I reminded myself about everything that had happened.
How dare he?!
“You killed my fiance!” I injected all the outrage I could find into my voice, relieved to finally start feeling some of it again.
The amused smirk was still on his face, and his hand wandered down to the side of my neck, tilting my head up to him.
“I’m not hearing no.” The low whisper made me shudder again, but this time I couldn’t tell whether it was from pleasure or anger.
“No!” I snapped it at him, jerking away from his touch and trying to feel disgusted by the advance. Arrogant bastard. He’d killed the man I was going to marry, and now he thought that I was just going to fall at his feet?
You were falling at his feet.
I silenced the errant voice at the back of my mind - I was just confused, that was all. Confused and tired as hell, and he was taking advantage, damn it.
He withdrew slowly, still looking at me intently, with that infuriating smirk on his lips. “Then no, I won’t touch you, baby. I’m not the kind of guy who needs to force a woman.”
He finally let go of the hand above my head and I brought it down against my chest, shaking it out and glaring at him. He glanced around the room again, and then his mood clearly shifted back to business. The traitorous part of me was disappointed, but I knew I needed to do the same - take a step back, process, then work out what to do with all this new information.
He pulled out the key to the handcuffs and then cursed as he looked down at my wrist for the first time. “Fuck, Alessa - what did you do to yourself?”
My attention finally returned to my stinging wrist and I winced as I saw the dried blood there, scowling back at him. “What did I do? You’re the one who left me like this, asshole.”
“You were supposed to go to sleep.” His muttered comment was followed by a light sigh and for a brief moment, I got the impression that he was as tired as I was. Then it passed and he shook his head, fitting the key into the metal cuffs and opening them in one smooth movement.
I brought my arm up and moved it around, something about the sudden freedom making me want to use it immediately. The shallow cut opened again as I flexed my wrist and I hissed at the pain. He reached for it, but I clutched it to my chest and continued to shoot daggers at him instead.
That’s it. Stay angry. If you’re angry, you can’t be—
“Well, if you’re done with all this,” he gestured around the room, “there’s pizza in the kitchen.”
“I’m not hungry.” My voice sounded petulant even to my own ears, and I was pretty sure my words were a lie. Sure, it was after midnight and my body wasn’t complaining about food - but I hadn’t eaten much all day, and I was starting to notice how weak I felt.
But there was something in me that resisted anyway. I didn’t want anything from him - pizza, or anything else. He’d kidnapped me and my feelings towards him were already c
onflicted - they didn’t need anything else confusing them. I needed to stay angry, and keep reminding myself of who he was. It seemed like that was the only way I wasn’t going to do something utterly stupid.
“Okay,” he shrugged and moved towards the doorway, “you can watch me eat then.”
“I will not—”
“You think I’m going to leave you alone again?” His chuckle had an amused lilt to it that only annoyed me more, but when it became obvious he wasn’t going to let me stay behind, I grunted in irritation and followed him through the narrow corridor.
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen wasn’t anything to look at - a small space with only basic appliances and a square table set against one wall. The pizza box rested on the table and I flopped down into one of the chairs with a harrumph, folding my arms to make it clear that I didn’t appreciate being dragged out here.
My not-so-silent protest only received an amused glance from my captor, which riled me even further as he turned to rattle around in one of the cupboards, showing little interest in the pizza we’d come out here for. I, on the other hand, glanced over at it and started to regret my earlier refusal. Something to eat would be nice, but now that it was wrapped up in my defiance, the simple act of grabbing a piece of pizza meant I would be giving in. And my pride wouldn’t let me do that.
Caught up in my internal debate, the slap of something hitting the table startled me - as did my kidnapper pulling up a chair close to me.
“Here, I’ll take care of that cut.” He reached for my arm again, and gestured to the first aid kit now sitting beside me.
“I’ll do it!” I pulled back instinctively, refusing to let him touch me as I scowled.
He looked dubiously at my arm and for a moment it looked like he would argue, but then he shrugged and moved around to the other side of the table.
He opened the pizza box and started eating, the distinctive greasy smell waking up my stomach and making me shift uncomfortably on my seat.
At least now you have something else to think about.
