by April Zyon
Taking her shoes, he set them aside and then advanced. Tobias was close enough now she could practically count his eyelashes. “For a fighter, you have a rather defeatist attitude, Gabriella Moreno. You’ve already given up without even trying. Which means you’ll be dead before the plane leaves the ground. You are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, setting yourself up to fail by accepting that failure is your only option. If that’s how you truly feel then you may as well walk out that door right now. I give you six blocks before your reported, another two before your picked up and three days, tops, to live. An hour if Quan gets you first and takes you to the shed for his special torture techniques.” Stepping to the side he waved a hand in the direction of the door before crossing his arms over his chest to stare at her.
“Who the hell is this Quan you keep talking about? I’ve never heard that name before I met you.” She was frustrated, and starting to become pissed off. “I’m not a defeatist, I’m a realist, you asshole. As for being a fighter, you know nothing about me. Absolutely nothing.” She wanted to reach out and punch him. God help her, but she wanted to put her fist into his freaking far too damn smug face and make him hurt as much as she was hurting right now.
“Tran Quan is your father’s new head of security. He’s ex-Special Forces and has ties to the Yakuza. His specialty was getting information from less than obliging individuals in ways not sanctioned by the UN. He ended up getting kicked out with a dishonorable discharge and barely managed to avoid Leavenworth. Exactly the sort your father wanted to keep his people in line.” Tobias moved toward her again, stalking her, it felt like. “Hit me. I know you want to, I can see it in your eyes. Do it, but you only get one free shot. Maybe it’ll help get you fired up enough to survive.”
“That was the big man that was leading my guards, wasn’t it?” She was fisting and unfisting her hands. “How the hell do you know so much about my family’s home? How can you possibly know anything about what is going on behind those walls?” She then did something she had wanted to do since she was taken, she lifted a fist and foot both, foot coming down on the inside of his knee and fist hitting him in the side of the neck instead of his head. He was far too fucking hard for her to hit anywhere else. “I shouldn’t even have been here.” She shouted at him when his knees buckled only a small bit, she would give him that. “I was supposed to remain in Ireland for another six fucking months. What if I hadn’t come home when I did?” She was shouting at him now. She was pissed, and sadly she was taking it out on him. “Would you have freaking waited all that time to get to him? What would you have done if I hadn’t been so fucking stupid as to sneak out that last night? Tell me, he who knows all, come on, tell me.”
He caught her hands when she went to beat on him again, making her angrier. Gabbie struggled while screaming incoherent words at him. In a quick move, he flipped her around to put her back to his chest with her arms crossed over her body to hold her tight against him. “We had other plans but nothing had yet panned out. We could have figured something out in time but you provided the perfect opportunity. Not a one of us even thought for a second you’d be sneaking out your first night home. Fucking hell, woman, quit fighting, you’re just exhausting yourself. We weren’t even sure it was possible to sneak out of that place given what’s happened to others who tried to break free from his hold.”
“Yeah, but I grew up in that place. I know every single nook and cranny. I know the interior walls, the hidden tunnels, all of it. I could slip in and out of that place and no one would ever know. Christ, I even know where all of the hidden thermal cameras and landmines are.” She stopped talking then. Holy fuck, had she just told him all of that in one breath? Jesus, he really had her pissed. Then again, she was feeling something else as well, something that wasn’t anger. She felt the rigid erection that he had pressed against her upper ass and lower back, felt the hard muscle of the man holding her, and fuck her sideways if she didn’t get wet from knowing that he was as affected by her as she was by him.
“You may have grown up in the house, but not in that fortress, Gabriella,” he said while she processed what was going on within herself. “You may have gotten lucky with the window and path out, but I’m betting that luck wouldn’t hold for long. Quan has overseen all security for a while now and we know from previous teams’ attempts he’s moved everything around on the inside. We haven’t yet spent enough nights watching the place to get the exact patterns down but we know there are areas they completely avoid moving through after certain times and that changes when the shifts change. It’s now a moveable maze.” Tobias loosened his hold slightly before cautiously letting her wrists go. He didn’t completely release her but she wasn’t being pressed up tight to his body any longer.
She took a breath and nodded. “You need someone that can get you in safely.” She whispered the words even as she looked down. She hadn’t moved, she liked his heat and that scared her. “Someone who can get into the security office and disable all of the alarms, someone that knows everyone in that house and knows that all of them would likely kill for her. Well, except for that Quan guy.” She then turned in his loose arms and looked up at him. “You need me.” She admitted. “You need me to be found and be in bad shape. You need for me to get you in there. You know it’s the safest route just as much as I do.”
His hands settled on her hips as he shook his head. “No. Not happening, not now, not ever. I hear you, but no,” he said in a tone that most likely would have obeyed. “Quan isn’t your father, he won’t be blinded by the ties of blood. He is a cold-blooded, murdering, psychopath. Your father at least holds some love for you because you are his child, Quan doesn’t have that dilemma. No matter what we do you’ll have to explain how you ended up outside the walls. The moment you tell them you slipped out to see your friend they’ll start hunting her, and they’ll close off your only avenue of escape. If, and that’s a big fucking if, your father keeps Quan from killing you, you’ll never leave again. Ever. You will be inside that compound until the day he marries you off to someone he wants something from, let’s them use you in whatever deranged ways they might wish, and then you’ll be shackled to that man until the day you die, held in another gilded cage like your father’s house. Not happening on my watch, Gabriella. There are other ways and we will find it. I would like your help in understanding the compound better, but that’s it and only if you are willing. You also need to know that we will not be allowing your father, Quan, or any of his other goons to live, we can’t. The rest is up to us and we’re damn fucking good at our jobs.”
She sighed and nodded. “Have you found the caves under the house? I don’t think daddy knows about them. I actually found them with Carla, they were our secret. If nothing’s shifted, there should be a way to get into the security room via the caverns.” She was still trying to help him, even knowing that he was going to kill her father. “And I’m not leaving yet. If I leave the country now someone will see me. If they catch me it will be like you said, they will marry me just to take over daddy’s empire. I’m not stupid.” She was just trying to stay alive. “Do you have any sonar equipment or even maybe a metal detector? If so, we could use it where I think that the security office might be. I say that because I know that the floor of it has a two to three feet wide metal footing because of the servers for the computers that are housed down there.”
“If we don’t have it we can get it.” He was staring at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher. “Are you sure you want to help us, Gabriella? We all will understand if you don’t, this is your father we’re talking about, after all. And we will be killing him, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Can you accept that whatever help you provide will help us to achieve that goal? If not, then I’ll get you set up upstairs where you can stay safe and off the grid until we’re done with our mission.”
She had tears falling from her eyes, but she still nodded. “Are you sure that he did what you said that he did? Positive that he’s done all these horrible t
hings?” The scenes she was shown didn’t look to be falsified but she wasn’t certain. When he nodded, she sighed, “Okay, I will help you. The only thing I ask is that you please ensure that I’m able to disappear after? I don’t know where I could possibly go that I wouldn’t be found. So, you can help me disappear after this is all over and done with. Keep me safe, or at least as safe as I can possibly be, being who I am.”
“I swear on whatever good is in still inside me that I will keep you safe, ensure you remain that way, and have a life to live when this is all over. It’s not much but it’s what I can give you right now, since you don’t know me.” He brushed a thumb over her cheek, wiping at the wetness there. “You’ve had a lousy night slash day so far, why don’t I show you to a room and you catch some sleep. The team and I need to go over some things before a couple head back out for their watch on the compound. Once they’re gone, I’ll come wake you up, we’ll feed you, and start wherever you are comfortable, at whatever pace you want, on figuring out how to breach the compound.”
“I will need hiking boots instead of my Mary Janes. If you have my pack, I should change clothes.” She took him for his word. He might be a mercenary, and she knew he was, but he was also a man of his word. How she knew that, she wasn’t certain, but she knew it deep in her soul. “I have had a shitty night and I’m asking that you please don’t put me back in that room with the chair that’s bolted to the floor.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Actual bedroom this time, promise. And your pack is already up there tucked safely away. Come on, I’ll show you.” He dropped his hand to her lower back to urge her up the stairs again. This time he pushed through a door that opened into a long hallway. Tobias then took her to the end and pushed open the last door. Instantly she knew whose room it was by the scent in the air. He pointed to her bag resting on the chair by the small dresser where a large duffel was also set. “Bathroom’s through there. It’s small but it has a shower, and so long as you aren’t attempting any aerobics, it’s not too bad. Sleep if you can, you look ready to collapse.”
She frowned and looked back at him. “Why are you putting me in your room?” She asked after reaching out and grabbing his massive forearm. “I don’t want to put you out.” She looked around and frowned. “I know this place. This is the old Rodriguez place, isn’t it? How did you get the mansion?” Well, only part of it was still standing, most of it had been blown apart in a blast from an RPG.
“We have our ways of getting many things,” he told her. “You are also not putting me out. I sleep on average four hours a night. It’s the middle of the day and I have work to attend to. When I need to sleep, we’ll reevaluate where you might sleep at that time. There are only a limited number of rooms still inhabitable around here, one reason we’re using it because everyone knows it’s ready to fall. We shored it up on the inside to ensure we all won’t die in a cave in, but from the outside it still looks abandoned and ready to collapse. But we have power and running water, again don’t ask. Somethings we do are likely better left an unanswered question.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that I want to ask.” She looked around the room and nodded. “Well, tonight when you need to sleep I can take the couch there. I’m about a foot shorter than you are and would fit that far better than you.” She hesitated and then gave his arm a small squeeze. “Thank you for this. You don’t have any reason to believe me, but thank you for listening and trusting me.” And she was also trusting him, massively.
“You’ve given me no reason to not trust you, Gabriella. That you’re trusting me though has me perplexed. I’ve given you absolutely no reason at all to trust anything I tell you. The fact you are showing me this trust,” he paused. Shaking his head, he touched her cheek with a finger. “There are extra towels in the bathroom, and a couple spare toothbrushes. If you want something to sleep in feel free to root through my bag instead of wearing your limited clothing options.”
“You are willing to let me go through your personal belongings?” She was stunned. “You are not like any mercenary that I’ve ever met before. Not even some of the men that I’ve met in my life have been half as decent and kind as you are. It’s unreal to me just how good you are being to me. Someone that you don’t know.” But oddly enough, in the pits of her heart and soul she felt as if she knew him. It was so weird, she felt a connection to this unknown man and it was driving her to distraction because she couldn’t place why or how.
“There’s nothing in there but clothing and some cash. All things I can live without, if need be. Besides, I did threaten you more than once with the use of violence and with a weapon so I figure I owe you a couple. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt. I’ll check on you in a couple of hours. If you’re out I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready. Sleep if you can and if you need anything give a holler down the stairs.”
“Thank you.” She said with a smile and moved away from him. “I will try to sleep but I have a killer headache from being rolled around inside of the trunk. I think I hit my head there. I likely have a black eye as well.” She grumbled good naturedly at him. “I’m teasing you. I hope I don't have black eyes because that would just be the cherry on a shitty day, wouldn’t it?”
“No black eye,” he said. “There might be some aspirin or ibuprofen in the med kit that’s in the bathroom. It should be all up to date but confirm before you take it. A cold compress will help too. Run the water until it’s super cold, wet a cloth and lay it over the back of your neck for a few minutes. Do it after you have your shower though, not before.”
“You’re very sweet but this isn’t my first injury and likely it won’t be my last. Thank you though, didn’t know about the cold compress so that will be an added benefit.” She then did something she was surprised she would ever do, she reached out and put her hand on his cheek, her thumb moving over his full lower lip for only a moment before she pulled back. She didn’t know who was more surprised, her or him.
“Right, well I’ll leave you to it.” Stepping back, he moved out of the door, pulling it closed behind him. “Turn the hot water on for about two minutes before adding in any cold unless you prefer icy showers. The hot doesn’t seem to kick in unless you give it a head start. A lesson we have all learned at one time or another. Sleep well,” he added before he shut the door.
She smiled then. She couldn’t help it. She was in a horrible situation, she was in a place that should be tumbling to the ground and yet here she was smiling at the door of a room that a man who had kidnapped her had closed on her. He had kidnapped her and here she was lusting after him. She was losing her mind and knew it but the way that it felt when she was in his arms felt right, it felt good and she liked it. Far more than she likely should.
Chapter Six
He was losing his ever-loving mind, clearly. To be turned on by a beautiful woman wasn’t exactly a shocker. Despite what the other team members thought Tobias did occasionally date. Although he was sure they might argue the dating part given he wasn’t exactly a wine ‘em and dine ´em sort. He was a complete heathen either but definitely somewhere in between.
Scrubbing his hands over his face he headed down to the main room. One of the few on the main floor that hadn’t been completely trashed or gutted. Oddly, the second floor had fared better and so long as one didn’t go into the east wing it didn’t make too many horrible noises. Grabbing a water, he went out to check with the team.
Cherilyn looked up from where she was sitting, feet propped on the railing working on the laptop settled on a pillow over her hips. “Taking a risk, boss. Rather unlike you, I have to say.”
Yeah. He was. Showing his face hadn’t been part of the original plan. Tobias was sticking with the rest of it though and Gabriella wouldn’t see the others’ faces unless absolutely necessary. In other words, the world was ending and who gave a shit necessary. “Worth it given the intel she provided. She wouldn’t have told me if I’d stayed covered up. I’m ninety-three percent sure she would have stuck to her g
uns if I’d kept the ski mask on. Besides, it was fucking hotter than hell under that thing.”
Cherry snorted out a laugh and rolled her eyes at him. “Pussy.”
Tobias flipped her the bird. Dragging a chair closer to her he sat to look at her monitor. “Find anything new?”
“I’ve mostly figured out how to fall asleep from sheer boredom. I hate watching all this video, bossman. It’s fucking hypnotic. Caught myself four times now dozing off. But in other news I did spot one of Quan’s goons at the airport. He didn’t appear to be doing anything more than talking with an airport staff member. From what I could tell it was like the staffer was giving him a tour, strange.”
“Well, keep looking. I’m going to start dinner and then grab a shower.”
“Boss, try to get in some shut eye, would you? It worries us all when you’re not getting in your beauty sleep.” Tobias waited for it, he knew it was coming. “You do need all the help you can get and you’re currently not doing yourself any favors.” And there it was.
He “accidentally” bumped her chair to shift her balance and left her scrambling while he headed back indoors. Aaron and Winston were both getting sleep while Rainer and Landon were out at the compound checking to see what might be happening. So far, they hadn’t reported anything unusual which concerned Tobias. They should have been at least twitchy with Gabriella MIA, but according to his teammates it was business as usual around there.
