Temptation: a billionaire erotic romance

by Christine Elliott

  “Harry, I’m not a hallucination,” she snapped. “I’m your sister. Did you see if they put a key anywhere?”

  “I know you’re supposed to be my sister,” he said. “Don’t know why my subconscious wants me to be nagged so much.”

  “Oh for God’s sake,” she breathed. She glanced around once more, making sure there were no cameras or surveillance equipment around that could catch her. When she was sure she was clear, she slipped out from the shadows. “Harry, I’m over here.”

  Harry didn’t turn his head, still babbling on about hallucinations. With a frustrated groan, she marched up to him, turned his head in her hand, and put her face next to his.

  “Now do you believe me?” she asked with an exasperated sigh.

  His eyes grew wide.

  “Serena?”

  “No, I’m the Queen of England. Of course I’m Serena.”

  He harrumphed.

  “Biting sarcasm? Definitely Serena.”

  “Now where’s the key?” she whispered, tugging against the restraints that held him to the chair. “I don’t have all day, we have to get this done before they get back.”

  “I think it’s over there in that cabinet. And don’t worry, they won’t get back until way later, they’re doing something.”

  Serena walked to the cabinet, searching it for open drawers or the sound of rattling from the inside. “You’re acting awfully calm about this,” she said as she searched it. “Considering you’ve been gone for months, and considering I’ve shown up out of the blue. What’s up with you?”

  “Well,” Harry said, leaning back. “I guess it’s mostly that I don’t really believe this is happening. I’m probably dreaming. Or hallucinating,” he added with a thoughtful look.

  “No. Nope. We’re not going back to that,” Serena said.

  She heard a metallic rattling in the bottom of the drawer and yanked against it. Locked, damn it. She reached into her purse and pulled out the hairpin she had grabbed before leaving. She slipped it into the lock, moving it around expertly until she heard the sound of an unlocking click.

  “I mean,” Harry continued babbling, oblivious to what was happening, “It only makes sense that you’re not real. This whole thing is too bizarre.”

  Serena rolled her eyes and marched to him. His wrists were bound behind him on the back of the chair, and they looked as if they had been like that for a good long while.

  “Would a hallucination be able to do this?” she asked, opening the wrist restraints’ lock with a click.

  Harry brought up his newly freed wrists to his eyes to inspect them. They were red and bruised, but now they were undeniably free. He turned them over in the dim light as if he wasn’t totally sure they were really his.

  “I guess not,” he murmured.

  “Good,” Serena said, working her way down the locks as she freed him. “Listen, what did you mean they won’t get back until later? Is something big happening?”

  “Yeah, they were talking about it in the hall earlier,” Harry said, standing up on wobbly feet. He tested his legs for a minute in a short walk around the room. “They brought some man in earlier, somebody they really didn’t like. The two ones in charge, they chained him up in the room around the corner. I figure it’s something big, but I didn’t hear too much.”

  Serena’s heart pounded. “Really? You’re sure?”

  “Oh yeah,” said Harry, oblivious as ever. “They were torturing him a while ago. At least it sounded like a him.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut.

  Shit.

  “The two ones in charge,” she said, surprised she could even get a word out, let alone a full sentence. “What do you mean by that? Do you know their names?”

  “Yup. The one who’s been around a lot, he’s named Harlow. And the other one is something French. Jean or something.”

  “You mean Jacques?” she breathed.

  “Oh, yeah,” said Harry, still as sunny as ever, completely unaware of how completely his sister was collapsing before him. “Do you know him?”

  “Yes,” Serena said slowly. “I think I do.”

  Harry’s expression changed, catching on.

  “And the tortured guy, then? You know him too?” he asked.

  “Yes. Sort of.”

  “Like acquaintance-know or ….”

  “More than that,” she said, shaking her head. She rested it against the cool metal of the wall, hardly able to believe this was happening. God, she should have known.

  “Serena, are you okay?”

  “Where is he?” she asked. “Which room did you say it was?”

  “The one across from here,” Harry said, his tone changed to one of concern. “They’re gone for now, but they’ll be back soon. Especially if they’ve heard us. Serena….”

  “Harry, you need to get out of here.” She snapped out of it, shaking her head furiously. “Go through that back door and head for the woods. Run as fast as possible. There will be a woman named Ellen in an Aston Martin waiting for you with an army.”

  “An army?” he asked, incredulous.

  “Yes, an army. You need to find her and stay with her. I’ll be back as soon as possible, okay?”

  “You’re not seriously going to stay here?” he asked, panicked. “Serena, they’ll kill you!”

  “They’ll kill the both of us if you keep raising your voice like that,” she hissed. “Now go!”

  Harry hesitated, keeping his feet planted on the floor. But when he saw Serena’s expression, he knew there was no stopping her. He nodded shortly.

  “I’ll be waiting,” he threatened. “And if you’re not out in an hour, I’m busting in like Braveheart.”

  She groaned, punching his arm lightly like they used to do when they were kids. “And the sad thing is, I know you’re stupid enough to do it.”

  She watched him slip out of the warehouse, leaving her alone with the darkness.

  And Val, she remembered.

  Immediately, she darted to the door Harry has described, no longer even attempting to be subtle. Val was in trouble, and she had to save him. If Harlow or Jacques found her, well, that was going to happen anyway. At least she would have gotten to see Val one last time before dying.

  She slipped into the room, and her eyes widened.

  “Val,” Serena gasped.

  Val didn’t move, still crumpled on the floor, his body covered in bruises and scrapes. Serena felt her heart pounding and tears rising to her eyes, unable to stop them. She rushed to Val’s crumpled body, her hands shaking.

  “Val, please,” she whispered. “Please wake up.”

  For a moment, there was nothing. Serena almost gave up.

  Then one of Val’s fingers twitched.

  “Val?” Serena asked with new hope.

  Slowly and shakily, Val raised his head, his hair matted with blood and covering his bruised and broken face. Serena’s breath caught as she saw him. Two black eyes, a busted lip. His nose was out of place, as if someone had punched and broken it.

  She tiled his head, hoping to see something change, as if his broken face was just a trick of the lighting. But no. He remained bruised and cut, a man who had been through hell and back. Serena dropped her head on top of his, pulling him to her chest and hugging him to her fiercely.

  “Oh Val,” she murmured.

  “Serena,” he croaked, a long and labored sound that broke her heart. “Y—you have to … to leave….”

  “No,” she said, her voice hard. “I’m not leaving without you.”

  “Please….”

  “Val, listen,” she whispered with new fierceness. She pulled his head away so that he could look into her eyes. “I’ve brought Ellen with me, and she’s brought your guards. We can get you out of here. We’re going to get you out of here.”

  “You don’t understand….”

  “I do understand, I do understand what they did to you.”

  “No,” he groaned, pulling himself up. His arms shook, weak from
the beating they had taken. “You can’t trust him…. You have to watch out for him…. Jacques….”

  “I know.”

  Val looked up with her, questioning.

  Serena sighed. “He lied, Jacques lied about everything. He said you were a criminal, that this was about you paying for things you had done in your past. But I know he lied, Ellen told me everything. Oh, Val, I can’t believe I believed him….”

  “No,” Val said, meeting her gaze. “I mean he’s here.”

  “You’re fucking right I am,” a harsh voice said from the doorway. Serena whirled around, her eyes wide.

  Sauntering into the room, his hands clenched into tight fists and his form humongous and terrifying beneath the flickering light, was Jacques. He gave her a toothy grin.

  “Good evening, Serena.”

  *****

  “I should have killed you the moment you asked me about Belladonna at that party,” Jacques spat, walking forward to her. Serena stumbled back, her heart racing and pounding in her ears. “I should have realized what a nosy bitch you were,” he said. “I should have realized what kind of trouble you were making yourself into.”

  “I don’t understand,” Serena cried. Her eyes darted around wildly. “Jacques….”

  “Oh, quit the bullshit,” he seethed. “We both know what’s going on here: you’ve figured me out … and I’m going to have to kill you for it. I gave you one last chance when I sent you away, and you ignored it like the stubborn bitch you are. I should have never let you see that letter that first morning.”

  “So why did you tell me at all?” panted Serena, trying desperately to buy herself time. Her gaze flitted around the room, seeking any out, but there were none. She was pathetically, terribly trapped. There was no way out, and she knew it. She would die here.

  “Oh please, you don’t think I knew Harlow was up to something?” He snorted, pacing around her. “After all, that’s what the plan is called, isn’t it? ‘Belladonna’—‘beautiful woman.’ How could I not think you were some kind of spy, here to undermine me?”

  “But he has my brother,” she panted. “Why would I work with him if he had my brother?”

  Jacques glared at her. “Of course you would work with him when he has your brother. Hell, you should be on your knees thanking me for not letting him know.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking furiously, trying to formulate a way out. She needed more time. “I still don’t understand what Belladonna is. You told me it was a record of Val’s criminal past … but he wasn’t a criminal. What is it then?”

  Jacques hacked a harsh laugh. “You still haven’t figured it out yet? Jesus, maybe you aren’t as smart as I thought you were. You are Belladonna, Serena.”

  “What?” she asked, breathless.

  “Belladonna isn’t a criminal record. Belladonna is a plan to get Val to turn himself in and let Harlow do what he wished to him. It took me a bit of snooping, but it was so obvious when I finally figured it out. Harlow knew you were irresistible to Val, and that Val would do anything for you. So he held your brother ransom, manipulated Val at every turn, and made it clear that he had a choice: within seven days, he would have to turn himself in or the boy would die.”

  Jacques smirked. “All I had to do was say I’d be willing to betray him myself for a little money, and we were done. You were instrumental in helping us reel Val in to capture him.”

  Val groaned behind her and Jacques shot him a look. “Shut the fuck up, Marquette,” he said, stalking to him. Serena backed away, torn between wanting to protect Val and the need to protect herself. If she died, who would save either of them?

  Jacques caught sight of her retreat and sighed.

  “Yes, I suppose we’ll have to deal with you now. Unfortunately, I can’t get rid of this one yet,” he said, slapping Val’s head sharply. It snapped to the side, giving Serena the momentary worry that he had knocked him out. “Harlow wants to deal with him himself. But you….”

  Jacques grinned a toothy grin and walked forward, backing Serena into a wall. “I have something special for you,” he said. From inside his coat pocket, he pulled out a sleek gun.

  Serena felt her stomach drop.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jacques asked, turning it over in the flickering light. “I had it custom made with the advance Harlow gave me for bringing in the traitor who turned him in.”

  He turned the gun on her.

  “I’m sorry it had to be like this, Serena,” he said, cocking it. “You would have made a wonderful secretary. Or my own sex slave,” he said thoughtfully, momentarily looking to the side as he imagined it.

  It made Serena’s skin crawl, but more importantly, she saw an opening.

  While Jacques was still looking to the side, trapped in his reverie, Serena dove past him. She heard Jacques curse, but didn’t look behind her, darting for the door. There was a bang, and she felt a bullet whiz past her ear.

  He mind went blank. All she could think about was escaping. She darted into the hall and took off.

  Serena ran harder than she ever had in her life, the sound of Jacques’ steps echoing hard behind her. Val’s groans followed her too, both the ones he was giving now urging her to run and the ones that echoed in her mind, reminding her of his torture. Her heart pounded furiously in her ears, and her breath was harsh and fast, burning in her lungs.

  She took a turn down one hallway, momentum almost slamming her into the wall. Jacques’ harsh laugh followed her.

  “Can’t run very well, can you, Serena?” he mocked. “Sad you didn’t practice when we were still friends. Might have done you some good. Not that that matters now.”

  Serena’s breath sped up, her eyes darting around wildly looking for an out. Jacques’ fast footsteps were approaching faster and faster, threatening to pounce on her at any moment.

  And that’s when she saw it:

  There was a hole in the wall, one that had rotted away in one of the few walls made of wood instead of sturdy metal or stone. Serena dove for it, desperate, knowing it was her last chance, managing to hide at just the second that Jacques’ caught up with her, turning her corner.

  “Where are you, Serena?” she heard his voice call out, mocking. “You can’t hide forever. There are only so many hallways in this building, and trust me, sweetheart, I have plenty of time to look through all of them.”

  His footsteps approached. Serena held her breath as they reached her hiding place, sure that she would be caught. But then they walked away, Jacques’ frustrated groan attending them. She heard the clink of metal as he did something with the gun, preparing it for his hunt.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Shit.

  She couldn’t stay here, but she couldn’t get out, either.

  She waited a few breathless seconds as she heard his footsteps walk away. A few moments later, and he turned the corner, and soon he was totally out of earshot. She took a deep breath and peeked out of the curtain. He was gone.

  She caught her breath.

  One more chance. She had to make it count.

  She darted out of her hiding place, diving into the next shadowy wall she could find. She crept along it until she found her phone where she had dropped it just outside of Harry’s room. She picked it up silently, holding her breath as if even the sound of her breath would let Jacques know she was here.

  She glanced one way, then the other, down the hall, her hands shaking furiously, knowing that Jacques could appear at any moment and blast her away into a bleeding mess.

  Before her fright could overtake her, she dove out into the hall and grabbed the phone. Just as quickly, she threw herself up and darted into the next room, closing the door silently behind her and creeping into the darkest, most secluded part of the room.

  The only lighting was a dark overhead window that allowed a small amount of moonlight to flood into the room. Serena cursed. Jacques must have turned out the lights.

  She pulled out her phone. One last chance.

  Sh
e attempted to dial a number, but her shaking fingers could barely hold the phone steady, let alone press the small, delicate buttons. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

  Come on, Serena. Harry needs you. Val needs you. You can’t let yourself lose. Not this time.

  Carefully, she typed a number in, one button at a time with a steady, resolute finger.

  The phone was picked up on the first ring.

  “Ellen,” Serena whispered. “Thank God.”

  “Where are you?” asked Ellen over the scratchy reception.

  “I’m in the warehouse, I think near the middle. There aren’t any guards here, but Jacques is, and he has a gun. I’ve already sent Harry out, he can tell you what’s going on. Val’s in the front room, you have to get him before they come back. He’s passed out, he was tortured.”

  “Tortured?” Ellen repeated, her voice horrified.

  “Yes, Ellen, badly. For fuck’s sake, get him quick.”

  “Yes, Ms. Nicoletti.”

  Ellen disconnected. It was the first time Serena was left totally alone and thankful for it. She caught her breath for a moment, trying to calm down her heart.

  Val. She had to protect Val. But how could she? She was totally powerless until Ellen arrived with the army.

  “What’s wrong, darling?” a voice growled into her ear.

  Before she could scream, a rough hand slapped across her mouth, and an arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her there.

  “I have to admit,” he growled. “I’m impressed. If you weren’t such trouble, I might have kept you around.”

  He dragged her into the middle of the room, away from the hallway. She felt the cold metal of the gun biting into her cheek as he held her. Her mind was numb. The only thing she could think was that she was going to die. And that Val would die after her because she had failed to save him.

  Jacques released his grip on her mouth, fumbling to get a hold of the gun. “Calm down, Serena. Nothing you do is going to save yourself, it’s just going to make it harder for the both of us.” He kept his voice low and reasonable, as if he was a doctor soothing a terminally ill patient. “And the more you fight me, the angrier I’ll be, and I’ll have to take all that anger out on Valentine. You don’t want that, do you?”