Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  ***

  Willow tested her restraints again. The slight twist and tug made her shoulders ache, but the rope remained completely unaffected. For what felt like the thousandth time, she looked around her, searching for anything that could be useful. But, for as obviously insane as the leader was, he was organized. There wasn’t anything around her that could possibly be used as a weapon or a means of escape.

  A few feet from her, Mads was carefully surveying the situation as much as he could from his limited vantage point. The bonds kept him on his knees, arms spread wide, torso tilted forward as a slight angle of submission. It was that, more than anything else, which seemed to be grinding on his nerves. Mads didn’t bow for anyone. And being forced to actually kneel in front of the man who had killed his parents would be eating him up inside. The longer he was forced into that position, the harder it was to keep his growing rage from showing on his face. His lips twisted down in a sharp snarl as fire brimmed out of his sharpening gaze.

  “You do see how this is your fault, right?” Willow said sharply.

  Mads’ brow knotted. He turned his head to her as much as the leather around his neck would allow.

  “How on earth did you come to that conclusion?”

  “You get that this whole thing was a trap, right? All those leads that you thought you were tracking, those puzzles you were so smart in figuring out, all that emotional torture. They were things he deliberately put in your way.”

  He lowered his gaze and mumbled, “I do understand that, yes.”

  “If you had just listened to me about the damn photos to begin with, we wouldn’t currently we tied up in a psycho’s basement.”

  “Wine cellar,” Mads noted.

  “Really? That’s your contribution to this conversation?”

  “It seems like the only argument that you are about to let me win in this present moment,” he admitted with an edge of bitterness.

  “Damn straight it is,” Willow said sharply. “How about we go over all the other things that you could have done to escape this fate? Like using the trained team of professionals you literally had at your disposal. Would you look at that? A simple conversation would have prevented me from dying in a foreign country because some sicko has twisted little daddy issues.”

  His eyes narrowed and it took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t in anger but in fascination.

  “Why are you not more upset?”

  “I am plenty upset,” she snarled. “I thought I had made that blatantly obvious.”

  “But you are not scared.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “I am becoming concerned that you are not grasping how dire our situation is.”

  “I am fully aware of what is happening. It’s why I’m so pissed, if you haven’t been paying attention.”

  His gaze softened. “Then why are you not afraid?”

  “Because I trust your team,” Willow said, holding close to the anger she felt for him. It was hard to keep hold of it while he was still strung up like that. “They are good at what they do. They’re scarily good, actually.”

  Pride settled across Mads’ face, soothing out the stone mask that his anger had carved him into.

  “They are the very best.”

  “Yeah. Only a complete moron wouldn’t use them if given the option, huh?”

  “The point is well taken,” Mads said, his voice wavering between annoyance and amusement. “You can move onto any other points you might have.”

  “No, those points cover most of what I’m feeling.” She worked her jaw, still feeling the sharp sting of where the man had struck her. “When I became a florist I thought my days of getting slapped around were over.”

  That instantly gained her the full focus of Mads’ attention. She could almost feel his rage sparking from him to fill the air with a static charge.

  “Who else hit you?”

  She shrugged, remembering too late that that she wasn’t fully able to complete such an action at the moment. “My parents were pretty strict about me knowing how to defend myself. Dad’s is a big believer in that the American government will fall. He believed that I needed to be ready for the soul crushing anarchy that would follow.”

  “I am sorry?”

  “He’s kind of in a government militia. Although, when you meet him, remember to call it a freedom fighting group because he will not let that go,” she said in a quick, muttered rush.

  “And your mother was not opposed to her young child undergoing military-style training?”

  “Actually, she was all for the idea. According to her, I have a sick attraction to violent men that will only ever lead me into trouble,” She snorted.

  “Admittedly, she may have a fair point.”

  Willow glared at him. “Are you kidding me? You can’t take my mother’s side. You don’t know my mother!”

  “There is no side to take,” Mads placated calmly. “I am merely pointing out that you do seem to have a certain proclivity towards men of a more aggressive nature.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “And you are currently in a very volatile situation because of your ex-lover, a violent psychopath, and myself, who also has some anger issues and unresolved aggression.”

  “That’s it,” Willow seethed. “You are never meeting my mother. Ever. I could not sit through that dinner.”

  “I am actually very intrigued to meet them.”

  “Not happening,” she snapped before raising her voice. “What the hell is keeping this guy? How long can a damn DNA test take?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  As much as Mads dedicated himself to the task, he couldn’t think of a solid plan to get out of this situation that wouldn’t involve a mistake being made on Dimitri’s part. As time continued on, Willow maintained her calm demeanour. It made him marvel at all the possibilities of what her ‘training’ could have entailed. Although, it might have just been her simmering rage that sustained her.

  Both of them were ready when the door finally opened again and Dimitri stumbled his way back down the long flight of stairs. The goon that had been with him before was once again trailing behind and Mads had to wonder just how many people the old man had at his disposal. By the time he reached the cellar floor, Dimitri still hadn’t met Mads’ eyes.

  “Oh, would you look at that?” Willow asked with a sharp edge of bitterness. “I think that someone just got hit by reality.”

  Mads knew that antagonizing their captor was most likely the worst possible option for them at the moment, but he couldn’t help but smile at the barb.

  “I was so sure,” Dimitri said weakly. “How could it be that you are merely an abomination?”

  “You’re right. He’s just gross,” Willow said. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that. Why don’t you untie me and I’ll get him right out of your sight?”

  Dimitri glanced over to his companion as he spoke. “If she speaks again. Hurt her.”

  With that, he drifted closer to Mads and wrapped one spiderlike hand around Mads’ jaw. The grip was weak. Weaker than age should have rightly accounted for.

  “You are sick,” Mads said.

  “We’re all sick in love.”

  “Physically sick,” Mads corrected. “Is it terminal? That would explain why you reached out to me after all this time.”

  “I wanted to see my son, to speak with him one last time.”

  Mads couldn’t help the sharp laugh that came out with the sudden realization. “You were looking for a genetic match. You had hoped that I would be a compatible donor. Tell me, would I have survived what you wanted to take from me?”

  Mads felt the sharp crack of Dimitri slapping him but it wasn’t enough to stop his laughter.

  “This is just too brilliant,” Mads sighed, his smile spreading wide until his cheeks hurt.

  “You are filth. An abomination. That he would do that to your poor mother.”

  Mads held the man�
��s gaze, his rage and resentment waring within him. But through it all he still felt calm.

  “Words cannot accurately express just how pathetic you are.”

  “You are going to die here,” Dimitri snarled. “You will be slaughtered by the enemies you created.”

  The question must have shown on his face, because Dimitri grew an answering smile of his own.

  “You drifted through your life destroying everyone you encountered. Did you honestly think that you could do such things with no consequences?”

  “So it’s all of reality that you have a problem with,” Willow cut in.

  The man slammed her hard enough to make her head snap to the side, but still she turned towards the man and winked.

  “Worth it,” she mouthed with a grin.

  “By God, you are gorgeous,” Mads said.

  “Are you both insane?” Dimitri screamed. “Do you think that this insipid chatter will distract me? You’re both going to die here.”

  “Will we be given a fighting chance or will this be another action of a coward?”

  Dimitri rose his hand as if to slap Mads again but froze. His smile turned sick, a flash of teeth and a glint within his weak eyes.

  “Oh, no. Your little girlfriend will be set free. Although I have no idea how well she will do against those coming for you. I can’t protect you anymore.”

  With that, he turned and ambled towards the staircase. The man waited for Dimitri to disappear from sight before he turned and grinned wolfishly at Willow. Mads pulled against his restraints until his skin was ripped raw. But they stood solid, his efforts wasted, his muscles straining until they were on the point of snapping.

  Neither of them paid him any attention as the man reached up and wrapped his hands against the rope. He pulled Willow off of her feet, yanking up until the tendrils of rope slipped free of the hook. Willow stumbled as she regained her footing, her head tilted back to glare up at the man.

  “What should I do with you, little one?”

  Willow smiled as the man reared. In a sudden burst of movement she rushed the man, throwing her weight against him as she drove her bound hands into his crotch. The man staggered with a sharp wheeze, stumbling back slightly, thrown off balance just enough that she could drive him off his feet.

  The second he was down, she stomped her heel down against his stomach. As he lurched up to protect his stomach, to reach for her, she crunched her foot down against his face. The back of his skull smashed against stone floor and she kicked again and again. She didn’t stop until she was panting and the man wasn’t moving.

  “Is he dead?” Mads asked.

  “Shouldn’t you sound more concerned?” she asked as she used her bound hands to wipe some stray hair from her forehead. “Maybe trying to talk me out of it? No Willow, stop, oh the humanity. Any of this ringing a bell?”

  “He struck you. Twice,” Mads said with a lopsided smile. “He can go to hell as far as I am concerned. There is also the fact that I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now.”

  “And I have the issues?”

  “Possibly.”

  She came towards him, a slight limp in her stride. She had hurt her foot in the attack but wasn’t about to let it stop her. Her fingers were strong and sure as she began to slip the end of the leather belts through the buckles. There was a slight flush to her cheeks, a fierceness in her eyes, her long hair framing her like wildfire. With a final sharp tug, the buckle gave way and dropped from around Mads’ wrist. One hand free, he instantly ripped at the collar around his neck, his anger rising once more, his senses sharpening as he readied to fight for their very survival. The strap gave way and Mads quickly rose to his feet.

  ***

  Willow released a sigh of relief as Mads gently unwound the coarse rope from her wrists. She had no idea how long she had been up hanging there, but her skin was ripped raw enough for droplets of blood to bead from her skin.

  “How intolerably rude,” Mads said. “If you plan in killing someone, the very least you can do is pay the extra for a softer material.”

  “Yeah, that’s the intolerable thing here,” she mumbled with a huff.

  Mads ignored her, his attention captivated by the marks embedded upon her wrists. Without a further word, he gently cupped one wrist and lifted it to his lips. His lips were soft but hot enough that they produced a sharp sting through her skin. But, as the initial spark ebbed away, Willow’s heartbeat picked up anew. As he lavished the same attention onto her other wrist, the room seemed to fade away. The situation they were facing couldn’t compete with the touch of his lips upon her ravaged skin.

  His fingers gently massaged and toyed over her fingers, working the stress out of every digit, easing the pain until all that remained was a tantalizing tingle under her skin. Then his eyes flicked up to meet her gaze and she was lost.

  “I am so sorry, Willow,” he whispered against her fingertips. “I never meant to drag you into this madness. I never meant for any of this to touch you.”

  “You didn’t drag me,” she said, her voice just as soft. “I followed you, remember.”

  He nodded and leaned down to press his forehead against hers, his eyes closing as his hands began to shake.

  “Hey.” She reached up and threaded her hand into his hair. He damn near purred against her and she pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “Here’s my plan. We go out there, beat the life out of some psychos until your friends come and save us, then we head off for a lot of sex.”

  His eyes snapped opened at the words, a wide smile spreading across his face. “I like that plan.”

  “But know this. If I get injured, you owe me a little bit of time with you in that collar.”

  He watched her carefully for a long moment. “You don’t mean that as a torturous plot, do you?”

  “It was a good look on you,” she grinned.

  At his stunned expression, she couldn’t help but wink and give his butt a slight pat.

  “And I am the weird one?” he said.

  “Oh, most definitely,” she replied as she patted him again. “Now, let’s go kick some butt.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mads braced himself for an attack as he cracked the basement door open. Peeking outside, he glanced over the kitchen. It had obviously been deserted for a while but it was still in rather good condition. It was impressive. And familiar. When no one rushed out to meet him, he closed the door and looked over his shoulder to Willow.

  “I think this is my manor,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “Well, one of them,” he said dismissively.

  She stared at him for a moment. “How rich are you?”

  Mads smiled, a flash of teeth that he quickly tried to smother. She shook her head and huffed a sigh.

  “I have made some rather good investments over the years,” he said.

  “Let’s just go,” she grumbled and gave his arm a shove.

  He snuck a swift kiss and opened the door again. Carefully he edged out, intent on checking every inch of space for threats before he allowed Willow to emerge. But he was only an inch from the door before Willow was slipping out behind him. He threw her an angry glare and, holding his eyes, she lifted her middle finger at him. Despite himself, his hostility faded out into a sweet smile.

  “Keep behind me,” he whispered.

  “Keep up with me,” she countered.

  They both chose different paths to round the kitchen table and searched the area for any kind of weapon. But each draw was empty. Once he had checked every possible hiding place, Mads braced his hands against the countertop and shot his eyes towards Willow.

  “This is my house,” he whispered, completely certain now. “How long has he been living in my house?”

  “I have no way of actually knowing that,” she said back.

  “This place will never feel clean again. I will have to put it on the market.”

  “Is that really your main concern right now?”
>
  “Yes. I liked this house and it took me quite a long time to procure it.”

  “Mads, please, for me, let it go.”

  A shadow slipped past the threshold and Mads acted on instinct. He latched onto Willow’s shoulders and hurled himself back. The tiled floor smacked against his back as he wrapped his arms around Willow, keeping her tightly to his chest as gunfire snapped above them. Bullets crashed into the cabinets and stove, the sounds screaming like howling beasts above their heads. Willow slipped off of him, crawling onto the ground next to him, keeping down and covering her head. Mads snarled as he watched a line of bullet holes punch a line alone the polished surface.

  “I just had that put in last year,” he hissed.

  “Seriously?”

  “I put a lot of work into this kitchen.”

  Willow clutched the side of his head and yanked until he was looking at her, “Not the time.”

  The gunfire ceased and they both scrambled up, getting their feet under them but remaining in a crouch. Willow shuffled to the edge of the cabinet while Mads poised himself in the middle of the counter. They exchanged a quick glance as Willow pulled out a drawer.

  She hurled it over the kitchen island and the gunfire started again, chasing the movement. Mads leaped up, braced one hand on the counter, and jumped over the space. His feet smashed into the man’s face, knocking him over and driving him onto the ground. With a startled cry, the man went down. His gun scattered across the floor and Willow instantly picked it up. The man stilled, his eyes widening, and Willow trained the barrel of the gun between his eyes.

  Pride flooded through Mads as she held her ground and glanced up to meet his eyes.

  “Can I shoot him?”

  “Depends,” Mads said as he leaned over and grabbed the man’s head, yanking back until he was able to see his face. “Jared Ling. It has been a while.”

  Jarred scowled, but the wiry man had never been able to master the art of looking intimidating.

  “What did he do?”

  “He stalked a co-worker after he was passed over for a promotion.”

  “Really?” Willow said, shifting her eyes back to Jared. “That is just pathetic in numerous ways. So, shooting him now?”