Bared to the Billionaire: The Complete Series

by Sylvia Pierce

  “Natasha,” Vincent said. Ari had been so focused on Davidson’s words, on the knife in his hands, she’d nearly forgotten Vincent’s presence.

  Now, she turned toward him, her eyes wide. Vincent didn’t frighten her the way Davidson did, but hearing him say her sister’s name put ice in her veins.

  “She’s standing you up tonight,” Vincent said.

  Without thinking, Ari swung at him, but he dodged her.

  “Back off, bitch.” He shoved Ari sideways. Her head hit the window so hard, the impact made her teeth hurt.

  Ari’s vision swam, but she blinked it away. “What do you know about my sister?”

  Vincent grabbed her jaw, digging his fingers into her flesh. “I know she’s got a mouth on her, just like you.”

  Ari struggled against his tight grip, but when Vincent finally released her jaw, he shoved her hard, smashing her face into the window and holding it there. “Your sister can’t make it tonight, you stupid bitch. Sorry you didn’t get the message.”

  Ari tasted blood. She forced herself to take a deep breath.

  Stay focused. He’s lying. Play it cool, and eventually Davidson will tire of the games and let you go. Tasha is fine. She’s fine. She’s fine.

  Vincent finally released her, and she turned back to Davidson, keeping her face carefully blank. He’d finished peeling the apple, and was now cutting through the flesh, the blade nicking his thumb when it hit. He didn’t flinch. “Do you know what they say about apples falling from trees, Arianne?”

  She nodded, unable to take her eyes off the knife, the glint of it in the moonlight.

  “It’s just that I worry,” he said. “What if you have the same plans for Natasha, whisking her off into the sunset and betraying us in the process.”

  So that’s what this is all about?

  “I don’t,” Ari said. Her mouth hurt to form the words, her lip split and bleeding, but she wiped her mouth and forced herself to continue. Now that she knew it wasn’t about Errington or the Russian, she regained some of her footing. “I swear. She doesn’t… she doesn’t even know about this. She has a life here. School, work, her friends. I wouldn’t take her away from—”

  “Still, I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I didn’t consider all of the possibilities, take the necessary—” He popped the apple slice into his mouth, chewing it slowly. He’d pinned her with his steely gaze, and didn’t speak again until he’d swallowed the fruit entirely. “—precautions.”

  “Please, Davidson. I’m worried about my sister. She texted me to meet her here, and I don’t know where she is.” Ari hated admitting her fears, but time was running out. She still didn’t quite know what was going on, why the men had cornered her here tonight, but if Davidson had even a shred of compassion… “She seemed really scared,” Ari said. “She might be in trouble.”

  Next to her, Vincent laughed.

  “Trouble?” Davidson said. The icy calm in his tone chilled Ari to the core. “Well, I suppose that all depends on you, Arianne. Doesn’t it?”

  Davidson nodded at Vincent, who pulled a cell phone from his shirt pocket.

  A cell phone with a pink-and-white striped cover that most certainly didn’t belong to Vincent.

  He pulled up the sent text messages and read, in a high and mocking voice, “Hurry Arianne, they’re here!”

  Ari’s body went limp, her throat closing up, heart sputtering to a stop. She couldn’t speak. She’d wanted so badly to believe it wasn’t possible, but now there was no way to deny it.

  These men—these filthy, horrible men—had kidnapped her sister, and they’d sent Ari the texts from Tasha’s phone, knowing she’d come running to the coffee shop without hesitation.

  Ari stuck a fist in her mouth, biting down to keep from vomiting. Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t feel the pain in her hand, even when she drew blood.

  “She’ll be well taken care of,” Davidson said. “Three meals a day, shower, some books to keep her occupied. As long as you cooperate, and our Annandale job goes off without a hitch, you’ll be reunited.”

  The interior of the car spun before Ari’s eyes. The whole world was tipping on its side, leaving her scrambling for purchase on a slippery slope, nothing beneath her but a black and bottomless pit.

  “Don’t… don’t kill her, Davidson,” she whispered. “She’s just a kid.”

  “Kill her? Aww.” Davidson’s voice was mocking, his eyes dancing with pure hatred. Patting Ari’s knee, he said, “I suppose we could kill her, but I don’t think you’ll let it come to that, will you?”

  “What… what do you want?” she said. Her voice was trembling and weak, but at this point, she didn’t care. She wasn’t acting. She wasn’t manipulating them into giving her the upper hand. This was real. Davidson had taken her sister, her Tasha, and she’d do whatever it took to get her back unharmed.

  Davidson knew as much. Tasha was, as Jared had said, her primary weakness.

  “Simple.” Davidson popped another apple slice into his mouth. This time he didn’t bother to swallow before he started speaking again. “As long as the job goes off as expected, I will personally deliver Natasha to your door the following weekend.”

  “But that’s…” Ari’s mind raced. The following weekend? According to those plane tickets, Davidson was leaving the country long before that. Ari swallowed her panic. “Davidson, please. Please! She’s practically a kid. You can’t keep her hostage and—”

  “I can, and I will.” Davidson finished the last of his apple, then lowered his window, chucking the peel and core outside. He turned toward her again, leaving the window open; he knew she wouldn’t scream.

  As usual, he held all the cards.

  “Relax, Arianne,” he said. “Enjoy your time in Nantucket with your billionaire boyfriend. When you and your sister are finally reunited, you can swap vacation stories.”

  Vincent laughed.

  Another wave of nausea rolled through Ari’s stomach, but she ignored it, forcing herself to stay calm. “What am I supposed to tell Jared when we return from Nantucket and he discovers that his entire estate has been robbed?”

  Davidson nodded thoughtfully. “That’s an excellent question. Fortunately, it’s not one that you need to concern yourself with. I’ve already taken care of those details.”

  “How?” she asked.

  Davidson shook his head. “All you need to do is enjoy your vacation with Mr. Blackwell, allow us to complete our job as planned, and then return to your penthouse to await further instruction.”

  “But I—”

  Davidson cut her off with the wave of his hand, a signal that Vincent interpreted as permission to hit her again. He nailed her against the window, his fingers digging hard into her shoulder.

  Ari was hot and dizzy, sweat trickling down her back, her mouth filling with the salt-and-copper taste of more blood.

  Maybe he’ll put me in the hospital after all…

  Davidson leaned in close, bringing the sticky blade to her throat. Ari froze as he trailed it down along her neck to the opening of her blouse. “No more questions. No more talking. We all have roles to play, just like your father had a role to play. Just like Mr. Blackwell has a role to play. Even Natasha. I suggest you learn yours, Arianne, and follow it to a tee.”

  He slid the blade along her chest, and Ari winced, but he didn’t break the skin. He didn’t need to—Vincent had already done enough damage. Davidson wiped the blade clean on her shirt, then folded it up and slid it into his breast pocket.

  “Come on, bitch,” Vincent said, opening his door and stepping out. “Time to go.”

  “Goodbye, Arianne,” Davidson said. “Get home safely, now.”

  Arianne closed her eyes, her head pounding, her body trembling. Beneath her legs, the car felt like a boat, swaying and bobbing on a choppy sea.

  “I’ll be sure to give Natasha a goodnight kiss for you.” Davidson laughed.

  Vincent’s rough hands grabbed her arms, yanking her acro
ss the back seat and out of the car. She barely felt the sting as he shoved her to the ground. Her hands and knees hit the pavement hard, the impact sending a sharp, lancing pain all the way up her arms and into her shoulders. Pinpricks of light swam before her eyes, and she knew it was only moments before she lost consciousness.

  She tried to sit up, to focus, but the world was spinning, the darkness creeping in, blackening the edges of her vision. The limo didn’t peel out of the alley—not like she expected it to. It simply rolled away, taillights glowing like a demon’s eyes as it drove off into the night.

  In the distance, she heard the street-sweeper again, a police siren, a group of kids laughing and screwing around somewhere around the corner. But none of them were coming for her.

  Ari didn’t know how much time had passed when she finally heard someone approaching. Everything in her ached and pounded, her hands scraped raw, her mouth bloody, her insides throbbing with fear and loss and blackness. She could barely find enough energy to care when she felt a pair of strong hands wedge themselves under her arms, yanking her to her feet. Ari wobbled, then fell backward, caught by firm arms encircling her waist. Her head lolled forward.

  She wanted to be dead.

  She wished for it.

  And for the first time in her life, it looked like the universe was actually going to grant it.

  Ari wanted to laugh, to cry, to scream out. But her body gave up. She went limp.

  Arms tightened around her, crushing and unrelenting.

  Breath rushed out of her lungs in a final sigh.

  And then, as quickly as her world had been upended, it was over.

  Everything went black.

  To Be Continued…

  Bared to the Billionaire: Book 4

  Chapter One

  Ari should have felt the needle.

  She should’ve winced at the pain, but instead she was numb, sitting on a stool in an overly bright kitchen while a man with kind eyes stitched up the cut inside her lower lip.

  Both of her hands were bandaged, and someone had stripped off her clothes and put her in one of Jared’s oversized white T-shirts, but she didn’t remember it happening. Vaguely, she was aware of Jared standing behind her, his strong hands gently rubbing her back as the man with the needle did his work.

  Jared’s touch was warm, but despite his calm demeanor, he was nervous; Ari could feel the slight tremble in his fingers. Somehow, he’d gotten to her in time. He’d dragged her out of the gutter and carried her away from the clutches of something dark and evil, something she’d felt so certain was coming for her.

  She’d been saved. The thought should’ve brought her a measure of relief.

  But every kind word, every gentle touch… it only made her feel worse.

  Ari looked down at her hands. The white bandages around her palms were stark against her red, raw skin. She wanted to scream.

  These were the hands that couldn’t save my sister.

  At her fresh tears, the doctor—at least, she assumed he was a doctor, probably a friend of Jared’s—assured her that he was almost finished. But like Jared’s gentle touch, the doctor’s words couldn’t comfort her. They couldn’t bring Tasha back from the monsters who’d taken her.

  “All set,” he finally said, packing up his supplies. He turned to Jared and rattled off instructions for caring for Ari’s wounds, something about checking on her every hour at night. She should’ve been listening more attentively, but she couldn’t focus.

  “You were barely conscious when I found you, Arianne,” Jared said after he’d escorted the man out. He handed her a glass of water. “Dr. Harper lives in the building. Maybe I should’ve brought you to the hospital straight away, but this was closer, and—”

  Ari held up her hand to cut him off, then slowly sipped her water. He’d done the right thing, bringing her here. Avoiding the paper trail of a hospital visit.

  “How do you feel?” he asked gently.

  Ari ran her tongue along the inside of her lip, wincing when she hit the stitches. Her head throbbed, and beneath the bandages, her palms stung. She vaguely remembered the doctor flushing out her cuts with something that smelled like a hospital and burned like hell.

  Davidson had done this to her. He’d taken her sister, and he’d allowed Vincent to treat Ari like a common thug, someone he could knock around just for the sport of it, knowing she wouldn’t fight back.

  Fear reached into Ari’s chest again, squeezing her heart. Her whole body trembled as the conversation with Davidson replayed itself in her mind.

  She’ll be well taken care of… As long as you cooperate, and our Annandale job goes off without a hitch, you’ll be reunited…

  He’d promised to return Tasha to Ari after the heist—the following weekend. But he’d be long gone by then, off to Brazil while Ari was left to wonder, and Tasha was… God. Ari could only imagine.

  A shudder wracked her body.

  I have to find my sister. Now.

  Adrenaline flooded her limbs, and she hopped up from the kitchen stool, but the sudden movement made her swoon.

  “Easy,” Jared said, steadying her.

  She lowered herself back to the stool and closed her eyes.

  “Tasha,” she whispered. “They took her.”

  “I know, love.”

  “Did you see them drive off?” she asked.

  “No.” Jared stroked her cheek. “By the time I got there, they were gone. I found you on the ground, barely conscious. You were just… you were rambling, everything coming out so fast. You told me what happened on the drive over here. You wanted to go after them, to hunt those bastards down…” Jared clenched his jaw, his face red with anger. He shook his head. “You were my priority. I had to get you home. Get you safe.”

  Ari grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t remember any of that. I just… I remember being in the car with them, and then being pushed to the ground, thinking I was going to die. I was blacking out, I think. And then… well, then I was here.”

  “You were in shock,” Jared said. “But the doctor says you’re going to be okay. Just a little banged up—we need to watch you for any symptoms of concussion.”

  A concussion? It seemed so minor, so insignificant compared to what Tasha must be going through. “But my sister—”

  “We’ll get her back, Arianne.”

  “How? If we call the cops, that could just put her in more danger.”

  “I know. I’m working on it.” Jared pressed his lips to her forehead, his kiss as gentle as his voice. “You need to rest tonight. Can you do that for me? Let me work on this while you—”

  “No. No way.” Ari tried to stand again, but Jared put his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place. She looked up at him through watery eyes, her every muscle screaming in protest, her body on fire. The pain didn’t matter, though. Ari felt like a mother bear, overcome with a fierce need to find her sister. “I have to go to Davidson’s. I have to get to him and—”

  “And do what?” Jared asked. “Put a bullet in his head? Because unless you’re prepared for that, I’m not letting you walk out that door.”

  “You can’t keep me here.”

  Jared sighed, shoving his hands through his hair. “The man left you for dead tonight, Arianne. And you want to what, exactly? Knock on his door in the middle of the night, see if he’s up for some tea and a nice chat?”

  The gentleness was gone from his voice, anger and frustration taking its place. “He’s a violent psychopath,” Jared went on. “And right now, he’s holding the cards. He’s using your sister as bait. He wants you out of the way, Arianne, and if you think he won’t finish the job…” Jared’s voice broke at the end, and when Ari met his eyes again, she saw the fear in them.

  Ari pressed her bandaged palms to her temples. Jared was absolutely right, just like Tasha had been right. Davidson was a psychopath—all the more reason for Ari to worry.

  “I have to try,” Ari said, her thoug
hts spinning, her head pounding. “I can’t just stay here and… and do nothing while she… and I’m… and the heist is… and…” Ari tasted blood in her mouth again, another cut that wasn’t deep enough for stitches but still stung like a bitch. Fuck. She was being ridiculous. She couldn’t even stand up, let alone face off with the man who’d done this to her. She had no fight left—not tonight. She could barely breathe.

  Ari felt like a child stuck in a nightmare, crying out for a mother who would never come.

  “Jesus, Arianne. I thought I’d lost you tonight,” Jared whispered. He bent down and gathered her in his arms, pulling her to his chest in a suffocating embrace. “Nothing else matters but you and Natasha. Not my house, not my art, not the cars.”

  “But—”

  “Nothing, Arianne.” He pulled back and met her eyes, the intensity of his gaze leaving no room for argument. “When I tell you that we’re going to figure this out, I mean it. We’re going to get your sister back, and we’re going to make sure that bastard never hurts either of you—or anyone else—again. Do you trust me?”

  Do you trust me?

  They were only four little words—words Ari should’ve been asking Jared, not the other way around. She knew it was hard for him to trust—the little bit he’d shared about his last relationship was enough to put any man on high alert, and Ari was pretty sure her own criminal antics had blown the ex-fiancé’s betrayals out of the water. But Jared had her locked in his unrelenting gaze, his honey-brown eyes seeing right through her, stripping her down to the core. She was vulnerable and scared before him, ashamed at everything she’d done to bring this situation to his doorstep, but when he looked at her like that—like he believed in her, like he had total faith in their ability to get through this or anything else, like he loved her—she felt strong, somehow. Capable. Wanted. Cared for.

  Forgiven.

  Her heart expanded in her chest, and the moment felt suddenly huge, all-encompassing.