The hair stands up on the back of my neck. Dec meets my gaze with…concern?Is Clay using this connection to find me?
“This is too high-profile of a case for me to stomp around asking questions. I have to do this carefully. Unless you want to blow the entire operation.” The cop takes a step toward Clay, but stops in his tracks when the burly man steps between them.
Clay lets out an irritated sound. “Look, when you find her, you need to stall. Do not tell her father. Bring her straight to me. I’ll double your fee.”
I choke on my next inhale, and confusion blurs my mind.Why would Clay keep information from my father if it means bringing me home? Unless he isn’t planning to bring me home.My reaction is visceral. I press back against Declan, urging him to move so that I can get out of here.I gasp an inhale in my struggle to get away from him, knocking us both into the metal building. We freeze at the sound.
“What the fuck? Who did you tell?” The alarm in Clay’s voice is clear. They heard me. Clay scrambles into his car, leaving the other two to deal with the threat.
The cop starts for us, following the sound we’d made but still unable to glimpse our faces. Shots ring out, making me jump. A quick look tells me Matteo is drawing the cop’s attention. Declan grabs my arm, shoving me toward the safety of the SUV. I run in that direction, fear and adrenaline pumping through me.
Rounding the corner, I slip on the loose gravel, but I press on without slowing down. Our only chance is to get to the car. Pounding footsteps let me know that Declan is right behind me. I hear more shots as tires squeal, and I catch a glimpse of Clay’s car speeding away between buildings. Panic seizes my mind.Are the others okay?
“Fuck.” Declan’s grunt of pain has me stopping and turning to him. He and Clay’s bodyguard exchange a series of brutal blows. “No, keep going!” He snags the keys from his pocket and tosses them in my direction, causing him to lose the upper hand against Clay’s meathead. I catch them, my heart still thundering in my ears.
This is it. I could get in the SUV, leave them here and get the fuck away, our deal be damned.So why, when the burly bastard gets the upper hand on my gray-eyed captor, do I find my traitorous feet going back toward them?
I spot the blade strapped to Declan’s side, and while he’s locked in with the other man, I snatch it and start swinging. I catch the man across the cheek with the knife, and he releases a roar of rage as he shifts his full attention to me. Declan stumbles back from being suddenly releasedwhile the man reaches for me. I get two quick jabs with the blade into his arm.
Declan tries to get between us, but close gunfire distracts us both. I spot the cop backing around the corner of the building for a shield as he fires back at Akio and Matteo.
I’m snatched up, disarmed and immobilized in a heartbeat. Though it’s superficial, blood drips down his arm.I hope that fucking hurt.
Declan has his palms up in a placating gesture. “Just let her go, okay? She isn’t part of this.”
The man’s arm tightens around my throat, allowing only a trickle of air in and out of my lungs. I struggle against the man’s hold as he snarls, “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Then he leans into me and lowers his voice. “Looks like I’ll be the one getting a bonus instead of the cop,” he purrs in my ear.Fucking brush your teeth.
Declan stands several feet away, just out of my reach, yet close enough for me to discern the flicker of fear in his eyes. Despite the distance, I jerk my arm free, reaching for him, anyway. Spots are dancing in my eyes as the man’s arm tightens further. I know I’m going to pass out soon. Declan takes a breath and I watch in slow motion as he whips a gun from behind him and aims at my attacker. It’s the last image I see before darkness takes me under.
The darkness is suffocating. The fear is all-consuming, coursing through every part of my body. I’m pinned, but my senses sharpen. I feel his hot breath on my cheek, register the bruising grip on my wrists. I can’t see anything clearly as I struggle to break free. A fleeting image flashes through my mind – a man’s pale, bare chest looming over me, a burn scar on the right side. “Shhh, you know you want this,” a sinister voice whispers. The scent of bergamot and whiskey clogs the air.
There’s a loud slam nearby. “Goddamnit!” The pressure is suddenly gone, but I still can’t make my body move. Still can’t force air into my lungs. A haze of light starts to show…
I wake in the SUV as it careens around a corner, the internal lights on. I scramble to sit, a scream tearing from my throat. Breath won't go in, my chest becoming impossibly tighter. Gentle hands grasp my own, but I fight them off as overwhelming dizziness rushes through me. My eyes are open but nothing will come into focus.
“Just breathe. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” This voice is soothing, bringing me back to the here and now. It’s familiar, comforting. A voice that makes me feel protected. The fight leaves my body as I collapse against him.
I’m trembling in his arms, and tears track down my cheeks. Akio twists in the front seat, watching this disaster of a meltdown unfold with concern on his features. Declan’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel as he steals glances in the rearview mirror. So the arms around me? Matteo. Is it surprising that he wraps me up and holds me? Absolutely. Surprising that I let him? Yep. But the biggest surprise is that for the first time in years, I feel safe.
The sense of safety quickly dissipates. As we get closer to the house, Matteo grows increasingly tense, abruptly sitting me up in my seat and gruffly ordering me to put on my seatbelt. Then he turns away and ignores me for the rest of the drive. Raw hurt rips through my chest.
I glance to Akio, who also notes Teo’s change in behavior. He gives me a small shake of his head as if to convey that it’s all going to be okay and to not read too far into Matteo’s actions. Well, it was that, or he was trying to tell me not to poke the bear.
I bite my lip and stare out the window as we roll down the long driveway, parking in front of the steps to the house. We’ve barely stopped when Matteo jumps out, slamming his door behind him and storming up the stairs.
I swallow against the emotion clogging my throat. Declan meets my eyes in the mirror, exhaustion swimming in the gray depths.
“Are you okay, Poison?” His voice is low and gruff.
I hesitate for a second before responding.Am I? “Yeah. I’m good.” The lie sounds hollow to me.
He nods once before giving Akio a pointed look; then he gets out and heads inside, leaving me in the SUV with Akio.
He looks at me with a soft smile. “Don’t worry about Teo. You’re okay and that’s what matters.”
“What happened?” My voice is barely a whisper emerging from my raw throat.
“Clay and the cop got away. Declan shot Clay’s bodyguard but not before he choked you out. When we got to the two of you, you were unconscious in Declan’s arms. Matteo took you from him and we hauled ass back here.”
