Focus,a small voice chides.
Right. Lifting the stun gun, I aim it at his package, which he quickly covers. “Hello, Ryder,” I purr, covering my British accent and lifting the cuffs in my opposite hand. “I’m going to need you to put these on.Now.”
Naked and dripping, he has the audacity to send me a lazy smirk. “Mind if I put some clothes on first?” he drawls.
Dammit.I can feel my skin flushing, and I jerk the stun gun at his bag on the bench. “Hurry up.”
I try not to watch as he drags a towel over his wet body, slowly drying off. Not missing one single drop. He sure seems to be taking his time. A bold move when I could have him writhing on the floor in pain in an instant.
Chewing my bottom lip, I shift from one boot to the other, trying not to watch as he dresses. Why is he moving so slowly? When he’s finally dressed in jeans, a Henley and boots, he eyes me closely.
“Fancy meeting you here, Miss Diamond.”
Crap.So much for him not recognizing me. He’s even sharper than I realized. I’m always so careful to vary disguises. And to make sure I normally conceal my true appearance all the time. Yet he knows it’s me. Immediately. And we’ve barely spoken less than a minute in the past year. How does he know? I mean, sure, my disguise isn’t the best and totally half-assed, but he connected the dots far too fast.
Those are questions for another time. Someone could walk in here at any second.
“Put these on.” I shove the cuffs at him, and he reluctantly takes them. Our hands brush, and I do my best to ignore the contact. But there’s no denying the jolt of awareness that hits me. It makes me feel off-balance, not in control, and I can’t have that.
“Why? Are you kidnapping me?” There’s a teasing note in his voice.
“As a matter of fact, I am.” I hit the button on the stun gun and it crackles. He seems to be weighing his options. But he needs to understand he doesn’t have any. “You have three seconds,” I warn him, hitting the button again. It sizzles with a crack of electricity. “Three… two—”
He slips the cuffs on his wrists,snapping them closed.
“Good boy,” I murmur silkily. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to cover your hands with your jacket and walk out the back door without making a scene. Can you handle that?”
“What’s the alternative?”
“I zap you in the dick.”
“Cover hands and walk out the back door. Got it.”
My lips twitch as I toss his jacket over his cuffed hands.
“I would like to know what’s happening.” He arches a dark brow. “And exactly how big of an idiot I’d be to trust you.”
“You’d be a bigger idiotnotto trust me.” I give the stun gun an ominous wave then grab his bag and nod to the exit. “Let’s go. And if you try anything, I promise you’ll regret it.”
Chapter Four: Ryder
Bella Diamond just kidnapped me. Maybe if I’m lucky, she’ll make me her sex slave.
We walk out of the locker room and head to the nearest exit, which leads outside to the back alley. The truth is, I could easily overpower her and get away. But I’m way too curious to see where this goes. Find out exactly what she wants from me. Because things just got interesting and, for now, I’m willing to play along.
Ever since I first laid eyes on her, I’ve been fascinated. Maybe a little captivated, too. Since she’s always in some kind of disguise, I don’t even know what she really looks like. I wonder if any of the many characters she plays is even partly truthful. Right now, I’m seeing dark tendrils escape her hoodie, and I think it might be her real color. The last time I saw her, she had long blonde hair with bangs.I have to say, this deep brown shade suits her much better. It complements her skin tone.
Something is off, though, and I think she might be wearing contacts. Gray doesn’t seem right on her. If I were a betting man, I’d say her true eye color is lighter. Striking even.
She gives me a little push out the door, and I smirk. Such a feisty little thing. Glancing down, I see she’s clutching that stun gun like it could actually stop me.News flash, Miss Diamond. It can’t.She has no idea how fast I can move, some of that due to Linc’s training sessions, but I’ve always been fast on my feet.
The moment we step into the alley, I abruptly stop. An Aston Martin Vanquish in supernova red waits, hazards flashing, like a fucking chariot to the gods. It’s one of the best-looking cars out there. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill ride. And I should know—I almost bought one exactly like it.
“Does this beauty belong to you?” My voice drips with awe.
“Get in,” she hisses, opening the door and ignoring my question.
“With pleasure.” I slide into the passenger seat and take a moment to admire the interior before looking up through the panoramic roof. Damn, maybe I should’ve bought an Aston Martin. A classic British beauty with so much character. It’s only a two-seater, so I grunt when she tossesmy gym bag over the console and it hits me in the groin. “Isn’t there room in the back for this?”
