Page 10 of Thaddeus

“What’s—”

My question was cut off when I saw the green dots bouncing. One on Carlos and when I looked down, one aimed on my heart.

I was right. There was nothing gentlemanly about Jefferson Baldwin. He was using me as a human shield.

So there I was, secure in the knowledge I’d been correct about the shitbird all along and I was going to die in his arms, him using me as protection. The laser continued to shift around my chest then it disappeared. Before I could figure out where the dot had gone, I heard a snap as something whizzed by my ear and I fell to the dirt.

Landing mostly on top of Jefferson, I wasn’t sure what was going on but I knew I needed to run before whoever was shooting at us took aim again. A split-second later, Carlos collapsed, his head colliding with mine.

With birds chirping and bells ringing in my head, I pushed at Carlos with all my might. Warm, sticky blood oozed from his wound, dripping onto my cheek and into my mouth.

Oh, God.

Oh, holy fuck.

I was going to vomit.

Carlos was yanked off my prone body and tossed aside like he was nothing more than a child’s toy and I was snatched off the ground by a black-masked man. Two strong arms went around my waist and as I was jerked up, I lost it.

And by lost it, I mean, I lost the contents of my stomach.

The taste of Carlos’ blood mixed with vomit, and my gut revolted again. The man’s grip on me didn’t loosen when I tried to turn my head to spew. The result was, in one word, messy.

I tried shoving against the man’s chest, however, my hands practically bounced off the solid wall of muscle, and the two steel bands that were the man’s arms tightened.

Why wasn’t I screaming my head off? Because I didn’t want Jefferson’s guards shooting at the man holding me. I had a better chance of escaping if my body wasn’t riddled with holes.

A car door opened and I was literally thrown into the back seat. I didn’t waste any time and quickly scrambled to the other side, opening that door so I could get out and run. A second masked man filled the open space and I moved back to the middle.

Fuck.

Think, Emerson, think.

I couldn’t let them get me to where they were taking me. Men kidnapped women in this country for one reason and one reason only—to sell them.

Both men climbed in, sandwiching me between them, and fear threatened to take over.

They were huge. Covered head to toe in black, both had rifles balancing in front of them, and they had on military-style vests, complete with a bunch of shit strapped to the front. I scanned the objects fastened to the webbing, trying to negotiate a weapon. Before I could complete my search, the front doors of the SUV were opened, slammed closed, the back hatch of the SUV was opened and shut, then the driver sped away at a speed that whipped my head back.

Shit.

I went back to looking for anything I could use to get myself out of my current predicament, when the man ripped his black mask off.

My world spun.

No, my universe tipped upside down as Thaddeus Bench’s deep brown eyes took me in. I understood the look he was giving me. I’d hidden that same look every time my gaze had landed on Jefferson Baldwin.

Revulsion and hatred, clear as day.

“What the fuck?” he exploded.

I was shocked into silence. Even if I wanted to speak, I couldn’t.

The first words he’d spoken to me in over ten years were spat at me in disgust.

“Motherfucker.” He slammed his palm into the back of the seat in front of him, causing the man who had the unfortunate luck to be sitting in it to turn his head and look over his shoulder.

“Calm. The. Fuck. Down,” the man demanded.