Page 208 of Damián

“Can I get a tiny clue?”

“Damián will be there.”

“Wow, Alexios, you are a master of giving clues.” Tae gives him a thumbs-up, and Alexios laughs, flipping him the bird.

And I already knew that Damián being there was a given, but hearing his name spoken out loud makes my stomach dip and my heart flutter.

Ugh, no… Stop fluttering, stupid heart.

I shake my head, ignoring the stupid bit of hope my brain attaches to, and instead force myself to stop overthinking all this.

Okay, this is good, Ollie.

At the very least, I’ll get the chance to explain why I have to go, say goodbye… and maybe have one… or two sessions of hot sex.

Okay… five sessions of hot, mind-blowing sex.

As a goodbye, of course…

And maybe an—Ah! No.

No, no, no… Don’t even go there, Oliver.

You can’t have a boner while being kidnapped.

I look around, desperate to find a distraction. The van is clearly brand new, and it’s completely bare. There are no screens, bags, cables, or hidden guns… nothing remotely Harknett.

“What do you guys normally use this van for?”

“Nothing,” Alexios says from the driver’s seat. “We rented it yesterday.”

“You rented a kidnapper van… just to kidnap me?” I ask in disbelief.

They all nod simultaneously, as if this were the most obvious answer.

“We have a kidnapping contact guy.” Leif grins, proud of that fact. “Got it for a great price.”

“You guys have a contact for kidnapping vehicles?”

“Yes,” Tae shrugs. “Don’t you?”

I pause…

“Actually, now that I think about it, I do.” I narrow my eyes at them. “But I use my contact to save lives, not to literally kidnap people.”

“If you think about it, we’re using it to save lives, too,” Leif argues.

“Breakups don’t kill people.”

“We’re talking about our lives,” Alexios corrects me. “Damián will go on an absolute rampage if you leave him.”

“…I’m not leaving him because I want to.”

“We know,” Tae says, awkwardly patting my shoulder. “Which is exactly why we agreed to kidnap you.”

I sigh.

Even Tae is trying his best to be sweet…