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“I thought you were taking me back down to my cell?” I followed as he tugged me along.
“I am.” He pulled on a bible and the bookshelf popped open, revealing the stairwell down to the dungeon. My eyebrows raised but Yuri kept going, giving me no time to process the false door.
No more words were exchanged between us as the cell door closed behind me, the coolness of my cell greeting me. It smelled fresh like it had been recently cleaned. Almost immediately, I was aware of his absence and my chest tightened. It was embarrassing to admit that I felt safer around him than alone in his house. Even though I shuddered at the way our bodies yearned for each other like magnets, I already missed his scent, his voice.
On the mattress were a fuzzy blanket and a pillow. My lips tugged into a smile. Was this my punishment for trying to escape? Fresh clothes and a shower and a little bit of comfort in my clinical cell? The blanket felt like heaven against my sensitive skin and I curled up on the mattress, suddenly feeling sleepy after my escape attempt and the whiplash that was my attraction to Yuri.
Chapter 8
Yuri
Iwas awoken to a rap at the door from Matteo earlier than I expected. Instead of calling out for him to enter, I pulled myself out of bed and went to the door, hopeful that he wouldn’t see into my room and notice the giant wood plank over my window. It was an explanation I didn’t want to give and one I wasn’t ready to talk about, even with my right-hand man.
“Sleep well?” He quipped, his eyebrow cocking.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“McAllen town hall meeting transcript was released, seems like Jameson was listening.” A wave of relief washed through me. It was the easiest of the three demands if I was honest, but judging by the sincerity in Darya’s voice when she had sworn it wouldn’t work, I started to doubt my own plan.
Lifting the search act was crucial for the next phase of the plan. There was virtually no way for our men to run across the border anymore, not in larger quantities and not with the guards stopping any and everyone without suspicions. They were armed to the T and given search dogs that took their time with every vehicle, shady van, or pick-up truck. There was no way to get around it. But our supply was building up and the small smuggling operations couldn’t keep up with the demand. We were losing money thanks to Darya’s father. If we didn’t gain back our power with the border agents, the cash flow would be taking a huge hit and we couldn’t afford to slip off the map with the Desalmados growing bold.
I nodded and went to close the door but Matteo stuck his foot out. “We did get a call.”
“From?”
“Jameson. He said he wants to talk to her.”
Fuck. I felt like for the first time I might have gotten through to her to stop being so goddamn difficult, a phone call with him wasn’t going to help the situation. She needed to feel isolated like I was the only one she could rely on. The thought sent a ripple of nausea through my gut.
Even if I knew it was the only way for the kidnapping to go off without a hitch, it still felt like a slimy thing to do.
I nodded. “I’ll go down later and set it up. Be ready to leave here at four.”
“Do I need to bring anything?” Matteo asked.
I chuckled, he knew exactly what he’d need to bring, he just wanted to hear me say it. “Little box of toys, hermano.”
I shut the door and went back to bed, hoping I could squeeze in a few more hours of sleep before my day really began.
A few hours later, after a shower and dressing in my usual suit, I made Darya a quick lunch before heading downstairs. I plugged in the code and stepped inside to find her pacing, per usual. Her eyes widened when she saw the tray.
“Thank God,” she reached out and plucked the plate from the tray.
I chuckled, “I’m glad to see we’ve given up on starving ourselves.”
She took a big bite of the sandwich and popped a chip in her mouth, savoring it as she chewed. She rolled her eyes, “I wasn’t going to be able to keep that up forever.”
“You could have fooled me.”
I was glad. She could never know just how freaked out I was watching her pass out through the cameras and the hair on my neck stood up when I thought about how pale she’d been against my chest as I rushed her upstairs. I didn’t like it at all.
I looked her up and down. Her color was back and her hair fell in soft curls. She looked radiant. “You look…” my voice came out raspier than I expected.
Her brows pulled together.
“Better,” I said. She didn’t need to know all my thoughts. The way I wanted to lay her down right here and get a better taste of her. I thought our kiss would have calmed my intrusive thoughts, but if anything, they made it harder to deny just how badly I wanted her.
She shook my head and took another big bite.
