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She lunged for the door and yanked on the handle. It didn’t budge. “Oh, so youareinto kidnapping.”
He started the car then turned in his seat. Eyes the color of worn-down slate bore into her. “I’m into keeping your ass alive, in case you haven’t noticed. It didn’t seem like you wanted to go with Mark.”
She leaned forward. “I don’t want to go with anyone.”
“News flash, princess. I’m not too happy about it either.”
She ignored the jab. “How much is he paying you?” The question blurted from her lips. Stupid, because the amount was irrelevant. But part of her wanted to know just how desperate her father—and Toth—was.
His lips compressed. He rocked his chiseled jaw back and forth and dammit, she couldn’t help but admire his tanned skin, his full, neatly trimmed beard, and his tattoos peeking out from the cuffs of his sleeves. Toth might be a royal pain in her ass, but he was a good-looking one.
“Fifty grand,” he said flatly.
Savannah froze. Holy shit. Of course, her father had money to throw around. But fifty thousand dollars for a week? That was more than she’d expected. She sat back in her seat and forced down the thickness in her throat. Whatever the threat was it must have been bad.
“We good now?” Toth’s sharp question penetrated the fog closing in around her. “Or you gonna try to kick me again?”
She scrunched up her face in mockery. Now that her anger was dwindling, she wouldn’t take the bait. She folded her arms across her chest. “I need to stop at my apartment.”
A vein twitched at his temple. “You realize we’re trying to avoid getting you killed, right? You were just shot at there.”
“Exactly. Cops are crawling all over the area. The shooters are long gone.”
Toth mumbled something under his breath and peeled out of the parking lot.
She stared ahead while he drove in the direction of her apartment, confusion percolating inside of her. Toth wanted the money, that was why he’d carried her out. She couldn’t say she was too angry about how he’d roughed up Mark. Dominic was the only one of her father’s men she tolerated. Spending a week with Mark would have been brutal. At least Toth was attractive and somewhat interesting. He seemed to struggle with his temper as much as she did, so that could be fun.
Or dangerously tempting.
***
Savannah straightened herdress as she got into the back of Toth’s vehicle once again. She should have changed into something more comfortable, but with his brooding glare on her she hadn’t—plus, after the shooting earlier she hadn’t wanted to spend an extra minute at her apartment than necessary.
She’d packed a small bag even though he’d grumbled his ass off about how stupid it was to stop for her belongings. At least she had something comfy to change into when they reached their next stop. She couldn’t take her computer or any other electronics that could pick up her location. But at least she had her notebook. She’d have toLittle House on the Prairieit for the next week.
While they left the building, Toth had kept his hand loose around her elbow. If his palm hadn’t been so effing warm, she’d have shrugged him off. Even now, minutes later, her skin singed with the branding of his.
It wasn’t just that. He’d kept her close and used his body as a shield, acting as if he’d take a bullet for her. Which was hot as hell.
Geez, girl, you’ve got daddy issues.
She squeezed her eyes together and shook off the thrill of it all because really, she’d take a bullet for fifty Gs too.
She watched as he got into the driver’s seat and checked his cell phone before setting it in the cupholder next to him.Harrumph. Easy for him. His life wasn’t being hijacked. If she had to endure seven days away from home with no phone, no computer, no connection to her life, she’d at least have her own clothes. And so help her god, she was returning in one week, even if she had to shoot Toth and steal his vehicle.
“Where exactly are you taking me?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Buckle up.”
She rolled her eyes but clicked her seatbelt into place. He shifted the vehicle into drive and pulled away from the curb. The area outside of her building had an eerie feel about it. The street was unusually quiet, as if everyone had left the area and hadn’t returned since the shooting. The only signs of life were a few cars parked along the curb. An icy chill touched her spine. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to get away for a while.
“Well?” she pressed.
His gaze met hers in the rearview mirror then flicked back to the road as he sailed through an intersection. “I’ve got a place. Isolated. We’ll hang there until we get the word it’s safe to return.”
“No, we’ll hang there for seven days. That’s it.”
He sighed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to fight me on everything?”
