AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good for you. Just be safe, okay?”
“I will.”
He passed me bottled water, and I thanked him, slipping from the stool to head outside. The cooler air swept across my skin as I left the hot bar behind. The outdoor lights weren’t on yet, and I thought it was odd but sat at an empty table, taking in the Las Vegas Strip and all the hotels.
As I thought of Bells, guilt nearly overwhelmed me. I should have stayed with her or insisted she come to the room with me. When I woke up the following day and realized she was missing, I panicked. Everything only got worse from there.
We never should have gone to the party that night. Mateo Ruiz was trouble. I sensed it when his gaze swept over Bells and didn’t disguise his lust. There was a possessive glint in his eye and something else, almost sinister. I should have trusted my gut and convinced her to leave.
Instead, we spent the evening with Mateo and one of his closest friends, Angel Mackenzie. They both creeped me out a little.
“I heard you’ve been asking around about me.”
Oh. Shit.
The growly tone belonged to none other than Mateo Ruiz.
My head lifted, and his dark gaze settled on me. “Mateo.”
“Not an answer,Chica.”
“You know I’ve been looking for Bells.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Of course.”
“I met someone tonight who said he saw you at the hotel bar after the party with Bells. He said you left with her.”
Mateo shrugged. “That means nothing.”
“It means more than that,” I contradicted. “What happened to my friend? Where is she?”
He stepped toward me, a snarl lifting the corner of his lip. “You don’t ask me questions,puta.”
“I’m not going to stop looking for her,” I replied, refusing to be intimidated.
His hand slipped from his pocket, and he lifted it, examining his nails for a few seconds before he flung his hand back and then struck me across the face. Hard.
Shocked, I didn’t move. I couldn’t believe he actually slapped me.
Two bodyguards stood behind him and watched, doing nothing to intervene.
“Hurting me won’t silence me,” I warned him, touching my cheek and wincing.
“Then I’ll have to convince you.”
Those words terrified me, but I wouldn’t cower. I had to fight back. Mateo wasn’t a big man, but he was muscular, with a good thirty pounds on me and an additional couple of inches in height. I was no match for him.
He bolted forward and grabbed me around the waist. I flailed and opened my mouth to scream when one of his men pulled a gun. It aimed at my chest.
Mateo dragged me to the side of the bar out of earshot, where no one would see us. The loud music would drown my screams even if the asshole holding the gun decided to lower it. I struggled and kicked my legs, shoved at his hands, and clawed at his wrists, but he didn’t release me.
Mateo laughed as he threw me down on the ground and descended like a ravenous beast, and I was the prey. I tried to shield my body, but he kicked me in the ribs first. Pain exploded along my side and in my head. No one had ever hurt me like that before, and it stunned me.
I gasped, trying to drag air into my lungs, but it wasn’t working. Spots danced in my vision.
Don’t pass out!
I formed a fist and swung but caught nothing, only air.
