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I called out as I dashed into the hallway. Unprepared for his quickness, the man was already right behind me. My heart began to hammer in true fear as I ripped a picture off my wall to hit him in the face with. My fingers felt the dull ache from not gripping it right, but I had to keep going because this only gave me an extra step before he fell back in line behind me.
"What now?" Tim acted annoyed before turning his head my way for a single second. He planned to go right back into his game before the man behind me stopped him in his tracks. My sheer fear had him doing a double take to see the large man behind me. The kidnapper took that as his prime moment to tackle me. Slamming against the ground, I bit my tongue on the very tip and whimpered as I fought to escape. There was no time to recognize the lack of air in my lungs as my breathing refused to right itself. He pinned me to the floor as I wriggled my way out of his hold. Even though I'd never been large, I knew how to break free of most holds.
He rolled me over to have less power against him as he used his weight to hold me down. Narrowing his eyes through the holes, the mask hid his full face from Tim because my boyfriend had never seen this man, but I felt like I had. There was something dark and unmatched that felt too familiar to me. Not having the time to ask for his ID, I kept trying to free myself.
"What the fuck?" Tim panicked and froze in his place on the couch, refusing to get up and help.
"Help me!" I battled my hands from the large frame holding me down.
"Leave!" he growled at Tim with a thick accent, one I recognized from somewhere. My eyes fell behind me to see my boyfriend dart himself off the couch and out the front door.
"Babe, I'm sorry." He didn't even pause to remove his headset. Raising his hands to comfort me, he nodded before hooking his thumb toward the door. "I'll go get help!"
"Tim!" I screeched in fear and disbelief. He left me. My boyfriend just left me in the hands of my captor like it was no big deal with it being my life on the line. "You motherfucker! We're over!"
The rage engulfed me, causing me to dig my nails into his tender neck. The man hissed, lifting a little to right himself. My hips kept thrusting upward to buck him off me, causing something hard to greet me in return. Wide-eyed, he chuckled darkly. "What a conundrum. Your boyfriend ran in fear of your attacker, but your attacker becomes aroused by your position below him."
Spitting in his face, I knew it would do no good against the ski mask, but I had to try. "Fuck you."
Finally getting my hips free, I lunged to get away just as he pounced to grab me again. His hand clasped my ankle just as I was about to take hold of the small lamp on my counter. It didn't work, but that was the risk of buying something from a secondhand store. Being cute enough to have for decoration, I didn't bother taking it back for the two bucks I paid for it. Now, it fell and cracked the glass shade built around the bulb because I didn't have a secure hold on it.
Being forced into a bellyflop, I let my fingers clasp the cord to make sure I had a weapon on me just as he began pulling me back into his hold. I never stopped clawing the cheap carpet to get away, and it helped bring the lamp closer. Once my hand could take the base, I swung it back and got the man across the cheek. He seemed slightly dazed, but he didn't let go. I then took an extra jab right after to knock him off me easier. Nothing seemed to work as I kept swinging the broken lamp of glass wildly in his direction. His manly scent engulfed me as I struggled, and I knew I'd never forget his smell again. Even if this man sold me to someone else, I'd recognize him for the rest of my days because he smelled of pine and cigarette smoke.
With one more blunt swing in his direction, I knew my time was falling short. Snagging his cheek again, I must've got him a little deeper than the last one. He groaned and reached to rub the slice the lamp got in. Holding the bleeding spot, he snarled down at me. "Now I'm going to have to clean this up before your boyfriend runs far enough to call for help."
His version of cat and mouse finished. No more tormenting me, he let me know he'd only been having fun with me by how he handled me now. His grip grew firmer, unrelenting to the fight my muscles put up. Picking me up as he stood, he placed my back against his front. Inserting a white handkerchief over my mouth, I knew what was about to happen. Part of me wanted to hold my breath and pretend to sleep, but my exhaustion refused, rebelling against him so hard already.
Still kicking with a muffled scream, I tried to keep myself upright to handle this problem. Hell, I even managed to bite his finger through the cloth. The man hissed, but he didn't ease his hold just as my form began to feel too heavy to fight. As I drifted off into the maddening slumber with the knowledge I was being kidnapped for god knows what, I saw my duffle bag next to his feet. The man had literally been fighting me while holding my bag he had previously packed for me.
A small meow came from the side. Just as my eyes went dark with worry for Whiskers, the man leaned his front down to whisper to me. "Don't worry. I'd never leave your cat in the hands of someone so incapable of love. He'll be coming with us."
And just like that, I'd been rendered unconscious.
twenty-eight
Tony
What were we doing? My fingers thrummed tirelessly over the steering wheel of the van I stole from the driver of the morgue. They had no idea it would be missing, and Costas showed me how to intercept the call that would head their way to take Draven off their hands. It would come to me instead, and I rehearsed my line more than I cared to admit. Trying to breathe while parked on a dark, side road, I waited patiently for Costas to find me.
He should be done soon with grabbing the females, but I worried something went south during his operation. Not from my lack of faith in his abilities but because it only took one person seeing him do these tasks to know what we were up to. The FBI wouldn't hesitate to take us down. They'd already been paying me visits with my time spent in their country. A few times, I had been followed.
Even earlier today I noticed their unmarked hounds. When I picked up this van for moving the body, I spent two hours driving around first to make sure they didn't follow me, and I switched vehicles a few times with other members of our inner circle who resided here. Having people stationed everywhere was how our smuggling business thrived. They knew I'd rely on their assistance while here, and they pulled through.
Now that I knew Astrid moved in, I'd have one pair of eyes watching her for me. She needed protected even if she'd hate me for it. The woman belonged to the bloodline of our family, and I knew all the rivals we had in the city, being smart enough to do the same thing as my family. It would only take one person to know her true identity and use it against me. My informant would keep me posted of her wellbeing. That's all the control I had because Costas had been right about her getting out of the family business alive. It would only be cruel to take that away from her now.
Just when my thoughts felt too burdened, I saw oncoming lights. With three flashes of brights, I knew Costas approached. He made plans to always ensure my safety, and I appreciated all the things he did that helped keep me safe. Even though he'd been trained to, the man treated me like a brother, though, formally with his use of the word sir.
Getting out, I opened the back of the van as he backed his end up to the doors. This would make lifting them easier with a shorter distance. Costas got out and popped the trunk, standing beside me on the outskirts of the city. Two women lied side by side, unconscious for us to handle easier. Biting my lower lip, I couldn't tell Costas of the nerves that had built inside of me. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"
"It's too late now," he whispered. "I ran the boyfriend off, and their house flooded with cops shortly after I left."
"Did they follow?" Fear gripped my stomach and twisted it into knots.
He snorted. "That idiot is dumber than a bag of rocks. He ran from the apartment and didn't even bother seeing what kind of car I'd have. Hell, I cleaned the apartment of anything related to me before he made a call."
That's when I noticed the blood on his face. "Are you alright?"
"A few scratches. Millie put up a small fight. Don't worry, I poured bleach on the spots inside their home. They'll never match it to me. I also tidied the place up and made it look like I didn't orchestrate a home invasion." He shrugged.
