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I ground my teeth and inhaled deeply. The sterile scent of this shop made me want to cough. The simple fact of the matter was, I’d let the tourist on the cruise ship get in my head and was fast becoming consumed with dreams of the future before it could happen yet! Hell, I didn’t even know what Constantine thought about kids!
The doorbell tinkled and I absently flicked a glance toward it but didn’t recognize the man who entered. Returning my attention to the box, I did the math one more time in my head.“No birth control.”Constantine’s words ran through my head, and a shiver of gooseflesh broke over my skin. I rubbed my arms. That was neither the time nor the place to discuss such intimate aspects of our relationship...but they still danced in my mind regardless.
A hard hand came down on my shoulder, and I jumped back into the present.
“Miss Beaumont, come with me.”
I froze. It was my father’s driver. For a moment, my mind blanked as I stared at his bullish features, which only made his broad skull look even thicker.
When did he sneak in here?It didn’t matter how I’d missed his arrival. This was it. The deep breath that filled my lungs did nothing to stop my fingers from quivering as I set the box back on the shelf. Stepping forward, I followed the gesture the driver gave me, moving toward the front of the store. It was as if he were picking me up from an appointment, not taking me to a man who would kill me without hesitation.
Hand on the pharmacy door, I stopped. “What is your name?”
Those dry lips pressed into a thin line.
“Come on, we both know what will happen when my father gets ahold of me. You’ve been around since I can remember, and yet this is the most intimate conversation we’ve ever had.” I gave him a piercing look.
The moment dragged on, and finally, with a snort, I ripped the door to the farmacia open.
His answer came as I was about to step through. “Justin.”
I nodded once. “Thank you for driving me, Justin.”
His eyes widened. A warning was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. This man owed me no loyalty. He’d never spoken up when my family had beaten and abused me. He knew what kind of monster he served, and here he was driving for my father right to the end.
I walked straight to the tan car idling on the side of the road. Justin’s large body came close; his sweaty, sickly sweetness drowned out every other scent. He gripped my arm hard and ground out, “Get into the car and don’t make a sound. Don’t think about running. No one is coming to save you. Your fake husband is in LA.”
I hope you’re stupid enough to believe that.I tried to muster a proper look of terror. It wasn’t too hard, given there were so many variables. “Then why would you waste the breath to threaten me?” I snapped.
He shrugged and opened the door.
Typical thug.I couldn’t believe I’d wasted pity on him. I slid into the seat, chewing on my lip. There was no sign of the Bratva or of the butcher. They were watching over me from a distance. But how far away were they?
The interior of the car smelt stale, the seats baked from the sun. This car could have been jacked or maybe it was a rental. I reminded myself to take deep breaths. This was happening. My father had taken the bait.
“How come you aren’t fighting back?” Justin probed as he pulled into the busy streets.
“My father won’t kill me. I’m his rightful heir,” I stated confidently. It was a good lie to use on the spot.
Justin grunted. “And that’s why you changed your name and slipped away to Mexico?”
I’d been sent to marry a monster and convince him to let me into his home and his bed so I could kill him. If I could do that, I could fool a driver. “My father needed some time to cool off after what happened in LA. I knew he would find me when he was ready.”
“And you kept the butcher alive, thinking it would help your cause?”
“Maybe I learned something about my spouse that makes him more useful alive than dead—as an ally rather than a corpse.”
Justin hummed. My counter worked—on the driver at least. However, I knew my father would never buy it.
The buildings blurred by. My engagement ring and the silicone T in my uterus would show my location. For good measure, I lifted my fist to my chin. “Othello,” I purred under my breath.
If nothing else, the code would alert them that I was abducted. They could move in, if they hadn’t already from the rate at which I was geographically moving. Or maybe they were close enough that they were watching. All in all, my confidence soared. This was it. We were going to execute my father, and then Constantine and I could start a real life.
“So...a pregnancy test, huh?” Justin mused. Talkative bastard now that we were on a first name basis.
“Can’t be too careful,” I murmured.
Justin turned left, and we started speeding toward the ocean.
