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The fear in her eyes when she looked up at me burned in my memory and stayed engraved like it had been carved in stone. Like a permanent imprint. The color paled on her sun-kissed skin and her lips quivered. I hated it. I hated knowing she loathed me—detestedme. It was why she ran away in the first place.
It didn’t matter. I didn’t give a fuck. One thing was certain: I wasn’t leaving this fucking place without her. If I had to drag her out of the house, so be it.
Another drop of sweat trickled down my neck.
One minute left.
I marched through the lawn and up the steps. The men parted, getting out of my way, but I shoved them aside because I felt like it. My back hair stuck to my neck, and I grunted. “If we have to break the fucking door down, we will. I’m not going through a window like a fucking...” I grumbled and shoved Pavel. “Move aside!”
With a bark, I raised my leg and...Crash!Wood splinters flew in the air as the door halved. I bashed it again, again, and again with my shiny black shoes until the wood broke from its hinges. More sweat streamed down my back, steaming my anger until my vision blurred.
“Get in there! All of you,” I snapped. “Find her.”
They marched inside, their feet stomping on the beige carpet in the living room. I followed behind. They pushed the furniture and thrashed the décor. I’d have rather they focused on finding her, but I was too parched to care.Fucking, high-altitude desert.
With a hand in my pocket, I padded to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. “Hm,” I scoffed. No beer or whiskey. Justmilk, more milk, water, and fruit juice. I plucked out a water bottle and slammed the door shut.
Heavy feet resounded before Pavel stuck his through the threshold. “Boss, there’s no one here. We’ve searched the whole place.”
The corner of my lips tugged upwards. I remembered a similar situation we found ourselves in, five years ago. Mike Collin’s mansion. She’d been in there the entire time.
Slowly, I uncapped the bottle and threw my head back. I was willing to bet all my possessions that Vanessa was in this house. She had no place to go and not enough time to plan an escape.
With a gulp, I emptied the bottle and crushed the plastic. I threw it aside, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and stormed out of the dainty kitchen. I was so sure I knew where she hid.
“Vanessa!” I called, marching through to the door down the hall. “Come out, now ...”
My hand clamped down on the silver knob and I pressed my body against the door, twisting the knob carefully. Something pounded on it. My heartbeat or hers, I didn’t know.
The knob unclicked easily, and I whispered, “There’s no pointing hiding now,” before putting my head through.
Metal swung through the air with speed, but I ducked, dodging a hit to my head just in time. I caught her wrist and the curtain rod clattered on the ground. Brown teary eyes traced the rod on the ground, and she appeared even paler when they settled on me.
“We meet again, kitten.”
“Please...” she whimpered, her tiny voice like a soft purr.
I pulled her closer, reveling in her body heat and wildflower scent. Tears rolled down the side of her eyes whenshe lifted her head to look at me. Her breasts were flush against my chest, and I felt the rapid badgering of her heart.
I lowered my head to her neck and inhaled deeply. Her body was soft and fit perfectly against mine. Heat flowed below my belt. It fueled me; having her so close. She quivered. “What do you want?Whyare you here? It’s been years already—”
“Five years, two months, thirteen days, and one hour,” I growled against her soft skin.God!“But who’s counting?”
She shuddered. “Alexei, I’m begging you. Please, leave me alone. I am and have always been, unrelated to my father’s debt. I am innocent. Can’t you see? You’re fine...I’mfine. Our lives can go on perfectly without being in each other’s faces. I’m sure you have more important things to do than chasing the girl who ran away.”
Anger seared my veins.
I slipped my hand in her hair and pulled her head backward. She yelped and I pushed her back against the wall, knocking the breath out of her lungs. “This has nothing to do with your fucking father,” I growled. “This is about youandme, kitten. What, you think I came after you because of some fucking peanuts your papa owed me? News flash: I found the bastard and beat the shit out of him. Got my money too with more interest than the debt he owed.”
“Then what do you want?” she screamed, thrashing against my hold. “What... what do you want from me?”
“You!”
She paused and her eyes grew large. “Whatdid you say?”
I pressed my body against hers, leaning in until our lips were only inches apart. Until I could taste her breath. “I want you, Vanessa.” I traced a finger down her jaw, stroking her chin. “I came here, after all these years, to claim what belongs to me. You belong to me, kitten. You were mine five years ago, and you are mine now.”
“No...”
