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Still, there was time.
Chapter 99
Stella
NFL wasn’t my thing, but I knew the boys - Harley especially - were excited to catch the big game. It was the last quarter and the atmosphere in the stadium was tense. It felt as if most of the city had turned out to cheer their team on against the Giants and it was hard not to feel invested in the outcome of the game. I’d done my fair share of manic cheering when the Bengals scored, but nobody cheered louder than Harley. I swear I was already deaf in one ear thanks to his enthusiastic whoops and yells.
Since we’d missed breakfast, we had stuffed our faces with hotdogs and soda. Not exactly healthy, but it filled the hole in my stomach.
Unfortunately, after downing two massive cups of cola, I was desperate for a pee.
It sucked to be a girl sometimes. Guys didn’t have baby bladders. They could drink a ton of soda without a restroom visit. Not me. Two full cups and my bladder yelled obscenities at me.
Since I feared peeing myself in public, my only option was to visit the ladies’ restrooms on the lower level. I figured they’d be quiet with the game in the final stages.
“Off to pee,” I whispered in Quinn’s ear. He looked alarmed.
“You shouldn’t go on your own!”
“It’ll be fine,” I replied dismissively. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Before he could protest, I hustled to the stairs and headed down in the direction of the restrooms. The corridors were empty, except for a few staff on the concessions and merch stands.
I pushed into the restroom and took care of business, sighing with relief once my bladder was empty. After washing my hands, I hurried back out, only to find someone waiting for me.
“Ah, Estella, good to see you again.”
My brain short-circuited. “Err hello?” He was dressed in a snappy suit and didn’t look like he’d come to watch the game.
I looked around but everyone seemed to have melted away. The crowd roared inside the stadium, which told me the home team had scored. In a few minutes, this area would be inundated with people and if I didn’t get a move on, I’d be stuck behind hundreds of dads and Chads. “Look, this is nice and all, but I really need to get back to the guys.”
Mateo smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I couldn’t believe my luck when you showed up at the gallery opening the other night,” he said. “Talk about serendipity.”
“I have no clue what you’re on about,” I snapped, no longer caring if I was being rude to him. “I have to go.” I attempted to slip past him, but he grabbed my arm.
“I don’t think so, Estella. You and I need to have a little chat about your father.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. “What about my father?”
“He has something I want and despite several warnings, he’s refusing to tell me where it is.” Mateo’s fingers dug into my arm. For a tall, lean guy, Mateo was surprisingly strong, but then so was I.
I kicked out, connecting with his shin bone. He hissed with pain and I felt his grip loosen slightly, so I used the opening to try and knee him in the balls. Unfortunately, he managed to block me at the last minute.
“You little bitch,” he growled.
I screamed, hoping someone would come to the rescue. Surely they had security people down here? It was a fucking sports stadium for fuck’s sake!
Mateo clamped his hand over my mouth as I struggled. Panic elevated my heart rate and I thrashed around but it was hopeless.
How I wished I had my rape alarm in my pocket, or the mini taser Dad had bought me. It would have been super satisfying to watch Mateo drop like a stone. Preferably with a non-survivable coronary.
Mateo dragged me back into the bathroom and threw me against the counter. His eyes burned into mine in the mirror.
“One way or another, your father will give me what I need. Now I have you, there shouldn’t be any more problems.”
“Fuck you,” I spat.
He raked down my body and shook his head. “Not my type.”
