AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He glanced at the other man, then nodded at me. “I’ll take you to speak to our superior officer.”
I huffed out a small, relieved breath, but my senses remained on high alert. I walked between the two men, edging my body slightly closer to the quiet one. He kept his eyes trained ahead, assessing our surroundings like the trained soldier he was. The dangerous one’s gaze kept straying to me. I pretended not to notice. Once I was able to contact the American authorities, no one would dare to touch me.
My feet ached in the designer heels, a ridiculous choice for the hardpacked earth streets as we left the wealthy neighborhood behind. But Massimo hadn’t provided me with anything as mundane as sneakers, and I hadn’t taken the time to change before making my escape. I didn’t have the luxury of time. I’d seen my chance and taken it.
Blisters were beginning to form on my heels by the time we reached an official-looking building constructed of grey concrete blocks. It wasn’t remotely ornate, but it was in far better repair than most of the surrounding buildings. Someone allocated money to keep this place in order. Was it the Colombian military, or Adrián Rodríguez?
I suppressed a shiver and kept my composed mask carefully in place as I stepped inside, flanked by the two men as though they were my personal guards.
Or my jailors.
The urge to turn around and keep the dangerous one in my line of sight was almost overwhelming. I swallowed hard and lifted my chin, striding with purpose as though I knew where I wanted to go.
A broad-shouldered, middle-aged man with a military-short haircut sat behind a massive desk. When we entered the building, he didn’t immediately look up from his paperwork. That signaled to me that he was in charge. Or at the very least, he outranked the men who’d accompanied me here.
My high heels clicked on the floor as I stepped toward him, the sound capturing his attention. He glanced up from his papers and immediately froze when he saw me. His shocked expression would’ve been almost comical if I hadn’t needed his help so urgently.
“My name is Evelyn Day,” I said quickly, wanting to plead my case before anything else happened. I had to maintain control of this situation, or everything could go very wrong, very quickly. “I managed to escape from the man who kidnapped me and brought me here. Could you please help me contact the American authorities so that I can go home?”
He stared at me for several long, painful heartbeats. Then he threw back his head and roared out a laugh.
My blood ran cold.
Instinctively, I took a step back. Rough hands grabbed my upper arms, trapping me in place.
“She said she’s American,” the quiet one said, his tone uncertain.
“I am,” I managed to say. Words were my only weapon. These men were armed to the teeth, and even if they hadn’t been, I didn’t have a hope of fighting my way out of here.
“I’m an American citizen,” I asserted again, struggling for calm as the older man got up from his desk and prowled toward me. “If you just contact the embassy in Bogotá, they’ll help me get home.”
The older one stopped on the edge of my personal space. This close, I could see that his eyes were a dark, forest green, but despite the rich color, they held no warmth. His buzzed hair was more salt than pepper, and weathered lines from long days in the sun aged his face. They might’ve been laugh lines, but the cruel amusement that creased the wrinkles made my flight instinct kick in.
I tried to twist free from the man who held me captive, but his hands clamped down hard enough to bruise.
“Maybe we should contact the embassy,” the quiet one said, still sounding uneasy. “There might be a reward for her return.”
“If you don’t have the stomach for this, you can leave,” the oldest one sneered.
“Let me go,” I demanded breathlessly, twisting in my captor’s iron grip.
The leader laughed. “You’re not going anywhere. Not for a while, at least.” He reached out and picked up a lock of my blonde hair, testing the texture of the silky strands between grubby fingers. “We’ll get more for her than the Americans would offer us. They don’t even know she’s here. Do they?” he asked me.
My heart sank. No one knew where I was, not even Massimo. I’d wanted to escape from him, but the fate that my assailants planned for me was far worse than being trapped with my dark protector.
“Take me to Adrián Rodríguez.” I tried to issue a command, but it came out as a rough plea. “He’ll tell you who I am.”
The older man’s brows lifted, and he laughed again. “So, now you know Rodríguez? I don’t think so.”
“She might.” The quiet one wasn’t as quiet anymore. He might prove to be my salvation. “We found her near his mansion. I don’t want to cross him.”
The one who had me in his harsh grip said, “Even if she does know him, she was running away from that area. She doesn’t belong to anyone.”
“Massimo Imperiale,” I said his name like a prayer to a guardian angel. I’d only just learned his surname when Stefano had introduced us to Adrián, but I hoped it held weight with these men. “I belong to Massimo.”
The leader shrugged. “Never heard of him.”
“This is a mistake.” My only advocate spoke up for me again. “I don’t want to be involved in this. Either the Americans will punish us, or Rodríguez will. Think about?—”
