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“Okay, gotta go. And I’m going to want details all about the hot babe you picked up!”
“Yeah, sure,” I respond and roll my eyes.
I watch my brother toss me a salute—we all do that for some reason—and head toward his expensive sports car parked up front near the door. God, that guy gets away with so much shit. How did it not get towed? I wonder, tucking the invite into my jacket pocket.
As I walk up the block, heading toward my apartment which is within walking distance, I feel the invitation burning a hole in my pocket. Even though exclusive, uppity parties aren’t usually my scene, I’m seriously tempted to go. And, the closer I get to home, the more I’m leaning toward actually attending. Maybe it’s exactly what I need—one night, no strings. And, hell, an end to my drought. Because, I can’t deny it—my poor dick would like to have some fun tonight.
3
HANNAH
My feet are throbbing and, by the time I reach the convenience store, the kids have taken off. I grab the door, pull and it doesn’t open. Glancing up, I see the “closed” sign hanging right in front of me and my heart drops sickeningly. Dammit. Now what am I going to do?
Spinning around, I race away from the store and risk a look over my shoulder. The behemoth is still chasing me down and he’s getting way too close for comfort. My stupid shoes pinch my feet with every step and a fear like I’ve never known before washes over me. I don’t see any people on the street and panic rises up hard and fast. Whipping around a corner, I figure my best bet is to duck between a couple of dark houses and lose him. Then I can backtrack, go over to my neighbor’s place and call the police from there.
Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way you plan.
It takes me a second to realize my pursuer is no longer behind me. The thump of his boots is gone and I pause, breathing hard, and lean a hand against the side of the house. Where did he go? Did he give up? Is he heading back to his car? Did I manage to outsmart him? Or, maybe I tired him out?
Completely frozen, too terrified to move, I listen to the sounds of the night. Listen for him. Pulling in a steadying breath, I creep forward and peer around the corner…
And he comes charging at me from out of the darkness!
A scream rips from my throat and I turn to run, but he grabs me around the waist and hauls me right up off my feet. Kicking and thrashing, I try to break free, but it’s like trying to escape two steel bands wrapped around me. His grip is so tight, and I can barely breathe much less escape.
“Stop fighting,” he growls into my ear, tightening his hold.
His voice is a raspy, scary hiss and I instantly stop struggling and do the complete opposite—go entirely slack in his arms, catching him off-guard. With a curse, he shifts his hold and then throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Facing the ground, I bounce against his wide back as he rounds the corner. I keep my eyes peeled, though, looking for a pedestrian or someone I can yell to for help, but no one is around. Just my bad luck.
My kidnapper sticks to the shadows and it doesn’t take him long to reach an SUV parked at the curb. He carelessly tosses me into the back seat and I scramble up, surveying my surroundings. Somehow, I need to figure out a way to escape.
The car has blacked-out windows and, even though I know they’re locked, I try pulling on the door handle. Okay, so there’s no way out of this vehicle. Once we get to wherever we’re headed, maybe I can try to make a run for it once he lets me out.
Squeezing my hands into fists, I bury my fear and force my brain to focus on a solution, a way out. There has to be something I can do. Just giving up isn’t who I am. I’ve always been a fighter and I will go down fighting. But, I’m also a realist and my prospects look decidedly grim.
Figuring my best option is to wait it out, I hang tight, keeping a close eye on where we’re going. There isn’t much traffic and it’s not long before the SUV pulls up in front of a hotel. Frowning, I wait until the back door opens and I come face to face with my stone-faced kidnapper. God, he’s huge. Tilting my chin up, I stare right back at him, refusing to be intimidated or back down.
Behemoth lets out a snort then motions for me to get out. Slowly sliding off the seat, I keep one eye on him while quickly accessing my options. Sadly, I don’t really have any. Except make a run for it, so that’s what I do. As if he’s expecting it, my kidnapper grabs me in a lightning-fast move and jerks me back next to him.
“Nice try,” he grumbles then yanks me toward the front door of the hotel.
Hope rekindles and I know there must be employees inside. I could call out to them and they’ll help me, right?
Wrong.
It only takes a minute to realize that the two employees at the front desk aren’t going to do a thing to help me. They ignore my call and pretend like they don’t even see me. Clearly, they’re in on whatever is going on here. Or, more than likely, they’ve been paid off to ignore anything suspicious. Like a damsel in distress.
And this huge man dragging me into the elevator against my will is certainly classified as suspicious.
“Give it up, little girl,” Behemoth states. “It’s game over for you.”
My stomach twists with dread. “You’re taking me to Creed, aren’t you?”
“You owe him a lot of money.”
Well, he’s right about that. There’s no point in talking to Creed’s minion any further, so I wait until I’m face to face with the loan shark himself. Once we reach the penthouse and step out of the elevator, I get to see Dexter Creed up close and personal for the first time. And he’s just as intimidating as I would’ve guessed. Maybe even more so.
