Page 38 of Captured

“And you better learn how powerful we are if you want to keep breathing.”

“Do not call me on this number again. Our business has been concluded. I will contact you if and when I desire. You forget who my father was, Liam. You don’t seem to embrace that you’ve already crossed a line with me.”

Why was I allowing the idiot to get under my skin? Maybe because no one threatened me. No one. If they wanted to live.

My growl was met with silence. I’d noticed in the reflection as the moonlight streamed in through the window my angel had run for it, which was exactly what I’d anticipated her doing. In fact, I’d hoped that she would because that would show me her level of spunk and spontaneity that I wasn’t intending on breaking.

While I would have her compliance, her full surrender to me eventually, what fun was a hunt without precocious prey?

“If you can’t handle the job,” he tossed back, “then I will get someone else.”

“As I advised, that’s not in your best interest to do,” I told him. If he believed he was going to push me into killing the woman I’d grown to adore, the fucker had another think coming. Adding a freebie murder onto my list of conquests wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. He didn’t want to continue crossing me. The babbling sound he made indicated his disagreement with my choice. Too bad. He wasn’t in charge.

“You fucker. You agreed to the job. I will kill you.”

His ridiculous statement made me laugh. I wasn’t known for tolerating such bullshit. I was a soulless, unrepentant bastard and everyone knew it. That’s how I’d built my reputation. The fact Liam was pushing meant he was hiding something. The game had just shifted into something that interested me.

Maybe I would learn to enjoy the bloodbath of war once again.

“You are completely aware I didn’t agree at all. And I assure you, Liam, that if you dare try and invade my territory under any circumstances, not only will you fail, you will then face the kind of nightmare that will leave you begging for your early death. I know everything about your new wife, your son and daughter, your niece, and every other member of your family. I know the little minions who fawn over your every word, learning their weaknesses as well. I will take them out one by one if necessary until you learn the error of your ways. And I will do so before you know what’s happening.” Those hiring me didn’t appreciate having their names thrown in their faces. It was my way of letting the bastard know I knew everything about both him and his partner.

And in truth, I had a belief the contract had been offered for an entirely different reason than I’d been led to believe. It was something I would determine. And when I did, if I’d been lied to, the two men would suffer long before I allowed them to die.

He was completely befuddled. “Fuck you. Touch my family and you will…”

As I’d known my entire life. Every man had a weakness.

“Be very careful what you say to me. That’s the last warning I’ll bother giving you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a guest for the evening, an ongoing hunt that I must return to. Do not call this number again.” I ended the conversation, tossing my phone on the counter and wiping my hands on my apron. I allowed a few juicy images of my sparrow before yanking them from my head. I couldn’t help but grin given the girl’s tenacity, her determination to elude me.

As if that was possible.

I headed to the back door, taking a few seconds to enjoy the view. As I expected, she was attempting to head into the woods in her effort to escape from the darkness surrounding her. I didn’t need to rush, enjoying the hunt more than I should be allowed.

After a few seconds, I finally walked outside, taking a deep whiff of the ocean air.

Then I advanced like the predator I was. She would soon learn there would never be a way of escaping the man who’d captured her body.

The one who owned her.

No one was safe from my wrath, least of all the sweet angel determined to flee.

“Run, little angel. Run. But you can’t escape the only man who will ever care for you.”

Emily

He was going to kill me. There was no doubt in my mind.

But only after he’d gotten what he wanted, what he’d promised earlier.

Another taste of me. His captive. His prized possession. Whoever my father had pissed off didn’t understand I meant nothing to him.

Violence. Power. Wealth. Influence.

Those were the only things that meant anything to my father, or to any of the men he associated with.

I was certain I heard my captor’s voice floating in the wind. The dark predator was coming for me. After racing out the front door, I quickly realized the road at the end of the driveway seemed to lead to nowhere. How far out of Boston did the man live? Once outside, I also had realized how insanely large the man’s house was, at least two gigantic wings flanking the main house. My heart racing, I scanned the area, trying to figure out where to go. Then I noticed lights to the left of the massive estate and took off running.

After making my way into the forest, I refused to allow anything to stop me, coming out the other side only seconds later. I’d managed to make it to the back of his estate, the oversized back yard fading into the shadows, but the moonlight created an eerie glow. That’s the moment I heard a sound that took me a few seconds to recognize.

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