Page 19 of Our Darling Isabelle

“You sure you don’t want any dessert, baby?” She purrs. Her red hair reflecting the lights and her plump lips are curled so tight I’m waiting for them to crack. She is a beautiful woman, but Markus just takes one glance at her and rolls his eyes.

“My wife is the only dessert I’ll be eating tonight.” His lips curl into a devilish grin as he leans toward me, snatching my hand in his. I feel my eyes pop open, his words catching me off guard. Our waitress didn’t even bother answering. She just turned and stomped away after giving me a nasty look. I burst into laughter, shaking my head at him.

“Not going to lie, I enjoyed seeing you put her in her place, but isn’t calling me your wife a little silly?” I say, shaking my head.

“You will be one day. Why not get used to me calling you that now?” he asks, crossing his arms. I bite my tongue, deciding not to ruin the night by telling him I wasn’t his anything except prisoner. And I most definitely didn’t feel a flutter of irrational giddiness at his silly comment.

“She was throwing herself at your feet. I think you might have a new enemy now.” I say with a smirk. He just shrugs and reaches into his pocket, throwing a stack of cash on the table before we even get our check.

“You pay for food at your own restaurant?” I ask.

“Megan is harmless because I only want one woman for the rest of my life. It’s nearly impossible to be more than a nuisance to a relationship as long as those involved don’t give the outsider any power. And I always tip, it’s good manners.” He waves his hand in the air before standing and offering me his arm. After shaking off my shock at the depth of his words, I take his hand and follow him down to the dance floor. David and Eric fall into step behind me and Alec locks eyes with us as we pass, frowning as he watches us head downstairs. Three glasses of wine and I have far fewer fucks to give about his overbearing cynicism.

I was feeling proud of my steadiness until the last two steps when I stumble forward. David lunges, his arm wrapping around my waist to stop me from falling into Markus, and he shoots him a deathly glare as we step into the room. David holds his hands up as Markus spins me out of reach. He pulls my back to his chest and wraps an arm around my waist to pin me to him as our bodies sway to the music. He waves David and Eric off to dismiss them, before sliding his hand up my thigh to grab my ass. My body feels like putty in his hands and even my sore feet don’t matter at this moment.

As the tempo changes, so do our moves. Markus turns me so that I’m looking up at him with my arms locked around his neck. He shamelessly grinds against me, tipping my head back to kiss me feverishly. I lose track of time, just enjoying how free my soul feels even as Markus holds my body so tight. His tongue slips between my lips, and my mouth falls open easily as he seeks entrance. Markus groans into my mouth when my tongue swirls around his as I cling to him more than what’s considered appropriate in public. Our bodies are becoming slick with sweat and Markus pulls away, the two of us panting as he tries to flag down a waiter.

“I’m gonna grab us a few drinks. You stay right here.” He has to shout even with his lips right against my ear. As he backs away with a wink, I nod and grin at him, watching him head towards the large bar. I sway as the music slows, feeling awkward amongst the crowd of bodies now that I am by myself. My skin crawls when someone grabs my arm and I jump with a squeal, but the sound is swallowed up.

“I’m sorry for spooking you, ma’am. Can you follow me, please?” The man asks. I jerk away from him, looking over his all-black outfit. Something feels off, pricking the hairs on the back of my neck. He looks familiar, but I don’t recognize him.

“I work for the Barone’s, ma’am. Alec asked you to meet him in his office. It’s urgent. Things got out of hand upstairs.” He says, reaching for my arm. Fear blooms in my chest, for Alec’s safety more than my own. I nod slowly, confused, and look around for Markus, but I don’t see him by the bar. He must have gone to the office as well, but I didn’t think he would just leave me out here alone. David and Eric aren’t looking at me as they speak to each other and are too far to hear me if I yell for them. The room is pulsing in the bass of music and I’m more than a little tipsy, so I let him drag me towards the back office even as a part of my brain screams at me to stop. We stick to the wall, and I nearly trip more than once while trying to keep up with the mans erratic pace. His grip on my wrist is painful, but I’m worried about Alec. If the meeting went south, he could be in trouble or hurt.

When we finally reach the office, the guy ushers me in first and I stop in confusion.

“Uh, there’s nobody in here? Are you sure this is where he wanted us to meet?” I ask, turning to look up at him. His short black hair is gelled back, making him look greasy. His face is covered in a sheen of sweat, and he shoves his glasses back up his nose with a sinister grin.

“Apologies, ma’am. But you really have nobody to blame but yourself.” He says before pulling a gun from his waistband and aiming it between my eyes. I hold my hands up, staggering back a step as fear grips me.

“Slow down. I don’t even know who you are.” I hiss, trying to look for any way to defend myself. It’s useless, because my words only piss him off and he grabs me by my hair, dragging me towards the back door while I try to fight against his painful grip.

“I need you alive to get what I want, but that doesn’t mean I can’t put you in your place.” He snarls, throwing me through the door. I hit the ground with a cry, losing my right shoe as I slide across the gravel. I feel the sting as my hand and knees split open, the dirt rubbing into the open wounds.

“Get in the fucking car.” He snaps, lifting me by my hair again while I lash out at him with a kick he easily blocks.

“They’ll come for me.” I whimper but he laughs as he throws me against the door of a small black car.

“Are you sure about that? You aren’t the first whore they’ve taken off the street and made pretty until they get bored with you.” He snarls. The words make my heart ache, questioning how confident I am about what I mean to them. Maybe he’s right.

He rips the door open, knocking me out of the way before trying to force me into the back seat. For a second, he lets his guard down and uses his hand with the gun to press my head down. I twist my head suddenly to bite his wrist and claw at his face, locking my jaw as tight as I can. He shouts in pain, giving me a hint of satisfaction even as my teeth ache. The man bats at my hands that drag over his face as I feel them become slick with blood, from my own or his. I don’t care. Until the boom of a gun going off makes me cry out, slapping a hand over my left ear as I fall to the ground. Downside of biting the hand that holds the gun, when it goes off it packs a punch even if the bullet doesn’t touch you.

“Stupid bitch, you bit me.” He snaps, picking me up and throwing me onto the back seat. My left ear pounds painfully, a headache blooming when my head slams off the door.

“Help! Markus! Alec, please!” I scream, kicking at the door as he slams it shut. It’s useless, I know, but my rational side is slipping under the panic. The music inside is so loud I doubt anyone even heard the gunshot. He opens the door I’m leaning on, grabbing my wrists and binding them with duct tape before I can rip them away.

“Thought you were into being kidnapped?” He grins, his eyes raking down where my dress has ridden up dangerously close to exposing my bare crotch. I cross my legs and spit in his face, immediately getting punched in the ribs for it. A scream tears from my throat as I double over, gasping for breath, and he shuts the door.

When the man climbs in the front seat, he adjusts his mirror to grin at me in the reflection. I yank at the handle, slamming my entire body against the door to no avail while he watches.

“I’ll take you somewhere safe and if they come to get their whore back, I’ll make them watch while I bleed you dry before killing both of them.” He spits the words as I shake my head, tears burning streaks down my face.

While shouting “I didn’t do anything to you!”, I kick the seat with my bare foot in a fit of anger.

“Sit back and shut the Hell up before I put a bullet in your fucking leg!” He roars, making me flinch back. My entire body is throbbing in pain and I’m so tired that I think about giving up. But I can’t, not when he’s threatening their lives. The image of them laying on the ground, their green eyes flat and lifeless, makes my hands tremble.

He cracks his window, lighting a cigarette and making me nearly gag at the sharp smell. My mind wanders as he starts the car, thinking of what the guys will think. They’ll probably assume I’ve run away, and I almost hope they do for their sake. The thought hurts, but I know there’s always the possibility.

“Shit.” My captor hisses, shifting the car in drive and slamming on the gas. I turn to look out the back window, screaming for help, when Jared meets my panicked gaze.

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