Page 73 of Savage Guardian

Swallowing the bile making her mouth tingle, she asked, “Are y-you going t-to kill m-me?” God, she sounded like a mewling imbecile. Why couldn’t she at least sound like a badass before dying? If Tessa were there, she’d make some hilarious kickass quip about Teddy being a weak ass dick who couldn’t get a woman until he put a gun in her face and tied her up.

At her question, Teddy reared back. “Why would I kill you, girl? That isn’t the plan. The plan was to take you from the bikers, keep you safe, then reveal the truth about the real Aoibheal. We’re doing you a favor, really. Carrie and Jimmy haven’t been honest with you. They’ve been using you from the beginning.”

Two things hit her at once. First…he said “we’re”. Did that mean he was working with someone…or that he was schizophrenic? She didn’t know which was worse. Second, he made it sound like kidnapping her was doing her a favor.

“How does kidnapping me help you?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it because he slammed his mouth closed instead. Standing before her, he crossed his wiry arms over his narrow chest and stared down at her, the same gross heat from before only slightly banked.

“It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that everything will work out in the end. You will get to be Aoibheal again. I’ll get what’s due me, and Carrie and Jimmy will get what’s due them.” That last part made his eyes dance with unholy glee.

Oh no. Carrie hadn’t been the best sister in the world, but Fae wanted nothing bad to happen to her.

She had to get out of there. Had to warn Carrie.

Hawk. She needed Hawk.

But he was injured, probably in the hospital. He couldn’t help her.

Preston and Dragon. They hadn’t gone with her that morning because she’d snuck out of the compound like an idiot. She’d just feared how they would look at her after her blow up the night before. Besides that, she’d been determined to go back to the hotel, pack her stuff, and head back to Olsen. Away from Vegas. Away from the shitshow Carrie had made of Aoibheal…and away from Hawk.

Now, she was trapped in a room with a man who had been stalking her for weeks—probably months.

The sounds of purposeful footsteps moving toward the door jerked Fae’s attention toward the door.

“Special Agent Tyler?” she rasped, not wanting to believe her eyes when the man she’d met at the studio crime scene stalked through the door, a pleasant grin on his face. “You’re working…together?”

Tyler snorted. “Together? No. He works for me.”

She blinked at the newcomer, who was carrying a tripod under one arm and a small digital camera in his other hand. “But…why?”

“Let’s just say that Teddy Beresford has some proclivities that have gotten him into trouble. I bailed him out a few times, and in return, he does what I tell him to do.”

Teddy glared at Tyler, hate clear as bright daylight on his pinched face.

Setting up the tripod, Tyler affixed the camera to the top, pointed it at Fae, and smiled…like he wasn’t a fucking psycho holding her prisoner.

“Alright, treasure,” he cooed, his gaze intent. “Sing.”

Her mouth dropped open, but the dulcet melodies didn’t spill out. What? The crazy asshole wanted her to…sing? What the hell?

“Sing? Why?”

“Because I want you to, and becauseyouwant to. Don’t you want the world to know who the real Aoibheal is? Don’t you want to put your bitch whore of a step-sister in her place? I’ll admit, my initial plan was just to take you, hold you captive, and fuck you until you died from the pain, but this plan is just as satisfying, really.”

She shook her head, not really aware of doing it. This couldn’t be happening. Kidnapping was a step down from fucking her to death, certainly, but she’d prefer to not be dealing with the psycho at all. Terror made her muscle lock up, and she couldn’t move her mouth to speak, even if she wanted to. Which she didn’t.

“Are you worried about the ridiculous NDA?”

She didn’t answer.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Once Jimmy is dead, that piece of shit document will be null and void. I can’t believe a lawyer signed off on that thing. It really is just a money grab.”

It wasn’t that. Okay, it wasn’tonlythat—which was pretty stupid to think about under the circumstances. It was about the fact that another person was dictating her life. Another person who didn’t give a shit about her was pushing her to do something she didn’t want—for their own agenda. Their own gain. Because there was nothing for her to gain. He would kill her in the end, anyway.

“No,” she breathed, pulling her shoulders back to pin him with a glare.

You’re an idiot, Fae!

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