I chuckle and shake my head. We better get moving. The sooner this is over, the better.
“Let’s go.” I say in whispered tones and my men fall into line behind me. “We want to make a scene, but only enough to get the message across.” I remind them as we run towards the elevator. “We want them to assume she was kidnapped, but we don’t want a shoot-out.”
I steal a glance at Bella.
She is as white as a ghost, her eyes glisten with fear, but despite that, she still looks absolutely gorgeous. That wedding dress makes me wonder what it would be like to be marrying someone as beautiful as her. The way the dress hugs her curves and accentuates every beautiful thing about her.
I’ve never been one to focus on that bullshit, though. I have a family to run. Business to take care of. I don’t have time for a wife or a relationship of any kind.
I force myself to avert my eyes from her because she is distracting me. We pile into the elevator, my men standing in front of Bella and me, their guns lifted and ready. It’s strangely quiet between us, like we are frozen in time as we ride towards the ground floor.
The elevator music is too calm and starts annoying me with its stupid merry jingle.
Bella is shaking, leaning against me in the cramped space. All I can feel is the heat of our bodies where they touch. I fight the urge to reach out and run my hand down her spine. The low cut dress is revealing and taunting me.
Fuckingfocus, Nico. What the fuck? I say to myself, wondering what has gotten into me?
Dragging my eyes off Bella, I stare at the digital numbers flashing above the door, counting the floors down to the ground - to the foyer. Focus on that. Be ready. Stop looking at the girl.
On the second floor, the elevator comes to a stop and lights inside it turn red as an alarm blares. Someone pulled the emergency stop lever and now we are stuck in between floors.
“Someone saw us on the security cameras. The hotel staff alerted law enforcement.” I sigh in agitation.
“Get those doors open. We are trapped in here.” Jonty, my head of security, snaps angrily.
My men wedge things into the elevator doors, and when they are just a fraction open, two of them grab the edges of the doors and pull them open. They make quick work of it and when we peek out we see we are stopped half way between two floors, but if we duck low we can climb out through the gap.
In no time at all, one man is out, then a second. I climb out and turn back to help Bella.
Her dress gets snagged as I lift her down. She is still shaking as I wrap my hands around her waist and lower her to the floor.
For a moment she is pressed against my chest, looking up at me with wide, bright green eyes.
“We have to keep moving.” I say, unable to look away as those green pools mesmerize me.
She clears her throat and steps away from me.
Her torn dress is dragging behind her, creating a risk we don’t need.
I lean down and grab the edge of the fabric and rip it away.
The dress tears a little higher than I intended, and her long, slender legs are now on display for everyone. White stilettos, white lingerie, and killer heels. I have no idea how she has been walking so easily in. My eyes trace up her legs.
Dammit.
Stop.
Focus.
I stand up, grab her arm and start moving towards the stairs.
She kicks the torn bits of her ruined wedding dress away and starts following, staying close to my side.
We take the stairs, hurrying down each flight, staying in a tight group.
The police will be here soon. But they aren’t the ones I’m worried about. It’s Marcus who I don’t need to face today.
He’s the one we are racing to avoid.