Page 115 of Illicit Temptation

“Men in his position have been giving their daughter to monsters for centuries, love.” I crouch down next to her and push the hair out of her eyes.

“Why now?” She wipes her face with her bound hands. “Why not when I was a virgin and had some real value?”

I bark a laugh and lift her onto my shoulder. “If I know anything about men in power, they want experience in their bed. A real leader needs a strong woman at his side.”

“My father said something similar.” She slacks against me and lets me carry her back to the car.

When we reach it, I put her down and check my phone.

“Aren’t you afraid of Malone tracking us?” she gapes at me.

“It’s a burner phone.” I grabbed one from Lachlan’s stash.

“Who are you calling?”

“No one. I’m checking to see if anyone called me.”

“For what? They don’t trust—”

“I stole you.” I glance up at her to see how that lands. “Lachlan had another plan to drive to Malone’s house and tell him to go fuck himself, that they were taking you home.”

“You left my entire family to die?” Her eyes go large and she uses those bound hands to pound on my back again.

“I kidnapped you. I’ll take all the blame.” I stop her hands with one of mine. “Malone won’t gun down your entire family. He wants you to be his wife. Killing them doesn’t get you. So now...he’s looking for us.”

“This is insane!”

I lower her into the front passenger seat. “Please trust that I’ve seen your brothers in action. I know what they’re capable of. This one is just out of your lane, love. No one expects you to fight this.”

Her face crumbles. “I feel so guilty.”

“Don’t. No one blames you.”

“I blame myself. If I just told Kieran about Archer and why I waited for him, he’d have mentioned it to my father and none of this would be happening.” She looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes.

I untie her keeping a knife between my teeth.

“What’s the big, scary blade for?” Shea rubs her arms from the chill in the air.

“In case I bound you up too good. I was in a hurry, and needless to say, furious and petrified at the same time.” I switch to another set of backroads heading north.

After a few kilometers down the road, Shea looks around. “How long will we have to wait?”

I hold her hand while we drive. “We’ll stay in my friend’s cabin while I arrange a flight for us.”

“Us,” she mumbles, sounding guilty.

I lean in and kiss her. “And we’re stayingus.”

“Does this cabin have an indoor bathroom?”

“Of course. But it’s not the Four Seasons.” I glance at her with my signature wry smile. “Two Seasons, maybe.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Shea

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I say at the squat, wooden structure at the end of a long driveway surrounded by tall, full trees.

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