Page 22 of Power and Possession

The car suddenly lurched to the side, and I was thrown on the floor, wedged between the seats.

“He’s shot out the tires!” The men’s voices were panicky, which made me hopeful. I felt the car shake, spin a bit, and then stop altogether.

I could barely discern what was happening from underneath the hood I wore. Men’s voices were shouting, guns were cocked, shots fired. I heard an explosion, and my ears pounded as I struggled against my bonds, injuring my wrists even more.

Wind hit my body as the doors of the SUV were flung open, and I heard a grunt and then several more rounds fired. I trembled, the sound of gunfire ringing in my ears.

Rough hands reached for me, hauling me up by my shoulders. I kicked wildly, not knowing who had me or what was happening around me.

“Now is not the time for that, Miss Phillips.”

Steele’s voice was music to my ears. Between the Irishman and Steele, I’d gladly take Steele. He pulled me out of the car, helping me to stand. I grimaced when I put weight on my bare feet, knowing the soles were covered in abrasions.

The stuffy black hood was finally pulled from my head, and I squinted in the early light of dawn. I looked up at my savior’s face, wanting to thank him.

But he was pissed. His eyes were wide and his jaw was clenched so hard I was worried he might crack a tooth. He keptthe ropes on my hands and feet, dragging me over to a black Hummer.

The scene around me was a battlefield. At least a dozen men were scattered on the ground, dead. I didn’t know which side was which, but I was thankful to be on Steele’s side. At least, theoretically. Right now, he looked as though he wanted to kill me.

A couple of men came over to talk to Steele. They were all tall and muscular, like him. But, unlike Steele, they didn’t possess his innate power. I knew they all reported to him. He might be a lone shark, but he had the entire ocean ready to do his bidding.

“Did you kill them all?” Steele asked, his voice harsh. He opened the front passenger door of the Hummer and hoisted me inside roughly. I was irritated at the coarse treatment, but I knew better than to push him right now.

“All gone. Twenty men total. But we saved the leader for you.”

The man closest to the Hummer looked at Steele. He had ash-blonde hair and olive skin, an odd contrast. “That’s a lot of manpower for a simple kidnapping. Do you think they were trying to lure you out?”

Steele frowned, and then glanced at me. “We’ll discuss it later,” he told the man, implying that he wasn’t going to let me in on any information. He came over and slammed the car door so hard that the entire car frame shook.

A couple of men brought the driver forward, and I recognized him as the man who called out to me. I observed the scene from the passenger window, watched the man being pushed to the ground on his knees. I couldn’t hear the exchange, but the look on Steele’s face was terrifying. The man on the ground was trembling, shaking in fear. Steele was shouting, and I could just make out what he was saying as he continued to raise his voice.

“—if she has a single bruise on her body, I’ll find your entire family and murder them in cold blood. I hope your stuntwas worth it.”

Steele withdrew a gun from the back of his jeans and held it out. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see. I kept them shut tightly as Steele continued to issue commands, walking towards the vehicle.

“Clean this up, and then head back. I’ll call you later today. I have things to deal with.”

I opened my eyes in time to see Steele glare at me. I knew I was in massive trouble. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he walked around to the front of the vehicle. He was wearing a bulletproof vest, dark jeans and combat boots. Combined with the scruff of hair on his face, he looked downright deadly. I’d always known he was muscular, but with his fine suits and beautiful eyes, I’d pegged him for more of a back-office guy, orchestrating his empire by moving pieces on a chessboard. Now I realized he was all in. Not just powerful in name, but in body.

When he got into the driver's seat, he didn’t even acknowledge me or offer to remove my bindings. We drove in silence, his rifle in the backseat and his pistol on his hip.

I hated guns. I thought they were evil and unnecessary in modern society. But in this instance, I felt lucky he knew how to wield one. And that made me feel like a hypocrite.

Steele looked straight ahead at the road, completely ignoring my existence. I must have fallen asleep at some point, the sheer shock and adrenaline from the evening knocking me out. Before I knew it, he was pulling into the sublevel garage of his London townhouse. He parked the Hummer, and then walked off, leaving me in the car.

I hit the passenger window with my bound hands. “Excuse me?”

In a flash, he opened the door, his face still red with anger.

“I thought you didn’t want to be my hostage anymore. I thought I’d just leave you out here and let someone else take you.”

My face burned with embarrassment. “How dare you say that! I’m the victim here! You can’t blame me for trying toescape.”

His face was inches from mine, and there was nowhere for me to move to. “I do blame you. You put yourself in danger. Do you know what they would have done to you?”

I stuck my chin out. “My father would have paid them.”

“Oh, like he paid me? Your father hasn’t lifted a finger to save you. He doesn’t care, Ashlynn!”

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