Page 360 of Rage

I let out a laugh before I can stop myself. “We both know that’s not true. She was the one he was trying to save. She was the one who begged him for help. If he hadn’t listened to her pleas, he would be alive.”

Raul’s gaze searches mine as if he thinks he’ll find an answer to something he’s looking for.

Finally, he says, “You’re the boss, Gideon. I will follow your orders.”

I know he will. I don’t keep disloyal men around. If he doesn’t do this, he will be dead before sunrise.

“Good. I want her brought to me tonight.”

Raul dips his head before leaving. When he’s gone, I set my gun on the desk and sit in my chair, leaning back. I’ve studied Wren Copeland to the point of becoming obsessed. I know everything about her. And I’m going to use it all against her. By the time I’m finished with her, she will wish she had never met me.

Chapter Three

Wren

I’ve just kicked off my shoes when there’s a knock on my front door. Today has been hellish, and getting up is a struggle. My knee aches as I walk,a harsh reminder of what happened a year ago today.

The thought has me pausing. How is this the first time I’ve thought about that day? For months, it was all that consumed my mind. The kidnapping. The torture. The man with the kind eyes who saved me. My breath hitches. I can still hear his cries as he died in my arms. Moments later, I was rescued by my father’s men. If they had been there a minute sooner, Boris wouldn’t have died. I did my best to find out about the man who tried to save me but didn’t come up with much. Heck, the coroner’s office wasn’t even sure Boris was his real name.

Another knock brings me out of the troubled thoughts of my past, and I hurry to the door. I open it without looking through the peephole, thinking it’s the Chinese food I ordered. A large body pushes through my doorway before I have time to process what’s happening.

“Sorry about this, ma’am.” He says as he grabs my arm, spinning me so my back is to his chest.

Something sharp pierces the skin on the side of my neck right before everything goes dark.

I come to with a pounding head.

“Shit,” I grumble as I sit.

It takes me all of three seconds to remember what happened. I reach for my neck as if I’ll still find the needle and syringe there. All I find is tender skin, which is likely bruised since I bruise so easily. The pain morphs into panic as I look around. I’m locked in an actual cage. It reminds me of the kennel my mother used to keep her cocker spaniel in. Four walls with iron bars keep me inside. The top and bottom are solid and there’s not enough room to stand. No, I’d have to be on my hands and knees to get out…

“I see you’re awake.”

I turn toward the voice to find Gideon Rossi sitting in a chair that faces me. It’s right next to a massive bed. Am I in his bedroom?

“Why am I in a cage?”

His lips lift. “Strange that the cage is your first worry.”

“Oh, there’s plenty more on my list, but the cage is preventing me from slapping the shit out of you.”

He laughs, and I bite back a silent curse because that’s a sound I could get used to.

“Thank you for being honest, little bird.”

“Little bird?” My pulse thrums in my neck. “You’re the one who’s been sending me the texts.”

I don’t mention the video, even though it’s what I think of first. Heat creeps up my neck, and I pray he can’t see it.

He says, “You are correct. I’m the one who’s been texting you.” He leans forward. “I’m also the one who’s been watching you. I know everything about you, Wren, and now that you’re here, we can move to stage two of my plan.”

“Plan? What does that mean?”

“You’re about to find out.”

He stands, going to the door. When he opens it, a man in a suit steps in. My lips part.

“Father O’Malley?”

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