Page 13 of Royally Lucky

“If we find her, I’ll protect her. We’ll get her somewhere safe and find out who and why they took her. If it leads back to me, I’ll ensure she’s properly compensated.”

Andre smiled at Kendrick like he’d won the lottery or some shit.

“Mmm, will you personally protect her or hand that off to someone else?”

“Protect, of course. We need to keep Jeter out of this while he enjoys his honeymoon. Fuck,” he muttered.

They drove the rest of the ride in silence. Andre veered off the highway, taking several turns until they moved into an industrial area.

“Shit, this isn’t a house. Look at the numbers on there,” Andre said, lifting his chin toward the blocks of white and black atop the buildings.

“Looks like the address we’re heading toward is a row of storage units. Shit, I’ll call King and let him know we’ve got a dead-end.” Kendrick balled his hands into fists to keep from pounding the dash.

“I swear, when I find and claim my woman, I’m going to have a tracker implanted inside her.” Andre’s voice held conviction.

“When my father had men trailing my mother, I always thought he was a fool. What was the point of tracking her movements if he didn’t trust her? If she wanted to kill him, she could easily do so in his sleep. He said he trusted nobody, least of all a woman who gave her freedom to a man. It sounded ridiculous to me. His way of thinking was fucked up in many ways. To suggest she went out and strayed when he’d fucked a different whore each time he visited one of our clubs sickened me. Yet, by his logic, she wasn't trustworthy because she stood in a church before their family and God, willingly giving up her freedom to him. That made her worth less than nothing. Now, your way of thinking? That makes perfect sense.”

“Your father liked to play games. The more evil, the better in his mind. Your mother was a pawn in his game. He moved her around when it suited him, but if knocking her off the board wascalled for, he’d do it. She was no queen to his king. My woman would know she was my queen.”

“Yeah, I see that. Hell, Jeter must’ve learned that lesson as well. All I learned was people drained you before you knew it. Most don’t know how to say no to me, like my father before me. Or rather, they fear the consequences of doing so. I don’t want my woman to stare at me with blank eyes and think she can’t break the plans we had. If she felt like she needed to save herself, even from me, she has a right to do so.” Kendrick looked away. Everyone had a right to autonomy.

The row of storage units showed no activity, so they moved on to their next target. Time ticking by like a timer on a bomb with the detonation getting closer drove him crazy.

“YOU LOOK GOOD SITTINGthere like a scared little rabbit.”

The man’s voice startled her, but from years of abuse, she kept her face blank.

“What do you want with me?” she asked, happy to hear her voice didn’t betray her inner turmoil.

Follow the rules. Wait. Survive. Gather information.God, she hated falling back on old habits. They’d kept her alive when she’d been a child, and they’d do it again.

She wasn’t an unwanted mistake. She wasn’t a runaway praying for salvation. She was missing, abducted, dammit, not an irresponsible adult who did dumb shit and fell off the grid without telling a living soul.

Wait. Escape. Survive.

“Hmm, it’s not you that I want. Although, you are a happy bonus.”

The bed dipped next to her as his heavy weight settled on it.

Sutton kept her lips closed, knowing he had an agenda. Men like him never did nefarious shit without a plan.

His black, beady eyes watched her with an all-encompassing gaze. He draped both hands over his crossed knees as if he were sizing her up. She gripped her knees tighter and rested her cheek over the top, stunned to find her heart beating normally.

“Cat got your tongue, cagna?” he asked, moving faster than she’d expected, gripping her chin in a vice-like grip between his thumb and forefinger. “Do you think you’re better than me?”

“Nnno,” she stammered. “I didn’t know what you wanted me to say.”

Breathe. Wait. Stay Calm.

He brushed a rough thumb across her lips, forcing her mouth open. She clenched her teeth, not wanting to have any part of him inside her.

“Ah, I like it when they fight me.” The pressure increased so much that she feared he’d push her front teeth into her mouth.

Sutton opened with a cry of pain.

“Good girl,” he growled.

She wanted to pull back. The need to force him out overwhelmed her. Her stomach rolled.

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