Page 15 of Devious Madness

I try to wiggle to get comfortable, but with my hands bound behind me it’s impossible.

“Safety first.” He winks as he reaches over my body and snaps the seatbelt into place.

“At least undo my wrists!” The door slams on my request and I’m stuck watching the mammoth of a man walk around the front of the car to his side.

The whole vehicle dips when he climbs in. He shoves my bag between our seats to the second row before starting up the car.

I lean back and close my eyes, wishing I had left town last night. I got comfortable. This is my fault.

As we drive through town, I search for ideas to get out ofthis mess. But I won’t get very far if I can’t even get out of this damn car.

We pass the Dive Bar as a crowd of guys stumble out, laughing and slapping hands. None of them are familiar, not that they’d hear me screaming from inside the moving car.

Another block down and Brad walks alone, rubbing his wrists.

Rurik grunts and pulls the car to the side of the road, a few feet away from Brad. He looks up just as Rurik gets out of the car, his face blanching.

“Rurik! What are you doing?” I hit the door with my shoulder, which only results in hurting myself.

Rurik walks right up to Brad.

“You hit her.”

Brad sees me sitting in the car, the bandage on my head, and the throbbing bruise on my chin and his eyes go wide.

“It was an accident, man. I was trying to get the other guy. She got in the way.” Brad tries to take a step back. Having sobered up since his little brawl at the Dive Bar, he’s not so brave.

“You hit her,” Rurik repeats.

He grabs Brad by the front of his shirt and throws his right fist into his face, sending Brad flying onto his ass. Rurik steps over Brad, leaving him sprawled out on the sidewalk, and heads back toward me.

The storm in his eyes still brews at dangerous levels when he catches my stare.

The car dips again when he climbs back in. On the sidewalk, Brad is slowly rolling to his side.

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“He hit you.”

“You’re kidnapping me!” I shoot him with a laugh, because at this point if I don’t laugh at his insanity I’m going to start sobbing.

Rurik looks over at me, his eyes going to the bruise on my chin then the cut on my forehead. His jaw tightens.

“You can let me go. Really. I’ll call Megan and get everything straightened out. You don’t have to do this.” I soften my voice. “I have cash in my bag, I’ll wire it all tomorrow first thing.”

He shifts out of park and peels away from the curb.

“I said I was taking you home, and that’s what I’m doing.”

I turn my head and stare out the window at the passing scenery, chewing on my lower lip. As he turns onto the highway that leads to the airport the clock starts running down. I have exactly twenty-five minutes to formulate my escape.

Alexander will owe me a hell of a lot more than a favor by the time I get this woman home.

Tightening the grip on the steering wheel, I hit the gas. The faster we get to the airport and on a fucking plane, the sooner I can get this woman off my hands.

And out of my head.

“You realize security is not going to let me through with your belt around my wrists,” she says from the passenger seat where she’s leaning her head against the window.

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