Page 36 of Tangled in Red

Brett’s steps faltered as recognition dawned. “You’re the one who drove past us last night. The one who made Diablo so angry.” Oh shit! He was being kidnapped by Rico! The guy who’d trapped Diablo’s beasts inside of him. Brett really did want to kill him.

And when Diablo finds out who took me…

“Very observant.” Rico unlocked the vehicle with a click of a remote. “That will serve you well over the next few days. Now get in.”

Opening the back door, he gestured with a flick of his gun. Brett hesitated. The garage was nearly empty, no witnesses nearby. If he ran, would he make it to the stairwell before getting shot?

“Try it. I dare you.” The malice in Rico’s eyes said he wanted to shoot him. Rico took a step closer. Inhaling deeply, his eyelids fluttered closed, his face transforming as if he had just experienced the most exquisite scent imaginable. “Fear smells so sweet,” he murmured.

Brett never thought he would voluntarily jump into a kidnapper’s car, but he was desperate to get away from the psychopath. He shook so badly his limbs jerked.

“Too bad,” Rico said under his breath, sliding in beside Brett rather than taking the driver’s seat.

As Brett glanced at windows tinted so dark they made the garage outside looked like twilight, another man appeared, climbing behind the wheel.

This one was broader, with a shaved head and a neck too thick for his collar.

“You got ’im.” The driver adjusted the rearview mirror.

“Without incident.” Rico closed the door and turned to Brett. “Phone, now.”

Brett reluctantly pulled his phone from his pocket, stomach sinking when he saw two messages from Diablo on the screen.

Miss you, pajarito. The second one read, Don’t work too hard.

Rico plucked the phone from Brett’s hands, examined the messages with mild interest, then powered it off.

“Touching,” he remarked, tucking the device into his jacket pocket. “He’ll be quite motivated to find you.”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Brett’s voice trembled despite his effort to stay calm. “To lure him into a trap.”

“Smart as well as observant.” He looked unimpressed. “Diablo will come for you. When he does, we’ll be ready.”

The SUV rumbled to life, pulling out of the parking space with a smooth purr of the engine.

“Where are you taking me?” Brett asked, watching the hospital recede through the rear window.

“Somewhere secure.” Rico checked his watch. “Somewhere Diablo won’t find.”

Brett’s fingers dug into the leather seat beneath him. “He’ll tear you apart when he finds me.”

“Perhaps.” The guy seemed unconcerned by the threat. “But by then, we’ll have what we need from him.”

The SUV emerged from the garage into daylight, joining the flow of traffic. Brett stared out the window, memorizing street names, landmarks, anything that might help Diablo find him.

“Don’t bother,” Rico said. “You won’t be leaving breadcrumbs for your wolf to follow.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Brett forced himself to meet those cold eyes. “You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

Rico’s smile returned, thin and humorless. “That’s exactly why we want him back. He’s the only shifter who’s survived an injection.”

Brett’s jaw clenched. “Go to hell.”

Outside, the world blurred past as the SUV picked up speed. Brett leaned his head against the cool window, mind racing. Whatever happened next, he needed to stay alive, stay alert. Find a way to help Diablo when he came.

Because he would come. Brett knew that with absolute certainty. The question was whether he’d still be breathing when Diablo found him.

Chapter Nine

---