Page 29 of Savage Ruin
“Is that the last time you saw him?” Thiago asks gently, although he already knows the answer because I told him about the basement my first night here.
Grayson’s arm is wrapped tightly around me, and desperately needing something to hold on to, I reach up and grip it with both hands. I clear my throat a few times until I can get the words out. “The last time I saw him, he kidnapped me in the middle of the night. I woke up in the basement of a house. For two weeks, he kept me there.” Grayson’s arm twitches, then tightens.
Zane grunts. “Did he say anything personal during that time?”
I glance at the laptop, but they’re wearing their best poker faces. My eyes dart to Mateo, who’s no longer looking at his computer. He’s staring at me with horror on his face. I swallow.
“I can’t think of anything. He mostly made me jump through a series of tests. As a reward for passing all my tests one day, I asked to pet the horse I could hear outside.” I pause and feel the heat flare on my face. “He agreed, but he made me go without my clothes. I think he thought I wouldn’t try to escape naked. When he turned his back to me, I jumped on the horse and rode it out of there.”
The utter silence following my escape is unnerving, and my stomach twists into more knots.
“Tell us about the house,” Raider commands, interrupting the tense moment.
I flash him a grateful smile. “White, farmhouse. Stables nearby. It was in Kentucky. Near Lexington. About twenty miles out in the country. It’s abandoned now. I could never find the owner.”
He raises an eyebrow, and I give him the address.
“I never told anybody. When I escaped, there wasn’t any point in going to the police, especially with the warrant out for my arrest. Once I found clothes and money, I made my way to one of my back-up safe houses. I was prepared to keep running, but as you know, Marcos decided to ‘kill’ me, so my stalker would believe I died,” I finish with a sigh and lean against Grayson, needing to borrow some of his strength. Between the last four days of coding and today, mine is almost gone.
He shifts, bringing me in closer to him.
Thiago gets up to pace and Mateo sits down beside me.
He grabs my hand tightly, his thumb rubbing softly against the back of it in a soothing manner.
“So, what’s next?” I ask lightly.
“Well, it seems your stalker, err, Stanley, is somehow tied up with the Santos’ enemy. Whether he’s the tech guy or someone else, he’s got enough power to find the Santos house and enough latitude to kill one of his own and not care about paying the price. Of course, that could be because he’s a psycho, but I doubt it. Even they have self-preservation instincts,” Zane recaps the conclusion we’ve all come to based on this morning’s delivery.
“So, even if I left, he’d still be here, an enemy to them?” I question Zane, knowing he’ll tell me the truth.
Mateo protests loudly beside me.
“Yes, and he’s got even more reason to go after them now,” Zane replies, eyes narrowed on me.
I nod. Instead of the fear I expected, relief floods my body.
“It’s not much, but we’ll dig for any new information we can find,” Zane informs Thiago. He slaps Sterling on the back. “Slick has a knack for finding the most obscure details. He’ll keep you all in the loop. Get some rest while the waters are still calm. We’re going to need it.”
When my intruder alarm went off that morning in Dallas, I thought my stalker had found me, and even alone, I contemplated staying and fighting it out until the bitter end. At the time, I wasn’t willing to risk my small life and the safety I’d found. But now? The chance for true freedom and a real life is up for grabs. Maybe it’s time I showed my stalker what he created. There will be no exit plan.
CHAPTER17
HENLEY
When I wake early the next morning, it’s still dark outside, and I’m tucked between Grayson and Mateo in Mateo’s bed. I’d only been in his room once, but it’s all about work. A large desk takes up one corner of the room. Several monitors, a couple of laptops and a desktop sits on or around it. Small Post-it Notes are tacked everywhere. A couple of abstract prints in black and white grace the white walls. The remaining room is filled with a king bed, a dresser, and a TV.
There are a few personal items and pictures, including the meus pequenos selvagens photo Grayson had on his desk. My attention is captured by a picture of Mateo holding a surfboard and smiling broadly at the camera. Or someone behind the camera. He’s tan and athletic, and several years younger. He looks good. Happy.
“It’s too early to be awake,” Mateo whispers in my ear.
He snuggles in tighter against my back, and I can’t help but feel his morning wood against me. This is the exact reason our mornings have been so delightful lately. I push back against him, immediately wanting my wake-up call.
His mouth sucks lightly on my earlobe. I gasp, then quickly look over at Grayson, but he never even twitches.
A muscular leg inserts itself between both of mine, making me realize I’m at least partially naked under the covers. His hand slides up my thigh until it’s nestled between my legs. I open wider, silently telling him what I want, and a low chuckle sounds in my ear.
A finger moves my underwear to the side and strokes a line through my wetness to flick my nub. I bite my lip hard, keeping my moan locked in my throat, and push against his hand for more.
