Page 8 of Villainous
Devious: Will do.
My phone rings in my hand, and it’s a call from Brio. He was supposed to call me after Maya’s doctor’s appointment. It must have taken them longer than usual.
“Yeah?” I answer.
“Maya is missing.”
My blood boils as I rub my eyes with my fingers.“What do you mean she’s missing?”
“The nurse took her back to the room, and she escaped when she was supposed to be examined.”
Anger jolts through my blood. I’m going to kill both of them for not completing their task. How hard is it to keep up with a five-foot-four woman who is as small as a Smurf? I’m going to put a bullet through both of their heads.
“I’ll deal with the two of you,” I say before ending the call.
I tap the GPS app on my phone. I inserted a microchip inside of her after I kidnapped her, in case she tries to run away from me again.
She’s at a Johnnie’s steak house restaurant. Of course she is. She loves food as much as she loves herself. Luckily for me, the steak house is where Devious launders money, so it’s on our territory.
Maya better enjoy her five-course meal because it will be the last one she’ll get in the next couple of days.
I call Henson to get the car ready, and I grab both of my guns from my desk and tuck them in my holster, then head out the door.
Maya
After I swallow the last bit of the juicy steak, I chase it down with a Coke. Along with the garlic mash potatoes and Caesar salad, it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. When I get my phone back, I’m going to give it a five-star rating. The reason why I love sitting down and eating is because I love to admire the decorations of each restaurant, with its own unique style. For example, this place is made up of fine pale wood, and it doesn’t give out the classic vibe of a steak house. The theme reminds me of Texas, with pictures of cowboys and ranches. Different license plates hang on the red wall, and it gives a Southern vibe to it. They get an A in my book for decor. I will never be caught dead at a restaurant if the decor is not up to par. If the owner doesn’t take pride in their restaurant’s interior design, then they won’t take pride in their food.
I continue to write on the black notepad that I asked the waitress for. After I leave New York City, I’m going to visit my mother. I haven’t seen her since I’ve been Villainous’s hostage. I have a lot of things to do when I get to Washington, but first, I need to get there, and with the cash I stole from the rich guy, I can buy a bus ticket and a few outfits and food. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I dumped the wallet in the nearest trash can and took the cash. When I steal, I don’t use the credit cards because they can be traced, and I don’t want to be caught up in fraud.
The waitress, wearing a black-and-white uniform, pours me another glass of Coke.
“Can I have the check, please?”
“It’s been taken care of, sweetheart.”
I tilt my head to the side and crinkle my nose. “Oh yeah, by who?”
“The owner.”
“Huh?” I mumble under my breath.
Today must be my lucky day, but I wonder how long it’s going to last. “Oh, okay.”
She’s been busting her ass, so I hand her a twenty-dollar bill for a tip.
“Thank you!” she says with delight, then tucks the money into her apron.
The leather squeaks as I lean back, rubbing the side of my temple. My gaze shifts to a little girl with puffy cheeks and a pink ballerina suit, holding her father’s hand. How I miss dancing. I used to want to be a ballerina when I was a kid, but my dream was robbed from me after I left Villainous.
As soon as I push myself off the booth, someone towers over me, and the scent of sandalwood and cigarettes wafts into my nostrils. I already know who it is. My body recognizes the smell from a mile away. His smell is so potent it burns my nostrils. My heart beats rapidly as if it’s going to rupture, and dizziness knocks the wind out of me. My eyes veer up to meet his baby blues, and those eyes frighten me. His full lips are turned down into a frown.
His cheekbones are as sharp as a dagger. My gaze snags on a skull with a knife through its head on his right hand. He’s six-five, and his muscles bulge through his custom-made dark suit made of fine thread. Villainous is wealthy beyond reason. He twists his Patek Philippe watch around his wrist.
I loathe this man in every way possible, and the bastard haunts my nightmares. I suck in a breath at the sheer beauty of him. Villainous is too beautiful for his own good.
His silence swallows me whole and strikes so much fear inside of me that I want to vomit.
Without a word, he yanks me by the forearm, digging his nails into my flesh, and drags me to his black Porsche. Once we’re inside the car, he perches next to me in the leather back seat, facing me. Again, he’s silent. I hate it because the most vile thoughts are swimming through his head. He goes into deep thought right before he kills someone. He views murder and torture as art. When we were in high school, he used to allow me to go with him to kill people. He wanted to know if I could handle him coming home with blood on his hands because he didn’t want to marry a weak woman. So, I watched him take life after life. Of course, I told him killing wasn’t my jam, and if he ever forced me to do it, then we would have a problem.
