Page 49 of Seductive Desires

His dark chuckle made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “You should have come with me when you had the chance. Now you’ve made me angry. And you know what happens when I’m angry.” I heard the telltale click of a gun cocking. Liam approached me right as I cried out, Dmitriy hot on his heels.

“Wait! Stephen, wait! What about a trade?”

I wanted to let out a breath when I didn’t hear the firing of a gun, but I knew better. It was never that simple with Stephen.

“What kind of trade?”

“His life for mine. You won’t need to look for me anymore. I’ll come to you.”

He snickered. “We’ve tried this once already, Anna. You still ran.”

“Because you killed your only leverage. Let him live, and I won’t run again. I’ll do exactly what you want.”

He drew a breath in through his teeth, pondering my offer. “How do I know you won’t bring those new friends of yours with you?” My stomach clenched. He knew where I was. “That’s right. You’re a really bad hider, Anna. The taxi driver spilled his guts, literally and figuratively. I’ve known where you were since the beginning.”

Tears slipped out unbidden but I clenched my fist, digging my nails into my palm. “You’re just going to have to trust me. I won’t risk Mateo’s life bringing them. Give me a location and I can be there within the hour.”

He snorted. “Your word means shit, Anna, we both know that. But I suppose we have no other options. I’ve already been waiting a long time. It took you longer than I thought to realize your boyfriend was missing. You’re a shitty girlfriend, aren’t you? Almost makes me rethink our relationship…” My stomach twisted. If I had called sooner, if I had called the minute he left, maybe he wouldn’t be in trouble.

“Alright. You have a deal. I’ll text you the location. But if I get even a whiff of funny business, I’ll make your boyfriend’s death as slow and painful as possible. Do you understand me?” he snarled.

“Yes. I understand. I’ll leave right away.”

Stephen hung up and I felt my legs go weak. I leaned against the front door. I wanted to collapse, to scream and cry about how unfair it all was. But that wouldn’t help Mateo. I needed to stay focused. Liam stepped up to me but I waved him off.

“I need to leave. Can you call me a cab?”

“Not yet. You need to suit up first.”

I jerked my attention to him, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

Dmitriy jerked his chin, motioning for me to follow him. I still hadn’t gotten the text from Stephen yet so I didn’t know where to go. It gave me enough time to listen to Dmitriy’s plan. I hesitated.

“I don’t know… he said if you guys got involved, he would kill Mateo.”

“He will kill him anyway.”

At my horrified expression, Dmitriy shook his head. “Men like him do not leave survivors. He will do the same for Mateo as he did to your last boyfriend. He is just waiting for his audience.”

I didn’t realize I was hyperventilating until Jo wrapped herself around me. “Breathe, Mari. We aren’t going to let him hurt Mateo.”

“What do I do? What do I do? He’s going to die!”

“Mariana! I need you to focus!”

I jumped. Liam’s jaw was tight, his body radiating fury.

“We can’t do anything without your help. You need to keep him distracted so we can get to you guys. Can you do that?”

I stared at him for a second. Could I? I’ve been running for so long. Every time I run into trouble I freeze. I run. But this time was different. Stephen had Mateo, and Mateo is mine! I stood, my fists clenched at my side.

“Tell me what to do.”

* * *

I stoodoutside an abandoned building on the outskirts of town. It was a small brick structure that looked like it hadn’t been used in a decade. Weeds and grass grew tall in the yard, the path in front cracked and broken. The windows were all shattered and boarded back up. The only thing that looked sturdy and stable was the front door. A huge steel monstrosity that almost looked new. The taxi driver gave me a funny look when I asked him to leave.

As soon as he drove off, two guards stepped out of the building. They looked cruel. One was skinny, almost too skinny, like a bad wind would knock him on his ass. His blonde hair was scraggly and long, falling just below his shoulders. The other was absolutely massive. He towered over us both. There was a scar that slashed across his mouth, his hair cut so short that he was almost bald. He wasn’t all muscle, he had a large belly, but he still looked like he could crush me with one hand. I walked up to them, putting my hands above my head to show I was unarmed. They patted me down anyway, the skinny one getting a little too familiar before the other guy nudged him. They ignored my glare, both wrapping a hand around each of my upper arms and guiding me inside.

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