Page 151 of Vows and Vendettas

“Do you wait for them to be awake, then?” I direct my question to the wall because anything more requires more courage than I have. I flinch when he brushes my hair over my ear.

“To discover the answer to your question, you’ll have to get to know me.”

I close my eyes but I can’t block out the suggestions that come to mind with his words. “Why am I here? Did the Arroyos pay you to abduct me?”

“I don’t offer kidnapping as part of my services.”

“Then why?”

“If you’re going to demand answers from me, the least you can do is look me in the eye while you do it.” Savagery underlies his words as he bites them out.

Try as I might, I can’t stop my body from quivering in fear. What do I do? Although gaining his reason for taking me is important, my goal is to return home. Without me there my father will subject my sisters to the unimaginable.

I curl my fists until my nails dig into my palms, leaving crescent indents on my vulnerable flesh. Has my abduction foiled my father’s plan to use me to kill Ignacio? I stomp the sweet relief that accompanies the thought. My life isn’t so lucky. Lavaughn Hairston will find other terrifying ways to use me. Worse, he’ll find more diabolical reasons to hold my sisters against me.

The longer I contemplate my options the more hopeless my situation appears. With nothing to lose, I raise my eyes past Aris’ muscular torso and beyond his strong jaw to his mismatched blue and green orbs. Aris’ keen stare and still form remind me of a leopard about to pounce on its prey. Every muscle is tense in readiness. His focus picks up on every slight move I make. If self-preservation wasn’t foremost in my mind, I would take the time to admire his savage beauty. His magnetism is undeniable, but so is a truth I’m beginning to accept.

I’m the prey in this scenario.

“W-w-why am I here?” I ask.

“To meet your future husband.”

CHAPTER FOUR

After dropping his bombshell on me, Aris leads me out of the room and my situation hits me harder.

“We’re on a plane?” I balk at the circular windows lining the wall and the widely spaced seats I’ve only seen on the private jets my dad charters.

Aris responds by grabbing my elbow. He has yet to put on a shirt and his body heat warms the coldness I’ve kept at bay. The thaw is unwelcome. In the presence of danger, I’m not supposed to take any comfort from my captor. We take a couple steps before I snatch my arm away.

“I can walk on my own. It’s not like there’s anyplace for me to go.”

He pauses, probably as shocked as I am by my uncharacteristic behavior. With a nod, he resumes walking toward another door. The muscle play along Aris’ back should be criminal and something must be wrong with me for noticing. Although I’m not slim by anyone’s imagination, his body is a constant reminder that he can overpower me at any moment. He stands taller than I do and his broad chest and long arms can easily cage me within their firm constraints.

We enter an office, and Aris heads to the desk and extracts a tablet. After dropping the bomb about meeting my future husband, he hasn’t clarified who the man is. Other than a command to follow him, he has said nothing. The unknown looms in front of me, keeping me frozen before him.

Aris rounds his desk to perch on the surface mere inches from me. “Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your sisters?”

I frown at his question. “What do my sisters have to do with the Arroyo I’m supposed to marry?”

“A lot actually.” He folds his arms, hugging the device to his chest. “Well?”

“No, I would do anything for them.”

“Good, because your cooperation is a must.” He pulls out the device. “Once we land, we’re going directly to your wedding.”

“What? No! I…I don’t even know who I’m marrying.”

“Does it matter if your sisters’ lives depend on you going through the ceremony?” He turns the screen to face me.

I gasp, unable to credit the scene playing out in front of me. Kayla and Trinity sit bound and blindfolded. I grab the tablet and zoom in. Maybe they are lookalikes meant to confuse me.

“Looks like your father doesn’t value your sisters either. It is way too easy to get to his people.”

My hope sputters out when I recognize Trinity’s charm bracelet. As I fight back tears, I manage to whimper, “Why?”

“I knew you would need the incentive.” Everything about him embodies steel, from his cold mismatched eyes to his implacable voice down to his hardened body.

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