Page 65 of Forbidden Bond

She nods, giving me a thumbs-up. We both head inside the building. At first look, it’s a pharmaceutical company, but I know for a fact that the top floor is used for the more unsavory activities. They supply drugs to the top one percent of New York. They ship into the country in bulk, my family gets most of our drugs from here. The company’s also known for providing hitmen on occasion, along with other violent activities. I’m not sure how Jameson got involved, but there’s a huge possibility things could escalate.

Katherine stays by my side as we head to the elevator. No one stops us. I press the button to go up and a few seconds later, the doors open. There’s no one inside it. I’m about to walk in when I notice Katherine hasn’t moved. Her hands shake and she’s staring inside blankly.

“You can stay here, princess,” I tell her gruffly.

She seems to snap out of it, shaking her head. “It’s just for a minute or two. I’ll be fine.”

A minute can sometimes feel like a lifetime. But I don’t say that. She seems insistent on not letting me help her. She steps into the elevator, shutting her eyes as the doors close.

She’s fine for the first few seconds, then she lets out a shaky breath. Her entire body trembles. I shift closer, intertwining our fingers. She makes a soft noise before pressing her face against my chest, struggling with each breath. I don’t think she’s having a panic attack. She’s just scared.

“I hate this so much,” she chokes out.

“It’s okay, princess,” I say softly. “I’m here.”

I run a hand through her hair, down her back. The gesture seems to soothe her a little. She takes in a steady breath. And another one, until her breaths start to even out. The elevator doors open and Katherine immediately takes a step back from me. I tense, reaching for the gun hidden under my shirt at my back, drawing comfort in the fact that it’s still there.

They probably have him in the conference room. We pass a couple of people going about their business, men and women. Some of them handle the deliveries; some are in charge of roughing people up. Katherine dutifully stays behind me as we walk toward the room.

There are four men inside, and a woman seated at the table. She’s dressed in a red jumpsuit, her dark hair falling across her shoulders. She’s probably in charge. Katherine lets out a whimper when one of the men points a gun at my head as we walk in. My jaw grinds shut.

Jameson’s in the corner of the room on the floor. His face is badly battered but otherwise he looks alright. He struggles to get to his feet, giving me a grim look. Regret flickers in his green eyes when he takes note of Katherine behind me. Once I’m sure he’s not in any danger, I throw the bag filled with cash onto the table.

“Ten grand,” I say to the woman. “It’s all there. Now let him go.”

She barks out a laugh. Her movements are slow and precise as she leans down into her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. “Hi, littlest D’Angelo. It’s nice to meet you. I’m very acquainted with your brothers. My name’s Maurine.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I say dryly. “Let my friend go.”

She tsks, shaking her head. “You don’t give orders. Topher, right? I’ve heard so much about you. Why don’t you stay and play with me for a little while?” Her eyes gleam as she stares at me. “Your girlfriend can join, too.”

My hands curl into fists. “No thanks.”

“Really? That’s too bad,” she says on a soft sigh. “Jameson was just getting comfortable. Isn’t that right, Jamie?”

He doesn’t reply.

Maurine smiles. “I’d hate to let the three of you go just like that. It seems so boring.”

One of the men advances on me and holds me down. My eyes widen when another grabs Katherine’s wrist. Jameson rushes forward. I don’t even hesitate—I jam my elbow into the gut of the guy holding me before grabbing my gun and pointing it at the man gripping Katherine’s arm.

“Let her go. Now,” I order, my voice deceptively calm.

He does, backing away slowly. Maurine laughs. “So the littlest D’Angelo has claws as well. That’s good to know. I’m curious, though, would you really shoot?”

In a flash, a gun is being pointed at Katherine’s head. My eyes widen.

“If I asked Acid to shoot, he would. Without hesitation. Would you shoot without hesitation as well?”

“I will shoot every fucking person you know if you don’t tell your puppet to drop that fucking gun,” I say quickly pointing the gun at Maurine.

My lungs burn as I take in the impossible situation in front of me. Katherine’s eyes meet mine, steady and bright. She trusts me; she’s trying to communicate to me that she understands. She swallows softly, and I know that despite her outward appearance, she must be scared out of her mind. A tremor goes through my hand as it moves to the trigger. The tension in the room could be cut by a knife. Then a phone rings and it seems to dissipate marginally.

“Hello,” Maurine sings, answering her phone. “Oh, Christian. How interesting that you called me. Your brother’s right in front of me right now.”

She falls silent as Christian responds. Then she laughs. “Of course I didn’t hurt him. I’d hate to be the recipient of that notorious D’Angelo wrath I’ve heard so much about. Besides, I’m the one in danger here. The fucker’s got a gun pointed right at my head and something tells me he’s not a bad shot.” She says then listens to something else he says before sighing. “Fine, I guess I have to let him go. Bye, Christian. I look forward to our next transaction.”

She hangs up and gets to her feet. The man holding the gun to Katherine’s head drops it. I keep mine up as I move to stand in front of her.

---