Page 128 of Tyrant (The Villetti Chronicles)

“Mmm?”

“Can I explore the building now? I want to see everything.”

He chuckled, his hold on me tightening.

“Of course. I need to talk to Willis about the next steps, anyway.”

I assumed Willis was the agent. Pulling back, I smiled up at the man who had my whole being in the palm of his hand.

“Thank you.”

He let me go, but not before stroking my cheek and smiling back at me. Taking my hand, he gathered up the bag he’d stuffed the dildo and lube into and we left the kitchen together. Zayn found Willis waiting for us in the lift lobby. He pressed a kiss to my mouth and released me.

“Go, explore. You can tell me all of your plans for the place on the way home.”

I grinned before skipping away to go look at the rooms I hadn’t seen on the first floor. There was plenty of office space, more than I needed, but that was okay. I could start small and grow into the building rather than having to find something new if things went well. It excited me, the prospect of having my own photography business. All I’d ever wanted was to take pictures for a living. To capture special moments in time. It reminded me I needed to get the photos I’d edited of Zayn made into prints for the house. I could talk to him about it on our way home.

Zayn was still in the lobby with Willis when I finished with the first floor. I let him know I was going down to the ground floor. He gave me a nod but was fully immersed in his conversation with the agent, so I didn’t want to disturb him further. I took the lift downstairs and walked out into the main lobby area. I could have a reception here. The rooms off the lobby would be perfect for client meeting rooms and other such things. I wandered through them, my mind a riot of plans and ideas.

I was so engrossed in looking around, I didn’t hear someone behind me until it was far too late. A hand landed on my mouth as a solid body gripped me in its embrace. It immediately felt wrong. This wasn’t Zayn. I knew exactly how his body moulded to mine. I struggled as I tried to turn and look at them, letting out a scream. It was muffled by the hand on my mouth.

“Quiet, girl,” came a gruff voice.

I didn’t do as he’d said, continuing to struggle and scream, trying to fight him off.

“Tut, tut, such a wild thing. I’m going to make you pay for hitting me.”

His words confused me as he dragged me backwards through the building. I hadn’t hit him, so what the fuck was he talking about? I kicked and struggled, but he picked me up off the floor with one arm pressed around my middle. The man carried me out into the lobby and towards the stairwell. He shoved the door open with his foot. In the stairwell, there was an emergency exit. The door had been propped open.

I kicked out harder, my hands clawing at his hold as I tried to scream again. He didn’t budge as he took me out of the building into the alley. He walked me to a side street where a limo was idling on the curb with the back door open. The man shoved me up against the window before pulling my hands behind my back and cuffing them. I was then thrown into the limo, my body sprawling across the backseat before the door slammed shut.

I lay there for a moment, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened. Someone had taken me. They’d fucking grabbed me and stuffed me into the back of a car.

What the fuck?

It wasn’t the first time I’d been kidnapped, but that made it even worse. Who the hell had the audacity to take me from right under Zayn’s nose? There was no way in hell he would have let me walk around the building unattended if he hadn’t thought I was safe. He’d kept me safe under his watchful eye whenever we were out. This was wrong. All kinds of fucking wrong.

When the car moved off, I struggled to sit up, twisting around to right myself. My eyes darted around the limo as I sat up in the middle of the seat. The first thing they landed on was someone sitting directly opposite. I let out a choking sound when I realised who it was. All of my worst fears came true. My worst fucking nightmares. The same ones that plagued Zayn.

“Hello, Arianna,” Gennaro Villetti said with a deadly smile on his face. “It’s nice to see you again.”

And I knew in that moment I was screwed. Completely and utterly screwed.

Fuck.

Forty Three

Zayn

When I looked down at my watch, I found I’d been talking to Willis for longer than I realised. There was a lot to think about when buying property. I needed to get in touch with my solicitor to get proceedings underway now Ari had told me she liked the place. I planned to make sure it was purchased in her name. If anything went wrong, she’d still have this place as her own. She wouldn’t have to worry. That’s all I wanted. To provide Arianna with a secure future regardless of what happened between us. I had no intentions of letting her go. As far as I was concerned, she was it for me.

I didn’t believe in soulmates or having a love of your life, but there was no doubt in my mind I loved Arianna to the ends of the earth. I would follow her wherever she wanted to go. Provide her with everything she desired if she’d remain by my side. I needed her as much as she needed me. We were a partnership. We worked in our own way together. So I’d spend the rest of our lives making sure I gave her everything.

“We should find your partner if that’s all you need for now,” Willis said with a smile.

“Mmm, yes. She’s probably still downstairs.”

It did make me wonder where on earth Ari had got to. The place wasn’t that big, but maybe she’d got lost in planning things.

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