Sonofabitch!
I looked down to find Tia’s big, brown eyes staring up at me. She smiled gently. Sleepily. And then, the smile vanished as she came to her senses. She sat up slowly and looked from the inside of the car to me, and then, she hauled her arm back and her fist came flying at my face.
CHAPTER 4
TIA
One minute I’d been talking on the phone in the alley, trying to get a breath of fresh air before I went back to the stifling attentions of Jeff Sabri. And the next thing I knew, I was lying across the backseat of a moving car. And Leo Donovan was sitting next to me.
I had no memory of how I got there, and I had no idea why. I sat up slowly and waited for the nausea and dizziness to subside as I tried to understand what was happening. The only thing I knew was that Leo-bloody-Donovan had kidnapped me somehow.
And there he was, sitting next to me as if he had done nothing wrong. So I did what any sane woman would do in my position. I hauled my arm back and punched the arrogant bastard in the face. Well, I tried to. But he must have been a ninja in his past life because he didn’t even flinch as he caught my balled-up fist before it connected with his face.
He used it to pull me closer.
What the hell was he playing at?
“I will stab you in the eye with my stiletto heel if you don’t let me go right now,” I threatened.
“Thanks for the warning,” he said laconically.
“Letgo,” I snarled, with no effect.
I tried to pull my hand out of his vice-like grip, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Do you promise to keep your fists to yourself?” he asked sternly.
I nodded, looking away because I couldn’t bear to look into his steely gray eyes.
He let me up and moved away. I straightened my dress and looked out of the window. I couldn’t make out where we were because I was still disoriented.
“Did you drug me?” I asked worriedly.
“No. I used a neck pinch to make you pass out,” he explained.
“That was very kind of you. Now, stop the damn car or I’ll combat roll out of the moving car the next time it slows down,” I snarled.
“The doors are already locked. Sit up and shut up,” he ordered.
I tried to reason with him.
“Are you out of your tiny little mind? This is a kidnapping. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in jail?”
“I’ll only go to jail if they find your body,” he said blandly. “Without a body, they can’t prove a thing.”
I stared at him blankly, trying to judge if he was joking. He had to be joking, right?Right?
I drew in a deep breath and tried not to panic. It didn’t work.
“There are cameras on every corner of every street in Manhattan. Whoever comes looking for me will find the footage of you throwing me into your car,” I began, but he cut me off with a glacial, shark-like smile.
“I’ve already taken care of that. There was only one camera in the alley. My brothers are wiping the footage as we speak.”
“Why the fuck are you doing this?” I asked hoarsely.
“Would you prefer it if I drop you back at the art gallery? I bet Jeff Sabri is looking for you.”
I drew in a sharp breath. How much did he know?