Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 27066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“How do you know so much about it?” I ask, immediately thinking that this is a trap of some kind.
“I’m a former federal agent.”
“What?” A trap is looking more and more likely. I pull Matilde closer to me. She groans in her sleep. She must be in some pain. If Derry would hurry the fuck up, we can get rid of this guy and be on our way. Thank fuck he hasn’t actually seen Matilde.
“I was looking for a change of pace. I can drive you to Boston.”
“What’s your name?”
“Bryan McCallister.”
“Irish?” My mother was a McCallister.
“Of course. I am pretty sure we are second cousins,” he says, grinning. That wouldn’t surprise me. My mom has eleven brothers and sisters.
“And you know who I am?”
“I do. I’ll admit, I was surprised to see that you used your real name when you ordered the car service.
“This is your car?”
“Yes. I’m contracted to the chauffeur service.”
“And you're looking for a permanent job with me?” I ask, reading between the lines.
“Yes. I can do anything. I’m an excellent marksman.”
“If you are trying to infiltrate my crew to take us down, I won’t hesitate to kill you, cousin or not. You’ll also need to prove yourself, but my brother handles things like that.”
“I understand,” he says as Derry comes back out to the car. He gets in and hands me the bag.
“Change of plans, brother. Bryan here is going to drive us home. Get to know him,” I say. Derry will know that I want a background check done on him immediately. This isn’t our first rodeo. We have shorthand between us that seems like nothing at all.
“Very good,” he says, putting his seatbelt on. We take off into traffic after Derry puts the compound’s address into the GPS.
Bryan and Derry start talking to each other, but my sole focus is Matilde.
I lie her down on the seat next to me so that her feet are in my lap. I make sure the blanket stays over her as I begin to doctor her poor feet. I can’t help placing little kisses on them after removing the glass from her many, many cuts. One of them looks as if she’ll need stitches, but I’ll have to make do until we get home. We have a doctor that comes when I need him to. No questions asked concierge medicine costs a lot of fucking money, but I can’t tell you how many bullets he’s removed from my men and me. His silence and ethical medical treatment are worth the cost.
Once her delicate feet and shins are clean and bandaged, I pull the shamrock fuzzy socks onto her feet and put her back in my lap. Her chest to my chest. The liquid Benzo that I injected her with won’t do any lasting harm. I checked with Dr. O’Leary before I gave it to her. I made sure it was from a reputable pharmacy as well. You never know what these street dealers cut their drugs with to make it go farther.
I pull the velvet pillowcase off of her face so that she can breathe better. In her sleep, she snuggles into my chest and sighs.
“Savauge,” she murmurs but doesn’t wake up.
I may have drugged and kidnapped her, but hurting her in a lasting, permanent way is the farthest thing from my mind. I want her to be as obsessed with me as I am with her.
FOUR
MATILDE
I jerk awake and am still plunged in total darkness. My dreams were so freaking vivid. Murmurs from them flit back into my mind, but I don’t understand them. They are in a language I don’t speak. All I know is it wasn’t English, Italian, Spanish, or French. My hands are free, so I reach up and feel my face. It’s not covered anymore. I lie back on what is probably the softest bed I’ve ever laid on and access myself. I feel my body and realize that I am wearing more clothes than I had on before. My pussy doesn’t hurt, so that’s a good thing, right? I reach into my panties and feel… nothing. No wetness or soreness, thank God. My legs and feet, on the other hand, are killing me. I notice a bedside table after letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I fumble for it and find the cord for the lamp. The room fills with a pale red light. I am in someone’s bedroom. There are pictures on the table, and art hung on the three walls. The fourth wall holds a giant TV.
I can’t help but think that I’m being held for ransom. I know that my family would do anything to get me back, so I am not too worried about it. I just know I have to get out of here as soon as possible. I am sure my mom is freaking the fuck out.