Chapter 17

Sadie

T he aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the warm, golden glow of sunlight filtering through the window onto my cheeks gently coaxed me awake.

God, I need that coffee.

I wasn’t sure when Keelan slipped out of bed, but waking up alone was a pleasant surprise. It was the first time Keelan had given me space since he had taken me. Stretching my arms wide with a yawn, I looked at the clock on my nightstand. It was eight a.m. My biceps and chest were killing me from trying to crawl out the door after I slammed on my hips. I was sure there would be a bruise there. Not to mention my pussy ached from how hard he fucked me.

I still can’t believe we did that.

Throwing my legs over the mattress, I sat up, my eyes looking down at my bags. I jumped off the bed and rummaged through my duffel bag, finding some socks to keep my feet warm. It was freezing in this cabin .

Once I entered the kitchen, I spotted Keelan with his back to me. He was shirtless, with black sweatpants hanging low on his waist. My stomach did that annoying flip when he turned around, his tattoos and chiseled stomach on display.

He smiled when he saw me and headed to the dining table. “Something to eat before we hit the road,” Keelan said, placing a plate of warm pancakes beside a mug of freshly brewed coffee. That sweet scent filled my nose again. God, I was so hungry. I hadn’t eaten since we stopped for gas yesterday morning.

“I don’t want to eat next to you,” I said stubbornly. The cozy couch by the fireplace looked way more inviting.

“Sadie,” he said, irritation crossing his features, “sit your ass down and eat.” He dropped to his chair with a smirk before cutting into his pancakes. He was clearly ignoring my death glare.

Instead of complying, I walked up to the coffee and picked it up, stepping back a few feet and feeling the warmth seep through the mug into my hand. “I’m not hungry, then,” I replied, taking a small sip and tucking my left hand under my armpit while assuming a defiant posture. “This will do.”

Keelan’s blue eyes flashed as he wiped his mouth carefully, set the napkin on the table, and leaned back into the wooden chair. He folded his arms just like I did, mocking me. “Let me remind you that everything I have ever done in my life, I’ve done with a purpose. You can hate me all you want, pretend to be disgusted by my cock inside of you …” My mouth gaped open. “But the sooner we return home to Los Angeles, the better I can protect you.”

I sighed, placing my coffee back on the table, and relaxed my arms, letting them fall loosely at my sides. “What exactly are you protecting me from, Keelan? My testimony put you away for murder. Your family wants me dead because of that, and my own family has abandoned me. Who or what are you protecting me from, if not the entire Blake family? I’m just waiting for you to snap and kill me yourself.”

Keelan’s eyes never left mine, but I involuntarily squirmed when he licked the small golden bead of maple syrup from his upper lip. My pussy ached with the memory of the primal, rough sex we had last night, and the traitor ached even more with a desire for that tongue to slip inside me. Keelan was unbothered by my rant, but he enjoyed my discomfort.

“I can understand why you feel this way. But have I killed you yet?”

I pulled my brows together, trying to find the proper snarky remark, but all I said was, “Well, no, but—”

“Then shut your mouth before I shove something between those lips to keep you quiet.”

As vile as that sounded, my traitorous pussy clenched at the thought, and I pulled my thighs together, looking over at the plate of food that was now getting cold.

“Still not hungry, princess?” he asked with a knowing smirk. “Last chance to sit at the table with me, or I’m going to eat your pancakes, too.”

I grabbed the mug again, taking a slow sip. “Still not hungry.”

Silence filled the space between us as I drank my coffee, and Keelan dove back into his breakfast. I held steadfast in my denial that I would join him in eating, moving over to the couch instead and feeling the pleasant warmth of the fireplace. Yes, I was starving, but now I had dug a hole that my stubbornness would not let me out of.

I want those damn pancakes so fucking bad, but I like the fact that I can deny him something he wants and get away with it.

Once he finished his meal … and mine, Keelan walked over to a drawer on the island and pulled out a set of car keys. “Gavin mentioned some fuel might already be in the car to get us to the next gas station. We’ll have to stop at some point.”

I gave him a slight nod and then headed into the bedroom to change, put on fresh deodorant, and brush my teeth. I heard the sink faucet come on and Keelan washing the plates and mugs.

These were very domestic tasks for a murderer and kidnapper. The thought brought an involuntary smile to my face. I shook my head and hurried out of the bathroom to change and pack my ruined clothes. I dressed in a pair of leggings and a long-sleeve black shirt that offered far more warmth than my outfit from yesterday.

After Keelan finished tidying up and packed his own things, he grabbed the Camry’s keys and replaced them with the Ford’s. “After you, princess,” he said with a lopsided grin, gesturing to the door as I slung my bag over my shoulder.

Another day on the road as his captive.

When we exited the cabin, the air felt crisp, and for once, the wind was gentle, not biting into my skin like last night. I waited as he opened the trunk and loaded our bags and a few items from the house that we could use on the road: dry snacks, drinks, and a first-aid kit we found in the linen closet that he had used to help tend his head wound.

Once I put on my seatbelt, he walked over to my side. For once, he didn’t zip-tie my wrist, and for that, I was grateful.

“I don’t like that the zip ties are hurting you. So—” Keelan’s body filled the space between us as he leaned toward me. “I’ m trusting you not to run,” he said. “But if you pull the same shit as you did last night, I’ll not wait for permission to slide my cock inside of you. I will take you while you scream and sleep like a baby afterward.” Keelan came closer, his lip barely brushing my ear. “I’m going to ruin your body for Brian and every other loser you try to replace me with each time I claim you because this, right here—” He placed his hands on me, cupping between my legs. Heat flooded my face, and I closed my eyes, focusing on breathing. “This right here belongs to me, whether or not you want it to. Do not fucking test me today, Sadie.”

The tension was so heavy I couldn’t breathe. Growing up with Keelan, I saw every side of his personality. His cruelty toward me and others since we were children. I watched him slit a man’s throat and look damn proud of his handiwork. This possessive side, along with the promise of violence, was what scared me most about him. Keelan wanted to own me, body and soul.

I nodded, but his hand remained between my legs, rubbing the sensitive part with the pad of his thumb. Wetness began to seep, a betrayal to my mind, which denied this intrusion.

“Are you sure you’re not hungry? ‘Cause I still might be.” The heat of his gaze burned a trail from my face to the part that—despite my fear—ached for more of his touch. “I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge right now. If I tell you to spread your legs for me or even eat some fucking pancakes, you will; you defying me is pissing me off.”

I nodded once more, feeling my racing heart climb to my throat. “Are you seriously that upset about the damn pancakes?”

The tattoos on Keelan’s neck bulged as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he took in my wary expression .

His thumb began to circle faster against my clit through the fabric, and suddenly, the topic of pancakes was no longer relevant.

“Keelan,” I moaned, and my head fell back, resting on the seat.

“Does your boyfriend fuck you as hard as I do?” he asked. “Does he make you this fucking wet when he touches your body, even when you’re pissed off and acting stubborn as hell?”

“That’s …” I closed my eyes, trying to picture myself somewhere else, but it was futile. “That’s none of your damn business.”

Keelan slid his hand away from between my legs and up to the hem of my shirt. He eagerly gathered the fabric and lifted it from my stomach, revealing my tattoo. His other hand touched the various constellations, the marks he left on my body. It was the stars that tied us together, his claim over me.

No matter how hard I tried to erase his existence after the trial, the tattoo was the constant reminder that my father sold me to a violent man who took my body as his possession, a body he then branded—becoming a relentless addiction that burned me alive. Keelan was teasing me now, tracing the star lines from my stomach to the waistband of my pants … and I let him. But I didn’t dare move. Perhaps some part of me didn’t want to either, despite the fear devouring my veins.

“Is that so? Well, I would disagree with that. Everything about you is my business.” Slowly, his hand slid beneath my leggings and panties, probing at the wetness that gave me away. His lips curved into a wicked grin, as if it thrilled him that I still reacted to his touch like that. “I’ll tell you what I think, Sadie. I bet every time he fucked you, you pictured me ramming myself into your wet, eager pussy instead. ”

Although I wanted to close my eyes and surrender to his touch, my gaze stubbornly remained on his, refusing to betray the rush that spread through me as his fingers found my entrance.

He lightly prodded three of his fingers against my heat, though my tightness resisted his entry. His eyes locked onto mine.

“Cat got your tongue?” Keelan taunted me when I didn’t respond, but instead, I gripped the seat, my body slumping forward slightly. His other hand reached for my thigh, spreading it open to give him easier access to my aching core. Everything inside me was racing, aching for more of the bliss that only he could bring out of me. I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip, trying to keep my breathing steady. “Mm, no need to speak. This pussy of yours tells me everything I need to know.”

His fingers slid into me, stretching me out. This time, I couldn’t hold back the moan in my throat. Faced with the fact that he was staring at me with a smug smile, clearly pleased with himself, I shut my eyes. My lips parted, and I allowed my hips to grind against his hand, more and more eager to reach that blissful point. I couldn’t even sit up straight anymore, pressing my palm against the side of the driver’s seat as he pumped his finger inside me. Harder. Faster.

As his fingers threatened to unravel me, his ringtone cut between us, and a growl resonated from his chest.

He continued to pump his fingers in and out of me, my release imminent. But then he pulled his phone from his pocket and set it on my trembling thighs. To my horror, he put the call on speaker as I climaxed.

A moan escaped me as Gavin called Keelan’s name. He reached over and covered my mouth with his other hand to silence me as I cried out. My legs clenched together as I moaned into his palm, the sound muffled.

Holy shit.

“Hey, Gav,” Keelan said with an arrogant grin while he pulled out his hand and licked his fingers. “Give me just a second.”

Keelan picked up his phone and turned off the speaker. I was finally coming down from my orgasm, and heat flushed my cheeks.

No way Gavin didn’t hear that.

“We’re leaving the cabin now,” he said as he placed the phone to his ear. “We just had to take care of a few things in the new car.” He turned to me and winked. “What’s going on?” Keelan adjusted the hard bulge in his jeans and smirked as he caught my eyes, watching him push it down. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and adjusted my clothes back to normal.

Though I couldn’t hear what his cousin was saying, the urgency in his voice was clear.

“I don’t care. Finn can go fuck himself and die,” Keelan snapped, and my eyes went wide.

“Keelan,” I started, but he threw up a hand to silence me.

“I’ll call you once we get to the next stop. Don’t tell my dad we stayed at the cabin. The less the family knows, the easier it’ll be to return to LA. Also, Gavin, you need to get Mia out of the tattoo shop. This shit is about to go down, and they won’t care who’s in the way. The shop will be their first stop, and they’ll target her and drill her until she spills our secrets. She’s too young to handle that shit.”

They exchanged a few more words before saying goodbye, and Keelan put the phone back in his pocket. He closed my car door before going around and climbing into the driver’s seat. I turned my body slightly toward him, my heart pounding.

“What’s happened to Mia? Keelan, she—”

“She isn’t involved in any of this,” Keelan assured me, but my gut told me that something far more sinister was happening back home that involved my father.

“What’s happened, then, with my father?”

“After your testimony at my trial, the feds opened an investigation into both our families’ businesses. They’re focusing on your father’s government dealings and my dad’s tattoo parlors around the city. They even have agencies in Vegas keeping an eye on the art galleries.”

That didn’t surprise me. Our families had been involved in corruption since I could barely walk. They had nearly every goddamn police officer, politician, and official covering my family’s tracks. My father, now the mayor, facilitated multiple coverups and buried scandals.

After Keelan went to prison, I thought the Blakes would bury the business and go into hiding until the heat died.

“Keelan. What happened?”

Keelan slowly looked up and met my eyes, an unrecognizable look in them. “Your dad is back in town and found out about my escape. Though your mom had turned off the cameras in the hallways to sneak the chef in, she didn’t have access to the grounds. When security said that I had been inside his house and killed one of their men, Aisling met the end of his fist.”

“Oh, my God!” I cried out, gripping my chest. “Keelan, did he—”

He reached out and took my hand in his. “Gavin says that she’s alive, but she’s in the hospital with a fractured eye socket and a broken arm.”

Anger replaced horror and boiled my blood. As much as I wanted to get away from Keelan and go back to Vermont, right then, I wanted to kill my father. He hurt my mother because of me.

Because of me and Keelan.

“You could have avoided all of this if you stayed in fucking prison, like you were supposed to, and left me alone. You put my mother in danger, and now Mia … You’re dragging everyone around you into a hell they don’t deserve.”

Keelan’s nostrils flared, and his eyes fluttered closed briefly, as if absorbing my accusation. He knew Mia was too good and innocent for this corrupt life and was very protective of her. This new information was likely eating away at him.

“What now?” I asked. “What shitshow are you dragging me into, Keelan?”

“Not important.”

And his mask is back up.

“Bull-fucking-shit. Could you give me something? Anything. Or else I’ll fight you every step of the way. You can’t leave me with nothing. ”

Keelan seemed to consider my request as his eyebrows pulled together.

“What do you need from me, if not to take revenge for what I did to you?” I was pressing him, but I didn’t care.

Keelan put his hands on the steering wheel and leaned against the seat. His eyes found mine. “There’s a lockbox I need to find before your father does. And I’m not sharing anything more than that … for your safety, of course,” he said with a smile, showing all his teeth. “So, as much as you’d like me to let you go, I can’t yet. This little adventure is so much more fun with you by my side. Just trust me that killing you isn’t on my agenda … for now.”

Though I was happy that Keelan was divulging some of his plans, it wasn’t enough. What was I supposed to do with that information? That night in the warehouse, he destroyed what little trust we had. Now Keelan wanted me to sit quietly in a car with him for five days while he went on a treasure hunt for some lockbox.

“What’s in this box?” I pressed.

“Yeah, that’s something I can’t tell you.”

I huffed. “Of course, you can’t.” Leaning my shoulder against the car door, I turned my attention to look out the window. “Until you do, I can’t give you any trust. So, maybe go fuck yourself until you decide not to be so vague.”

Keelan ignored my rant and started the car. He uttered a small curse as we pulled out of the dirt driveway and onto the main road.

“Great,” he muttered, brushing me off. “Gavin underestimated how much gas was probably in this car. We need to stop at the next exit. You’re going to come inside with me, and you’re going to behave like the perfect little hostage.”

Or else.

Of course, the terrified part of my brain told me this was the perfect opportunity to seek help. They could overpower Keelan and save me if I could somehow signal a good Samaritan. But that other part of my brain, the more rational part, told me he would kill anyone who tried, and I wasn’t stupid enough to put someone else at risk. I had to be smart about it.

Last night, I failed to escape.

The next time I ran … I wouldn’t.