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Chapter 8

Jenna

I’d been captured by a beast in expensive clothing, one covered in a dead man’s blood. The images would forever haunt me.

I was sick inside, my stomach twisted in knots.

Stavros was in another elegant suit, one that fit like a glove, adding to his sensual yet dangerous look, but that couldn’t disguise who or what he was.

A murderer.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized he was mafia. He was obviously a weapons expert. Very few people could have made the shot he had in the dark. I knew that much from everything my dad had taught me about weapons, ensuring I understood I had to respect them. And Stavros had done so with ease, no hesitation. He truly was a cold-blooded killer.

Yes, I had to be thankful that he’d saved my life not once but twice, yet I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact I’d been shoved into a lavish, private jet, and offered whatever I wanted to eat or drink, including alcohol to try to make my flight more comfortable.

Meanwhile, the bastard had remained on his computer, searching for God knows what. He’d remained quiet, never asking me another question.

And I certainly hadn’t wanted to talk to him.

I peered out the window as the pilot touched down on the runway. It appeared to be a private airport, no commercial airplanes in sight. Plus, I could see a thick gate surrounding at least some of the property.

His Capo, Christos never took his eyes off me. They were both Greek, their olive skin an indication but where Stavros had a light accent, Christos had a heavy one. I was obviously still in a fog since I couldn’t help but think it added to his sex appeal. Was every Greek male basically a god in disguise?

The plane rolled to a stop and I took a deep breath. There were hundreds of questions in my mind, but I didn’t have the fight in me to ask them. I was exhausted from the emotional trauma, unable to focus on much of anything. My stomach churned from the thick knot, my throat dry since I’d refused to drink anything. I had no way of knowing whether or not he’d try to poison me. Great. Now I couldn’t take a deep breath.

Stavros noticed I was struggling to breathe normally, whisking off his seatbelt in the blink of an eye. “Are you alright?

“How am I supposed to be alright? How? I was almost shot at point blank range, had a bastard spank me, another try to rape me, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet. No, I’m not okay. On top of the shitshow you shoved me into by choosing my street to chase whoever you were running after, my landlord will eventually toss every scrap of expensive equipment into the street or worse, laugh as he sells them for cash. He’ll enjoy torching my pictures and my desk, just because he’s the kind of man who hates women. I’ve been taken to a city far removed from where I live, not told how long I’ll be here and I have no clothes other than what I’m wearing. So, you explain to me how I am supposed to be okay.”

“Whew,” Christos said as he rose to his feet, heading to the door so we could leave the lush surroundings.

Stavros grinned at my expense. “I’ll get you everything you need. We’ll talk more but not until you’re safe inside my house.”

“Right. As your prisoner.”

“As my guest, a woman who was kind enough to remove a bullet that could have turned infectious. Come. We have a vehicle waiting. One of my drivers is here.”

“How many drivers do you have?”

“Enough. I also have soldiers. You’ll get to meet them.”

“Who are you really? Some billionaire dude who enjoys playing with guns?”

He chuckled as he took my arm, leading me toward the stairs. I wasn’t certain whether or not to expect another round of gunfire or maybe I’d be placed in shackles. While there were two massive SUVs, both dark in color, and I counted four additional men, all wearing suits, at least they weren’t carrying assault rifles.

However, I almost laughed out of nervousness because it was a perfect depiction from TheSopranos or some other made-up series about the mafia. Plus, weren’t they all supposed to be fat and balding? I was obviously close to hysteria. At least not enough that I wasn’t aware of what was going on.

Christos immediately headed toward the group of men while Stavros’ phone rang. He gave me a stern look, likely warning me not to go anywhere. I wasn’t certain where he thought I could go given the facility was surrounded by a gate.

However, when he turned and walked away a few steps, I quickly scanned the area before nonchalantly slipping my hand into my bag, trying to be discreet when I pulled out my phone.

My hands were shaking but I managed to slide a finger across the screen, type in my passcode and maneuver to Charlotte’s number. Since I was a fast typist, including with one hand, I’d typed a full message, about to hit send when I sensed his presence directly behind me.

I also gathered another dangerously tempting whiff of his aftershave, the intoxicating mix of spices and woods leaving me in another state of delirium.

And panic.

He didn’t scream at me or slap me as I’d anticipated. Even though I tried to hit send, he wrestled the phone out of my hand just in time. Then he took a full minute to read what I’d written, smirking after doing do.

As he lifted his head, the quick flash of anger was replaced with the same look of amusement I’d seen the night before. “I see I can’t leave you alone for even a few seconds. You are a very bad girl to try and send this. I don’t think you want to risk your friend’s life. Now, do you?”

“How could I be risking her life by trying to dig my way out of this grave?”

“I realize you don’t know who you’re dealing with on both sides, but the men who hired the Russians are quite capable of finding out who you are, securing your phone number and reading your texts. They would then easily be able to trace your friend here, Charlotte Hudson.”

He was frank and I had a feeling he was trying to be direct and honest. “I hate you.”

“So be it, Jenna. However, I’m going to alleviate the problem right now.”

“How?”

The moment he smashed my phone onto the concrete, I yelped and watched in horror as he stepped on the remains.

“Now, any attempt at tracing your whereabouts can’t occur.”

I wasn’t expecting him to snap his hand around my throat, dragging me onto my toes as he lowered his head. “I suggest, my beautiful captive, that you don’t try something like that again. I’m already going to need to punish you, but you do not want to make it any worse. I’m not a man to be toyed with, not even by someone as lovely as you. Now, did I make myself clear?”

Shaking, all I could do this time was blink.

His lips were suddenly so close, I was certain he was going to kiss me all over again. As he rubbed his thumb back and forth across my lips, I was thrown by how intense our connection had become. The desire was ridiculous, but I was definitely breathless around him, wanting his soft lips to capture mine as he’d done before.

“I would hate to feel the need to hurt something so beautiful.”

The magical spell was broken by his statement. I wasn’t used to feeling this way or being put in any kind of dangerous situation. I also wasn’t entirely in control of my emotions or actions so when I cracked my hand across his handsome face, I was just as shocked as he was.

I immediately gasped at what I’d done. I could be a scrappy girl and had taken on a bully in my youth, but I didn’t have a death wish.

As I fisted my hand, pulling my arm away, I sensed we had a very intense audience. I felt like muttering ‘uh-oh’ but I thought better of it.

Stavros took my hand into his, trying to unfurl my fingers. While I did what I could to keep him from doing so, he was far too strong and I was terrified he was going to teach me a lesson by breaking a finger at a time. I couldn’t put it past a bastard like him.

I wasn’t shocked by much of anything any longer. After all, I lived in the Big Apple, but when he did nothing more than to trace my lifeline with the tip of his index finger, I was pushed into a strange vacuum that I feared would eventually suck me into oblivion.

“You have an incredible long life ahead of you, Jenna. You also have a marvelous love line as well. I want that to happen for you more than you know.” When he curled my fingers, pulling my arm to his lips, I sucked in my breath. He rolled the tip of his tongue back and forth across my knuckles, his hot breath creating a wave of haze around me. “But you’re going to need to accept the fact you’re under my control now as well as my protection. Once you do, things will be much easier on you.”

I had no idea what to say. There was nothing that made any sense. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes were full of the same yearning as the night before.

Something inside of me said he was going to be my undoing.

And eventually be responsible for my death.

The entire ride away from the airport, I tried to memorize the roads so I could retrace my step somehow, but I couldn’t recognize anything. If we were in Philadelphia, then he lived on the outskirts. The land was beautiful, serene, and for some reason greener than I’d expected. A second SUV followed us, Christos sitting in the front passenger seat and my captor in the back with me.

He hadn’t needed to shove me into the seat. I’d entered willingly. The gesture from before was a subtle but powerful way of threatening me. He’d made a few phone calls, including telling someone to have my room ready with what he called all the creature comforts. I could only imagine what that meant.

The drive took almost forty-five minutes and while there wasn’t exactly tension inside the vehicle, I did gather a sense that the men in the vehicle behind us were prepared to do whatever it took to keep their master safe.

“Who are you in this organization?” I asked.

“Who am I?”

“Yes. Isn’t there a hierarchy of who’s who inside a mafia organization?” I could easily tell my question amused the two men in front.

Even Stavros smiled as if I was making a joke. Oh, I hated the man more now than ever. “I’m considered the Underboss, next in line for all the illustrious perks and responsibilities bestowed upon a king.”

“So, you’re no king. You’re just a thug. Maybe I should talk to the real man in charge.”

One of the two men up front coughed, as if he was choking. He better get used to it. I’d been kidnapped, for God’s sake. I wasn’t going to be a lamb, even if I was likely headed to my slaughter.

“Maybe so but I am a very wealthy thug. My older brother is considered the boss or Don of the family, but he will tell you the exact same thing. You are required to be obedient.” Stavros lifted a single eyebrow.

He just had to be sexy as hell, didn’t he?

“Obedient. You obviously don’t know me very well. How lucky for you but money can’t buy humanity or take away the blood and filth from your action. I can see the monstrous side of you stays all in the family. Let me guess. You have other siblings, and your father was once the great leader, something you and your brother aspired to.” Sure, I still had some defiance in my voice but that was just me. He might try to break me but he could never break my spirit.

“Yes, my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all leaders of a powerful regime created in Greece decades ago. We are one big happy family. I have a younger brother and two wild sisters. Our mother and father are alive and currently enjoying retirement back in our home country. Does that answer your question? Or are you asking whether or not we eat our young with a dash of hot sauce.”

The two men up front laughed. I cringed, pushing harder. “Your sisters are killers?”

“Contrary to what you might think, Jenna Kilborne, we also have extremely legitimate businesses, including a winery in Washington State and one not too far from here, as well as casinos and resorts that have excellent reputations. My other sister is a doctor, which does come in handy from time to time. We are just like anyone else celebrating holidays, birthdays, weddings. Heck, we even get together for barbeques. Imagine that. Monsters gotta eat too lest they feed off naughty girls such as yourself.”

I glared at him with more hatred inside of me than I’d felt for anyone in my entire life. However, the fact he knew my name scared the hell out of me. “You know who I am.”

“Of course I do. I make it my business to know who’s staying in my very secure estate. You have a younger sister who is trying to make a run at being a model. Your parents are still married, still living in Boonville, a town with a population of about eight thousand. Small enough people know each other but large enough not to feel suffocated. Although once you left for college, you never went back, even though your father offered to take out a second mortgage on the family home to help you start a veterinary clinic back there. Where they desperately need one, I might add. You enjoy pizza, which happens to be one of my favorite foods, as evidenced by expenses noted on your checking account. Oh, and you really did put everything you’d saved from working three jobs while in college into the practice you just opened. I can tell you this. That bastard of a landlord overcharged you by almost one hundred percent. In other words, you’re getting shafted. I’m sorry to have to tell you that.”

The fact he’d been able to get into my bank account and knew my father had offered to pay for my clinic back home meant he’d read my emails too. I was horrified.

And frightened.

And furious.

“You bastard. You’ve been prying into my life.”

“When I share a bed with someone, I like to know if I’m sleeping with the enemy.”

Now I was repulsed. When he thought I was going to attempt to slap him again, he did nothing than cock his head and wag his finger.

“I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Now, Christos coughed while Stavros laughed and leaned over way too close, so much so the electricity soared.

“Never say never, sweetheart.”

“Fuck you.” The nasty phrase just rolled past my lips. I stared out the window as the driver pulled down a wide street. The houses on either side were the kind seen in magazines for the rich and famous. What struck me was the fact the street was lined on both sides with pristine sidewalks, trees, and decorative-style lighting that I envisioned being in red and green at Christmas.

Every massive yard was well manicured, every tree perfectly coiffed. While there were various designs of estate-size homes, there was no doubt each one was worth millions. When I noticed a massive, ornate iron gate at the end of the dead-end street, I knew instantly it was where Stavros lived.

The gate was secure, the facial recognition software on the console flashing green almost instantly, the massive iron and steel sliding open. As the driver rolled down the long, aggregate curved driveway, I found myself sitting up in my seat, almost as if I was eager to see the style of home he’d selected.

My breath was taken by the choice, the nearly white stone with ornate porticos and small yet beautifully adorned balconies lined with colorful pots filled with flowers. I was also shocked at the mermaid-shaped fountain in the massive granite pool positioned in the middle of the circular driveway. The double front doors were bright red in color, a hue that couldn’t have surprised me any more than it did.

I could imagine seeing something like this in Greece nestled on a hill overlooking the turquoise blue ocean waters.

It was obvious I’d expressed my delight when I noticed he was smiling.

“Did you expect I lived in a cave, my enchanted one?”

“No, of course not,” I said honestly. “More like a dungeon for demons.”

There was no pretense other than the driver opened his door. Stavros seemed so formal when he stepped out, buttoning his jacket before heading around to my side of the SUV. I felt underdressed as he pulled me out by the hand, leading me to the glazed marble steps, also in beautiful colors.

Once inside, I couldn’t help myself, turning in a full circle. If I were in some musical, I’d throw my arms out and start singing. But this was no happy place. I envisioned scores of people killed inside the grand abode.

I was assuming about his life, but what else did a man with enemies do?

There were more flowers, large bouquets of them and they were all fresh, beautifully done in arrangements, including on the massive glass-topped foyer table. Once I was led through a huge opening, the view outside the arched top, triple wide floor-to-ceiling window was breathtaking. There was a vast amount of green grass flanked at the rear by gorgeous older trees. But the fireplace drew my attention, the Mediterranean design also ornate with exquisite decorative tiles in a rich shade of cobalt blue.

The hardwood floor was made of lighter wood, the vibrant graphically designed rug under the two leather couches and three chairs with ottomans keeping my attention. On the right was a spectacular bar with barstools, a television positioned on the all glass wall. And the pinpoint LED lights added a serene setting to the fading afternoon sun.

“You have a beautiful home,” I told him and I meant it. Why lie about something so simple? “It’s exactly the kind of house I’d like to live in one day.”

He was suddenly right behind me, his oppressive heat warming the cold chill that had slithered through me constantly on the trip. When he brushed his fingers ever so gently over my shoulder and down my arm, I couldn’t help but shudder. My core felt heated to around a thousand degrees, which didn’t bode well for me trying to hate him.

“I wish I could take the time to show you the rest of the house. I promise I will. However, I have a meeting with my brother to go over the details of my trip. Right now, I’ll take you to your room where I think you’ll be comfortable for at least a little while.”

What could I possibly say to the man? “Okay.”

He led me up the curved staircase to the third floor, leading me down a beautifully decorated hallway complete with wall sconces already glowing and flickering as if lit by real candles. I was surprised he took me to the end of the hall, opening the door and waiting until I walked inside.

The space was just as insanely gorgeous, the king-sized bed covered in soft pillows, a beautiful, upholstered chair positioned by another arched top door leading to one of the small balconies off the back of the house.

There were bookshelves lined with books, a small refrigerator and wet bar in one corner. I noticed the doorway leading to the bathroom and I could only imagine how lavish that was.

“There is water, soft drinks, and juice in the refrigerator. If you would like, feel free to open a bottle of wine. There are glasses, a wine opener, and even snacks at the bar. While at this point, I didn’t have time to have anyone on my staff provide you with anything else to wear, I can certainly provide you with a pair of my drawstring shorts and a tee shirt if you’d like. I should only be about an hour. Then I’ll show you around and we can enjoy drinks and dinner.”

Was this man kidding me? He kidnapped me, taking me hundreds of miles away yet he believed us to be on some of date? He had lost all his marbles.

“Thanks. I’ll wear what I have on.”

“Suit yourself, mageménos.”

If the man used the term enchanted one a single additional time, I was going to do more than just slap him across the face.

Stavros backed away, turning just as he stood inside the doorway. “Keep in mind that I am the reason you’re alive. Have some respect for myself, my house, and my employees. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” I said as I folded my arms.

He nodded, smiling as if accomplishing a huge task before closing the door.

And I’ll be damned if he didn’t lock me inside.

“Bastard. Prick. Asshole. Son of a bitch. I’ll get you for this.”

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