CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SPARROW

I TOOK A LITTLEbreak to watch the birds overhead as they migrated out of my rainy city.

That was my first mistake.

I only paused for a second, and it was a second too long, because as I plucked out my earbuds, “Monster”by The Automatic playing, to watch the birds flee from the rain, my fate was sealed.

I smiled to myself when I thought about how, for the first time since I was probably born, I wanted to stay put and not take flight.

My happiness cracked, collapsing into a frown, when I spotted him. Brock stood in front of me, blocking my way on the narrow pavement between the tall red-brick buildings.

This time I was scared. It started to look less and less like a coincidence and more like the stuff Fatal Attraction was made of. Boston was not that small, and he’d shown up where I was four times.

It was almost like Brock knew where I’d be. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was all too eager to follow Troy’s suggestion—okay, order—and keep my distance from the guy. He leaned against a lamppost, one foot bent, as he puffed on a cigarette. When he saw me, he pushed off the lamppost, his face cracking into a smile.

“Oh, hey,” he said through an exhale. I twisted back to where I came from, trying to resume my run, but he grabbed my arm, his voice still easy. “I need to talk to you.”

“No, you don’t,” I said, “unless it’s work-related.”

Things at Rouge Bis weren’t going as planned. Pierre still hated my guts, no matter how hard I tried, and Brock still tried to get close to me. Still, I knew they wouldn’t fire me, though a small part of me wanted out of the place just so I could look for something better.

Brock tucked his free hand into his heavy wool jacket. “It’s about your husband.”

“No,” I stated, scowling. Why was it that every time Brock talked about Troy, I felt like my heartbeat slow and my breathing got more shallow?

Because I knew that he knew. Knew whatever it was that I didn’t about why he’d married me.

I reached for my phone inside my hoodie pocket with every intention of calling Troy, but he yanked it from my hand and tossed it into an open dumpster. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and I felt the blood draining from my face.

“What the hell?” I roared.

He didn’t answer, but his face changed. He looked seriously and royally pissed. He pulled me into his body, my chest bumping into his. No more easy and cutesy for Brock, I gathered. He was done playing nice with me.

“Come with me,” he growled.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, asshole.” And then I felt it. He shoved the barrel of a gun deep into my stomach, so hard I was sure it’d leave a mark. But my fear numbed my pain.

“My car’s down the street. Be quiet, and don’t make me hurt you more than necessary.”

Shit. Even his accent changed. Suddenly, he sounded local. He sounded…Boston?

I looked around me, frantically trying to spot someone on the street, but there wasn’t a soul within earshot. My fault for running every morning right before dawn. I hadn’t seen anyone else for at least ten minutes, and then it was a woman walking her dog in the opposite direction.

I was alone. No, worse—I was with Brock.

“Brock, please.” I wasn’t sure what I was asking. Was I asking for him to let me go? Fat chance, considering the fact he’d just thrust a gun in my side.

He spun me in the opposite direction and led me to his car, prodding me along with the gun. I felt his breath on the nape of my back, and it sent a shudder down my spine. My mouth was dry, and I fought not to panic.

“Get in the passenger seat,” he said from behind me. He swung the door to his Audi open.

I did as I was told.

He walked briskly to his side of the car and buckled up, his fingers still wrapped around his gun. “See? Now we’re on the same page. It’s a shame you needed that little push in the first place, Sparrow. Men don’t normally dig difficult women.”

I didn’t answer, staring at the gun like Brock’s voice came from its barrel.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He smirked, admiring his weapon as he held it up and turned it right and left for me to see. “I love how it feels in my hand. Like the world is in my palm. Powerful shit, huh?”

But not as powerful as my husband, I wanted to bark back.

“Hands all the way up, sweetheart.” Brock pointed the pistol at me, nudging it in my direction. I wanted to protest but then he pressed the cold barrel to my temple, the steel digging into my flesh.

“Jesus, okay.” I lifted my hands up slowly.

Brock leaned into my space, opened the glove compartment, took out a syringe with his free hand, bit off the cap with his teeth and slammed the needle hard into my thigh. I screamed, reaching for his hand, but he smacked my arm with the gun. Then he did it again with my other leg.

I stared in horror at the needles sticking out of both thighs. “What the hell did you do to me?”

He waved me off, tucking his gun between his thighs. The fact that he was less guarded now frightened me even more.

“A small dose of anesthesia.” He kneaded the area around the needles. “You have to make sure it distributes well. It will keep your legs numb during the ride. Don’t want you trying to hop out and run. When Connor picked up his last check, he mentioned your little stunt with him. I thought it best to be prepared. But don’t worry, you’ll be completely alert.”

He started the car, one hand on the wheel and the other squeezing my leg. “Get comfortable, we’ll be driving for a while.”

We left the city, taking side streets, and soon enough the car rolled onto a deserted two-lane road, heading west. With every mile and minute away from Boston, I became more and more paralyzed, and not just from the dead weight of my legs.

Why did I get out of bed so early? Why did I insist on jogging at unreasonable hours? Why did I always take the small, empty pavements, searching for those hidden Boston gems, the places no one knew or walked in? Why had I insisted on getting rid of my bodyguard? Why do I never carry mace on something else that could scare away potential attackers?

Why? Why? Why?

I was in trouble. Something that was much bigger than marrying the wrong person or being left by your stupid parent or a drunk dad. Brock might be crazy, perhaps even the psychopath I ironically believed my own husband to be, but he wasn’t stupid. If Troy found out he’d kidnapped me, he was a dead man.

Which meant Brock couldn’t let Troy find out. Whatever else Brock had planned for me, I wouldn’t be making the drive back to Boston with him.

Still, it was worth reminding him of the consequences, in case Brock had second thoughts.

“You can still take me back, you know,” I said, staring ahead at the front window. I couldn’t feel my legs at all at this point. My mind, though, was as sharp as ever—and I wish it wasn’t, because knowing what was about to happen was nothing short of devastating.

We were driving deep into the woods, dim morning light filtering through the tall pine trees. I was so far from crowded, hectic Boston, it almost felt like I was on another planet. “Don’t do something you’ll regret. Troy won’t stop looking for me. Once he finds me, he’ll kill you.”

Brock just stared ahead too, smiling and rubbing his stubble with the gun.

“Not if I kill him first.”