Chapter 15

To say I was furious was an understatement.

I glared at Smith, who stood just off to my right as we waited for the line in front of us to dwindle. Part of me understood where he was coming from. If the men were truly after him, it would be safer for us to stay here at Briarleigh.

But I hated the thought of running away and abandoning my house to those psychopaths. I needed to reach out to Eric. The sheriff would know what to do.

As I stood there in line, it dawned on me that Smith didn't have a dime to his name. I would have to shell out several hundred dollars for a room I didn't even want.

I huffed out a mirthless laugh. Figured. He'd stormed into my life like a bull in a China shop, smashing my quiet existence to smithereens. He would wreak all kinds of havoc on my life and checkbook, then disappear when it suited him.

Smith threw a curious glance my way, and I regarded him bitterly. "Guess I'll just pick up the tab for this one."

He opened his mouth to speak, but his words were stalled as the people in front of us moved away, and the hostess greeted us. "What can I do for you?"

"I need two rooms for the night, please."

"Just one room," came Smith's deep voice from beside me.

I opened my mouth to snap at him but was brought up short by the sight of Mia drifting toward us. "Lily, did you forget something?"

My mind blanked, and I swallowed hard. "Uh…"

What reason could I possibly give for wanting to stay at Briarleigh when I lived twenty minutes away?

"We need a place to stay for the night," Smith spoke up. "A water pipe broke at her house, and it's a mess right now. Should just be a day or two."

"That's awful." Mia made a face. "Let's get you squared away."

She motioned for us to follow her as she moved to a computer and began to type rapidly. A moment later, she scanned two key cards, then passed them our way. "You'll be in room 320."

I pulled my wallet out of my purse. "What do I owe you?"

She held up her hands. "It's on the house."

I felt my mouth go slack as I stared at her. "Mia…" I shook my head. "I can't let you do that."

"Of course you can," she replied cheerfully as she stepped out from behind the desk.

"You go out of your way for us all the time. Take the room and enjoy yourself. Besides," she continued before I could protest, "with all the traffic this weekend, we've more than made up the difference for the room."

She turned a broad smile on Smith. "Our restaurant is open if you'd like to take your beautiful date out for dinner."

My stomach dipped toward my toes as Smith placed a hand on my lower back. "We'll consider it. Thank you, ma'am."

"Thanks." The word felt like ash on my tongue as I allowed Smith to lead me down the hallway toward the bank of elevators. He ushered me inside, then punched the number 3 to take us to the third floor.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," I muttered, avoiding his gaze.

Though he didn't respond, I could practically feel the tension rolling off his body in waves as he bit back a retort. The elevator announced our arrival on the third floor with a soft ding, and I was already stepping out before the door had fully opened.

One hand fisted in the back of my shirt, halting my progress. I threw an angry look over my shoulder. "What the hell?"

But he wasn't looking at me. His dark gaze scanned the long hallway before returning to mine. The corners of his lips turned down, disapproval etched deep in his features. "You need to stay behind me. We have no idea where he might be."

I cocked a brow. "You think he would be right here waiting for us as soon as we stepped off the elevators? Like he somehow just knew we were going to get a room up here?"

His expression darkened. "Seen stranger things."

That only served to increase my ire. Despite the little tidbit about being held captive earlier, I knew nothing about him. His admission only reinforced the theory that he'd been involved in something shady before arriving at my house.

He set off down the hallway, stopping at the room at the very end. He entered the key card and it emitted a series of low tones before the lock disengaged. Smith opened the door and stepped inside, leaving me to follow.

My mouth dropped open, and my eyes widened as I got my first look at the place. This was no ordinary room. The living area was huge, beautifully furnished with lavish decorations in rich colors.

Smith pulled me inside, then closed and locked the door. Despite the fact that it had been locked just a few moments prior, he pointed a finger in my direction. "Stay here. I'm going to check things out."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest with a huff. This guy was seriously out of control. I watched him duck into what I assumed was one of the bedrooms, his head swiveling left and right as he scanned the space.

Enough was enough. I pushed off the door and strode into the spacious living area. The windows overlooked the verdant hills that, come wintertime, would be covered in glistening snow.

"I told you to wait by the door."

I shrugged as I turned away from the view. "Looks safe to me."

A second door off to the other side drew my attention, and I spied a large bed. "Oh, good. You'll get your own bedroom."

His glower intensified, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he retrieved our bags from where he'd set them next to the door, then carried them to the large bedroom. I bit my tongue. I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

I'd been so furious earlier that only now did something suddenly occur to me. I didn't even know the man's name. I followed him into the bedroom. "I guess I can't call you Smith anymore."

He met my gaze and shrugged, his expression blank. "You can call me whatever you want."

"What I want," I bit out, "is to know who the hell you are, and what the hell is going on."

He stared at me for several beats before responding. "My name is Rodrigo."

I glared him when he refused to elaborate. "You dragged me out of my own house. I think I deserve more than that."

His lips pressed into a firm line as a heavy sigh filtered through his nose. "I'm originally from Chicago. I was helping a… business associate… look for someone."

My gaze narrowed. "Look for who?"

He blinked long and slow before speaking. "A criminal."

When I continued to stare at him, he continued reluctantly, "Goes by the name Ara?a. Just like a spider, vicious and unforgiving, capturing innocents within their web."

I'd never heard such vehement contempt in his voice, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. "Wh-what do they do?"

"Everything." His eyes flashed. "Anything. They're human filth, little better than animals. We specifically were concerned about the human trafficking."

I dropped my arms to my sides. "You were trying to stop human trafficking?"

He gave an abbreviated nod. "We've been following them for several years."

He shook his head. "I think I figured out who it was, but… I was a little too late. Ara?a's men knocked me out and took me captive. I had a young woman under my protection at the time."

He swallowed hard, regret etched deep in his dark eyes. "My boss's wife. I don't know…"

He trailed off, and my heart pinched at his dejected expression. I took a seat next to him. "You didn't see her after that?"

He shook his head. "I think they might have…"

He trailed off again, unable to complete the thought. God, I couldn't imagine. "How long were you…?"

"A little over a month." Those cold, dark eyes flashed to mine. "One day bled into the next. I wasn't even certain myself until I saw your phone and noticed the date."

"And now the men are after you because they're afraid of what you know."

He nodded. "They can't afford for me to relay a message of their whereabouts."

"To the police?"

He quirked a wry smile. "No. The police can't—won't—do anything."

"But…"

His sharp look cut me off. "Trust me. These people… They're too powerful."

I stewed over that, examining the information he'd revealed. "Your business associate. You said he's powerful, too. You need to contact him?—"

He shook his head. "I can't. His wife is gone because of me. He'd see me dead before he helped us. And I won't put you in danger more than I have already."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Not we." He lifted a hand. "Me. I'm going to watch your house, wait for them to come back."

I stared at him. He couldn't possibly think to take on those men himself. By his own admission, he'd been taken captive and tortured once already.

"No." I jumped up, placing myself in front of him. "You're not going alone. Tell me what to do and?—"

He peered up at me, a strange expression on his face. "Are you trying to protect me?"

I stiffened. "I just patched you back up. I'd rather my hard work not go to waste."

He was silent for a moment, those dark eyes studying me intently. Anticipation skittered along my nerve endings as one large hand landed on the curve of my hip. I froze at the contact, my breath suspended in my lungs.

His long fingers danced slowly over my hip, as if acquainting themselves with each dip and curve, waiting for me to pull away. I didn't.

His free hand moved to my other hip, and an electrical current passed through my body. I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensation. His thumbs brushed back and forth, pushing the hem of my shirt out of the way so he could stroke the soft flesh of my stomach. My inner muscles tightened and coiled, and I swayed slightly toward him.

He eased me closer, pressing his face to the valley between my breasts and breathing deep. It felt like a dream, one I very much didn't want to wake from. So I kept my eyes closed, using my other senses. My arms felt like lead as I lifted them and slid my hands around his shoulders, clutching him to me.

"I like it," he murmured. "That you want to protect me."

At that, my eyes popped open and clashed with his dark gaze, fraught with emotion. He lifted a hand to cup my face, tracing the seam of my lips. "You remind me of a lioness. Strong. Loyal."

His touch grew bolder, his hands stroking the backs of my thighs then upward to cup my bottom. "Brave."

I sucked in a little breath as he lifted me off my feet, dragging me up against his body. My legs automatically parted to straddle his lap, and I found myself plastered to him. His hands coasted over my back and bottom, caressing every inch he could reach. My core burned with need, and I rubbed against him like the feline he'd just compared me to.

My pulse sprinted rapidly, and I found myself moving before I'd even realized it. His fingers sank into my hair, pulling me close as he met me halfway, his lips grazing over mine. The first kiss was tentative, like he was remembering the mechanics of the motion. In the blink of an eye it shifted to something dark and primal.

His mouth opened, forcing me to do the same. His tongue swept in, rolling over mine, and I felt my senses pitching violently as I struggled to keep up. I was drowning in sensation, sparks shooting through my body, turning my mind hazy. I could feel his arousal swelling beneath me, and I ground my hips into him. One of us groaned—who, I couldn't be sure.

The next thing I knew, the world was spinning around me. I grasped at his shoulders, clutching him tightly as he rolled us so I was pinned beneath his huge body. His lips left mine, and I whimpered softly. The hand holding my bottom tightened fractionally, a silent reassurance.

Instead of leaving me, he trailed kisses along my cheek and chin, down my throat and between my breasts. I wanted to shove the fabric out of the way and feel his skin against mine. I wriggled restlessly, mindless with pleasure, and he pressed another hard kiss to my lips. The hand holding my bottom curled into my flesh then lifted, shifting us higher on the bed.

His dark gaze met mine and held as he climbed over me, settling over my hips. Every muscle trembled as he lightly grasped my hands then levered my arms over my head. He leaned forward, using his weight to keep me pinned while his mouth explored mine once more.

One hand tightened on my wrists, suspended high over my head, while the other slipped down my arms before disappearing. Anticipation zinged through me as I waited anxiously, and I couldn't help the little jerk my hips gave. I wanted him—needed him—inside me.

The pressure of his kiss intensified. Suddenly he broke it, staring down at me, a combination of regret and determination in his gaze. "I'm sorry."

I was vaguely aware of something tightening around my wrists, and I blinked up at him, my mind fighting to process what was happening. I tried to lower my hands, but they remained suspended high over my head.

My heart rate kicked up when I realized he'd bound my hands together. "Wh-what…?"

But he wasn't listening. He'd already shifted around, one huge hand wrapped around my ankle. The pieces of the puzzle collided as he pulled my foot toward the edge of the bed. I kicked and bucked wildly against his hold, but his fingers tightened inexorably.

"What the hell are you doing?" I kicked out at him with my free foot, and satisfaction ricocheted through my chest when it glanced off his chin. He gritted his teeth as he used a thin rope to secure my right foot to the bed.

"I'm going to kill you!" I shrieked. "You crazy asshole, you can't do this to me!"

Pulling on my hands only served to make the bindings pull tighter, and fear raced through me. What was he going to do to me?

"Please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Please don't do this. Let me go."

Without a word he secured my other foot to the bed. I fought him at every turn, but I was no match for his brute strength. There was no satisfaction in his expression as he stared down at me and shook his head, his shoulders slumped inward. "This is the only way to keep you safe."

I bucked my hips up, anger coursing through my body. "I hate you! I wish I'd never met you!"

"I know," he said quietly. "I wish you'd never met me either."

The resignation in his voice penetrated my haze of anger, and tears burned across the bridge of my nose. "Please let me go. We can figure this out. We can?—"

I abruptly cut off as he pulled a long strip of fabric from his back pocket. My ire reignited as he advanced toward me, and I shook my head. "Don't you fucking dare. I swear to God, I'll?—"

My next words were muffled as he maneuvered the fabric over my mouth. I tossed my head, but my position made it impossible to deter him, and he tied it behind my head. I cursed him, but my vitriol was nothing but a jumbled mess behind the gag.

I glared at him, a violent storm of emotion brewing inside me. I was furious that he'd bound me to the bed. Disappointed he refused to trust me. Sad that he felt the need to do this by himself.

Staring down at me, he petted one hand over my hair. I yanked away from his touch, and his expression seemed to fall even further before the walls went back up behind his dark eyes. "I'll be back later."

What if he wasn't? What if he didn't come back at all? Fear rolled through me, and I jerked against my bonds. I screamed, but the fabric muffled the sound to a dull cry.

Rodrigo spared me a glance, his lips turning down at the corners. "Don't hurt yourself. They won't hear you anyway."

I watched as he picked up the Do Not Disturb placard, then took a step backward. His gaze was fixed on me, like he wanted to say something. But what else was there to say?

He disappeared from the room and despite his warning, I screamed my rage at the top of my lungs. I kicked and bucked wildly, to no avail. After what felt like forever, I finally gave up.

I lay there, limp and exhausted, emotionally drained. Then the tears came.