A Captive Situation (Kings of New York)

When that guy touched Sawyer, blind rage took over. I would’ve killed him. Mine. He touched what was mine, and that was not going to stand. But, fuck, feeling the guy shaking in my hold, I remembered where we were.

I’d slipped back to the past. My uncle’s voice was in my head. Different targets my uncle had me kill flashed in my mind, one after the other.

Fuck. I thought all that was buried deep in me.

“Jake.” That was Sawyer. Her hands took one of mine, threading our fingers.

The touch helped me right myself.

The past was shoved back down, and I returned to the present.

I looked at Sawyer, and was rocked.

She was mine. Christ. She truly was.

I was looking at my future.

That thought sealed everything inside of me. I was no longer doing this for me. The first third of my life, I’d lived underneath my uncle’s orders. The second third, I’d been existing for my brother. But now, the next third would be for her.

This woman had power over me.

She was in my blood.

When all of this was done, I was taking her away with me and I was going to fuck her in a thousand different positions, different ways, and I was going to make her cry out from pleasure until I couldn’t move anymore. It was my own dark promise to myself. I was taking her whether she wanted to go or not.

She was mine. It was that simple.

My captive. My cross to bear. My woman. Mine. Just fucking mine.

But first, we needed to deal with this problem standing in the way.

My target was just ahead. Ashton had helped set this up and his other employee was with her. She was going to lead her to a particular spot for us, and I hurried my pace because we needed to be in the perfect position when it happened.

There were cameras in the pub. They’d be combed through later. Ashton promised that he’d hack in and wipe them, but I’d brought Sawyer with me as added cover. A couple together would make sense. Eyes would more easily skim over us.

I moved the last of the way, getting to the back door, and looked over. Ashton’s employee was checking her phone. Lane’s girl, Blake Green, had her back to us. She was in the exact place that Ashton said she would be.

We pushed out the door, stepping out into the alley.

The cold night air was a welcome relief. The crush of people inside with the loud music had been a heated pressure cooker. The quietness of the alley and street traffic was also a nice reprieve. Ashton’s employee was supposed to be bringing Green out the same door, just minutes behind us. There was a blind spot in the street cameras. I was parked in that blind spot.

I held Sawyer’s hand, clipping forward to where we’d parked, when the door opened behind us.

It was go time. I pulled Sawyer close to me. “I need you to do something for me. Don’t ask me questions until later. Okay? I’ll explain everything.”

She was a little confused, which I understood. We were there to talk to the girl. That’s what she thought.

“Can you do that for me?”

She jerked her head in a nod. “Yeah.” Her eyes were clouded over, her eyebrows pinched together.

We were nearing my truck. I let go of Sawyer’s hand and reached into my pocket. Unlocking my truck, I also pulled out the second needle Ashton had given me.

Sawyer’s eyes fell to it, horror starting to come over her face.

I reached for the back door and paused, angling us so Sawyer’s back was to the alley. I was in front of her as two girls were taking their time following us to the street that was just behind me.

I kissed Sawyer’s neck, my eyes on the girls approaching. “Two girls are coming up to us. One is going to come with me in the truck, and I need you to fall in line, take her place, and keep walking with the other to the street.”

She tensed. “What?”

My hand found her hip and I pulled her closer to me. “Go to the street, turn right, and walk to the subway. The other girl will go down to the train. You keep moving forward until you see my truck. Okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Jake.” Her body shuddered against me. “I don’t know—”

“I won’t hurt the girl. I promise, but this is the only way to get the contract off us. I promise.”

She angled her head to meet my eyes, studying me as she sucked her top lip down between her teeth. She was unsure. I got that, but I was finding out there were no limits to what I was willing to do to keep her safe.noveldrama

Her, I thought as I was staring at Sawyer.

She was the reason my past was being unearthed inside of me, because I was willing to set the world on fire if it meant she would be unscathed by it. Skills I’d needed to be primal and ruthless were being set free, because I needed them for her.

But, fuck. I didn’t give a damn. I would embrace whatever I needed for her. I’d do it all for her.

I cupped the back of her head and rested my forehead to hers, even if that meant becoming a man she’d be horrified by. I’d become that man if it meant she was alive, including doing what I was about to do.

We had seconds to go.

The two girls’ voices began drifting over to us.

I whispered, fiercely, “Trust me.”

It was the right thing to say. I saw the capitulation before she nodded, just slightly.

I breathed out in relief because it was time.

I let go of Sawyer, saying, “Now.”

The two girls were almost to us. Green was closest to us, which was the plan. She looked my way, just for a second, before alarm came over her. Her mouth opened to scream, but I took two steps, wrapped my arm around her neck, my hand covering her mouth at the same time I brought the needle to her neck. She started to struggle, but I stuck her and pushed the drug into her that would put her into an immediate deep sleep.

It was over within seconds, her body slumping in my arms.

Sawyer and the other girl both froze, eyes wide and scared.

I caught Green’s body in my arms and pulled off her sweatshirt.

The other girl took it from me, putting it on Sawyer with jerking movements.

When both still stayed behind, I barked out, “Go!”

“Wait a minute. Ashton didn’t say—” his employee started to say.

She knew there’d be a switch-up. She knew to bring a sweatshirt for Green to wear, and to get Green to wear it when they left the bar with the hood up.

She stopped when I glared at her. “Your boss is in the Mafia. Don’t be stupid.” I moved to put Green in the back, laying her down. Closing the door, neither had moved. I said again, harshly, “Go! She’ll be fine. Jesus Christ.”

Ashton’s employee jumped, but hurried ahead.

Sawyer lingered.

“Go.” I gentled my tone, reaching over and lifting the hood up to cover Sawyer. “The girl’s safe. I promise. Catch up with her. Keep your head down.”

She blinked a few times before the hesitation cleared, hurrying after the girl.

The street cameras would be blurry at this time of night, but Lane would get a hold of it. He’d have his people comb through every second of it, but I knew what the cameras would see.

They would see a couple stepping into the blind spot.

They would show Green and her friend leaving the bar in the same alley.

They would show a truck leaving with the same couple. The alley would be too dark to get concise features so we would not be identified.

And lastly, the camera on the street would show Green with her friend leaving that alley.

The friend would go on the subway, and Green would walk ahead, into another blind spot where she would disappear.

The license plate on my truck would eventually be run through the system. It’d lead them to a real person with a real address, and it wouldn’t be flagged as fake.

By the time anything would be figured out, Lane would get my correspondence.

He wanted to threaten my girl. He could learn how it felt.