“Where are you from?” the waitress asks, interrupting my thoughts.“All over,” I reply, then I think for a moment. Maybe she will know something. “Tell me, if I had some jewellery to sell, where would I sell it?”“What kind of jewellery?” she asks.“I have an inheritance to sell. Gold, diamonds, a few rubies and sapphires.”Her eyes dance with delight. “An inheritance?”I nod and I know she knows that there is no inheritance.“Most people sell things to Big Al.”“Big Al?” I ask. “Where is he?”“Teusaquillo.”I nod, knowing that’s not far from here. “Do you have a number for him?”She smirks as her eyes hold mine. “Don’t you want my number?”I lick my lips; it would be so easy… stop it. “Not really,” I reply. “I’m here on work.”She raises her brow in disappointment.“Can I have the number?” I ask.“Sure,” she replies, dejected. Camilla disappears into the kitchen and my eyes flicker over to Rosh.What?She is sitting on one of the men’s laps, laughing out loud. I start to see red.Unc
“I’m done with living my day as if it’s my last.”He storms off. I stand and watch him disappear into the darkness down the busy street. I let out a deep, sad breath and my eyes fall to the card on the cement and I bend and pick it up.Downtown City JewellersEngagement Ring SpecialistWhat? I frown. “What does this have to do with…?”I close my eyes. Oh God. He took one diamond.Just one.“Stace,” I yell as I look up. I take off in the direction he walked in. I look around frantically through the busy street. I can’t see him.“Stace,” I call through the people. “Stace!”What have I done? I run to the end of the street as I frantically search for him. I look back to where I came from. I can’t believe I just…With my heartbeat hammering fast, my face screws up in tears. Oh no, what I have I done?“Stace,” I cry. I take out my phone and ring him, but it rings out, so I text him.Talk to me.What’s going on?I call him again and no answer, damn it. Why do I always fuck things up? I bounc
The street is busy and bustling and I make my way out, knowing the little red dot is here somewhere, I just have to find it. I think it’s just up here on the right. I keep my head down and walk as fast as I can, aware that at any moment I may be spotted.The red dot seems to be underneath me, and I frown as I do a full circle on the spot.Where the hell is he? I walk into the bar on the left hand side of the street and search with no success. I stare at the phone and frown it says he is literally above me. I look around, and over by the wall I find a staircase and tentatively walk up. I smile broadly when I get to the top.A bar. I walk through and the first person I see is Stace, sitting alone at a bench seat at the back with a beer as his companion.I approach the table. “Mind if I join you?” I ask.His eyes rise up to meet mine and he shrugs without answering.I slide in next to him. “They’ve found us.”He frowns as his eyes flicker to me. “How do you know?”“I saw Stucco and one o
My heart is trying to escape from my chest.If you shoot anyone, you are going to jail. Stace’s words from earlier echo in my mind. I don’t want to go through all this shit to end up in a Columbian prison for life.Don’t shoot anybody. Just don’t shoot anybody, I remind myself.Where the frigging hell are you? I get to the row of shops and start to look around frantically. The street is still so busy. Why are there so many damn people around? Actually, that’s a good thing. I can’t imagine how frightening this would be if the town were deserted. A police car drives slowly past and I feel like jumping out in front of them and asking for their help, but I know they can’t help us. Nobody on Earth can help us. I walk past an alley between two restaurants and I peer up into the shadows. I frown and stop on the spot.Three men are up the other end in the darkness, and one of them is Stace.Fuck.I immediately slink up against the wall in the shadows near the opening and listen. I strain my e
“What if they know we re staying here?” I whisper as we walk down the ramp to the underground parking lot.Stace slides his key into the scanner and the security doors slowly rise.“Then we’re fucked.”I shake my head as my nerves start to really thump. We walk through the darkened parking lot as we both scan our surroundings. This could be the prefect place to murder us. “This doesn’t feel safe,” I whisper.“It’s not.”I screw up my face. “Can’t you lie and pretend we are safe?”He shakes his head and keeps walking. “No.” We get into the elevator and push the button for our floor. “Give me the gun.”“Why?” I fumble through my bag. “What do you think is going to happen?” My eyes widen. “Do you think they are going to be up here?”Oh God, shit just keeps getting worse and worse.He shrugs as he pulls the gun open to check the ammunition, and then he turns to me. His eyes scan my face and he smirks.“What?” I ask.He grabs my hair and straightens it. “Your hair is on crooked.”I instant
“I’m not an easy person to be with, Stace,” I murmur.He stays silent.A large lump forms in my throat. “I understand if you don’t want to fight for us. I’m damaged goods. I couldn’t be with me.”He turns to face me. “Don’t say that,” he whispers.“It’s true.” I shrug sadly. “I have more baggage than a 747.”He pushes the hair back from my forehead and then, with his finger under my chin, lifts my face to meet his. “You’re my damaged goods.”My eyes tear up at the words I so desperately needed to hear and he kisses me softly. “I have fallen in love with you, Rosh,” he whispers against my lips.“You have?” I whisper in hope.He kisses me again. “It’s annoying really.”I smirk. “Annoying?”“Well, right now my face is a mess and I should be making an escape plan, but the only thing that is on my mind is being inside my girl.” He grabs my behind and drags me across his hard body.I smile, wrap my arms around his neck, and I kiss him.Oh, I love this man. He knows me. He knows how fucked u
My face falls. “Oh.” I sigh sadly.“I will get you another one.”“When?”He smirks. “When I can.”“When do you think that will be?”“I don’t know.”Hmm, I don’t like that answer at all. I stay silent, still hoping to get my way.He lifts me off his lap. “You ready to do this?”I nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”He picks up my wig and puts it on my head. He then passes me the fake glasses and I slide them on. “I hate this fucking wig,” he mutters to himself as he adjusts it on my head.“I thought fake blondes were your type.” I smile sweetly as I remind him of Chelsea.“Not ones with horse hair,” he replies, distracted as he combs his fingers through it.“Although horse heads are okay?” I tease.A trace of a smirk crosses his face. “Do you need to be punished today?”I smile broadly. “Probably.”The cab pulls to a halt. “So you will wait here?” I ask the driver.“Yes.”I point to the road underneath us to make sure he understands me through the language barrier.“Wait here?” I ask agai
My heart drops. “Oh, fair point.” I stand and walk away from the table. “What are we up to?” I speak in code.“All good, the cab is still there. Walk out and get straight into it. Continue with the plan.”“Okay?” I ask hopefully.“It’s still ok, see you soon.”“Bye,.” I whisper though my dread.I sit for another five minutes as they count the last of the cash and I load it into my small overnight bag. “Thank you.” I smile as I sling the bag over my shoulder.I push through the double glass doors and put my head down and go straight to the cab. “Hello, thank you for waiting. Back to the hotel, please.”“You took a long time. I nearly leave.”“I know, I’m so sorry. I will pay you extra.” I glance through the back window and down the street in front of me., I can’t see anyone suspicious. The cab pulls out into the traffic as my phone beeps another text.They have seen you. Keep your head down and stick to the plan.I drop my head as fear starts to make me nauseous.Holy fuck.I see the F
I bought him that black Ferrari that he loved so much. Funnily enough, he hardly ever drives it. It’s a trophy car and a waste of money, if I’m totally honest. Stace has started a development company. If he had his time again, he would have gone back into The Marines, but now that he has a criminal record, that wasn’t an option. He’s doing well and has four men working for him. Sometimes he flies a helicopter for fun on the weekend if he has the time.Like a whirlwind, they come through the kitchen back door. Seb is bouncing his basketball and Stace is carrying groceries in bags that they have just bought.“Dada!” Molly screams in excitement and he laughs and scoops her up and spins her around in excitement.The ball bounces continually and I shake my head. What is it about ball bouncing that drives me so mad? “Stop bouncing that ball, please, Seb,” I call.“Yeah, okay,” he replies from the lounge room as he turns on the television.Stace puts Molly down and she runs off to play with
I open the blue, arch-shaped door and we walk inside. The flooring is tiled in all different shades of green in big diamond shapes, and the walls are a warm terracotta colour. It is the epitome of South America and exactly why I wanted this house when I first looked at it.It’s warm, earthy, and inviting.“This is the lounge room.” I gesture to the lounge room and we walk through the hallway. “This is the kitchen.”He looks around the timber kitchen and smiles. “Where is the laundry?” he asks.“Oh, through here.” I walk through the hallway and show him the laundry and he looks around. His dark eyes come back to my face.“Where is our bedroom?”Nerves flutter through me. It’s been a long time. “Upstairs,” I whisper.He takes me by my hand, leads me back to the staircase, and we continue upstairs.“Last door on the right,” I murmur.He puts the puppy down and walks me up the hall to our bedroom. His eyes scan the space.There’s a large bed with white linen and timber furnishings. It’s s
Stace nods as he drags me to my feet, his hand holding my jaw the way he wants me and his tongue caressing my lips.Oh God, I’ve missed this.“We need to go home,” he whispers.“Diamonds.” I smile as I wrap my arms around his broad muscular shoulders. He’s much bigger than he was before.He walks me backwards until I am up against the wall, his hands on my face, his hard length up against my stomach. “I couldn’t care less about the diamonds,” he breathes into my mouth. “It’s you that I want.”His mouth drops to my neck and I close my eyes in pleasure as his whiskers dust my skin. We kiss again and he’s right, we really do need to get home. I could come on the spot.“Diamonds and home,” I breathe.He bends and picks up our new family member and we walk into the office and up to reception.“We are here to empty our deposit box,” he says. He hands over his identification and I watch him. He’s different. Harder, yet softer, if that makes sense. His body has changed from all of his weight
“I don’t want you to deal with this alone.”“I have been alone my whole life.”“Shelly,” he whispers sadly. “I fucked up, but I can fix it.”“It’s broken for good, Todd,” I whisper. “We can’t be fixed.”A knock bangs at the door. “Hello, Shelly. My name is Erica and I am a psychologist. We had an appointment booked for this morning.”Grateful for the interruption, I smile. “Yes, of course. Come in, please.”I’ve been in rehab for two weeks. It’s been six weeks since I was shot. I finally got the message through to Todd and he stopped coming to see me, although he still rings me every morning and night. The psychologist has diagnosed me with Stockholm syndrome, and so, for now, I am just playing along and agreeing with themSix long weeks since I lost the other half of me.Does he think about me all the time, like I do him? Sometimes I wake up and I feel like I won’t be able to survive another hour without him.Are they right?Am I crazy?It doesn’t really matter anymore, I suppose, an
I am woken up by Todd. “Good morning, Shelly.” He smiles broadly.“Hi.”“You look better today. How are you feeling?”“Fine.”I stare at him for a moment. I have to know. “What happened to the man?”He frowns. “That animal has been charged with your kidnapping and rape. He has been deported to Columbia for trial.”My face falls.“I hope they give him the death sentence.”“He didn’t rape me.”“Yes, yes, he did. His semen was found in a rape kit test carried out on you. DNA testing has come through.”“It was consensual,” I snap.His face falls. “You don’t know what you are saying, angel.”“Yes, I do.”“No, you don’t. You have been kidnapped and beaten into submission by that freak.”“His name is Stace,” I snap. “Don’t speak about him like that.”His eyes meet mine.“I’m in love with him,” I whisper.He screws up his face. “You’re not in love with him. He has brainwashed you. You are traumatized.”“I’m not in love with you.”“Yes, you are,” he commands. “You have been through a lot.”“I’
A siren rings out from outside, and suddenly, after a commotion, ten policemen come storming through the doors in full swat gear.They run to me. “Roshelle.” The policeman unties me. “Are you okay?” He lifts his face to meet mine. “What happened?”“A man came in and shot him,” I whisper.“What man?” the policeman asks.“He left in a car,” I whisper as my eyes find Stace.The hit men came through.I need to cover for them because they just saved our lives.Iinhale deeplyas I try to get comfortable. I’m half asleep, groggy, and incoherent.“Shelly,” a familiar voice whispers.I frown in the semi-lit room. Who is that?“Shelly,” the voice whispers again. “Come back to me.”I frown as I drag my eyes open and the pain in my leg throbs. It’s semi-dark, dusk, maybe. I glance around at my surroundings. I’m in a hospital room.What? Where am I?“Shelly. Oh my God. I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispers as he drops his head to rest on the bed.I frown. What the hell? “Where?” I stop
Antonio looks out into the darkness of the factory and I can see his evil mind ticking.They know I’m telling the truth… in a roundabout way.“That’s why I went crazy on the day you were supposed to arrive. I knew that they were going to blame him for their crime.” I shake my head as I try to talk my way out of this. “I knew he had literally hours to live.”“He still does.” My father sneers.“He didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you owe him. He saved me from your animals. He’s going to jail for a very long time. Leave him out of this,” I plead.Antonio glares into space. “Bring Stucco to me.” He growls.“He’s minutes away,” one of the other men replies. “He just texted through.”Antonio and my father’s eyes meet again. I fiddle with the rope tying my hands behind my back as I try to subtly break free.“Walk the perimeter.” Antonio growls. Two men immediately walk outside to check our surroundings. He dials a number on his cell phone and he waits for an answer.“Hello.”He listens
“I want you to marry Antonio.”My eyes hold his. I need to distract him long enough for her to run. “Why?” I ask.He starts to pace again as he puts his hand behind his back. “I told you, I’m dying.”Can’t come soon enough.My eyes turn to the men around me. Six in total. Four I was in the car with, and then the two guards with guns. His bodyguards.I start to slowly look around for the exits. “Why do you need me?” I ask.“I want to hand what I have worked so hard for down to my blood son.”“He doesn’t want your filthy money.”His dark eyes hold mine, and he steps forward toward me. The fear rises in my throat. No matter how much training I have done, nothing can cure the fear I have of this monster.“Your son will take over the family business.”“I don’t have a son.”“Yet.” He smiles darkly. “But you will.”I shake my head. “I would rather die than hand a child to you.”He smiles. “And you will as soon as I get my child.”Fear starts to close my throat. “You’re pathetic, can you hear
My blood starts to simmer, and with renewed fury I stand and turn the handle to get back out onto the floor.Locked.Fuck it.I stare at it for a moment, knowing I have to go to the bottom to get out. My adrenaline starts to pump. I am going to have one of two welcoming parties.The police or Vikinos’ men.I want the men. I want my revenge and I’m going to fucking get it.I’m furious. I glance at the time on my phone. The police should be here within fifteen minutes to pick Rosh up, hopefully sooner, and then I can start my attack.With Rosh safe and out of harm’s way, I can go back to the original plan. I start to jog down the steps. We are on the tenth floor, so it is a fair way down. Two flights down I hear a noise in the level underneath me and I stop on the step. I peer over the handrail as I try to see what’s coming up the stairs.Bang, bang. Clatter.I frown. What is that? I lean over the rail again and see a maintenance man cleaning the rail and I pick up the pace. I jog down