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 just want this to be over with. I don’t know how much more I can take of this running. All of my adult life I have been on the run. Now I’m scared and I’m so damn drained. I don’t know what to say. I have no words. No words that will undo the last week. I had it, I had escaped with a fake passport and then I went and ruined it when I went on that damn shooting spree. But then Stace would probably be dead now if I hadn’t.I did the right thing. I just wish I killed the right man.I blow out a deep breath as my eyes wander back out the window. If I’d killed the right man our troubles would be over.I feel the soft touch of his hand swipe the hair back from my face. “We’re here, babe.”I struggle to open my eyes and readjust myself in the uncomfortable car seat. “This car is shit.” I scowl.He smiles sexily. “It’s pretty good to drive.” He revs the engine as he throws me a sexy wink to show me just how much he loves it.“What time is it?” I yawn.“About 8pm.”“Are we stopping here for
“Why do you sound surprised?”“I’m not…” I pause. “I just…” I stop myself.“You just what?” He frowns.I stare at a painting on the wall over his shoulder so I don’t have to look him in the eye. I have been thinking about this all day. He is safer without me. “I just don’t know if I’m good for you. Maybe we should separate.”“Look at me.”I keep staring at the painting as I try my hardest to show no emotion.“Fucking look at me.”I drag my eyes to his.“I want to live in the moment. Right now.”“Was the engagement ring…?” My voice trails off because I’m not sure if I want to know the answer.He cuts me off. “I got an engagement ring because I wanted to live in the moment.”“But would you have bought it for me if we were under normal circumstances?” I ask.“If I felt this way about you in normal circumstances, yes.”“Stace,” I whisper.“If I planned out my perfect life tonight, you would be in it. I know this seems fast, but we have been together and alone every day for a month. I feel
I just want a future with you.” He picks up the pace and his hand becomes almost violent as the bed starts to hit the wall.“You have it.” We kiss again and I think it is the most heart felt kiss he has ever gifted me with. “I’ve never felt this close to anyone,” he murmurs.“I’m so in love with you,” I whisper as my body quivers on the edge of orgasm.Suddenly desperate, he stands and rips his shirt over his shoulders and slides his jeans down his legs. I am blessed with the sight of his large cock hanging heavily between his legs. Pre-ejaculate drips from the head, and I can see the veins that run down its thick length. He pumps it three times to give himself some kind of release. I reach up and brush my fingers over my lips that are branded to his side. I’m still in awe that he did that.His beautiful, brown eyes hold mine as he crawls over my body and nudges my opening with his cock. He keeps me waiting as he slides it back and forth through my wet sex. We both smile in pleasure a
“I want two snipers and they will receive fifteen million each, twenty- four hours after his confirmed death.”“Who is it?” he asks again.“Mario Vikinos.”Roshelle sitswith her hands linked under her chin. Her big, brown eyes look across the table at me lovingly and I feel my chest constrict. She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I have ever known. Every day I fall deeper under her spell.I smirk to myself, wondering how the hell I got so lucky to cross her path.“What?” She smiles.I shake my head. “Nothing.”“Why are you looking at me like that?”“Like what?”She shrugs as she picks up her wine and sips it as she thinks of a fitting answer.“Like I want to eat you?” I ask with a raised brow.A broad smile crosses her face. She slips her shoe off and lifts her foot so that it sits on my crotch. I reach down and tenderly place my hand over it.“Do you?” She wiggles her toes and I squeeze her foot in my hand.“That’s a given. You are my staple diet these days.”She giggl
I’ve never let myself get close to anyone since. I never want to cause anyone that hurt again. My mind goes to the moment I told her I had slept with someone else and the haunted look on her face. She didn’t believe me at first, and then her heart broke as she wept on the bed as I sat helplessly at her feet.I will never forget it as long as I live.I get a lump in my throat still, seven years later. Along with my brother’s death, it is the most painful memory I have, and I caused it for both of us. I gently kiss Rosh’s forehead as she throws her top leg over mine. And now I have this woman. I’m head over heels in love with her, and yet we only met because I kidnapped her.What kind of man have I turned into?My brother would be so ashamed.I lie for half an hour in the dark staring at the ceiling as I go over and over all the mistakes I have made. My lips rest on her forehead. For some reason I need to physically touch her or I can’t relax. Why do I feel so different about Rosh? Why
I tuck my phone into my backpack and clasp my hands in my lap and smile to myself. Not long now. We are nearly there.“Cabin crew, prepare for landing,” the captain’s voice echoes through the cabin. The flight has been long and uneventful. I am looking forward to getting Stace alone. It seems ridiculous that I could miss him after not being able to sit with him on the flight. I turn in my seat to look back at him. He is seated four rows behind me with three guys. They seem to be getting along famously and I have sporadically heard them laugh as they talk. Better than my damn trip. I’m sitting next to an old lady who had five strong drinks and then went to sleep and snored the whole damn way. It annoys me that I depend on him so much. For a month now, it has just been him and me. We haven’t had anyone with us, no family network. I think that’s why it feels so intense. Our life together isn’t reality… although it is for me, I’ve always been kind of alone. I just hope that when we get ou
It seemed that every time I woke up, and that was a lot, he was awake, staring at the ceiling deep in thought.We pull into a printing shop parking lot. “What are you doing?” I ask.“This is it.”I frown. “This is a printing shop.”“Oh, because being a fake passport dealer is such a reputable business.”“R-right,” I stammer. “I suppose so.”I follow him in through the front doors and the receptionist smiles. “I’m here to see Vernon,” Stace announces.“He’s in the back office.”Stace nods and grabs my hand as we walk through a dingy hallway until we get to a closed door.“This is sketchy,” I whisper.“You think,” he whispers back as he knocks three times.“Come in,” the voice calls.Stace opens the door and we are greeted by the sight of a huge, overweight man sitting behind a large, black desk. His hair is long and in a ponytail, and he has a whole biker gone wrong vibe going on.He sits back and shakes his head as he smiles smugly. “Well, well, well… if it isn’t the dead man walking?
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