45

Selena

“I’m going to fuck you the way you deserve to be fucked. Then I’m going to start all over again.”

There was nothing quite like awakening to the memory of his voice inside my ear. His voice. Joshua. As I opened my eyes, I took a deep breath. His scent lingered on my skin even after taking a shower. I lifted my arm, pulling it to my face and nose, tingling all over from the way he’d held me in his arms.

You’re losing your mind again.

I laughed softly, almost able to see the inner girl standing in front of me, admonishing my thoughts. I was dreaming about the perfect man when my world had been ceremoniously ripped out from underneath me. Yep. I was definitely losing it.

But what a way to go. Right?

A hero.

I couldn’t blame Christopher for hoping that’s what his father was. I’d wondered during my fitful hours of sleep whether the little boy knew who and what his father was. I’d seen such a tender side to Joshua that I hadn’t believed existed. He might be a monster to the rest of the world, but to Christopher, the powerful man was the little boy’s entire life.

Purring, I threw out my arm, hoping Joshua would be lying by my side. As I swept my arm across the pillow beside me, I realized he hadn’t stayed with me at all. He’d carried me upstairs, presenting the suite where I would be staying, the gorgeous setting complete with the kind of bathroom meant for a queen.

I’d taken a quick, very hot shower, shocked to find a nightgown and robe waiting for me, a closet full of clothes as well. I’d done little more than close the blinds and slide under the covers, eager for sleep. At least two hours had passed, sleep eventually coming with difficulty even though the bright sun had ceased to draw my attention through the closed blinds. I was still groggy, loathing the fact the nightmares had already begun in earnest.

Rolling over, I stared at the clock. It was almost six. In the evening? Shit. As I laughed softly to myself, I threw back the covers, my stomach growling. Two cookies and a cup of coffee had been a drop in the bucket. I was starving.

And I was antsy, eager to get to the jump drives. I’d left my purse downstairs. I needed a computer. I needed time. I needed… a mental evaluation. Grumbling to myself wasn’t going to change anything. I plopped my feet on the floor, swaying slightly as I stood. After opening the blinds, I marveled at the gorgeous sunset cresting over the river, which I could see clearly from my set of windows.

I stretched and yawned, eager to find out if Joshua had learned anything. My legs ached from running, my feet still sore from stepping on rocks and twigs, scratched on both the top and bottom. But at least I was safely tucked away inside a fortress.

There were supposedly soldiers surrounding the house, keeping watch to ensure no one had decided to follow us into the country. I couldn’t imagine that happening. Then again, I hadn’t anticipated the craziness of the last few hours. God. My brain was muddy, so foggy I needed more coffee.

Or a shot of tequila.

Chuckling, the second I flipped on the light and stared at my reflection, I groaned all over again. I’d been ridden hard and put away wet, dark circles under my eyes. Even my hair had lost its sheen. ShuddEricag, I rinsed my face and brushed my teeth before slowly heading to the walk-in closet. I had no idea who’d shopped and found so many incredible clothes, but I felt like a princess all over again from the number of shopping bags and items with tags on them.

Jeans.

Sweaters.

Blouses.

Dresses.

Even shoes. Thank God for shoes.

And two drawers full of the most exquisite lace underwear I’d ever seen. I dressed quickly, almost feeling giddy, enough so I had to pinch my arm to remind the inner girl that the situation remained explosive.

I dressed quickly, staring at myself in the mirror. Makeup was next, the items purchased exactly what I would have chosen for myself. It was as if the man knew what I liked. Maybe he was more observant than I’d given most men credit for.

So many emotions drifted through me, the dark thoughts remaining from the nightmares. I only hoped that whatever small sense of hope that could be achieved would happen soon. While I was eager to find Joshua, I felt significant trepidation. As I opened the door to my room, there was something too quiet about the house, as if all life had ceased to exist. For a few seconds, everything felt out of place, off kilter, as if I’d awakened in another universe. Yet as I walked into the hallway, I was thankful to hear music coming from one of the rooms.

Kid’s music.

That allowed me to smile.

Christopher was perhaps the cutest little boy I’d ever met. He looked exactly like his daddy, including the dimple on his chin, but there was even more sadness in the little boy’s eyes. While it was obvious the reason why, I’d been able to sense the adoration he had for his father, a man he didn’t know very well. There was also a sense of overwhelming love coming from Joshua, more than I’d thought he was capable of.

I wasn’t certain how any woman could keep news of a baby from the other party. But I had a feeling Christopher being in Joshua’s life was exactly what the powerful, brutal man needed. It was also entirely possible it was the reason I’d been able to connect to the man so quickly.

As I moved down the stairs, a strange sense of foreboding lingered in the back of my mind. There was almost no sound asI walked toward the kitchen, finally hearing voices a few seconds later. That drew me to another hallway, Joshua yet to give me a tour of his home. I noticed an open door and moved toward it. While I had placed my trust in the man, given he’d saved my life, I wasn’t stupid enough not to remain cautious. At this point in my life, nothing was as it seemed.

I headed for the door and stopped short, listening in on the conversation.

“Goddamn it,” Joshua hissed.

“I thought you’d want to see this, boss. I’ve been keeping an eye on social media. A buddy of mine alerted me to the news,” Mikey said quietly.

“I don’t like this shit. Call a meeting for first thing in the morning.”

“Did you find anything on the jump drives Ms. Barrios brought with her?”

“Nothing that makes any sense to me, but some of the files are encrypted.”

He’d searched my things. I wasn’t certain whether or not I felt violated or just exhausted from fighting this game. I was frozen, listening to horrible deeds I’d supposedly done, my name dragged through the mud. All I could think about for a few seconds was what my father would think, my friends. And I wondered if Matt was laughing with his buddies over a Heineken, sharing with them what an ice queen I was.

As I walked closer, I could tell they were watching a news broadcast. CNN to be exact. Seeing a massive big-screentelevision wasn’t surprising. It was the news in blazing color coming from some United States national program that was.

No, seeing my face plastered next to Joshua’s was horrifying. But not nearly as much as the text surrounding it.

Fugitive aided by prosecuting attorney. A national manhunt has been organized.

“We need to get to the bottom of this,” Joshua hissed.

“I’m not sure how we’re going to do that.”

“Oh. My. God.” My voice wasn’t audible over the volume of the broadcast, yet it seemed Joshua sensed my presence, immediately turning around to face me. For a few seconds, we stared into each other’s eyes, both of us obviously uncertain how to react. While I’d expected a backlash, I hadn’t been prepared for it occurring less than twenty-four hours after we’d fled Louisville.

I folded my arms, taking cautious steps into the room. Mikey shifted his gaze, shaking his head slowly, almost apologetically.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, settling my gaze on the television. The entire story was being played out, but not like it had happened. I walked closer, trying to keep from becoming hysterical. Hell, no. That’s what they wanted. They. Whoever they were. I felt like I was living in some conspiracy vacuum. I continued watching, daring myself to move even closer. As I listened to what was being said, the words scrolling across the bottom of the screen, I started to laugh.

Joshua lifted his eyebrows, a slight expression of amusement crossing his face from my reaction.

“They think you killed your own soldier and my friend Victoria. Let me guess. They’ve also pinned the murders of Ronald Voltair’s men on you as well. And they think I helped you.” I was merely recapping the words offered by what was a completely unsympathetic reporter, the girl obviously provided with what she believed to be the story of a lifetime. “Next, it’ll be a Lifetime movie. I wonder who will play us? Any guesses?”

“Whoever they are, I’m certain they’ll be glamorous,” Joshua teased.

I sensed Mikey had grown uncomfortable with my sudden change in demeanor. Maybe he should get used to it. I folded my arms again, glaring from one man to the other. “You took my jump drives without permission.”

Joshua seemed more amused than ever. “That is the point of trying to work together.”

“Perhaps, but it would have been nice if you’d asked me first.” I threw him a look, trying to curtail my anger. He didn’t deserve it at this point.

“Duly noted. As far as your question. It would seem the railroading continues. I’m sorry you were implicated, Selena,” Joshua said. He glanced into my eyes once again, obviously fighting with himself to keep his rage from increasing. But his eyes remained full of curiosity as to what I was thinking. I could feel it in my bones.

I took a deep breath, and it was apparent both men had been waiting for me to break down, crying my eyes out as I’d done one too many times. I’d been forced to remind myself during my second nightmare of the night that I’d resolved to cease being a victim, and that was the truth. If Christine was behind thisattempt at derailing two people, then I would discover every secret the bitch had hidden away.

And I would expose her for what she truly was.

A conniving bitch.

But I’d need to turn into a duplication of her, using her tactics in order to catch her at her own game. Yeah, I could do that.

“Hand them over, Joshua,” I demanded, holding out my hand. “I think we both knew it was going to happen. I require a computer and some space to work as well as uninterrupted time. I need to find out every detail of what is going on.” I refused to allow the ugliness that had become my life to disrupt what I knew was the right thing to do.

Now I was just doing it for both of us.