A Captive Situation (Kings of New York)

“You know you’re totally fucking up here, right?”

It was the next day and our captive wouldn’t shut up. She’d been let free to use the bathroom. Jake stood by the bedroom door to give her privacy, but I stood within eyesight while she did her business. She’d proven to be a little escape artist, so we weren’t taking any chances.

Jake woke me up with his mouth between my legs. I hadn’t lasted long. He brought me to explode fast, and I wasn’t sure if that was something I should’ve been proud of or embarrassed about, but Jake’s dick soon followed. He’d been smug, but took us on a rough round that left me fully sated and my chest heaving to catch my breath.

That didn’t last long, either, before Jake rolled me to my stomach and slid inside from behind. He held me pinned down, pounding inside of me for what felt like forever.

Not that I was complaining.

I came four times by the time morning peaked and I could still feel him inside of me. So when our captive said that to me, I got a little look on my face because yes, that seemed to be our theme lately.

Fucking.

I loved it.

I was trying to give her some breakfast, but she caught my look. “Are you aware that you’re a loud lay?”

I startled back to the present, to the kitchen table, and almost dropped the fork in my hands.

“What?” My face flushed. “I am not.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Some guys like a screecher. Most guys find it annoying. If you want to keep him, I’d advise learning how to shut your mouth, though.”

“Shut up.” She was trying to get a rise out of me, and what was annoying was that it was working.

She seemed to know that too. Her smirk became mocking. “Then again, Creighton will just kill you both when he finds out what you did. So maybe enjoy it while you can. He does sound like a good one in bed. Rode you long, hard, and dirty, huh?” Her eyes were knowing. “That’s how it sounded.”

I hadn’t even considered her last night, that she could’ve heard us. That was embarrassing.

I shoved back from the table and began gathering everything up. “Breakfast is done.”

She began laughing. “You’re blushing. Where did he find you? Cause I know he wouldn’t give two shits if I heard you too. If you’d been more of a bitch, I would’ve found it disgusting. Since you’re kinda nice, it was a turn-on. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

God. So mortifying. I hissed, “If you don’t shut up, I’ll gag you.”

That made her laugh harder.

I frowned her way. “You’re not acting like someone who’s been kidnapped.”

“How am I supposed to act?” Her face grew tight. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

That got my attention. “You’ve been kidnapped before?”

Her eyes grew hard before cutting away. “Eight has a lot of enemies.”

“Eight?” I felt a little bad for her.

Her eyes got big, inhaling swiftly. “Creighton. He’s the biggest and baddest where I’m from, and every now and then some punk gets ambitious, starts thinking of ways to bring Creight to his knees. Lane doesn’t go to his knees for anyone.” She glanced my way, adding with an edge, “They all eventually learn.”

I did feel bad for her, considering what she must’ve gone through. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes flared. Heated. “Fuck off. How about that? You’re going to be dead soon anyways.”

I wasn’t sure on the protocol of being the kidnapper versus being the kidnapped. I’d only recently switched roles. “For what it’s worth, we were already running for our lives.” More like hiding for our lives, but semantics.

She tilted her head. “What?”

“There was a contract put out on Jake’s head. I happened to be with him when the first guy tried to kill him and somehow my name got added to it. I guess we’re really not doing anything to make our situation worse. You don’t have to keep threatening us. This is a last-ditch effort to try and save our necks.”

She was looking at me as if I’d grown two heads. “You really are not from this world.”

I shrugged. “I’m from Montana. I came here to get away because my ex-fiancé called off our wedding because he knocked up my best friend.”

“You’re joking.”

I shook my head. “They’d been having a relationship behind my back for years.”

“How long?”

I wrinkled my nose. “He told me three years, but I think he was lying. Isn’t there a rule about liars? The number they give you, multiply it by three? It doesn’t matter really. Not anymore.”

“Men suck.”

I peeked at her, wondering . . . I hadn’t told Jake this part, but my aunts had let it slip. “We were supposed to get married a little over a week ago, and he went through with it. With her.”

“No way.” Her eyebrows shot up. “He married her instead?”

I nodded.

“At your wedding?”

She didn’t even know the worst part of it. “He’s also my boss, so I’m out of a job.”

“Dick.”

“And I think he’s still in my house.”

She choked again. “Your house?”

I nodded again. “I’d been with him since college. Almost two decades. I think this is my midlife crisis, if I survive it.”

She went back to watching me warily. “For a midlife crisis, you went extreme. I mean, you went all out. Some people get a fancy new sports car. You committed a felony.” The side of her mouth lifted in a wry grin. “I kinda hope you survive now.”

I flinched at hearing that. She was right. There was a chance I might not. And if I was about to die, I needed to call my family. I needed to tell them how much I loved them, one last time.

I stood up. “I need to—”

The door opened and Jake walked through, his phone in his hand.

He put his phone on the table and pulled out his gun. “Time to call your boyfriend.”

Ice ran down my spine. I wasn’t ready for this, because what then? Seriously. What then? Did Jake have a plan? What were we doing here?

He was supposed to tell me these things now. We were in this together.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything—too late.

He pressed the call button at the same time he moved her gag back in place.

The call was picked up on the other end, but he didn’t say anything for a moment. “I don’t know this number, but I know you got this number from someone I care about. I’d advise you to tell me who you are before I send my team to identify you. One would be less bloody.”

Jake said, “Hello, Cousin. It seems you have lost something of yours.”

“Jake Worthing.” Lane’s voice didn’t warm. “I was hoping to receive a call letting me know you were dead. What do I owe this pleasure of hearing from you personally?”

This was the guy behind our contracts? This guy?

He sounded annoyed more than murderous, despite his words.

Jake was like cement, but I glanced in Blake’s direction. She froze when his voice first spoke through the phone. Now she was blinking rapidly as sweat began to pour down her face. She looked terrified.

My heart ached again.

She’d been hiding from him for a reason.

I missed my family. I wished they were here with me. Clara, Bess, and my mom would have had it figured out within a few minutes. Their plan might not have been logical, but I would’ve felt comforted knowing they were with me. They wouldn’t have helped kidnap someone only to turn around and offer that person to their stalker. Well . . . they would’ve helped kidnap someone. They’d do that in a heartbeat. It would be giving the person up where they would draw the line.

Jake said to trust him, but he also told me that if it came down to anyone or me, he would choose me. He’d give Blake up in a heartbeat if it meant I’d live.

I couldn’t let that happen. I just couldn’t.noveldrama

A plan started to form.

It was a bad plan. A totally illogical and reckless plan, but when I looked at Blake again, a single tear slid down her face. She was blinking again, trying to stop that tear from slipping out, but it was too late.

Her eyes met mine. I saw the anguish there.

I couldn’t do it.

I wouldn’t do it.

Seeing something in me, she straightened suddenly, pushing up in her seat.

Jake and Creighton were talking, but in that moment, Blake and I were having our own.

I mouthed to her, hoping she could read my words. “I will help you.”

Her eyes narrowed before relief blazed in them, quickly masked as she began blinking again. She schooled her face back to a mask.

How was I going to do this?

Phone. I needed my phone.

And my aunts. They would help.

I risked a look at Jake.

Oh, Jake.

I was going to betray him.

My throat tightened.

He’d be okay. He’d have to be okay.

Once everything was set, I’d figure out how to help Blake and help Jake and myself.

There needed to be a way. Some way.

Maybe a miracle? It was time to start praying.

I came back to the present when I heard Lane ask, “Is she there?”

Jake tugged down her gag. “Speak.”

“Blake?” Lane said through the phone.

She shifted on the seat, wincing. Her voice came out husky and soft. “Hey, Eight.”

He was quiet for a beat before asking, his voice low, “Are you okay, my little quokka?”

Blake huffed. “Oh, fuck you.” Some of the terror had fled when we’d had our understanding, but I was able to see through her now. A little bit. She was putting on a good front that this wasn’t bothering her, but I saw it now. She was quaking inside at whatever this man was to her.

More shame rose in me. I’d helped put her in this position.

“Have your hosts been treating you well?”

Her jaw clenched. “Fuck’s sake, Eight. I was kidnapped. They’re not my hosts. We’re not having Sunday brunch here.”

A low and smooth chuckle slid through the phone from his end. “I’ll see what I can do.”

If her hands hadn’t been tied to the chair, I had a feeling she would’ve been giving the phone a middle finger. She retorted, “Yeah. You do that.”

“Worthing.” His voice dipped, showing some of his anger.

There it was. It was a brief glimpse, but there was the monster everyone had been talking about. In just that word, I could hear how he was capable of ordering our deaths even though he had no clue who one of those people was.

Jake met my gaze, frowning, before he took the phone off speaker and took it into the other room. I heard before he closed the door, “Let’s talk.”

“Don’t let it fool you,” Blake said.

All the stress lines in her face, the bags under her eyes, the shadows and ghosts, all of it suddenly was on full display. She wasn’t hiding from me at all. Her shoulders sagged and her head fell down. She didn’t have the energy to keep her mask up.

She added, grimacing, “He’s being all smooth now because he doesn’t want your man to know how pissed he is, but trust me. When you see him, he’ll let you see the evil inside of him. He is furious. I know what you said, but let it go. I’ll survive. I always do. You need to focus on yourself. Run. Right now.” She nodded to the door. “Your man did this. I’ll cover for you, tell Creighton you tried to help me. He’ll take you off the contract, but it’s over for your man. Creighton won’t forget this. No matter what, your man is toast. Glad you got dicked down good last night because you need to save yourself.”

That impending doom just exploded inside of me.