Held Firm: A Dark Mafia Romance, page 2
Nick was a great believer in momentum, and he sensed it was behind him.
Climbing inside and quickly removing his coat, he closed the window behind him and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. Knowing how slippery wet leather could be, he also wiped off the bottom of his shoes. Dropping the flashlight into his pocket and rolling up his jacket, he tucked it under his arm, cautiously opened the door, and stepped into a wide hallway.
Moving quickly forward and passing the snoring detective, Nick found a kitchen, dining room, and a home theater, but no sign of Bianca. Hurrying up the stairs and cautiously opening the first door, he poked his head in—and caught his breath. Bianca was lying on a bed wearing a T-shirt and gray sweatpants, her wrists were handcuffed to a brass headboard, a scarf covered her eyes, and another had been stuffed into her mouth.
“Bianca, it’s me, Nick,” he said softly, hurrying to her side and swiftly removing the blindfold and gag.
“I can’t believe it,” she whimpered, staring up at him. “Am I dreaming?”
“You’re not dreaming,” he replied, retrieving a small wallet from his back pocket and selecting a thin steel tool to unlock the cuffs. “What happened?”
“Matt realized I’d slipped sleeping pills into his coffee and he did this before they took effect. He’d been giving them to me every night, but I only pretended to take them. Did you see him? Where is he?”
“Passed out on the couch downstairs.”
“Nick, thank you,” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck as he freed her. “I can’t believe you came. I just can’t believe it.”
“When you didn’t show up I knew something was wrong. But Bianca,” he said solemnly as he pulled back, “I read about your disappearance on the internet. I know who you are—who your father is.”
“Shit, you haven’t tried to reach him, have you?” she asked urgently.
“I thought I’d leave that to you, but—”
“Thank God,” she muttered, cutting him off.
“He must be worried sick. Why don’t you want to get in touch?”
“I’ll explain later,” she replied, sliding off the bed. “What now?”
“My car is packed and ready to go, I just need to stop at my house for a quick second,” he said as she disappeared into what he assumed was a closet. “I left a note in case you showed up. I sure as hell can’t leave that behind.”
“But they’ll know it was you,” she called back.
“Be that as it may, I don’t want to hand them proof on a silver platter. Are you ready?”
“Yes, all set,” she answered, stepping back into the room.
She had changed into jeans, cowboy boots, a forest green cashmere sweater, and her glossy dark hair was falling around her shoulders, Nick tried not to stare. She looked sexy as hell.
“Wait, I have an overnight bag,” she added, ducking back in and reappearing a second later. “We need to get out of here. I don’t know when the other guy will show up.”
“Didn’t you say you and Matt were here alone until tomorrow?”
“I did, but after Matt tied me up he called someone and ordered him to get here right away.”
“Now you’re telling me?” Nick exclaimed, striding up to her. “Move, dammit,” he said tersely, landing a spontaneous smack on her backside and grabbing the small suitcase.
“Ow, I am moving!” she retorted, running ahead of him to the door.
“Why did you take the time to change when you know someone could show up at any minute?” he demanded, following her to the top of the stairs.
She didn’t respond, but trotted down ahead of him, then stopped at a hall closet to grab a long parka.
“Do you mind if I take a second for this? The weather isn’t great,” she said sarcastically, glaring at him as she hurriedly slid her arms in the sleeves.
“This is no time to cop an attitude.”
“Sorry,” she muttered, dropping her eyes. “I guess I’m a bit freaked out.”
“You can freak out after we’re on the road. Where’s your phone?”
“Uh, Matt took it,” she replied, zipping up the front of the coat. “Should I fetch it? He won’t wake up. He’ll be asleep for hours.”
“Yes, and do you know his number by chance?”
“I do. I heard him give it to someone just yesterday. I have a great memory for stuff like that.”
“Great, leave your bag and fetch your phone. Make it quick,” he ordered, turning her around and giving her a slight push toward the living room.
“Okay, I’m going, but what about his? It will be in his pocket.”
“I don’t need it. Just go!”
As she hurried away, he flapped open his slicker, put it back on, and was picking up her small suitcase when she returned.
“Got it,” she exclaimed breathlessly, holding up her large screen iPhone. “Follow me. I know the quickest way out of here.”
Turning and walking swiftly down the hall and through the kitchen, she stopped and unbolted a door, but he stepped in front of her before she could open it.
“I’ll go first,” he ordered. “Stay behind me.”
Stepping outside, he discovered a high, solid wall sat surprisingly close. With the house on one side and the wall on the other, they had considerable shelter. Moving swiftly to the street, he paused his step, checked for any new vehicles, then hit the car’s remote to unlock the doors. The SUV was close, but the storm was raging.
“Bianca, are you ready? It’s pretty bad.”
“Yeah, go for it.”
“I’ll hold the door for you.”
“Okay.”
Pushing his way through the heavy gusts and pouring rain, he reached his Porsche, dropped her bag, then struggled to keep the door open as she climbed in. But lifting the tailgate wasn’t a problem. Tossing in her case, he dashed to the driver’s side. Though the ferocious winds made it difficult getting in, he finally slid behind the wheel and closed the door. Quickly turning the SUV around, he headed back to his house and rolled into the garage.
“I’ll only be a minute,” he promised, switching off the engine and pressing the remote to close the garage door behind them. “Is there anything you need? Anything you might have forgotten?”
“No, I’m okay.”
As she looked at him with wide eyes, he knew her bravado had been a facade, and it was slipping away.
“Hang tight,” he said, softening his voice. “I’ll be right back.”
As Bianca watched her hero disappear into his house, a chill rippled through her body, but the shiver wasn’t from the cold. It was fear pricking her skin. Her escape from the evil Matteus Anderson had been a miracle, but he and his partner wouldn’t just throw up their hands and walk away. They’d hunt her down using any means necessary. Fighting a sudden need to cry, and oddly claustrophobic in her heavy, wet coat, she hastily climbed from the car, pulled it off, and threw it on the back seat.
“Are you okay?”
She spun around, startled by Nick’s voice. He was stepping into the garage wearing a different jacket and carrying a large plastic bag.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I guess I’m a bit jumpy.”
“Understandable,” he remarked, placing the bag on the floor in front of her seat. “I thought you might like a hot drink. There are two travel mugs of coffee in there, and some muffins and other snacks.”
“Thank you, I’m starving,” she managed, then lowered her gaze and tried to swallow back the unexpected heat burning the back of her throat.
“Bianca?”
His strong fingers wrapped around her forearms, but she was sure, if she dared to speak, she’d be unable to hold back the heavy swell of emotion about to engulf her.
“Hey, you’re safe,” he said softly, abruptly pulling her against his chest and holding her tightly.
“S-sorry,” she blubbered, losing the battle. “I’m n-not like this.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I don’t know everything that’s happened, but I’m sure it’s been terrifying. The good news is you’re with me now, and I know how to deal with shit like this.”
“You d-do?” she sputtered.
“I do, and right now we need to hit the road.”
As he loosened his hold, she let out a heavy breath and stepped back.
“I don’t usually f-fall apart,” she stammered, her tears still falling as she wiped her hand over her wet face.
“You can fall apart any time you want, but if you drink some coffee and have something to eat, it will help.”
“Th-thank you, I m-mean, really. You’re amazing.”
“I was just in the right place at the right time, and I think fate may have had a hand in all this. Jump in and let’s get out of here.”
“Yes, let’s g-get out of here,” she repeated, beginning to feel a semblance of control, but climbing into her seat and watching her hero walk around the SUV, she didn’t know what to make of him. He was a complete stranger, yet he’d set out through treacherous weather in the middle of the night to find her.
“Drink that coffee and eat something,” he repeated, climbing behind the wheel.
He’d sounded like he was delivering an order, and she flashed back to the sharp slap he’d delivered in the bedroom. Intrigued by his take charge attitude, and wondering what he did for a living, she lifted the grocery bag onto her lap.
“Just so you know,” he declared, backing out to the street, “I work in security. I know what I’m doing.”
“Really?” she said, wanting to add, and are you a mind reader as well? but held her tongue and pulled out one of the mugs. Seeing tiny containers of cream and packets of sugar, she added both, took a long drink, then leaned back her head and let out a sigh. “You make great coffee.”
“Thanks, but it’s pod coffee. I can take no credit.”
She turned her head and stared at him. “What you said about fate—maybe you’re right, but I still have to ask, why did you come to my rescue? You may know my identity, but you don’t know me, and Matteus looks like a brute. Why would you take such a huge risk?”
“I’m going to answer that question with a question,” he replied. “Why did you ask me to help you?”
“Uh… I was desperate.”
“Exactly,” he said solemnly, “and I knew that the moment you came out of the water. The clothes you were wearing told me you’d bolted away the second you had a chance, and you ran into rough seas even though you’re not a strong swimmer. Matteus flashed a badge, but I knew he was lying when he said you were under witness protection. When I searched your name on my laptop and found out you were Lorenzo Albertini’s daughter, there was no way I could leave you at the mercy of him or whoever he’s working for. But even if I hadn’t found out about your family, I still would have done what I did, though that piece of information escalated my sense of urgency.”
“Why didn’t you just call the local police?”
“You know the answer to that,” he replied, shooting her a look.
“Yeah, I do,” she mumbled with a sigh. “Matt may have already paid them a visit.”
“Exactly, but we’re about to reach the main road. Take the sim card out of your phone and toss it when I tell you.”
“But it has—”
“Do you want them to find you?” he interrupted sharply.
“Oh, right.”
As he turned on the coast road, she opened the phone’s case and lifted out the tiny card.
“Now,” he ordered.
Lowering her window barely an inch, she let it drop. A second later, he did a U-turn and headed in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” she asked, alarmed by the sudden change in direction.
“To a place I know you’ll be safe. You eat, and I’ll drive. I need to stay focused in this crazy ass weather.”
“You’re not taking me back to Vegas?”
“Hopefully that’s what they’ll think when they find your card. At the very least, they’ll believe we’re headed in the opposite direction. Once we arrive at the house where we’ll be staying, I have to know exactly what’s going on, and I mean every last detail.”
CHAPTER 3
As Bianca ravenously devoured two muffins and drank the hot, rich coffee, she stole glances at the mysterious man behind the wheel. When he’d pulled her into his muscled arms, she’d felt his strength. Any man in such peak physical condition had to be an athlete, or perhaps a former athlete who stayed in shape. He’d said he worked in security, and though she could easily see him being a bodyguard, he had money. The Porsche Macan didn’t come cheap, and the beach house, even though it hadn’t been renovated, was still worth a mint.
They’d been traveling about ten minutes. When he’d been driving on the street behind the houses, he’d traveled slowly, but then sped up on the coast road. It was infamous for mudslides during the seasonal storms, and though he handled the powerful SUV like a pro, she was nervous. They could suddenly find themselves hitting debris that could spin the car out of control, but she was afraid to speak up. God forbid she distracted him at the wrong moment.
“You can relax now,” he said, slowing down.
“That’s the second time you’ve read my mind,” she blurted out. “Are you psychic?”
“No,” he replied with a chuckle as he turned off the road and started up a hill, “but if you were gripping that mug any tighter you’d break the damn thing.”
“You can’t blame me. That was scary. Why were you driving so fast?”
“It was a calculated risk. I didn’t want to be forced to turn around because of a mudslide.”
“What if we’d turned one of those sharp bends and slammed into one?”
“That was the risk,” he replied, shooting her a wink as they continued up the steep slope, “and it paid off. I suspect there’ll be a slide at some point before morning, and happily, we’ll be on this side of it.”
“Don’t you mean stranded?”
“I take it you’re not familiar with this area.”
“Not the canyons.”
“This road goes over the hill and down to the San Fernando Valley, and there are plenty of tributaries,” he continued as the slope began to plateau. “If one gets hit by a downed tree, there are other thoroughfares out of these hills.”
“Is that where we’re going, to the valley?”
“No, my sister has a house up here. She and her husband are gone for the month and I come up every few days to water the plants and check on things. You don’t have to worry, no one will track you here,” he said, turning into a driveway and stopping at wrought-iron gates.
Lifting the center console and retrieving a remote control, he pressed the button. As the gates swung open and he drove forward, an impressive single-story Spanish hacienda came into view.
“We’ll have to make a dash for the front door,” he declared, gesturing to the rain pounding the windshield as he parked next to the verandah. “Their cars are in the garage.”
“Nick, this place is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, it’s nice, and it has a great view, but Bianca, before we go inside…”
He paused, and as he stared at her, butterflies unexpectedly burst to life in the pit of her stomach.
“You’re going to have to live by certain rules while you’re here,” he continued, lowering his voice. “They matter.”
“Okay, fine.”
“No, it’s not okay, fine,” he said sternly. “I’m serious.”
“I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”
“From this moment forward, you’ll do what I say, when I say. I know you don’t have a phone, but that includes any form of communication.”
“You mean like smoke signals?” she snapped.
“I’m serious!”
“Or what, you’ll hit me again?” she demanded, recalling the sharp slap he’d delivered in the bedroom.
“I don’t hit women,” he retorted. “Spank them, yes, and that’s different, very different.”
“Why do you, uh, do that?”
As he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, a thrilling, unfamiliar sensation rippled through her body.
“It’s in my nature,” he murmured, “and it’s not always about discipline.”
Heat suddenly flamed across her face.
Goosebumps popped across her skin.
Sparks fired through her nerves.
“Bianca, you will play by my rules or this won’t work.”
She wanted to say something, anything, but her voice refused to cooperate.
“You’re out of danger for the moment, but there’s no telling what will happen as this situation develops,” he said solemnly. “You need to be in the habit of following my lead. There may be a moment when our lives depend on it, but if you have a problem with the way I do things, I can always take you to a hotel and drop you off. As the old saying goes, it’s my way or the highway. In this case, it’s my way or a hotel. Which is it going to be, Bianca?”
The lack of a sharp retort, the lowering of her eyes, and the telltale blush crawling across Bianca’s cheeks told Nick all he needed to know. There were sparks between them, their attraction was picking up steam, and she’d been titillated by his remarks. But the question remained. Would she be brave enough to dip her toe in his dark, wicked waters? She appeared to be in deep thought, and he hoped she was fantasizing about the decadent promise hanging in the air, but they needed to get into the warmth and comfort of the house.
“I’m not going to sit in this car all night waiting for an answer,” he declared. “Is it really such a difficult decision?”
