“Not exactly.”
I glance out the window where rows of orange trees pass like flipping through cards in a deck. “Well, we have one and a half hours until we reach our destination,” I say, mimicking his low voice. “Plenty of time for you to tell me how it is.”
“She was my ward. My daughter, according to the state. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t her biological father. I swore that I would protect her at any cost.”
That makes me lean forward. “This got interesting.”
“I noticed her before she turned eighteen.” A hard laugh. “To my shame. And then she turned eighteen and noticed me back. I fought the pull but it was inevitable.”
“And Elijah has met this girl?”
He nods. “He’s been working for my company while he looked for Holly. He’s a great agent when he’s not distracted by a woman. A real asset to the company.”
“That’s not my relationship with Holl. We’re not an asset-to-company kind of family.”
His lips curve in a half smile. “I won’t make any claims about us being a healthy family that people should emulate. Most of the time, we’re just getting by. You hit the nail on the head about having a history of violence. But Elijah won’t ever hurt Holly. You have my word.”
“How can you promise something like that?”
“It’s a pact we have. All three of us agreed to it. If any of us turn into our father, the other ones will put him down. Like a rabid dog.”
A chill runs over my skin, and I curl my legs onto the seat. Possibly this talking thing wasn’t such a good idea. Like a rabid dog. No, their family is nothing like ours.
It makes me wonder how Holly relates to Elijah. They come from different worlds.
Then again, if it’s only sex, they don’t need to relate.
Maybe Elijah isn’t the only one who needs to get it out of his system. Maybe Holly does, too. The fact is, she’d looked very relieved to see him. This might have started as a kidnapping mission, but Holly had also wanted to be kidnapped.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Holly
I have vague memories of falling asleep. My head bumped against the interior of the SUV as we bounced along mountain roads until someone pulled me against his chest. Those same arms lifted me in the night air, and I glimpsed a thousand tiny stars in a black sky. I smelled lemons as he laid me down on something soft. And then I drifted away.
When I wake up, it feels like an eternity has passed.
Sunlight casts a serene glow on the white sheets. I stretch and feel more rested than I have in months. In more than a year, actually. I haven’t gotten a sleep like this since I was in my loft in Manhattan. Before I flew to Paris. Before I was kidnapped by Adam.
I’m wearing a thin white shift that I don’t recognize. Nor do I remember changing last night. That means Elijah must have changed me while I was naked. A blush heats my cheeks. The only reason he would do that is so I would be more comfortable. It would be easy to push him away if he were an asshole all the time. These small moments of kindness make it harder.
Pink and white marble is cool on the soles of my feet. I cross the large chamber to a set of balcony doors and open them. An expanse of sea bleeds into the sky. The view steals my breath. It’s so beautiful and wide. Endless.
Only when I look directly down do I see the cliff and its colorful assortment of houses. We must be high on the Amalfi coast. What are we doing here?
London still won’t tell me how she disabled the security system when we escaped. Which means she had help. Probably dangerous help. I’m not sure we’ll get that kind of help again. This place doesn’t need locks. It has an entire mountain to keep me contained.
A teak dresser has an assortment of clothes. A woman’s clothes. I would suspect someone lived in this room, but all these clothes appear new. Some still have the tags. They’re all fine quality, with the creases that come from sitting on a store shelf.
They’re all perfectly matched to my size, and they’re all… pretty.
I select a white tank top with eyelet lace trim and coral-colored shorts.
Next door I find a similar room with my sister sound asleep in the large bed. She’s wearing a similar nightgown to mine, and I have the dark thought that Elijah may have changed her, too.
I tuck the blankets higher on her body against the sea’s breeze.
Then I search through the large hallways and rooms until I hear male voices.
“You’ll take a team,” one man’s saying, this voice less familiar.
“I do this alone,” says someone I immediately recognize as Elijah. The timbre of his voice searches my body for deep-seated memories. Oh yes, I remember him saying, I’m going to punish you. My ass still aches from where he spanked me.
The argument abruptly ceases, and I know I’ve been detected.
I’m still standing three feet from the room, far out of sight of the doorway. My feet were silent on the hard marble floor, but those ex-military instincts have been honed well.
I enter the room and face the man who did unspeakable things to me last night. And his brother. There’s a third man in the room I don’t recognize, but the green eyes give him away. He’s the third brother, Joshua North.
Lord. What am I supposed to do facing this much muscle?
“Hi,” I say with an awkward little wave. Great job, Holly.
Liam gives me a curt nod.
Joshua North says, “Ma’am,” in a low voice.
Elijah tosses down the tablet he’d been holding and crosses the room to me. “What are you doing out of bed?” he says in a soft voice tinged with worry.
“I’m here to help. We’re setting up a meeting with Ian Taggart, right?”
“You think you’re coming with me.”
I glance over his shoulder. Liam is the tallest brother. He’s also the leanest. He studies something on his phone as if he can’t hear us, even though we’re a few yards away. Josh is the most overtly handsome of the three brothers, with a devil-may-care attitude I can feel from his stance. He’s also pretending he can’t hear us.
And then there’s Elijah. He has the largest bulk of muscle.
Even in a plain black T-shirt, the lines of his chest and arms are clear. The fabric falls loosely around his abs, but I know from experience the hard ridges that can be found underneath. His body tapers at his hips, but even his thighs have muscles that strain against his worn jeans.
When I met him a year ago in a French prison, he’d been deprived of light, food, and water. He had been strong, even then, but it did not compare to his size now.
He’s a warrior, standing between me and my family’s safety.
I lift my chin. “I know I’m coming with you.”
A light touch on my elbow guides me out of the room. Then we’re standing in the hallway, his green eyes locked on mine, his shadow covering me like a warm, safe blanket. It’s alluring, the promise of his strength. All that power used to protect my sister.
If I were a wise woman, I’d figure out a way to seduce him so he bent to my will. I only know how to beat my head against the wall of his will, breaking myself more than him.
His lips hover inches away from mine, and I’m startled by the realization that for all we did together last night, we did not kiss. “Fine,” he murmurs.