“Not such a handsome boy now, are you?”

I opened my eyes through the swelling and glared at the scarred, beast of a man leant in front of me. The pain from the rope around my wrists hurt more than my face at this point. That had gone numb halfway through beating two, thankfully.

Spitting the blood from my mouth, I smiled. “Still prettier than you.”

He sneered. “Not for long.” He stood and turned to the thin, rat featured guy sat at the table behind him. “Mike, how long d’you think it’ll take to crack him? A day? Two?”

“Dunno,” Mike sighed and looked at me. “He put up a decent fight when we got him. I’d say he’s got the stones to last longer. With you working him over, I’ll put my money on four.”

“Alright. I’ll bet you a ton I can crack him in less than three.”

“Done. A hundred pounds says you won’t.”

The big guy walked over to Mike and they shook on it. He picked up his cigarettes and sparked one up. A cloud of smoke billowed out as he leant against the table full of knives and pliers.

“What’d he do, anyway?”

Mike laughed. “He kidnapped and boned the boss’ daughter.”

His jaw dropped in mock surprise. “No shit. Gotta have some bollocks to do that. Not sure on that fucking bet now.”

“Too late. Deal’s done.”

“Fuck.” He took another drag and smiled. “Which one was it?”

“The good looking one.”

“Damn. That’s some fine arse though. Wouldn’t mind getting me a piece of that.”

Mike chortled. “You’ve more chance of platting fog, mate.”

The big guy laughed back. “Didn’t say she had to want it. If she weren’t the boss’ lass, I’d have had that long before now. I will do soon.”

My jaw clenched hearing him talk about Olivia. I’d kill him. I’d never killed anyone before, but I’d be happy to cross that line for him. Not sure how or when, but I swore I’d feed him his fucking balls before I was through.

He turned to me. “Oi. Pretty boy. Was it worth it?” He stood and sauntered over. “Was she good?”

I kept my expression straight, but all I wanted to do was tear his throat out.

The smile on his face widened. “I bet she was good. She looks like a bit of a goer.” He took a drag on his cigarette then leant over and blew the smoke in my face. “Did she squeal? I’ll make her squeal.”

“You will regret saying that.”

He laughed. “A threat? Really? She must’ve been good.”

He took a long pull on his cigarette, pinched the butt between his finger and thumb then pressed the end into my neck. The burn seared into my skin, and I winced at the pain.

He laughed. “Let’s see if the threats last long. I’m guessing you’ll be begging before sundown.”

The door lock rattled and opened. The big guy glanced over his shoulder, but blocked my view. “Well, well. Look who it is.” He turned back to me. “Might be my lucky day after all.” He gave me a wicked grin. “How would you like to watch?”

“You two. Get the fuck out.”

My stomach sank as Olivia’s voice echoed around the basement. I didn’t want her anywhere near those fuckers.

He stood and faced her. “Not this time, sweet cheeks.”

“Get the fuck out. Now.” Her voice was low and controlled, emphasising each word as she spoke.

“We both know what happened the last time I left you alone with a guy down here.”

He stood aside and Olivia’s face dropped when she saw me.

“Are you gonna kill this one, too?”

She closed her eyes, took a breath and turned to square up to the big guy. “How about I kill you instead?”

“I’d like to see you try.”

He walked up and leant over her. The smirk on his face widening as he looked her over.

“See, I’m thinking Daddy isn’t as protective of you as we thought.”

He reached out to touch her face, and she knocked his hand away. He chuckled, looked at me then back at her.

“If this fucker is still breathing after tasting your arse, maybe I can get away with it, too.”

Her eyes widened as he stepped forward and pushed her back against the table. The ropes cut against my wrists as I struggled to pull free. There’s no way I’d let him touch her, but I couldn’t loosen them, they were tied tight. “Olivia, leave!”

Mike stood. “Hey, come on, man. You know that’s not a good idea.”

Olivia took a breath and narrowed her eyes at the big guy. “You should listen to your friend, Gary.” She stepped towards him and I saw the glint from the knife she held behind her. “Fucking with me is not a good idea.”

He grabbed her throat, and she pressed the knife between his legs. He looked down and released his grip, holding his hands up in surrender.

She smiled. “If you touch me again, I will cut the fucker off. Do you understand?”

He nodded. She pressed it harder, and he flinched.

“Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, get the fuck out.”

He backed off. Then turned and headed towards the door. Mike followed him, looking back at us and saying something I couldn’t make out to Gary. Olivia watched them as they knocked on the door and left. Only then did she breathe and turn to me. Concern creased her beautiful eyes.

I smiled. “You’re a bit of a badass, aren’t you?”

“Only when I need to be.” She gave out a hushed laugh of relief. Then leant over and kissed me.

I wished I could’ve felt the tenderness of her lips. My face was too numb to feel anything, but having her close was almost as satisfying.

She stroked my jaw as she pulled away and studied my injuries.

“Have they made a mess?”

She shook her head. “It could’ve been a lot worse, trust me.”

“I do.”

She smiled and looked away. “We haven’t got much time. My father will be here soon.” She made her way behind me and cut the ropes on my wrists.

“How did you get away from him?”

She huffed. “That’s not important, all that matters is that I did.”

The tension on the rope loosened as she cut through. I brought my hands forward and circled my wrists in relief. Never had I wanted to hold someone so much. I stood and pulled her into my arms, taking in the scent of honey on her hair as if I’d never smell it again. She squeezed her arms around my back and buried her face into my chest. Then took a deep breath and stepped back. I didn’t want to let her go.

Worry twisted her lips as she glanced up. “We need to be quick.”

“Are you getting me out of here?”

“No, I can’t. There’s too many thugs upstairs. I can’t defend them all off with a knife.”

“What are you going to do?”

She moved the knife to her other hand and pulled my phone from her back pocket. “There’s only one person I know of who could get you out.”

I didn’t like where this was going. “Who?”

“Call Marcus. Tell him you’re at Gian’s warehouse and say he’s on his way.”

“You want me throw your father under the bus? I know he’s a bastard, but still.”

“It won’t come to that. Just do it.”

“But, what if…”

“Aaron, do it now.”

Her face was as serious as I’d ever seen it. I wasn’t sure it was the best idea, but I couldn’t argue with her. If she wasn’t able to get me out, Marcus could. I took the phone from her and unlocked it, selected his contact through the app and put it on speaker as it rang. “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded.

His voice echoed through the speakers. “What’s up? How did it go with Lawrence?”

“Not well. He brought Gian.”

He shouted down the phone. “What? That son of a bitch.”

“Marcus listen. I’m in Gian’s warehouse. You need to get here and fast. Gian is on his way.”

“What’s going on, Aaron?”

“He came for Olivia and took me, too. Just get your guys together and get here.”

“Which warehouse? Do you know?”

I looked at Olivia and gestured to the phone.

“It’s the one in Hammersmith, the building contractor’s yard,” she answered.

“Is that who I think it is?”

I sighed. “Yes.”

“This smells fucking fishy to me. Why the fuck would she be with you if you’ve been taken by Gian?”

“I wouldn’t be speaking to you now if it wasn’t for her.”

“Marcus. I can’t get him out. You’re his only chance, and if you don’t get here quickly, my father will make sure he doesn’t get another. Whatever your vendetta is, I don’t much care at this point. Aaron needs you.”

The line went quiet on the other end. He sighed before he spoke. “Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up, and the call ended. I locked the screen and passed it back to her.

She laughed. “It’s your phone.”

I slipped into my pocket. “Your father knows you have it?”

“He should. He gave it to me.”

It took a few seconds for me to click why. “Oh, the tracker?”

She nodded.

Fuck. “At the time, it wouldn’t have been wise to tell you. After that…”

“I know. You don’t have to explain it.”

Despite what she said, I could tell she was pissed about it. She didn’t look at me. I pulled her into my chest and stroked her hair as I held her close. “I should’ve told you.”

She sighed. “It’s okay. We’ve bigger things to worry about at the minute.”

“True. What happens now?”

“We wait for my father. He won’t be that far behind me.”

“Then?”

“Then, try to stop him from killing the pair of us.”

I laughed. Nothing about the situation was funny, but I couldn’t help being amused by her blasé tone.

She glanced up with a smile forming on her face. “It’s not funny.”

“I know.”

She laughed with me. “We’re in serious shit.”

“I know.”

“Why are you laughing?”

I shrugged. “If you can’t laugh in the face of your own death, what can you do?”

She laughed again and buried her face into my chest. “Why can’t we go back to this morning?”

“Because we’d have to do today all over again, and no one needs that.”

She looked up with a soft smile, but her eyes tinged with sadness. “I won’t be able to go with you. I’ll have to stay with my father.”

“But if we hold him off until Marcus arrives, we’ve got a chance.”

She shook her head. “I’ll tell my father that Marcus is coming. I can’t be sure, but my best guess is that he’ll want to get out of here before he arrives. He’d prefer to face Marcus on his own terms. When and where he knows all the variables. You stand a better chance if I leave with him.”

“What about your chances? What will he do to you?”

“He will be majorly pissed with me, that’s for sure. Probably more than he ever has been, but I can handle my father.”

“I don’t want to leave you with him.”

“You have to. Please, don’t try anything. I need to get you out of here.”

“He’ll hurt you.”

“More than likely. Not as much as he’ll hurt you if we don’t get you out.”

I held her tighter. “I’ve caused you nothing but trouble.”

She laughed. “Isn’t that what all men do?”

“It shouldn’t be. You deserve better.”

Stroking her hair, I studied the delicate features of her face and the warm smile she gave me. The knot in my chest tightened and dropped as I thought about what I’d put her through. The shit I’d brought on her. She didn’t deserve any of it. It hurt to think how I’d treated her as badly as her father. I couldn’t do that to her again.

The metal lock of the door echoed around the basement and pulled me from my thoughts. There really was no rest for the wicked.