Throwing the girl’s body over my shoulder, I can’t help but smirk at Ivan. Motherfucker thought he could get away with being silent with us. Thought he could be silent and get away from the shit pool he swam in.

Man looks like a little bitch now.

Standing in front of Ivan for a brief moment, I growl out, “Lucifer, if you need me for anything, let me know. I can take this piece of trash out too.”

Lucifer laughs behind me. “No need for that just yet, Andrew, but I’ll be sure to keep your offer in mind.”

Slapping the girl’s rump, I grin at Ivan. “See ya around, Ivan.”

His face turns nearly purple as he yells at my back, “Don’t you dare touch her!”

There’s a loud crunch of fist meeting flesh.

Lucifer’s dark laughter fills the darkness. “Don’t worry about her, Ivan. We have too many things to talk about right now.”

Ivan better come to terms with what Lucifer is saying, his life depends on it.

And it seems that this little girl’s does too.

Fucking shit, that sucks because she didn’t seem too happy about learning that she’s a mistress. It was obvious from the look on her face that she didn’t know Ivan was married.

I walk out towards the waiting limousine we used to get here and open the passenger door. “Peter, take me to my car. I need to take care of our guest.”

Pushing her still unconscious form across the seat, I get in beside her.

“Need me to call Harrold?”

“Nah, not yet at least. Seems Ivan is a bit sweet on this girl. Didn’t want to play ball till she was threatened.”

The car is moving onto a main road when Peter asks, “He talks because of a piece of ass?”

“Yeah, she’s got a good juicy one too. But yeah, didn’t say shit till Lucifer had a gun to her head.”

Shaking my head, I think about her eyes, and how much terror and hatred for Ivan was in them.

The girl’s body slowly stiffens up and I watch her breathing quicken. She must be coming to after she fainted.

Her breasts rise up and down in deep breaths now. And fuck if they don’t look good. I can imagine my hands cupped around them, squeezing them.

The necklace I watched Ivan fasten around her neck is a bit tacky looking though. Looks like he’s trying to compensate for something.

Fucker’s probably got a small dick.

I can’t remember a time when I had to do any of the things I saw him do with her tonight. I’ve never had to shower some chick with expensive shit just to keep her. My dick does a fine job of that on its own. I’ve also never had to grab a girl like he did in the restaurant and force her to get drunk to sleep with me. Shit, I’ve never even had to take advantage of a drunk woman.

Nah, they throw themselves at me, sober.

Watching her chest rise and fall, I feel just a hint of pressure down between my legs, my cock beginning to stir. It’s been way too long since I’ve been between a woman’s thighs.

Been at least a year.

Fuck, maybe longer than that. I’ve just been too busy ever since that shit went down with the Yakuza.

Since then Lucifer has done big things for our organization. He’s increased the size of all of our holdings, as well as removed all of the Yakuza from Garden City. He’s been rooting out anyone who had a hand in trying to kill his wife.

It’s been tough to do too because what we originally thought was a two-sided war between us and the Japs has become a bit more tangled and complicated.

The Russians, while not directly involved, have been implicated in the mess. Not their soldiers themselves, but the cash they’ve been investing against us. There’s nothing we can use as concrete proof against them… yet. Just rumors and whispers.

But if Ivan talks, it just might change all of that.

Ivan isn’t one of the higher-ups with the Russians, but he’s a top financier. He’s not the type to get his hands dirty, though he has been behind quite a few solid dealings in Garden City. If there’s been a big deal happening, you can usually find his name hidden in the details. He’s the type of guy who likes to walk tall with the gangsters but keeps his name clean from the law. You won’t find the Russian mafia tattoos on him, no, that would be too much for him.

That would actually take balls.

We first heard Ivan’s name when we were interrogating the Yakuza after they kidnapped Lily. Again, there was nothing concrete. The leads we received didn’t really amount to anything… until I took care of Bart.

Bart gave up some names to me before he died—Ivan being the top one of them. We’ve been watching the fucker for a while now, and waiting…

The roads are empty tonight, and as we pull up to the compound, I look back over to the pretending sleeping beauty. She’s awake, trying to figure out what to do or what’s going to happen next. I can tell just by the way she breathes, and the way her hands twitch even though she is trying to remain perfectly still.

Putting my lips right next to her ear, my nose fills with the scent of her hair. It smells faintly of flowers and perspiration. She has been through some shit tonight.

“Do you remember what I told you before we got out of the car?” I ask in a low murmur only she can hear.

Her body locks up even further, but I see the smallest of nods from her head.

“Good, because I don’t want you to be stupid. Be a good girl. Be smart,” I say as I pull her tight to my body as we make a sharp turn.

Wrapping my arm around her, I hold her shoulders to my chest.

Her hands lace together as she tries to keep the shaking in her fingers from showing.

“Peter, park us right next to the car.”

“Got it.”

* * *

The wind is blowing pretty hard by the time I push her into the passenger seat of my BMW.

Leaning into the car, I brush her dark brown hair out of her face and look into her pale blue eyes. She’s been crying, it’s obvious from the mascara tracks running down her cheeks.

But she looks absolutely beautiful even when terrified.

Taking a corner of the silver duct tape that covers her mouth, I slowly peel it off. I can tell it’s painful by the way she squints her eyes but she doesn’t cry out from it or scream. There’s a red patch of angry skin when the tape finally comes off.

Gesturing to her hands, I say, “The zip-ties stay on until we come to an understanding.”

Grabbing the seatbelt, I bring it across her body and snap it into place. Pulling it tight, I say, “Don’t move.”

Shutting the door, I turn to Peter. “Have Harrold do something with the limo. No need to keep it around any longer.”

“Got it. Anything else, Andrew?” he asks as he starts to pull his phone from his pocket.

“Not yet. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Heading around my car, I feel my pocket vibrating before I even get to my door. Pulling it out, I see that it’s Simon calling.

“Simon, how’s it going?” I ask as I pull my door open and slide myself into the car.

“Lucifer told me about the complication,” he says, not even bothering to answer my question.

Starting up the car, I put it into drive before I answer. “Yeah, intel got screwed up. We ended up with his mistress.”

“Well, I have information about that little problem of yours.”

“What do you mean problem of mine?” I ask as I look over at her.

Her eyes widen as she stares at me.

“She has a daughter.”

“Fuck. Is it his?”

“No, I doubt it. She’s five years old, named Abigail.”

Looking over at the girl beside me, I force myself to call her a woman now. She doesn’t look like she’s had a kid, but then again what the fuck do I know about having kids?

“She’s going to be your problem now, Andrew. The dirty face and sticky hands kind of problem.”

I can hear him cringing through the phone.

Simon isn’t one for kids, dirt, messes, loud laughter or anything fun really. He’s also afraid of strip clubs. But being Lucifer’s right-hand man means he’s my boss.

That doesn’t keep me from growling into the phone a few choice words at him.

“Abusing me is not going to change the matter, Andrew. Do you think Lucifer didn’t see how you looked at the girl? He just called to make sure you were put in charge of the child. He thinks it will be good for your moral fiber.”

“I fucking hate you, Simon,” I grouse at him.

“She’ll be delivered to your home in a couple hours. Johnathan will be picking her up from the babysitter.”

“Simon, seriously, how the fuck did you find all this information out?”

“They call me the Spider for a reason, Andrew,” he says as he disconnects the phone.

Fucking bastard. He’s called the Spider alright because his web of information is vast as fuck. It’s scary the shit he can find out.

Putting my phone down on the console, I growl out in frustration. Where the fuck am I going to keep a kid at my house? I don’t have toys and shit for a five-year-old.

Shaking my head at the problem, I give up on being able to change what is to come. There is no way I will be stepping back from a job Lucifer has handed me.

But fuck, a kid?

Looking over to the woman as we stop at a red light, I can see she wants to speak so badly but is doing her best to follow my rules.

Reaching over, I pat her thigh with my hand. Letting it rest there, I say quietly, “We need to have a talk, Amy.”

Her eyes widen even further as she looks from my hand to my face. Stammering, she says, “Okay…”

“You’re going to be staying with me for a while. Seems like your ex-boyfriend needs to work through some things with my boss.”

“But… I… I can’t. I have things… I have a…” Shaking her head, she tries to collect herself. “He’s not my boyfriend, and I’m not his fucking mistress!”

“Not anymore you aren’t,” I snicker as pull us onto the highway.

“I mean I never was! We were dating for a couple of weeks, but… I… he just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

I look at her again and I can see she’s telling the truth, which sucks for her. Her value is dropping by the sentence right now.

“Well, right now that doesn’t matter. Least not to me. You be a good girl like I said, and we will get along just fine.”

She pulls away from my hand as she says, “I’m not a whore… You can’t just make me sleep with you.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Nah, you’ll want to do that on your own accord. I don’t force women like that.”

Snorting in derision, she says, “I so don’t think that will be happening. Look, I have to go home. You can see I’m not a threat. I don’t know what Ivan was about. There’s nothing I can say that will hurt you guys.”

“That’s not going to be an issue. Look, Amy, things are going to happen now, whether you like it or not. You got involved with Ivan.”

“How… How did you know my name?” she asks, and when I glance over she looks so pale it’s like she’s turned into a ghost.

“Same way I know Abigail’s name.”

We don’t speak for a long while. Long enough for me to pull off the highway and head towards my small subdivision.

My house is in the newer section of Garden City, where all the well-to-dos do their daily commute from. It’s not a bad house, pretty big for a single bachelor actually. I don’t need three extra bedrooms, but for appearance’s sake, I keep a home away from work.

Sometimes it feels good to come here and be normal.

We’re pulling up to my driveway and turning in when Amy speaks again. “How… please don’t hurt her. I’m begging you, she’s a little girl. She doesn’t even know of Ivan… Please.”

When I pull to a stop inside of the garage, I look her square in the eyes. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll be here in an hour or so, and she’s as safe as can be. From us and from Ivan. So are you.”

Getting out of the car, I go to her door and open it. After helping her out by the arm, I stand in front of her for a long time.

She’s small compared to me, tiny really. Somewhere inside of myself I feel this odd desire to wrap her tight in my arms. I want to whisper words of comfort, but that shit won’t work. She needs to know the truth of what’s going on.

If she wasn’t so damn ethereal and beautiful, I would just throw her in the closet and forget about her for a couple of weeks.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my folding knife. I snap it open in front of her and she lets out a small gasp.

Taking her hands, I slice through the zip tie.

Taking the cut zip tie with me, I turn away from her before I throw her over my shoulders and carry her off like some fucking caveman.

Fuck, I can’t even explain it but I want to fucking own this woman. I want to carry her up to my bed and mark her and fuck her until she forgets she ever heard the name Ivan.

And I just might do that if I don’t get a fucking grip on myself.

“You have a new reality, Amy. You can walk out of this house at any time, taking your daughter with you,” I say as I open the door connecting the garage to the house.

Walking into the kitchen, I toss the zip tie in the garbage can, then head to the fridge for something cold and preferably alcoholic.

“What… What do you mean?”

Not looking at her, because then I’d want her lips, I say, “Exactly as I said. You can walk out that door right now. I won’t hold you here.”

It’s obvious she’s not all looks though when she asks, “What’s the catch?”

“You will have the life expectancy of five hours. The Russians will be looking for you soon. They don’t like it when one of their rich boys go missing. They will find you, then they will ask you questions you don’t have answers to. When you can’t tell them what they want to know, they’ll get rid of you. If you’re lucky, they’ll put you down like an old horse. But more than likely they’ll sell you off to a slave ring.”

She lets out a very quiet sigh as she asks, “Or?”

Turning to her, I hold out a bottle of beer. “You and Abigail stay here with me. Under my protection.”

She shakes her head at the beer. I shrug and put it back in the fridge. Closing the fridge, I pop the top of my bottle and set it on the counter to take off my suit jacket.

“What, like your sex slave?”

Growling, I say, “I don’t use women like that. I’ve said that already, and I hate repeating myself.”

“What happens when your boss, Lucifer, doesn’t want us around anymore?”

“You’ll be mine, so that won’t happen.”

Growling right back at me, she says, “I’m not anyone’s!”

“We’ll see,” I say as I leave the kitchen. Then I shout over my shoulder, “I wouldn’t bother running to your aunt’s. That’s the first place anyone would check.”