Lind’s phone buzzed and rang in his pocket. Cursing, he fumbled for it with one hand as he steadied the car with the other. He didn’t even look at the display before he answered.
“Yeah.”
“Hello, Viper.”
Lind froze. His fist curled so tightly around the steering wheel that his knuckles turned white.
“You son of a bitch,” he growled.
“Yeah, I know. You’re angry.”
“I will find you, and I will kill you.”
“I wouldn’t be so violent if I were you,” Jacob all but purred in his ear. “I’ve got leverage, you know? The sweetest kind.”
Lind’s stomach turned. “Where is she?”
“Right here.”
There was a pause, and then Eve’s voice came to the phone.
“Lind?” She sounded tentative and scared, but at the very least she was alive.
“Eve!” Lind cried, ignoring Alec’s questioning look. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No. I’m fine,” she repeated. “Truly.”
Lind heaved a sigh of relief. “You hang in there, sweetheart, all right? I’ll find you.”
“He’s not alone in this,” Eve said hurriedly. “He—”
There was a smack and a sharp cry, and then Jacob’s voice was back on the phone. “As I was saying, I’ve got leverage.”
“If you hurt her, Jacob, I swear to God—”
“What?” Jacob said. “What are you and God gonna do to me, Viper? Now, you listen to me. You convince Alec of your good faith…by the way, I’m surprised he hasn’t killed you already.”
“You bastard—”
“Shut up,” Jacob snapped. “Listen closely. You convince Alec that you’re on his side and you bring him to me. You get me Alec, and I get you your girl.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Why wouldn’t I do this?” Jacob paused. “Tonight. Eleven o’clock sharp. I’ll text you the address. If you’re even two minutes late, I’ll kill her.”
He didn’t give Lind the chance to reply before he hung up.
“SON OF A BITCH!” Lind roared, snapping his cell phone shut and back in his pocket.
“Well?” Alec asked from the passenger seat.
Lind shot him a sideways glance. His phone beeped. “The good news is we know where they are,” he said.
“And the bad news?”
“The bad news is I have to give you over to him.”
“Or he’ll kill her?” Alec guessed.
Lind nodded darkly. “Yep.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “How original.” He stretched languidly in his seat, as if he were having the most relaxing day of his life. “Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to give me over.”
Lind sighed. They would have a plan, of course. They always did. But this time was different. This time, on the opposite team, was somebody who knew exactly what kinds of plans they came up with. Jacob knew them. He knew how they moved; he knew how they thought. Lind simply wasn’t sure they could swing it this time.
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Alec said, guessing his thoughts. “We’ll save her.”
“We better,” Lind muttered darkly.
Alec’s eyebrows rose in surprise, so high that they almost disappeared into his hairline. “You really care about this girl, don’t you?”
Lind was in no mood to lie; there were already too many games being played. “Yes,” he admitted freely. “I do.”
“How the fuck did that happen?”
Lind shot his friend a sideways glance. Alec had a look on his face halfway between shocked and amused.
Lind shrugged. “I don’t really know,” he said quietly.
And he didn’t, really. He was always so careful. He always made it a point not to get attached. Attachments were dangerous. Attachments meant that somebody could be used as leverage against you…which was exactly what was happening now.
Lind tightened his hold around the wheel, feeling the rage mount within his chest. He didn’t know how it had happened that he would grow so attached to Eve. He didn’t know how she had managed to get under his skin. He didn’t know what made her more than a one-night stand. All he knew was that the thought of her getting hurt made his blood boil. All he knew was that he wanted to protect her from everything and everyone. All he knew was that, probably, he loved her.
All he knew was that, if he was ever to touch her, Jacob was a dead man.