“Boss,” Frankie calls out to me as I make my way down the hall.

“What?” My anger rages as I try my best to calm down.

Seeing Rhiannon again was not how I imagined. I pictured her agreeable, sweet, submitting to my every command. But, she had some fight in her.

She had always been in this life, but remained untouched by it all.

And when we were young, we both agreed to leave it all behind. Not together in some young lover’s way. But, we both hated the life and the strings attached to it.

Yet, here I am. A boss to a family.

And I planned on being different. I planned on making my way to the top and changing the whole organization. Although once I got in it, once I made my first kill, there was a shift in me. A darkness that descended. So, I had every intention to change things, but, things don’t always go as planned.

“Justin is here. Did you want to see him now?”

“It’s late. You know how much I hate being disturbed.” I make my way to my office and sit behind my desk.

I hadn’t planned on it taking so long with Rhiannon, but when the call came in that my men had her...I dropped everything I was doing.

Six years. Six long years of wondering about her.

“He needs to talk to you.”

My eyes lift from the stack of papers on my desk and meet Frankie’s cold, dead eyes. “Fine, send him in.”

Minutes later, Justin walks into my office.

His squirrely eyes bounce around the room.

I don't have time for this shit.

He takes a seat and bobs his legs with nervous energy. “Boss, I’ve been noticing some crazy activity over at the DeLaurio estate.”

I run a hand down my face. “What kind of activity?”

Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone to tell me anything.

He squirms in his seat. “Seems they know Rhiannon is missing. Mr. DeLaurio says he’s offering a lot of money for her safe return.”

“Safe return? Ah, ok.” I let this information roll off my shoulders. So what? So he knows his daughter is missing. Good, cause I’ve got her. And I’m not letting her go that easily.

Let him offer all the money in the world.

I dismiss Justin and go to check on my little prisoner.

I make my way down the hallway while the rest of the house settles in for the evening. It’s late. But I never sleep.

The house is massive and sits on forty acres of secluded land, guarded land, that I keep a close eye on.

It wasn’t always like this.

I grew up with nothing, and now I have everything I could ever want.

I come to the door where Rhiannon stays and don’t bother knocking. Why would I? I own this manor.

And I’m the king here. The boss.

I grab the key and turn the lock, stepping into the room.

The lights are dim and I move to the bed where she sleeps.

Unsure what I’m going to do with her, I pull back the covers.

Motherfucker.

Two large pillows under the down comforter are all that occupy the bed.

My eyes search the room, and she’s nowhere.

“She’s gone,” I say to Frankie after pulling my phone out of my double-breasted suit.

“Don’t worry, boss. We’ll find her.”

“You better.” I hang up and slam my fist against the wall.

This little bitch.

I glance around the room once more, looking for any small clue she could have left behind. There’s nothing.

The window is shut. The door was locked. “I’ll find you,” I mutter to myself.

I leave the room in a flash and head to my security center to look over the footage.

“Anything?” I ask the men assembled.

“Nothing. It’s like she’s vanished,” Gio, the head of security says, swiveling around in his office chair.

Thirty monitors and not one of them has her on it.

“Play back the last half hour. Find her.”

Thirty monitors of the halls and common areas. Not one fucking camera in her room. Which, originally I wanted, but a sliver of me that still has a sense of decency decided to give her some privacy. I never expected this.

I never planned on kidnapping her.

Never have I kept someone as a prisoner before. The people I take captive, don't come out alive.

This is what I get for wanting her to be comfortable. I should have just locked her in the fucking basement.

I leave the security room and head down the hall. Unsure of where to even look, I head back to my office, swinging by her room along the way.

There’s a frenzy outside, the lights are on, the dogs are out. She has nowhere to go.

No way to run.

I spot something out of the corner of my eye leaving her bedroom door. The flash of black-and-blue hair rushes past and I follow her.

There she is.

She has no idea I’m behind her.

The halls are dark.

The night is even darker with a moon overrun by clouds.

She tiptoes, turning each corner carefully. I stalk her like the prey she is. Oh, Rhiannon.

I laugh ever so quietly that she thinks she can outmaster me.

I’ll admit, it was smart of her to hide in her room knowing I’d leave the door open. Then when the frenzy starts, slip out.

We’ve been focusing on the outside as she makes her way through the house.

Clever girl.

She gets to the door that leads to the side of the house and waits, finding a small alcove to hide herself.

“Hello, Rhiannon. Going somewhere?” I stand over her, my power exuding off me.

She cowers at my words and then throws her hair over her shoulder. “Actually, yeah, I am. I’m leaving. Don’t try to stop me, Xavier.”

I laugh. “Rhiannon, sweet little Rhi. I’m not only going to stop you, but now I’m going to punish you as well.”

Her eyes widen. “I’ll put up a fight.”

“Oh, I hope so. I really hope so.”

I swoop in and lift her by her legs, draping her over my shoulder and carry her back to my room caveman style.

I’m pissed she would want to run from me.

To run from the beast she thinks I am.

And who knows, maybe I really am a beast. There’s only one way to find out.