Ransom (Benson Security 4)

“It’d be good if we were all together again.” Noah used a suspiciously light tone that told Beast he was trying not to pressure him.

“I don’t know if I can follow orders, and Callum McKay sure likes to bark them at his team.” They looked over at one of the four owners of Benson Security. He was standing at the edge of the dance floor, feet apart, arms folded, glaring as his wife danced with a British actor. Every time Isobel caught his eye, she burst out laughing. But the actor was beginning to sweat under Callum’s threatening stare.

“I don’t think he realises he isn’t in the army anymore.” Noah took a sip of beer before casting Beast a sideways glance. “You’re going to think about it, though, right?”

“Told Joe I would. Although if that”—he pointed at Belinda’s bodyguards—“is the standard at Benson Security, I think I’ll take a pass.” The two men were too busy flirting with the wedding guests to pay any attention to their charge.

“They’re a different crew,” Noah said. “Julia’s trying to get her family to fire their teams and take on people from Benson Security.”

“They need firing.” Beast scanned the crowd and spotted Belinda staggering towards the exit, shoes in hand. “They haven’t even noticed their charge is leaving.”

Noah’s eyes swung to the movie star. “You head her off and I’ll go kick their asses. She can’t head out of here alone.”

Their five-star cabanas were dotted all over the large acreage of the resort. And although it was an isolated location, there was always a chance someone would want to get a little too close to a film star.

“No, she can’t.” Beast scowled at the thought. “Meet you in the lobby. Kick them hard.”

He took off at a jog, pushing his way through the partying crowd. One of the newer Benson Security team members was covering the door to the ballroom—overseeing the hotel’s security staff, and the private protection brought in by the celebrity guests.

“Belinda?” Beast called to the woman. She barely topped five feet and yet still managed to look deadly.

She glared at him, as though his one-word question was a criticism of her ability. “She’s meeting the third member of her team, the driver, at the main entrance. I have a hotel security officer escorting her there.” She was of Chinese heritage, with a thick Scottish accent did nothing to soften her angry demeanour. “Because the arseholes who should be watching her are nowhere to be found.”

“They’re busy hitting on women on the other side of the ballroom.”

She muttered some curse words that Beast didn’t catch.

“I’ll cover her until they get here,” Beast said. “Noah’s rounding them up.”

“Roger that. I’ll inform the team.” She pressed the bud in her ear and mumbled into her throat mike.

Beast didn’t wait; he jogged through the resort corridors, hoping he picked the fastest route to head Belinda off before she left the building. She was a celebrity, recognised the world over, and she should have known better than to go anywhere without her complete team—even if she was surrounded by family and friends. Just because you were familiar with people, didn’t mean you should trust them. Beast knew exactly how evil the people closest to you could be.

He ran down the stairs, skipping several at a time, and rushed into the lobby, just as Belinda went through the main doors and out into the night. The third member of her team, the driver, greeted her with a smile that was as fake as a two-dollar bill. Alarm bells blasted in Beast’s head. Every instinct he had told him something was wrong. He just didn’t know what it was—yet. His eyes scanned as he ran, looking for the threat. Adrenalin honed his skill and instinct until he noticed every detail surrounding the actress. But still he couldn’t spot the threat.

Belinda said something to her driver as she laughed and patted his chest. Clearly, she knew him and trusted him.

Beast didn’t.

The hotel security guard who’d escorted Belinda nodded to the driver—transferring his charge over to her team. The driver smiled as he opened the rear passenger door. With his other hand, he produced a handkerchief and wiped his brow. He was far too nervous for a man inside a secure compound. A man with a team at his back.

And then the threat became clear.

If Beast hadn’t been studying the scene so intently, he would have missed it. As Belinda climbed into the car, she slumped forward. The driver positioned himself behind her, blocking the passenger door from the main entrance. But he didn’t block all of it. Beast saw hands reach for Belinda. Hands that shouldn’t have been inside the car. In a matter of seconds, someone dragged the actress into the darkness of the vehicle.

They were kidnapping her.

A wave of adrenalin surged through Beast. With a roar, he barrelled through the doors and lunged at the driver. The man spun, his hand coming up to fend off the attack. Someone called from inside the car. Beast grabbed the driver’s jacket and tossed him out of the way. Something sharp slammed into his chest. He reeled back. There was a metal dart sticking out of him. A strong hand grasped his upper arm as his knees gave way.

His last thought, before the world went dark, was Son of a bitch drugged me.

Chapter 2

Belinda Collins woke to a terrifying realisation—she wasn’t in her hotel room. She knew this because her hotel would never have allowed the heat to gather in her room to the point where she felt like she was in a sauna with a sumo wrestler sitting on her chest. No, the exclusive resort on the edge of the Amazon rainforest was all about air conditioning, thousand-count sheets and beds that made you feel like you were sleeping on a cloud. And she definitely wasn’t lying on a cloud. It felt very much like she was lying on a carpet of Lego.

But worse than the heat and the lumps beneath her was the presence of a large body lyin

g beside her. The body was breathing, hopefully sleeping, and Belinda didn’t dare move or open her eyes until she remembered who that body belonged to. Which, considering the fog in her head and the throbbing pain in her temples, could take a very long time.