His smile chills me when he speaks. “You’ve got spunk for a rich girl. I appreciate that.”
“She wasn’t so spunky in the van,” Nogales adds with a laugh. “Crying like a baby with snot coming down her perky little nose.”
It not difficult to see that Nogales is—at bare minimum—a bad guy. The glee in his eyes when he inflicts pain or thinks of doing it, is as clear as day.
“Yeah, well, let’s see you get kidnapped by a bunch of big, ugly men and watch you come out of it with dry eyes.”
Yep, there it is again. That flash of pure, unadulterated joy.
“Easy to scare people when you have the upper hand, asshole.”
I want to believe that Coop will come for me, to rescue me from the clutches of this asshole, but I can’t think that way.
“What do you want with me, Mr. Santos?”
“Mr. Santos? I like that.” He flashes another handsome smile and looks around, allowing me to focus on the men standing around the warehouse like his own police detail. “You all should call me Mr. Santos. What do you think of that?”
“Mister Santos.” Nogales laughs as if it’s the funniest thing in the world. “Yeah, sure. And you, babe, you can call me Big Dick Nogales.”
I suppress a shudder at his words and keep my back to Nogales.
“Well?”
Hector looks me over, unmistakable heat in his eyes. “I want so many things from you, sweetheart. And if Coop doesn’t care about you as much as he seems to, I’ll get to do every single one of them. And so much more.”
His words are delivered with malice in stark contrast to the smile in his eyes. They hit me like fists as the implication sinks in. Coming on the heels of Coop’s warning last night that being with him could bring trouble to my doorstep.
Trouble is here, I think to myself with a smirk. These guys are definitely trouble and worse because Hector’s words tell me that these guys have been watching Coop, which means they’ve been watching me too.
Watching and waiting for the right moment to strike.
I suppress another shiver at the thought that these guys have been following me around town, striking when I’m without my car, so they know about Ruby and McKenna. Shit and double-shit.
I nod under Hector’s studious and lecherous gaze. “And if Coop doesn’t care for me the way you seem to think he does?”
Hector shrugs as if he doesn’t care either way. “I’ll care about you, Kelsey.” I flinch when he reaches up to slide his fingertip across my cheek. “At least for as long as it takes you to satisfy my lust.”
“That’ll never happen.” I say. Defiant, but terrified.
Hector walks around me, glaring. He sucks on his teeth. “You’re such a sweet little rich bitch. I wonder what Coop would say if he knew his girl was here. With me. Ready to take this cock, that cock and all of those cocks over there until she’s used up and no one wants her anymore.”
Oh, God. This guy doesn’t just have an inferiority complex, he’s a fucking sociopath. Between him and Nogales, I keep my expression blank, refusing to let either of them see just how terrified I am. Instead, I use my brain. I haven’t spent four years in college for nothing.
“So what do you think will happen, Mr. Santos? That Coop and his club will just give up what’s theirs, tons of money, I assume, all to save me?”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Nogales adds with a laugh, but I keep my back toward him.
Hector stares at me, trying to figure me out the same way I’m trying to figure him out. “If he loves you, he will.”
I nod as if I agree with him, but my heart sinks at the idea that my life, my last few hundred heartbeats, will come down to how Coop feels about me, weeks into a new relationship.
“You run an MC, Mr. Santos, you know as well as I do that the choice isn’t Coop’s alone.”
If his MC brothers don’t agree that I’m worth saving, that’s it. I won’t live to see another day.
“Maybe so, but a man in love with go to great lengths to save the woman in his life.”
I bark out a laugh at his words. “You, Mr. Santos, are a romantic at heart.”
He looks around, probably thinks his men might see him as something other than the ruthless piece of shit he is.
“No, I am a student of human behavior.”
“Are you? I am too,” I share in hopes that it will somehow humanize me to this animal. “I’m studying psychology and biology in college. My goal is to become a psychiatrist.”
“A head shrinker?” Nogales scoffs and then lets out a loud laugh that’s as phony as his bravado. “Why the fuck would you want to do that?”