Captured by the Criminal (Taken)

Charlie stands guard, waiting for my next command. But right now, I don’t have any to give.

Anger courses through my veins.

Monster?

She wants to see a real monster? I’ll show her one.

With quick strides, I head to the front of the yacht, letting my men know I don’t want to be disturbed. I slam the wooden door to my private office and lock it. A bottle of Macallan 25 sits on my oak desk and I seize it, not even bothering to snag a glass before popping off the top and taking the longest drink of my life. I nearly empty the whole thing before I flip on the television, checking the news in Miami, making sure no one has mentioned Bianca’s disappearance.

Nothing.

And I know it will stay that way because her father will keep it quiet. Don doesn’t want a hassle. An inquiry from detectives. He’ll want to handle this with his own men without Bianca’s face plastered on every news channel from here to Timbuktu.

That’s exactly what I’m counting on.

I toss the remote on the white leather couch across from my desk and sink into my leather chair, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean through the bay window, breathing out all my frustrations. This little plan of mine better work. It will work. It has to.

As the ocean swells, so does my cock when I think about Bianca in her cabin. How badly I wanted to kiss the frustration right off her pretty face. The way her bottom lip jutted out when she stared straight through me. She’s always had this way of looking at me. Like she owns me. I can’t have her owning me now.

It’s going to be a long trip. Once I sail to the Strait of Gibraltar, I can charter a flight home. Because being on this ship with Bianca one second longer than necessary may be harder than I thought.

I figured she’d sit quietly in her room.

But I’m seeing that’ll not be the case.

“We’ll be at the Strait of Gibraltar in about thirteen days,” Knox says, standing by my side, looking at the nautical maps.

It’s been five days since we kidnapped Bianca and put her on my ship. Five long days of her ignoring me, and me ignoring her right back. Five long days of watching her lounge in a red bikini top that does nothing to cover her fantastic breasts. I’m an idiot for buying it and the shorts that barely cover her delicious ass.

When she’s not acting like she’s on a cruise, she’s bossing my men around. The tempting wench is doing it to get under my skin. I can tell by the gleam in her eye.

If she thinks she can get my blood pressure to rise with her little humphs and oomphs every time I ask her a question, she has another thing coming. Eventually, she’ll have to open up to me.

And until then, I’ll keep ignoring her too.

“Has she eaten today?”

Knox strokes his bushy beard. “She’s refusing food.”

I roll my eyes. “Of course she is.”

I leave him and head toward her room near the back of the boat. She’ll have some answering to do.

I barge through her door, ending up in the center of her cabin. “What’s this about you refusing food?”

Bianca sits on the corner of the bed, her arms crossed across her chest. “I won’t eat until I know for certain my father is ok.”

“Ok?” I step closer so I’m towering over her. “Why wouldn’t he be ok?”

She raises her shoulders in a slow, sarcastic shrug. “Hm. Let’s see… he just lost his only daughter. Is he dealing with it well? I’d like to know how he’s handling the corporation.”

“You want to know how he’s handling things?” I lean down so we’re close. “He’s handling things just like any father who loves his daughter would handle things.”

“Are they looking for me?”

“I’m confident they are.”

“Do you think he’ll find me?”

I shake my head. “No, Bianca. He’ll never find you.”

She focuses on the small circular window at the edge of the bed. “I’m not hungry.”

“You will eat. I can’t have you getting sick on this ship.”

“Or what?” She raises her nose up, her eyes not meeting mine. “You’ll have me walk the plank?” she asks, a hint of amusement in her tone.

She thinks she’s being funny, but I’m not playing any games here. “Or else I’ll throw you overboard. Hell, it’s already bad luck bringing a woman on board.”

Obviously, I don’t have a plank that shoots out on this ship. Like I said, I’m not your typical long-ago pirate, but I am ruthless like one, and I will make sure Bianca behaves before my crew demands to heave her overboard.

They’d never disobey me, but I don’t need to give them any reasons to revolt.

“Now get dressed.” I march out of the room, telling Charlie to bring her to my quarters for dinner. “She’ll be dining with me.”