“The whole idea was to get you and Mr. Sullivan Matthews here today,” Talon said. “But we’ll have to make do with just you. I’m sure you can help us lure Mr. Matthews into our trap.”
I clapped my hand over my mouth. He wanted me to be bait to Sully so he could hook the man I loved?
“I won’t help you.”
“We’ll see about that. Let’s go.”
Nolan grabbed my arm, pulled it behind my back, and shoved me forward. If I didn’t want to dislocate my shoulder or break my arm—which I didn’t—I had no choice but to go with them. They forwent the elevator and pointed me toward the stairs instead. Talon walked ahead of us. Nolan had released his tight hold on me as we climbed down, but he stayed so close I knew not to do anything foolish.
“I have to give it to you, Kit. You sure had me fooled,” Nolan said. “I thought you were just a dumb hooker who could take a good pounding.” He squeezed my ass, and I swatted away his hand. He laughed. “Even better. I thought I enjoyed fucking you when you willingly spread your legs for me, but I might like this spunky side of you even better. I hope you put up a hell of a fight, Kit, because the more you do, the more you’re going to get it.”
“That’s what this is about?” I asked. “You know Sully’s going to have your head for this, don’t you? He paid for me fair and square. I belong to him, and he’ll kill you for touching me.”
“The way he killed Ghost,” the man—Talon—said. “Served him fucking right. He was supposed to take you straight to us instead of delaying for his own pleasure.”
Sully had been right to suspect what had happened at the club hadn’t been a coincidence at all.
“Speaking of pleasure, you’ve ruined my business,” Nolan said. “You’ve taken five of my best workers, and you’re going to do their work on your back until you’ve paid me what losing them cost me.”
My stomach clenched at the vehemence in his words. We were almost on the second floor now. I had to escape, but how?
I held my breath and faked tripping over my own feet. Nolan grabbed my arm. As I stood steady again, he loosened his grip. I turned and kicked his leg. He tried to grasp my arm, his eyes wide, but I dodged him and shoved him as hard as I could down the stairs.
“What’s going—” Talon grunted as Nolan crashed into him, and the two tumbled down the stairs.
Run! Run!
I turned back the way we’d come and darted up the stairs. “Help!” I yelled as loudly as I could. “Somebody help me, please!”
On the third floor, I banged the door open, slipped through, and slammed it behind me. If only there was a way to keep it locked. My minor diversion wouldn’t keep them occupied forever.
I glanced around me. What to do? There. A fire alarm. I ran over to it and pulled the lever.
“Fire!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “There’s a fire.”
Doors flew open, and people spilled out onto the floor, confused but reacting to a drill we had all had to learn at some point. A few people asked where the fire was, but they headed for the two exits on the floor. I ran for the elevator instead.
“Hey, you can’t use the elevator!” someone yelled.
I ignored them, darted inside, and hit the button for the first floor. With the people hurrying out, I must be able to exit the building without Nolan and Talon noticing. Word must have caught the first floor, as people were already going out the front door.
“Oh, my god! Oh, my god!” someone screamed.
“He’s dead! He’s not moving!”
Heart pounding in my chest, I slipped through the door and ran.