Stealing Beauty (Stolen 1)

Panic gave me a burst of strength, and I wrenched my head to the side. His grip on my mouth slipped, and I sank my teeth into his fingers. The metallic tang of his blood coated my tongue, and he roared out a curse.

His hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard enough to completely cut off my air supply. I scratched at his arm, desperate for breath.

“My wife is distressed,” Hugo snarled. “Tobias, give her something to calm her down.”

Black spots danced across my vision. I could hear Adrián shouting, but I couldn’t make out the words.

Something sharp pierced the crook of my arm, and warmth oozed into my veins. Hugo’s hand finally eased from my neck, and I sucked in a desperate gasp, the cool air ripping down my abused throat. I tried to push away from him, but my arms were strangely heavy. I sagged against him, and his hands closed around my shoulders, guiding my body down. My head rested on his lap, and his fingers threaded through my hair.

Alarm flickered at the edges of my brain as I registered his erection pressing against my cheek. Then, even my fear faded, and I fell into darkness.Chapter 19AdriánI watched with impotent fury as Valentina was pulled under by the drugs Tobias had injected into her arm. The fucker had betrayed me, and he’d killed the other men I’d sent with him to guard her. He was loyal to Caesar, and Caesar had decided to side with my father and Hugo. I never should have agreed to support Duarte over Ronaldo. My decision had pushed Caesar too far, and now, he’d allied himself with Vicente.

Hugo’s thick fingers fisted in her hair, holding her helpless body in a possessive grip. I’d start by cutting off those fingers for daring to touch her. He’d beg for death before I finally killed him.

“You have two hours to get to Caesar’s house,” Hugo warned me. “If you don’t surrender yourself by then, I will kill Valentina, and you’ll have a war on your hands.”

I didn’t care about a fucking war. I only cared about protecting her.

“You don’t fucking touch her until I get there,” I seethed, my decision already made.

He barked out a laugh. The call ended.

I roared out my rage and raised my arm to fling the phone against the wall. I needed to shatter something.

Mateo caught my wrist. “I wouldn’t, jefe. They might call back.”

I shoved the phone into his hands, knowing he was right. My friend had witnessed the entire horrifying exchange. Why had I assigned an underling like Tobias to guard her? I should have sent Mateo. He was the only one I could trust now. I had no idea how many men had turned to Caesar’s cause, and I wouldn’t jeopardize Valentina’s safety again.

“Go get Sofia,” I ordered Mateo, my voice so rough I could barely understand my own words.

“What?”

I rounded on him, fisting my hands in his shirt and slamming him back against the wall. “Sofia Hernández. Caesar’s daughter. Go get her and bring her to me.”

His tanned cheeks paled beneath his thick black beard. “I can’t do that,” he protested hoarsely.

“You can and you will.” I got right into his face, baring my teeth at him like a feral animal. “What are you afraid of?” I challenged. “That she’ll fight you? Or that you’ll like it too much if she does?”

His black eyes narrowed. “I won’t hurt her.”

“Whether you hurt her or not is up to you. I don’t fucking care what you have to do to get her here. Just bring her to me. Now,” I snapped, shoving him hard into the wall before stepping back.

He swallowed, his cheeks still pale, but he nodded. No matter his feelings toward Sofia Hernández, Mateo was completely loyal to me. He’d do whatever I asked of him.

Or maybe not. The way he glowered at me and clenched his fists at his sides warned me not to push him too far. He might retrieve the girl for me, but he wouldn’t allow me to harm her.

I’d leave that task to him, if it became necessary. For years, I’d seen the way my friend had watched Caesar’s daughter. I also knew he wasn’t so different from me. If I gave him permission to torment Sofia, he’d pretend he didn’t have a choice. But he’d savor every deviant second of her suffering at his hands.

“Hurry,” I urged him, some of the menace in my tone dropping to ragged desperation. “We don’t have much time.”

His features firmed with determination, and he nodded again. He wouldn’t allow Hugo to kill the woman I loved.

While Mateo went to abduct Sofia, I distracted myself from my mounting panic by imagining every meticulous detail of how I’d mutilate Hugo.“Tie her up,” I ordered when Mateo arranged Sofia’s limp body on one of my straight-backed wooden dining chairs. I passed him a coil of jute rope, and he quickly bound her hands behind her back with expert speed.