Taking the Fall: The Full Complete Series

Picking up the pay phone, I make the dreaded call. It only rings once before my father’s voice booms through the line.

“Where are you?”

“I think you already know that,” I clip back. He had to have known by now I was at least in Vegas if this guy Samuel knew.

“I want exact coordinates.” He pauses for a moment as if getting his bearings. “Solniska, please.”

When he calls me ‘sweetheart,’ the guilt hits me. I don’t want him to worry, but I can’t be put back into the pretty prison he’s made for me. I can’t live like that, and I want something else. Samuel’s face comes to mind, and I push it away.

“Dad, did you send someone after me? This guy grabbed me.”

“He touched you? He was supposed to find you and bring you to me!” he barks, cutting into my words.

“Well, if I’m not so willing to go, how else was he going to get me to come with him? I can’t believe you sent someone after me. I was scared it was one of your enemies or something.”

“It could have been. You’re lucky they found you first and it wasn’t someone else.”

“They? The guy who grabbed me was by himself.” I glance over my shoulder and down the street both ways to make sure no one is watching me. I’m turning into my father.

“What did he look like? Did he tell you his name?” I can hear the fear in my father’s voice, making mine rise, too.

“Samuel.”

I hear his sigh of relief, letting me know that this Samuel was here because of him. I don’t know why that hurts, but I guess it’s better than him being an enemy of my father’s. Still though, he’ll hand me over to him.

“Yes, Samuel is safe. Tell me where you are and I’ll have him come get you and bring you to me. I’m still hours from Vegas.”

“I love you but—” My words cut off when Samuel grabs the receiver from me and hangs up. He grabs me by the arm.

“The rest of the sentence better have been, ‘but I’m with someone else now.’”

“Excuse me?” I yank at my arm but it’s useless, and truth be told, I don’t want to be let go of. Too bad he’s working for my father.

“I love you but…” he reminds me of the last thing I said to my dad before he cut the line.

“I was talking to my dad, for your information. You know, the guy who hired you!” I get in his face and yell the last part, which is hard with him being so freaking tall and me not having my heels on. I changed back into the sneakers I had in my bag, and they look ridiculous with this dress. When I was leaving the casino, it was all about what was the fastest.

He pulls me into his arms, taking my mouth in a hard kiss. I bite his lip, but he just moans and holds me tighter, rubbing his erection against me. My whole body goes up in flames, and I return the kiss, not able to stop myself. I had no idea kissing could be like this. Soon I’m pressing into him, kissing back with more force than he is. Whatever this is I want more.

“Fuck, kitten, not here.” He pulls back, and it's then I notice I’ve practically climbed him like a tree. I let my legs drop, irritated that he stopped the kiss I was enjoying.

“Then why did you kiss me?” I bite out, letting the irritation show.

“Because I was pissed when I thought I caught you talking to some boyfriend and telling him you fucking loved him. Then when you said it wasn’t, well…” He smiles faintly, not finishing his sentence. Then he licks his lips like he’s tasting me.

The remainder of the call is like a bucket of cold water. “Just let me go! I won’t go back to my father.”

“Who said I was taking you to your father?”

“He’s who hired you.”

He studies me for a second like he’s running things through his mind. Grabbing me by the wrist, he pulls me from the street, and I follow him to a less busy spot. He pulls me against him as he puts his back to the side of a building.

“You’re saying it was your father who hired me, but I just heard you tell your father you love him. This isn’t adding up to me. Are you scared of him or not?”

I laugh at the idea of being scared of my father. He might be scary to others, even in his late forties, but he’s not a bit scary to me. He’s just overbearing and controlling. Kind of like someone I’m getting to know right now.

“No, I’m not scared of him. I just don’t want to go back to his cage.”

“Cage?” Sam growls.

“Not a real cage.” I roll my eyes. “We live outside Seattle, but it’s in the middle of nowhere, and he never lets me go anywhere. He’s paranoid.”

“He just wants you back home?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well too fucking bad. I’m keeping you.”

“Keeping me?” I gape at him, but find myself settling into his warm body, liking the feel of him against me.

“You can’t just keep me. What kind of life would that be? I go from one cage to another?” Although a cage with Samuel doesn’t sound so bad. But it’s still a prison.

“I wouldn’t hold you hostage. Just keep you chained to me. I’d let you go anywhere you like as long as I got to go with you.”

“Forget it. He’ll just find me and take me back. You’ll only slow me down.”

“Marry me and he can’t take you from me.”

“Marry you? Are you crazy?”

“I’m starting to think maybe I am a little since you came into my life. If you marry me, I won’t give you back to him. You’ll be mine.”

Excitement rushes through my body. Why is this so tempting and exciting? Is it something about Vegas? Is it in the air? I’ve watched a ton of movies where people run off to Vegas and get married and get their happily ever after. I want that. It’s why I left home to begin with. I never got to see how two people fall in love in real life outside of movies or television. Maybe this is what it’s like.

“I’ll marry you, but promise me you won?

??t let him take me back.”

“Promise.”

Chapter 5

Samuel

“Are you going to cuff me to the bed again?”

“Not unless you want me to.” I smile at Nika, and she smiles back at me. I can see she’s nervous, and I want to put her at ease. We walk into the hotel room, and I turn on a lamp beside the king-size bed. I wait as she walks over to it.

She blushes a little as she comes close. “I can’t believe we got married. That was so fast. But I guess it’s Vegas, and you can get married just about anywhere here.”

Taking a few steps, I meet her halfway, taking her cheeks in my big hands. She’s so little compared to me, and it makes me feel protective of her. “You nervous, kitten?”

“Yeah,” she says, looking up and smiling. “How’d you know?”

“Because I think you’re going to start talking about the weather next.” Her hands come up and rub across my chest shyly. My heartbeat picks up at her touch, but I relax, wanting her to explore me and gain some confidence. “You ever done this before?”

She looks at me through her lashes and shakes her head.

“Me either.”

Her eyes grow big at my words, a shocked expression on her face. “Never?”

“Why are you so surprised? You haven’t.” I feel shy admitting it, but she’s my wife so no secrets.

“Yes, but I grew up sheltered and not really around anyone my own age.” She takes a step closer to me, and it feels like my confession is strengthening our bond.

“Yeah, well, I grew up in a home where my parents’ love was what I wanted. And I wasn’t settling until I found something like that. No reason to play around with someone if they weren’t the one. I wanted my first time to be with my soul mate. My dad once told me if he knew my mom was out there, he never would have touched another woman before her. He told me he wished he could have given her that.”

Her mouth falls open slightly, and she licks her soft pink lips. “Do you think that’s what I am?” The words are breathy as she presses her body against mine.