The Bad Guy

She pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I’m just blown away right now.”

“Because your dream is coming true?” I had no shame. Playing with my food and watching it bleed before I devoured it was nothing new.

“Yes. And you helped.” She turned her wide eyes back to me. “Why?”

“Like I said, I took a particular interest in you.”

“Does Link know?”

I gritted my teeth. His fucking name shouldn’t be on her lips. Only mine.

“No. I’m afraid he doesn’t know much of anything. Wouldn’t you agree?” He was a fool to ever let her out of his sight.

She cocked her head to the side, as if she hadn’t heard me correctly. “I, um…”

Anton hit the freeway, heading away from the city and toward my estate on the southern edge of the Catskills.

She peered out the window and shook her head. “This isn’t the way to the airport.”

“No.” I loved this part. She could finally feel the web around her. Granted, I’d never kidnapped a woman before, but I’d sprung plenty of traps in my thirty-two years. None of them had been this high-stakes, and the thrill of it started a buzz in my veins.

“Where are we going?” She ran her fingertips down the glass and turned to me. “A different airport?”

“No.”

“Do we need to pick someone else up?” Her hopeful tone was still in place.

“No.”

She stared into my eyes, but she wouldn’t find any comfort there. Just me, a man dead set on possessing her.

“What’s going on?” She swallowed hard and glanced around. The fear that welled in her was sweeter than anything I’d ever tasted. It filled me, reminded me why I needed her. She made me feel, gave me life. I wanted to take every sensation from her, sample each one until I’d gorged myself on emotion.

Something she saw in my eyes had her shrinking back against the door. “Where are we going?”

“Does it matter?”

She winced, as if my voice cut her. “Yes. Please, what’s going on? Sebastian?” Her hand eased to her jacket pocket—the one where she kept her cell phone.

I grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the seat by her head. She gasped as I pulled her phone from her pocket and tucked it into mine.

She opened her mouth to scream.

“Shhh.” I wrapped my palm around her throat, giving just enough pressure so she knew I was serious. She dug her nails into the back of my hand, so I squeezed harder until she stopped. “All you need to know is that you belong to me.”

“What?” She tried to shake her head. “No.”

“You were always meant to be mine.”

“Please, let me go.” Her blue eyes watered.

“Never.” I loosened my grip just enough for her to breathe.

“You can’t do this.”

“It’s already done. You’re on a month-long trip to the Amazon. Very little cell service, if any. No one will know you’re missing until you fail to show back up in January.”

“What are you saying?” She fought the truth, but realization slowly dawned on her perfect face. A tear rolled down her right cheek. “Oh my god. You, you set this whole thing up.”

“Guilty.” I leaned forward and licked the sadness from her, the salty taste a tease on my tongue. “You’re even beautiful when you cry.”

A switch flipped inside her, disbelief turning into resistance. She tensed and launched against me. Her free hand struck harmlessly against my arm as she kicked and squirmed. A choked roar escaped her throat as she hit me with everything she had. The car rocked, but Anton kept on driving as instructed.

I held her in place, keeping steady pressure on her throat. I didn’t want to strangle her, not really, and I rather enjoyed the fight she put up. When she raked her nails across my cheek, I grinned and pressed my chest to her, pinning her as she struggled.

“Keep going.” I whispered in her ear.

Another roar and she arched her back, going wild to try and escape. She twisted and slammed her knee into mine. The pain rocketed along my leg as she kicked my shin, her ineffective tennis shoes failing to do any damage. Her nails raked across my scalp, and she seized my hair in her hand. Yanking with all her might, she pulled my mouth away from her ear and head-butted my nose.

“Fuck, this is fun.” I tasted blood, the warm rush spilling over my lips and dripping onto her white coat.

“Stop!” She shoved me, but I was unmoving.

“You’re mine. Your violence, your anger—all mine.”

A knot began to form on her forehead where she’d hit me. Shit. I didn’t want to hurt her. Not yet, anyway.

“Calm down.” I stared into her panicked eyes.

She struggled, still trying to escape my grasp. Soon enough, she’d understand that she couldn’t. But I could see that getting to that conclusion would take a lot of work, and I was more than ready for it. My cock had been hard from the moment fear coiled around her heart. Because I was a monster.