Page 66 of Take Me Back
He won’t meet my eyes, looking everywhere around the room except at me.Fucking coward.
Was this all planned?My brain can’t comprehend how anyone could possibly do this to another human being.
Vander lowers the gun as the chastised man storms from the room. Once he’s gone, Anton turns to follow him.
“Keep him out of here or you’ll both regret it,” Vander says to Anton, who pauses but doesn’t respond before following the other man through the doorway.
Vander walks toward me slowly, tucking the gun out of sight behind him. “There are plenty of men who will pay more for the privilege of breaking a headstrong woman. You do not want me to sell you to one of them.”
How could I ever have thought this man was remotely charming? Every word out of his mouth scares the living hell out of me.
My voice shakes when I speak. “Why are you doing this?”
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Money, Katerina.That’s the best reason to do anything.”
“Why me?”
He crouches beside the bed and lifts a chunk of my tangled hair out of my face.
“Ah ... haven’t you ever heard the phrasecuriosity killed the cat?I feel like it applies here, Katerina. How much do you really know about your husband?”
Chapter 30
Dane
“Who the fuck took your wife?” Rome Hennessy asks. His real name is Romeo, but I’ve seen him pull a gun on a man for using it.
“Some asshole named Vander Iman and his bitch of a sidekick, Anya. I don’t have anything else to go on. They separated us and tried to take me to the port in Belize City. I gotta get to Kat. I need the cavalry, man. I wouldn’t ask if—”
“You don’t need to explain. We’re wrapping up down south of you. Got the bird. Could take me a few hours to get your way, though.”
By down south, I hope to hell he means Guatemala or Honduras, because I don’t have a fuck of a lot of time.
“As fast as you can, man. As fast as you can.”
“Do you know what we’re up against?”
“Not really. She said something about a genie-in-a-bottle island. I don’t know where the fuck that is or if that’s what it’s really called.”
“Fuck.”
“Then they’re moving her to a boat. Don’t know where, but apparently it’s late. She mentioned the guys on Plan B needing a Plan C. Can you run that?”
“Sure thing. Let me round up the crew and get shit wrapped up, and then we’re on it. This a good number for you?”
“Only one I’ve got right now.”
“I’ll try to pull coordinates from the call and find you. Your vacation details in the system?”
“Yeah. Everything’s there.”
“We’ll find you, man. We’ll get her back. Don’t do anything stupid that could fuck this up worse.” He pauses. “Not that you’re going to listen to me, since you never fucking do.”
“I don’t have a choice. I’m not waiting. Would you if it was your woman?”
