Page 24 of When He Lies
Sighing, Ryan asked, “Is there a problem?” Besides the many obvious ones. A kidnapping. A dead mercenary. Bad guys closing in.
“Yes. I don’t think we should go toward the big, angry stallion.”
The stallion stared back at Ryan. Unblinking. Not moving. The horse didn’t strike him as being particularly angry. Big, sure. But angry? Not so much. “I don’t have time to find his saddle. We are going to have to do this bareback.”
“Do what bareback?”
“What do you think?” He freed her wrist, but only so his hands could close around her waist. He lifted her up and tossed her onto the horse. Right before he hauled ass up after her.
Simone had slammed her hands down on the horse in order to try and balance herself, but when Ryan eased in front of her, she immediately wrapped her arms around him. “This can’t be happening,” she said. Ryan felt Simone press her head to his back. “Cannot be happening.”
Oh, it was happening. “Good boy,” Ryan praised the horse as he gave him a rub. This idea could be dumb as hell. He and Simone could both get their asses thrown by the stallion or they might get lucky and escape before the bad guys could kill them. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Um, are you talking to me or the horse?” Simone asked.
He directed the stallion. The mighty horse took off. As if he had been waiting for his shot at freedom, the stallion bolted from the open stall. Shot past the dead body. Erupted into the daylight beyond the stables.
Simone let out a little shriek, and her hold tightened even more around Ryan.
“Trust me,” he told her even as he urged the horse onward and Simone’s red gown billowed up and down around them. “I’ve got you.”
And he had no intention of letting her go.
As far as Ryan was concerned, when you killed for a woman, you should get to keep her.
Frederick Bradwin slammed the door to his Rolls Royce and glared at the stables. He could not believe the fuckery that had happened at his country estate.
Simone stole from me? What. The. Bloody. Hell? When he got his hands on the woman, she would pay. And to think, she’d denied all his most gracious invitations for dinner. She’d spouted that prim BS about not mixing business with pleasure when all along, she’d been planning to steal him blind.
The lying vixen.
She would pay.
He began marching for the stables.
“Boss!” Hugo grabbed his arm.
Frederick whirled on the guy.
“Easy!” Hugo threw up his hands. Sweat beaded his forehead. It wasn’t even that hot yet. Why was the man sweating so profusely?
“Before we go in there…” Hugo squared his shoulders. “What are we going to do about Ryan Quinn?”
Ryan Quinn. Talk about a clusterfuck. Alexei had actually kidnapped his would-be investor. Of course, Ryan would have interrupted when Alexei was trying to shove Simone into the back of a van. The fool had been just as taken in by Simone as Frederick had been.
But abducting Ryan had been a major mistake. Alexei had informed Frederick all about that unfortunate situation. Ryan had tried to play hero, and, in return, Alexei and the men under his command had wound up practically kidnapping Ryan. There is no practically about it. “I’m going to kill him,” Frederick promised, voice seething with rage.
Hugo’s eyes widened. Shock had his round face going slack. “You’re going to kill your new investor? I am new to this private sector stuff, but boss, isn’t that, like, really, really bad for business?”
He needed to be saved from idiots. “Not him. I’m going to kill Alexei! Alexei should never have dragged Ryan into his mess. He should have handled Simone far more discreetly.” But the big Russian knew zero about being discreet. Truth be told, Frederick hated working with the guy, but he didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. In order to keep his current lifestyle—Frederick really, really liked his lifestyle—he’d recently had to make some unfortunate business deals with some shady people.
Or, specifically, with one very, very dangerous individual in particular. That person controlled Alexei. And, for the moment, that person also controlled Frederick’s life. For the moment.
But… “I’m going to kill him,” Frederick vowed again. Because Alexei had just cost him billions, and he had no idea how he was going to smooth this shit over with Ryan Quinn. Not like he could just waltz into the stables and be all like…Sorry, chum. My guard mistakenly kidnapped you. Still ready to give me billions of dollars?
No, that ship had long since sailed. Perhaps, though…
Hell, if he’s already kidnapped, maybe I can work this…someway. Maybe I can still get a payday.
