Page 36 of Defending Mateo
Surreptitiously looking about as they walked through a couple of hallways before stepping out into the summer sun, she didn't see him anywhere. Had he already gone to meet with hisboss? Or had he just decided that what was done was done and he had already forgotten all about her?
No.
He wouldn't do that.
No matter what else she thought about Mateo, it was clear he’d been struggling with her being sold as much as she was, so she was sure he wasn't going to just write her off, that was just her fear talking.
“In you go, princess,” the man said as he opened a limo door for her.
Since she’d kind of been expecting to be shoved in a trunk, she startled at learning she’d be sitting in the car. Recovering quickly, not wanting to do anything to upset him, she slipped inside, moving a little awkwardly since he was still holding her leash. The man slid in beside her, close enough that their thighs touched, and the other one got into the driver’s seat.
“Open your legs for your king,” he murmured as he nuzzled at her neck. “Let him tend to his little princess.”
Arguing would be pointless. This man had paid a lot of money for her, and so far, he didn't seem overly interested in hurting her. All she had to do was hold on for another few hours, and this would all be over. Making him angry would be stupid.
So, to that end, she spread her legs, and he set one of his pudgy hands on her thigh, positioned so that his fingers could sweep across her soaked center. He didn't touch her hard enough to get her off again, he just caressed her every so often as the car took off, driving away from what looked like a warehouse.
Mile after mile, they drove.
The brushes across her bundle of nerves ensured she remained in a constant state of arousal as the gel did its job, egged on by the fingers of the man who called himself King. The further away they went from Mateo and the warehouse, theless it felt like she was getting closer and closer to salvation, to freedom.
It felt like she was getting closer to her own demise.
August 20th
1:14 A.M.
Urgency thrummed through his system as he hurried toward the house in front of him.
Mateo cared little that it was one in the morning and that there were two little girls asleep inside. Ally needed him, and that was the only thing he was focused on.
Once again, he’d let her down.
Almost twelve hours had passed since she’d been sold, and he’d only just now been able to get away. He had no way to know whether Griffin had deliberately slowed things down, come up with excuses to keep him hanging around with meetings and games with the women, to prove that he didn't care the woman from his past had been sold, or if it had just been an annoying coincidence.
Either way, it didn't matter.
By now, he’d hoped to already have a team on a plane, heading toward Vanuatu, which was where Koa Rolland, the man who had bought her, lived. He’d gotten the ping with the intel before she was in that damn limo, but he hadn't been able to do anything about it until now.
In deference to the fact that he didn't want to scare Falcon’s daughters, seven-year-old twins Addison and Adelia, and two-year-old Azalea, at the door, he yanked out his cell phone. He’dsend Falcon a text to let his boss know he was here, and then they needed to get to work, find a team, and plan a rescue.
Before he could start typing out a text, the front door swung open and Falcon stood there, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, so it was clear his boss had been waiting for him to show up.
“About time,” Falcon drawled in his gruff voice.
“Damn, Griffin apparently had a whole afternoon and evening of activities,” he growled, stepping past the other man and into the quiet house.
“You're here now, so we can get started. I assume you have a name?” Falcon asked as he closed the front door behind him.
Since this wasn't the first time he’d been to his boss’ house—although they usually met at a more neutral location since Falcon liked to keep his work separate from his family—he knew the way to the office and headed straight there, Falcon behind him. When they were in there, and the door was closed behind them, he brought up the intel on his phone.
“Koa Rolland, wealthy billionaire from Vanuatu,” he said without preamble. He was here to make sure Falcon set up a rescue, then he had to get back to the warehouse, because he was more determined than ever to find what they needed to destroy Azure.
“I have a Delta Force team on standby,” Falcon told him. “Same team that went to Kenya with Nathan to rescue Emma. They wanted to stick around and help out again if we needed it. They feel invested now in helping bring down the trafficking ring. They haven’t been sent out on an op, so they’re ready to come, we were just waiting for you.”
“I’d planned on being here hours ago, but since I couldn’t, I won't be able to stick around and help plan anything. Just make sure they know that she’s waiting for them. I had to tell her who I am and what I was doing there.” Should he admit it and tell his boss that he’d been dating Ally before she was taken? It seemedlike a breach of trust not to. Almost convulsively, his fingers clutched the diamond and pearl torque bangle in his pocket. “I need to tell you something.”
“You were dating her. I know. I was keeping eyes on her, but they couldn’t get to her before she could be taken,” Falcon told him. “By the time they realized she didn't come back from around the back of the building, she was gone. I’ve had the Delta Force team on standby the whole time. I even called Nathan and told him I might need to bring him in.”
