as I
walked to the fucking tank of a vehicle he bought.
"If you decide to crash this one
into the back of another vehicle, maybe you'll be better
off."
"You smartarse little bastard." I
opened the door and saw black leather, black interior, black
everything . . . my favorite color. "I guess this will do. Why did
you think I would want to drive around in a Chelsea fucking
tractor?"
Liam smiled with a shit-eating
grin, and I got in.
The steering wheel felt good in my
hands and the seats conformed to my body. It would grow on
me.
"Come on. I'll bring you home," I
said.
Liam climbed inside of the Range
Rover, and I slammed on the gas. He sighed deeply as I sped down
backroads and through town, taking corners way too fast. But I had
control.
"Do you know where they are taking
the women?" I asked.
"I think I'll know tomorrow night,
by the weekend for sure. I have an idea, but I'm not positive. Got
some information about the next girl they would be kidnapping. The
plan is to follow them in an inconspicuous vehicle to confirm their
location, hence the Rover."
"Where and what time?"
"They seem to want to do things
much later than usual. After midnight, but before sunrise. They've
stopped the midday shit, which is good. Our informant said he would
let me know when they are on the move."
"They took Lauren, and I have to
find her. You know I don't believe in that instant love bullshit,
but there is an attraction. She intrigues me. I won't stop until we
find her."
Liam lifted an eyebrow at me and
held back a smile. "You're smitten. Ha! Don't worry boss, we will
find her."
As I pulled into his drive, I put
the Rover in park, grabbed his shoulder, and squeezed.
"Thanks, Liam. You're doing a
great job. You'll make an excellent leader of the group
someday."
He gave a sarcastic laugh. "No,
old man. No one can replace you." He got out and shut the
door.
I rolled down the window.
"Twenty-seven isn't old, but you need to accept that I won't live
forever."
"You're fucking old to me . . .
but I won't let you die."
For being as young as he was, he
was brilliant, and reminded me of myself at nineteen. It took years
for me to get over my sister being kidnapped. The household wasn't
the same. Up until we moved, her room stayed exactly how she had
left it that day. Her abduction was a skeleton in my family's
closet, and my parents made sure to keep me close. For seven years,
I shut myself off to the whole world, but when I awoke, I was a new
person—fearless, with hopes of changing the world by wiping the
streets of London clean. My rage stemmed from my sister being
stolen, his came from the abuse he suffered over half of his life.
Most of my men were broken in some way, but they weren't weak.
Their experiences fueled them and that alone made them the
strongest set of individuals I'd ever had the pleasure of working
with. And to be their leader was a fucking honor. If I died
tomorrow, I'd die fulfilled.
"Meet you here at midnight
tomorrow. Keep me updated with the driver. I want to know the exact
moment she wakes," I said.
He gave a quick nod and walked up
the steps of his townhome. I hadn't really cared for many people in
my life, but Liam was a kid who, if anything ever happened to him,
I was sure I'd burn down the world to avenge his death.
LAUREN
Eleven
H igh-pitched,
ear-shattering screams filled the entire room and ripped me from my
restless sleep. A few rays of sunshine peeked through small
rectangular windows at the top of our cell, lighting the room in an
orange hue. I hoped to be able to experience real sunshine when I
got back to Galveston, if I ever made it back home.
I sat up on the cot and rubbed the
sleep from my tear ducts. Sophie lay in the cot on the other side
of me, and all I could see was dark hair and a small frame. The
descriptors she used for me the night before summed her up
perfectly. When she rolled over and opened her eyes, I saw a blue
the color of the water in Florida. Her black hair complimented
walked to the fucking tank of a vehicle he bought.
"If you decide to crash this one
into the back of another vehicle, maybe you'll be better
off."
"You smartarse little bastard." I
opened the door and saw black leather, black interior, black
everything . . . my favorite color. "I guess this will do. Why did
you think I would want to drive around in a Chelsea fucking
tractor?"
Liam smiled with a shit-eating
grin, and I got in.
The steering wheel felt good in my
hands and the seats conformed to my body. It would grow on
me.
"Come on. I'll bring you home," I
said.
Liam climbed inside of the Range
Rover, and I slammed on the gas. He sighed deeply as I sped down
backroads and through town, taking corners way too fast. But I had
control.
"Do you know where they are taking
the women?" I asked.
"I think I'll know tomorrow night,
by the weekend for sure. I have an idea, but I'm not positive. Got
some information about the next girl they would be kidnapping. The
plan is to follow them in an inconspicuous vehicle to confirm their
location, hence the Rover."
"Where and what time?"
"They seem to want to do things
much later than usual. After midnight, but before sunrise. They've
stopped the midday shit, which is good. Our informant said he would
let me know when they are on the move."
"They took Lauren, and I have to
find her. You know I don't believe in that instant love bullshit,
but there is an attraction. She intrigues me. I won't stop until we
find her."
Liam lifted an eyebrow at me and
held back a smile. "You're smitten. Ha! Don't worry boss, we will
find her."
As I pulled into his drive, I put
the Rover in park, grabbed his shoulder, and squeezed.
"Thanks, Liam. You're doing a
great job. You'll make an excellent leader of the group
someday."
He gave a sarcastic laugh. "No,
old man. No one can replace you." He got out and shut the
door.
I rolled down the window.
"Twenty-seven isn't old, but you need to accept that I won't live
forever."
"You're fucking old to me . . .
but I won't let you die."
For being as young as he was, he
was brilliant, and reminded me of myself at nineteen. It took years
for me to get over my sister being kidnapped. The household wasn't
the same. Up until we moved, her room stayed exactly how she had
left it that day. Her abduction was a skeleton in my family's
closet, and my parents made sure to keep me close. For seven years,
I shut myself off to the whole world, but when I awoke, I was a new
person—fearless, with hopes of changing the world by wiping the
streets of London clean. My rage stemmed from my sister being
stolen, his came from the abuse he suffered over half of his life.
Most of my men were broken in some way, but they weren't weak.
Their experiences fueled them and that alone made them the
strongest set of individuals I'd ever had the pleasure of working
with. And to be their leader was a fucking honor. If I died
tomorrow, I'd die fulfilled.
"Meet you here at midnight
tomorrow. Keep me updated with the driver. I want to know the exact
moment she wakes," I said.
He gave a quick nod and walked up
the steps of his townhome. I hadn't really cared for many people in
my life, but Liam was a kid who, if anything ever happened to him,
I was sure I'd burn down the world to avenge his death.
LAUREN
Eleven
H igh-pitched,
ear-shattering screams filled the entire room and ripped me from my
restless sleep. A few rays of sunshine peeked through small
rectangular windows at the top of our cell, lighting the room in an
orange hue. I hoped to be able to experience real sunshine when I
got back to Galveston, if I ever made it back home.
I sat up on the cot and rubbed the
sleep from my tear ducts. Sophie lay in the cot on the other side
of me, and all I could see was dark hair and a small frame. The
descriptors she used for me the night before summed her up
perfectly. When she rolled over and opened her eyes, I saw a blue
the color of the water in Florida. Her black hair complimented
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