Jones. The bastard had a name. I was going to kick his fucking balls to a pulp for hitting me.
Oh God, did he undress me? See me naked? What else happened while I was out cold? I’d heard horror stories of strange things happening to women when they were unconscious. And I was tied up. Fuck.
I moved my fingers against my leg until I pinched some kind of smooth fabric against my skin. Who dressed me?
I’d kill every one of these assholes if their dicks came anywhere near me, so help me God.
“Open your eyes, darling. Let me look at you.”
How many fucking times have I told you I’m not your darling? Not anymore. Not ever again.
Fingers squeezed my cheeks. And then lips were on mine. Nolan’s lips. Kissing me.
If only I could slap him. Push him off me.
My eyes flew open and I snorted hard. It didn’t stop him. He held my head tighter, making it impossible to move. His tongue slid between my lips. I pressed them together, blocking him.
“Why are you fighting this? We could be outside on the beach. Or swimming in the pool. Or making love wherever we fancy.” His voice went soft. It was cold as ice when he spoke again. “Instead, I have to tie you up. Don’t make me hurt you, my darling.”
“Nolan, untie me.”
“All in good time. First I have to be sure you’re calm. Jones has an angry scratch on his face; I’m not taking any chances.”
Nolan turned on a bedside lamp. I blinked a few times as I adjusted to the light. It wasn’t overly bright, but I felt a headache returning. His back was still turned to me, so I took a moment to survey my surroundings. The room was enormous, decorated in light wood and tropical floral prints. My gaze rested on a pair of praying statues. I’d seen something similar in an Asian travel brochure.
“Where are we? How long have we been here? And most importantly . . . what the hell do you think you’re achieving? Have you gone stark raving fucking crazy?”
Nolan turned to me with a smirk on his face. “So many questions, Eva. And I’m not used to you using foul language like that. You’ve always been such a lady.”
“Fuck that. I need answers. You owe me an explanation.” I sucked in air between my teeth, struggling to control myself and not start ranting like a banshee. I failed miserably. I couldn’t keep the anger from my tone. “You can’t just abduct me and think you’ll get away with it. People will come looking for me.”
The look he gave me was the same one most people reserved for someone asking dumb questions or making ridiculous statements. “I don’t think so sweetheart. I’m not stupid. I took care of those details before we left.”
My blood ran cold. “What do you mean?”
He laughed, genuinely pleased with himself. “For starters, Bill gave me his blessing. I told him I was whisking you away on a surprise romantic holiday since we were rekindling our relationship. Seems the old man was always partial to me. I think he imagines his daughter marrying a senator will be good for business.”
Oh, Daddy. Didn’t you listen to a word I said?
“Ryder—”
“Your darling brother and his woman are in New York. Apparently, they’re signing contracts for the new restaurant with Maxwell. Your stepbrothers send their love.”
I felt all the blood drain from my face. Nolan had orchestrated this whole damn thing. What else was he capable of? How had I never seen this side of him before? I’d been so blinded by what I believed was love that I’d never imagined he could be so controlling and calculated.
“Why, Nolan? I don’t understand.”
“Because you are mine. Nobody says no to Senator Nolan Parker.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would you want a woman who isn’t in love with you?”
“Because I’m in love with you.”
“No. You’re not. If you really loved me you wouldn’t have screwed around. Or tied me to a fucking bed.”
“I was stupid. Tempted, because it was just so damn easy. And you were always working or tired. I have needs, babe. If you don’t keep my balls empty, I need to find another way.”
“Your hand fall off?”
“I see you still have your sense of humor. You must be feeling better. I’m glad. Fuck, for a while I thought I’d lost you.”
I sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”
“You went into shock. Seems the boys overdosed when they injected you. They didn’t take into account that you are a woman and that you weigh a lot less than the men they usually target.”
I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. The implication was they hadn’t done this to other women, which was good to know. But what game were these men playing? Going around sedating people was insane if anything, regardless of the reason.
Nolan started messing with the drip that was attached to my arm. What was in there other than saline solution?
“And by the way, your boyfriend won’t be rescuing you either, if that’s what you’re hoping for.” The smirk that twisted his lips was filled with self-satisfaction.
“Why do you say that?” I had to be careful how I worded things with Nolan. I couldn’t afford to provoke his jealousy by seeming to be too invested in Harrison. But anyway, the cop didn’t really count, since he’d taken off before Nolan abducted me.
Ignoring my question, his laugh had an evil twist to it. “Rest a bit, darling. I’m hoping you’ll be able to come play with me by tomorrow.”
I was on my own.
Think, Eva, think.
There had to be a way out.
Fuzziness took over my brain and my limbs felt heavy. Whatever was in that drip robbed me of any coherent thought or will to move. Nolan’s voice faded away, and my body was sucked into the mattress once again.
Chapter 29 – Harrison
With an empty feeling, I made my way to the waiting airplane. I felt as if I had unfinished business with Eva, even after my decision to get out of her life like Bill had suggested fucking doing. But the coward in me had reared its head, and I guess it was just easier to get the fuck out of the US for a while as I thought things through.
Life had a way of fucking with me. Every time some semblance of happiness came anywhere near my way, everything went for a ball of shit. First Amy and now Eva.
“Hey buddy, wait up. You left your phone on the table and the fucking thing is ringing.”
It was unlike me to leave my phone anywhere. “That’s what sleepless nights do to me.”
I swung around and took the cell from Savage. I’d ignored Eva’s messages and calls for days, but instead of things getting easier I was on the verge of caving in. Desperate to at least hear her voice before I headed off on my most dangerous mission to date, I pressed the phone to my ear.
It wasn’t the voice I wanted to hear.
“Hey, Summers. Can you talk?”
What the hell did Ryder want from me? It was enough that I was acting civilly to him lately, but for both our sakes, I hoped he wasn’t trying to build a fucking friendship. It just wasn’t going to work in this lifetime.
“Yeah, make it quick. I have a minute before I board a plane.”
“Fuck. Figures.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” The hair at the back of my neck stood up. Ryder was always going to rub me up the wrong way.
“Eva. Something is wrong, and I wondered if you knew where she was.”
Coming to a grinding halt, I sucked in a breath. “I don’t have a clue. I haven’t spoken to her in days. Your old man—”
“Listen, there isn’t time for bullshit. I just spoke to my old man, and he told me something . . . disturbing. At first I thought nothing of it, in fact I was quite relieved, but Jade convinced me it was off. I’ve tried getting hold of Eva, but I’m in New York and I can’t reach her. Her phone keeps going to voicemail. It’s not like her at all to not return my calls.”
“What does Jade think is wrong?”