The door of the elevator is open when I approach and I jump in, grateful to see it’s empty. I jab the close door button repeatedly and don’t let out a breath until the doors slide shut. I glimpse Connor’s furious face peering through just as they slide to.
Now I’ve got to worry about whether he’ll beat me down the stairs but this elevator is quick. I’m sure I can make it. I lean back against the wall and watch the numbers while trying to calm my racing heart. When it reaches the ground floor, I bunch my muscles, ready to run again. The doors slide open and I barrel out. People cry out in indignation as I push past and nearly go flying over a pile of luggage.
There’s too many people around to know if Connor is amongst them but hopefully that will work in my favour. I shove through the hotel doors and onto the street. Several taxis are waiting in a nearby taxi rank and I jump in and give the cab driver the address.
For a brief moment, I lean my head back against the seat and draw in ragged breaths. I’m going to be in big trouble with Hunter and his friends. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t let Hunter get hurt because of me. He said he’d never leave me again. I need to make sure that he makes good on his promise.
Chapter Nine
Hunter
The rifle aimed at my gut shouldn’t make me laugh, but it does. I knew someone was shooting at Jess. I like being right, I guess. The man holding it raises a brow and motions for me to move. Hands lifted in surrender, I sidle over to the metal chair in the corner.
“Sit,” Lucas barks.
“Hey, man, take it easy.” I ease myself into the cold metal, gaze firmly on the barrel of the gun.
“Where is she?” he demands.
“She’ll be here.”
“You said you were bringing her.”
“I was but things changed. She said she’d be here shortly.”
“Why would she agree to that?”
“Because she trusts me.”
Lucas laughs, then narrows his dark eyes at me. “She’d better turn up or you’ll end up with a nice big hole in you.”
I shake my head. “You don’t want to do that. Several people know where I am. You pull that trigger, they’ll be quick to find me and point the finger at you.”
I study Lucas. He doesn’t look as crazy as I thought he would. Short, dark hair—a very bad dye job, tanned skin, white creases around his eyes where the sun hasn’t touched, and an average build with a small middle-age paunch. I could take him if he didn’t have a gun, I surmise.
Damn. When I agreed to meet with him, I never expected a gun. Foolish, Hunter.
Today was going to be the day is all ends. It will be the day it all ends, one way or the other. I won’t have Jess in danger. Lucas must have thought my greed outweighed my love for Jess when he agreed to pay a large sum for me to kidnap her for him.
I flex a hand against the arm of the chair. Shame I haven’t managed to get a hit in yet. I’d really looked forward to throwing about some threats. With the info Mitch has on his financial dealings, I’ve got plenty of bargaining power. If I live that is. Of course, if that failed, I’d intended to take out a few of my frustrations on him. I doubt very much he’d go to the cops, not with his history of dodgy dealings, so I figured I’d be free to exact whatever punishment I felt appropriate. A broken nose perhaps. Some bruised ribs. Something for him to remember me by. To ensure he regretted ever thinking he could have Jess.
But this rifle pointed at my head messes with my plan a little. Dammit. What has that woman done to me? Ever since I caught sight of that cute ass she’s consumed me. I wouldn’t have it any other way now, but I sure regret not thinking this through. All I wanted was her safe.
“I’ll be out of the country soon,” Lucas muses. To himself or me, I can’t tell.
“Thought you were setting up a new production company.”
“Yeah, well I couldn't get any backing. All my supporters dropped away after one of the stupid whores started flinging around accusations.” He snorts. “Like they care what happens to the women. But one of them threatened to go to the papers. They can’t afford to have people digging into what really happens to them.”
I curl my fingers around the metal of the chair, heat stirs in my veins. “Yeah, well, they deserve what they get, right.”
Lucas blinks at me then grins. “God, yes. What do they expect when they want to fuck for money? They’re all whores. Jess though… she was the biggest of them all. Stuck up little bitch. She acted better than the rest but at the end of the day she still spread her legs for money.”
I draw in a breath through my nostrils, beg myself not to react. I can barely keep the fury from showing on my face. “Not for you though.”
“She will soon enough.” He strides over to the window and peers out. “She’d better get here soon. I’ve got everything ready for her.”