Savage (Park Avenue Kings #1)

13. Cooper

13

COOPER

I WAS STARTING to wonder if I had a death wish.

I’d gone all in on trusting someone I barely knew, and what had that gotten me?

A blindfold. Also a ride in a comfy vehicle with heated seats to some destination unknown, but a blindfold ? That was what I’d signed up for when a handsome face said, “Do you trust me?” Not to mention the whole host of other bad ideas I didn’t want to think about right now. Not when I needed to focus on putting one foot in front of the other as Lachlan’s firm hand around my arm led me somewhere . “Somewhere safe,” he’d said, but how the hell was I supposed to believe that when I couldn’t even be trusted to see where we were going?

Maybe my family was right—I didn’t belong here. Following drug dealers, almost dying, allowing a stranger to climb in my window to fuck me, having an actual break-in… I was asking for trouble to find me. Begging for it, even.

The ding of an elevator sounded, and then Lachlan moved us into the claustrophobic space. When the doors shut, all of the background noise I’d tried to place disappeared and silence descended. It felt like we were the only two here, which meant Lachlan’s earlier warning of “don’t say a word” didn’t count here, right?

Besides, my patience was waning, and I wanted answers.

“Can I take this off?” I reached up to tug at the blindfold, but Lachlan caught my wrist in his firm grip.

“No.”

Stifling a sigh, I said, “Can you tell me where we’re going?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Almost where?”

“Somewhere safe. Like I promised.”

Now why did an overwhelming part of me actually believe that?

I had no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.

Another ding, doors opening, and we were off, though not to anywhere as loud as where we’d entered. It was quiet, too quiet, and I wondered if Lachlan could hear the way my heart pounded with every step I took.

Somewhere safe, I told myself, that’s all this is.

But all I could see behind this blindfold were the images of my trashed apartment. It wasn’t like I had much, but the little I owned had been strewn everywhere. I hadn’t thought anyone followed me that night in the alley, but obviously I was wrong. Had they been following me all this time? They wanted the key card. That had to be it…right?

Even Lachlan seemed to recognize the symbol, which raised a whole other set of questions if I came out of this alive. Hell, maybe that would be my superpower—putting myself in danger and surviving by the skin of my teeth. That was what journalists did to find the truth.

No. I’m going somewhere safe. Somewhere that isn’t my trashed apartment.

They hadn’t entered through the front, that was for sure—I would’ve endured a thirty-minute rant from Ms. Edith on having visitors when I wasn’t home—so that could only mean they’d entered through my window. Same as the stranger I’d happily welcomed.

There was no way he would’ve done it, though. He’d had every opportunity to hurt me or find what he was looking for when I was flat on my stomach and bare-assed. No need to break in and trash the place.

No, this was all connected to the group I’d been tracking since I left Colorado. I’d bet money on it.

A lock clicked, something opened, and then Lachlan said, “You can take that off now.”

I ripped the blindfold off and blinked under the assault of the brightly lit room. Well, room was putting it mildly—the place was huge, especially by New York City standards. It was sheer golden opulence, from the chandeliers to the ornate sofas and artwork splashed along the textured walls. Thick velvet floor-to-ceiling curtains covered most of one wall, and I had a feeling they were blocking out one hell of a city view.

I let out a low whistle as I walked farther inside, set my laptop aside, and let my backpack fall from my shoulders onto one of the chairs. All right, so maybe I’d been worked up about nothing, because this was definitely an upgrade from my shitty studio. Was this Lachlan’s place? Why had that required a blindfold? Unless he just didn’t trust that I wouldn’t become some needy guy who showed up unexpectedly.

My eyes were drawn to an abstract landscape painting in a heavy frame, and my brow furrowed. “You know, no offense, but I wouldn’t have thought a place like this was your style.”

“It’s not.”

I whirled around to face him. “This isn’t your apartment?”

“No,” he said, making a sweep of the rooms that branched off the main living space.

“Where are we?”

Lachlan paused in a doorway. “It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Why’s that?”

He shook his head. “You’re somewhere safe. That’s the important thing.”

“So if the situation were reversed, you’d go along with whatever I said, no questions asked?”

A low chuckle rumbled out of him as he slid his hands into his pants pockets and crossed over to me. Given the situation, the last thing I should be doing was checking him out, but Lachlan Stone filled out a suit to perfection. I’d forgotten just how good looking he was.

“No,” he said, “I wouldn’t.”

When I opened my mouth to respond, Then why should I , he held his hand up.

“I know you have questions, but now’s not the time. I need to meet with my team and brief them on the situation. Try to make yourself comfortable. No one will bother you here.”

Comfortable? No problem. The place looked like a high-end suite at a hotel. Comfort wouldn’t be an issue.

As Lachlan walked back to the door, I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift down over him. The man looked as good leaving as he did coming, and my brain went straight to the gutter. But the one chance I’d had to call him and ask for a date I’d let slide, and instead only called him when I needed him in a professional capacity.

Way to go, moron.

But it wouldn’t have been fair to call him up when my mind had been so consumed by my mystery man. Whom I’d now miss if he decided to pay me a visit again. That was, if he wasn’t the one who’d wrecked my apartment in the first place.

It seemed Lachlan and I were on the same wavelength regarding that, though. Whoever had broken in had been after the key card, and that definitely wasn’t what my vigilante had been interested in.

Lachlan glanced back at me as he reached for the door, and I gave a hesitant wave, then he pulled it shut and was gone.

I let out a sigh, looked around the enormous room, and headed over to the windows. Just as I’d suspected, there was a spectacular view of the city hiding behind those curtains, confirming we were in a high rise, probably at the very top.

Wherever Lachlan had brought me was definitely not cheap, that was for sure.

My curiosity took over as I started to move around the suite. He hadn’t mentioned anything about staying in one room, so I decided to do a little investigating. I made my way to a set of French doors that opened into another room decorated in much the same way. The difference was the enormous bed situated to face the stunning view.

Holy shit. That bed was definitely bigger than a king, and the amount of pillows on it engaged some childish urge to run over and launch myself on them.

I didn’t of course, because how embarrassing would that be if Lachlan came back and saw me face-planting into the plush bed—but seriously, who lived like this?

Well, not lived —Lachlan had said this wasn’t his place. He’d also implied he was going to talk to his team somewhere in this building.

So was this where he worked? Doubtful. What kind of security firm had a penthouse with a multimillion-dollar view? Unless it was some kind of safe house? He did say that was where he was taking me, but every “safe house” I’d seen on TV was some shithole or cabin in the woods.Not some upper-class Manhattan address. It screamed money. Excess. Luxury.

Which made me wonder…

I fished my cell out of my pocket and headed back to the main living space. Maybe I could get my location through the Find My Phone app.

I swiped my phone open and saw no signal. Not even one bar.I’d figured a place as decked out as this would have cell reception. But maybe it was like hospital—they always had shit service. Something about thick walls and all the technology in it.

That was probably it: he ran a security company, and if this was part of it, the walls were probably fortified or something. But surely he had some kind of Wi-Fi setup.

I opened the settings on my phone, but nothing appeared. Not even some random neighbor with a weirdly named router that was unsecured. It was like every kind of possible signal was jammed.

Fuck. I glanced around the room, suddenly feeling paranoid. Had I trusted the wrong guy after all? Had I been…kidnapped?

No. That was just ridiculous. I’d called him , for fuck’s sake. But still, I didn’t know where I was and couldn’t call anyone to get me the hell out if this wasn’t on the up-and-up. That had me rethinking my choices.

I started toward the door, my steps getting progressively faster as the very real possibility that I was?—

I was locked inside this apartment.

Well, shit.