Chapter 7 Donovan
SEVEN
Donovan
Andre holds the hysterical Paulie down as Torrin and I take off toward the end of the alley for the woman. No clue what I’m going to do when I catch her, but I’ll worry about that later. I just have to get her. She’s seen too much.
“No!” she yells as she takes two slow steps backward.
“Astra?” a strained voice calls from behind her. A second later, I see an older woman step into view. Her eyes go wide.
“Run,” the younger woman—Astra, I assume—calls out as she spins around.
I’m nearly on her now.
My arm loops around her midsection, and her legs kick wildly as I lift her up and pull her deeper into the alley. Torrin shoots past me, and I know he’s going after the older woman.
“Let me go.” Her voice is stern. She doesn’t sound scared.
I’m a little thrown off by that. So thrown off that she nearly wriggles out of my hold.
I tighten my arm around her and clamp my free hand over her mouth.
She goes still in my hold, dropping like dead weight and forcing me to bend over to keep from losing my hold on her.
She’s a controlled and smart fighter. It makes me wonder if she’s been in a situation like this before or if she’s just prepared for something like this for whatever reason.
The sweet scent of wild roses fills my nose. I spin her around and slam her against the brick wall, my hand going to her throat to keep her in place. She freezes instantly.
The moment we lock eyes, I’m struck with a fresh memory.
The little masquerade beauty.
Those eyes, dark and doe-like. Yeah, I’ll never forget those eyes.
Her chest heaves, and I shamelessly drop my gaze to her breasts. The mounds peek up at me from the scoop of her sweater, which has been pulled down one shoulder in our struggle. Damn, I wish I’d spent more time getting to know her body that night.
“I lost her,” Torrin says as he steps back into the alleyway. “She darted into the crowd in the market. Then she was gone. I’m sorry.”
I hear his words but ignore him.
She has stolen all of my attention.
Her throat strains against my palm as she swallows. A strange sensation washes over me, and I loosen my grip. Her chest heaves again as she takes in a deep, steady breath. Her eyes never leave mine, and I find myself unable to look away from her.
“We meet again,” I say and grin.
Surprise flickers across her face, but it’s gone in a flash.
I’m intrigued by her. The way she’s reacted to everything that’s happened in the last few minutes is so unexpected, and I don’t know what to make of her.
All I know is I can’t let her walk away.
She’s seen too much. And… I’m a bastard who wants to see how many ways I can break her.
“I don’t know what you mean. I’ve never seen you before,” she says. Her eyes slide to the side, and I tsk her with a shake of my head.
“Lies do not become such a beauty as you. No, sweet Astra, you know me like you’ve never known any other man before.”
I’m sure I’m right about that. I just need her to confirm it, and there’s no better way to get her to do that than to be bold with my statement.
She gasps, her cheeks turning pink. I can’t tell if her expression is showing her embarrassment or her anger at my words.
My dick pushes against the zipper of my pants when her brows dip and she scowls at me.
“Let me go,” she says.
Damn, she’s really starting to frustrate me.
“No,” I say calmly as I flex my fingers against her neck enough to remind her who has the power here.
I move so fast she doesn’t even see it coming.
One second, she’s plastered against the wall, and the next, she’s draped like a sack of flour over my shoulder.
My feet carry me deeper into the alley as I head for the other exit where the SUV is.
I turn my head and can’t resist nuzzling my nose against the side of her ass and taking a deep hit.
Her rose smell is strong, but what I smell under it almost has me drawing to a stop and putting her back against the wall.
I bet if I slipped my fingers between those thighs I’d feel her little pussy wet and her clit throbbing for relief. I’m so fucking tempted…
“What do ya want me to do about him, Boss?” Andre asks me as I pass him.
“Let him go,” I say without looking at either of them. “And Paulie, don’t let me catch you again.”
Paulie’s sniffling ass runs down the alley away from us. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him go. I tell myself that I found him once, I can find him again.
A sick part of me wonders if she’s watching him escape the entrance she’d been caught at and wishing she’d never stepped foot in this alleyway.
“Keys.” I hold my hand out, palm up.
Torrin is beside me, keeping up with my pace as we head to where the SUV is parked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice how he hesitates for a second before dropping the fob into my hand.
I wonder what the fuck he’s waiting for.
When I turn my head to glare at him, his eyes shift to look at Astra dangling over my shoulder.
Then he slides his gaze back to me. Something is going through his head but he doesn’t say a fucking thing.
I click the unlock button on the fob as I debate on if I’m going to say something to him or not.
About this time, Astra regains herself and starts kicking and hitting.
“Hit me again and it will be the last thing you do,” I growl in warning.
I’m done with this shit. Everything has gone fucking sideways and now I’ve got to figure out how to clean up the damn mess.
The last thing I want to do is deal with a bratty one-time fuck and try to convince myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t kill the sweet, innocent beauty.
Torrin opens the back door to the SUV and I toss her ass in the seat, reaching between the soft leather to grab the cuff I have tucked away there. It’s welded in, so she won’t be going anywhere even if she yanks it to death. I snap it around her wrist, smirking when she gasps in shock and surprise.
“You bastard!” She swats at me with her free hand.
I pause and grin at her.
“You have no idea,” I tell her as I yank off my tie. I slot it through her parted lips before she even realizes what I’m doing, and give it a good yank as I tie it behind her head. “Good girls don’t talk.”
With that, I slam the door.
Andre takes the back seat next to Astra. I slide behind the wheel, angling the rearview mirror so I have a direct line of sight to her pissed-off expression. If she could spit fire, I imagine she’d be doing so now. I don’t look away from her as Torrin takes the seat beside me.
“Your hand,” he mutters, causing me to shake my head and look at him with brows drawn in concern. What the fuck is he talking about my hand for? “Look.”
I do, first glancing at the back of my hands before flipping them over, palms up.
The black lines are fading, almost as if they are slowly retreating up my arms.
I glance back at Astra’s reflection in the mirror.
Her unhappy expression has twisted into something more of surprise as she stares at where my hand is up in the air. But before I can understand what it means, her face hardens to stone as she turns and looks out the window.
A cold chill washes over me.
What the fuck is going on here?!