Chapter 11
Aurora had been in my care for almost two weeks now, and each day she was with me was one day too long.
She berated my right-hand men, tried to escape at every opportunity, and she was all around just a pain in the ass.
Thankfully, my uncles now wanted me to bring her to New York City so they could assess her in person.
They could fucking keep her for all that I cared, too. I hadn’t been to the fight club since she’d arrived, and to say that I was jonesing to beat someone into submission would be an understatement. I was twitchy, irritable, and just a killjoy to be around.
Aurora wasn’t any better. Every aspect of my life had been altered the moment I’d snagged her from her parking garage. I had to remove all phones, laptops, tablets, and gaming systems from my penthouse so she had no way of reaching the outside world.
Hell, I’d even caught her walking around trying to conjure up Siri, whom I’d never used or had.
If I did, she would’ve likely asked it to call the damn cops for her.
That was all that I needed. A bunch of fucking cops prowling around my place, not to mention them throwing me in jail.
Sentencing could be as much as ten years in Massachusetts.
Yeah, you’re more of a fucking headache than you’re worth.
Aurora must’ve sensed my gaze because she stared up at me. “Are you at least going to tell me where you’re taking me?
“No.” The answer was short and to the point, which I knew frustrated her beyond reason.
Over the course of the time she had been with me, I’d spent my time pissing her off because it was the only way to pass those long days and nights. On occasion, Conor or Liam would stay in with her, but it’d been mostly me with her night and day.
During that time, I had to come to know what things she liked and what she didn’t.
I also got a chance to touch her, although not in the ways that I wanted.
Fully intending to break her before handing her off to the Bratva, I’ve surprisingly not done more than wrap my hands around her throat or grope her through her clothes.
I was never big on kissing, but something about her mouth made me want to remedy that.
I did not slam my lips over hers yet, though, despite the sudden desire to do so.
Especially when she was giving me lip. And speaking of those, I’ve fantasized about having them wrapped around my cock more times than could be considered healthy.
Each night, I’d spend half an hour or more stroking and jerking my cock raw while imagining the blonde in a number of compromising positions.
On her knees... Face down and ass up... On her back.
.. Against the wall... Bent over... No matter how I pictured her, I stayed hard, and my hand had done little to provide relief.
I even thought about bringing another woman to the penthouse.
Hell, I would make Aurora watch the woman suck my dick or take it in her ass.
The only thing stopping me was that I was already committing a serious felony in kidnapping, and my uncles would have my head for doing something as stupid as inviting witnesses over.
“So you drag me out in the middle of the night and can’t even tell me why?
It isn’t as if I’m going to use my breath and finger to write ‘help me’ on the window.
..” As she went on, I did glance over to make sure she hadn’t already done so because her words were specific.
That must’ve been something she had thought out.
“...so I don’t see what a fucking location would hurt. ”
“If I tell you, will you shut the hell up?” I asked her in exasperation.
She smiled sweetly at me, and again, I wanted to smear her lipstick. She couldn’t really talk if she had her mouth stuffed with my cock. “Yes. For a while.”
At least she’s fucking honest. At this point, I doubted she even had a filter on her mouth.
“New York City.”
“New York. Is that where you hand me off to my future husband?”
“You said you’d be quiet if I told you the location.”
“Just please tell me. It’ll make it easier on me to accept if I am prepared for it.”
I should’ve just turned my head and looked back out the window, but I kept my eyes on her instead. “And how does one prepare for an arranged marriage to a complete stranger in the mob? Do tell,” I urged.
She glared at me, and although it was dark outside, I could see her face through the various streaks of moonlight, only to curse them inwardly when we hit a much darker stretch of road.
If we’d taken the highway down to Manhattan, we’d be halfway there by now, but my uncles suggested the back roads, so here we were on a car trip that would take almost twice as long and be a hell of a lot less scenic.
Unless you counted the blonde beside me.
She’d done everything she could to tease me over the course of time she’d been with me so far.
The only thing she did that didn’t tempt me was dress provocatively, since she tended to stay mostly covered.
I’d asked her about it one night over dinner, and she’d explained she had an autoimmune disorder that caused her hands, feet, ears, and nose to become cold to the touch and numb.
“I’m waiting,” I said once more.
“Nothing will ever prepare me for that. I can’t believe you’re actually going to go along with it.”
“And why would I not? It’s not like you mean anything at all to me.”
“The feeling is mutual, asshole.” From there, she turned, cutting off my access to her face.
She also turned her body the best that she could, and I shook my head.
Retrieving my cell phone from my pocket, I went immediately to my text messages.
I had several. Some were from my uncles, but nothing that I hadn’t already gone over with them.
Others were from some of the various women I kept at my beck and call.
From the “I’m lonely” or “It’s been a while.
Wanna rediscover me?” messages, there was nothing else with any of them.
I didn’t date anyone ever. My loyalty and duty were to this family, so a relationship would always come second.
No woman wanted to be second fiddle to anything else, so having any type of attachment wasn’t advised.
I also lived a dangerous life, and anyone I cared about could, and would, be used as a weakness.
I didn’t need to catch feelings, then become so caught up that the woman or I became collateral damage.
Other messages also came in and were from various associates.
There was even one from my cousin, Ciara.
Smiling at the string of memes she sent, I responded with a laugh to the last of them, before looking at the last sender.
It was one of the fight organizers letting me know where the next few matches were going down.
Instead of being cooped up in this car with Aurora, I should’ve been at any number of them getting ready to use my fists to relieve some of this pent-up energy roiling inside of me. I popped my knuckles roughly, and the cracking sound echoed in the vehicle.
My attention eventually returned to Aurora. I could see the damp streaks on her cheeks, which let me know she had been crying. For fuck’s sake, get a grip, I urged myself as the sight of her tears had my hands balling tightly into fists.
“At the risk of ending this silent treatment you’re giving me, the trip to New York City is just to meet my uncles. They’ll likely have more information for you on your... ahh... fiancé.”
“I will not marry someone I do not love,” she vowed.
“Life is full of illusions, and love is the biggest one of them all. Everything can be bought and sold in this world, so expecting someone to give or receive less based on some silly emotion is idiocy.”
“Spoken like a true cynic, Zarren. I’d just like to know who it was that hurt you so terribly?” she asked as she slowly turned back in my direction.
I chuckled. “In order to love, one would need a heart which I do not have.”
“You play the heartless bastard well, but your acting skills could use a little work.”
“Acting skills, eh?”
“You could’ve locked me away in a room, but you haven’t. That alone tells me that you like me at least a little.”
“I like not being ripped apart limb to limb by my uncles and tossed into the fucking harbor. If I allow a single hair on your head to be hurt, you become damaged goods.”
“Then do it so this Mikhail guy won’t want me anymore.”
I reached over and fisted a handful of her golden silk around my wrist, then pulled her face close to mine. “If I touch you, there’ll be nothing left for him to find and label as damaged. Besides, it’s better to be handed off as his betrothed versus the alternative.”
“W-what is the alternative?” she stammered in question.
“You’ll become a whore for the Bratva to use and abuse. Trust me, it’s better to just be one for your husband.”
“I really dislike you,” she whispered.
“The feeling is completely mutual, Bellezza. Now, why don’t you get a nap in. We’ve not even left Massachusetts yet, so there’s still a while to go.”
She huffed in irritation, and in haste to turn away from me, she yelped when my hand tugged on her hair. I released it from my grasp and savored the feel of those silken locks slipping through my fingers.
Once free of me, she did turn to her side.
It wasn’t long before I heard a few soft, feminine snores come from her.
Each time I looked over at her, she was still outside of the occasional shaking.
I reached for her hand and realized her fingers did feel like a block of ice.
Removing my jacket, I arranged it over her, then tucked her hands in so they could warm up.
I usually wore a hoodie, but I hadn’t today.
It didn’t matter because she needed my jacket more than I did.
To be honest, being this close to her had already made my body temperature rise.
In the penthouse, I’d have the luxury of space between us, but not here in the backseat of this SUV.
Raising my arms above my head, I stretched fully, then tried to close my own eyes.
I had barely shut them when I felt a slight nudge.
“What is it?” I asked Conor when he touched me to get my attention.
“We need to stop for gas. There’s an all-night place a mile off the exit.”
“Alright,” I responded before waking myself back up. The last thing I needed was for Aurora to wake up when the car stopped and find me asleep. She’d run, and with the darkness and our unfamiliarity with this area, she might actually escape.
“There’s a vehicle that keeps gaining on us,” Liam said as he stared out the rearview mirror. “I’ve tried to dodge it multiple times and have even tried to slow down so it could pass, but each time it slows down with me. You think it’s anything to be overly concerned with, Boss?”
“It’s likely some asshole or juvenile delinquents trying to fuck with us for fun. I’ll keep my eyes on them. You just focus on the road.”
“Sure thing,” he said, and I slowly turned to watch the van accelerate then decelerate.
Convinced it was nothing more than some teenage punks, I couldn’t be sure.
In this world, you always had to stay strapped and ready.
I never left home without my Glock 19, and as Liam veered off the state road and the van followed, I pulled the gun from the area between the seat and the door.
I did not even have time to take off the safety when the van came around and passed us, then turned to its side right in front of us, causing Liam to slam on the brakes. When he did. Both Aurora and I both flew forward, although I had anticipated it and had been able to brace myself.
“Fuck! Go around it!”