Chapter 2 Theo
THEO
WELL.
I’M FUCKED.
And not the way I preferred to be fucked, either.
My head throbbed like I’d been hit with a crowbar—
Oh wait. I had.
Not exactly the outcome I’d expected when I stepped outside to light a kretek and give Shep and King some space to hash out their shit.
Pain lanced through my temple and I instinctively went to reach for it, but a shooting flash of fire ricocheted up my arms and had me biting the inside of my cheek to keep quiet.
My wrists were bound tightly behind me, and I was sitting on the cold ground, up against something hard.
I didn’t dare open my eyes, though, not when I needed to assess the situation first. Hell, I didn’t even know if they were working, not with the amount of pain shooting across my eyes, which only pissed me off more.
Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to come after me? To leave me alive?
That was a fatal mistake on their part. Ce putain d’abruti est suicidaire.
How long was I unconscious? Where was I now? And who the hell was the asshole or assholes I’d have to kill?
My hands balled into fists behind me. Whatever I’d been pushed up against was cool to the touch and scraped against my skin when I tested out my restraints.
A boulder? A rock wall? I was obviously outside somewhere; I could feel the humidity in the air and the sweat dripping down the back of my neck.
Wait… Was I still in Brazil? In the goddamn jungle?
I was hotheaded at the best of times, and the urge to open my eyes, rip myself free, and go apeshit was immediately what I prepared myself to do, the pain in my body be damned.
But like I could hear him beside me, Shep’s logic took over, urging me to be smart about this.
Putain…Shep. I could see his stunning face behind my eyes, and the way it made my heart clench only intensified my rage at being kidnapped.
What would he say if he were here? Breathe. Get a good sense of your surroundings before making a move. Get back to me safely.
That last thought had me swallowing hard and wondering if he’d even want me back after the showdown with King.
Shep hadn’t exactly defended me or been willing to tell him we were more than just the fuck he’d walked in on.
I wasn’t about to admit that bothered me, so before I said something stupid I’d regret, I figured I’d calm down with a smoke.
Look where that’s gotten me.
Keeping my eyes closed, I steadied my breathing and listened for anything that would give me clues.
The hoot of monkeys somewhere off in the distance…
Insects buzzing around nearby…
A deep male voice speaking in hushed tones a few feet away…
I couldn’t feel the presence of anyone beside me, and that was enough to have me cracking my lids open slowly.
Putain. I was still in Brazil. Still in the damn jungle in some kind of cave.
The crunch of booted feet on branches alerted me to the man in black pacing in front of the entrance.
He was turned away, so I couldn’t see his face, but I gathered he wasn’t overly tall, though he had a muscular build that said he was the type to start and end a fight.
He held a phone up to his ear, and I didn’t make a sound as I strained to hear what he was saying.
“He’s secure.” He paused to listen to whoever was on the other end. “No, he’s still breathing…I think.”
Nice to know you care, asshole. But this little conversation he was having gave me the exact piece of information I’d been after.
Whoever this fuckwad was, he clearly wasn’t the brains behind the operation.
Non, that title belonged to whoever was on the other end of that call, and after I eradicated this muscled meathead, I would hunt that cretin down and end his miserable life.
“Led me right to him, dumb fucker.”
If he was talking about King, I couldn’t actually disagree with him, because seriously, what the fuck had he been thinking?
Oh, that’s right, he hadn’t been. He’d been acting on arrogance and adrenaline, two things that usually worked out well for him.
But not this time. This time when King had fueled up his jet and floored it out to our hidden compound to chew our asses out, he hadn’t even thought to check his rearview mirror, had he?
Non, and what had he done? He’d brought this dickhead right to our front door.
And why?
Because we hadn’t checked in with him in a day.
At least, that was the story he’d tried to tell.
But the truth of the matter was, he’d done all those stupid, moronic things because Shep—his ex-boyfriend and the incredible man he’d let slip through his fingers—had been holed up with me in what some might consider a jungle paradise. And that had driven him fucking crazy.
Not that King would ever admit it. Or that Shep would ever believe it.
Dieu, could there be two more obtuse people? It really was amazing they ran our organization when they couldn’t even see what was as plain as the noses on both of their too-good-looking faces.
They had unfinished business. It wasn’t that they were still in love or pining after each other. But they had underlying shit there to clean up, and I was now paying for it.
Putain. I was going to kick both their asses when I got free, because I would get free. It was just a matter of when and how.
“We’ll be leaving in the morning. Before sunrise,” Fuckwad said, as he began pacing again. “Plane knows to be ready.”
He listened to whatever was being said on the other end, then grunted an affirmative.
“He’s not going to be a problem. He’s out cold.” That’s what you think. “I’ll call when we touch down. Let you know we’re on our way.”
Another pause, and then, “That’s not where you told me. Yeah, yeah, okay, so Mott. Got it.”
Mott? What the…?
I filed the information away, knowing the second I got out of here I’d be searching for every fucking reference of Mott that existed. Because whoever was behind this, behind the emails, the threats, the attempt on my life not once but twice now, I was determined to track them down.
“My eyes are on him,” Fuckwad said, and as he started back in my direction, I hung my head and played the unconscious man he seemed to think I was. “He’s not going anywhere.”
That was what he thought. But it was obvious that whoever was on the other end of the phone was more aware of my reputation, because they seemed awfully concerned with knowing that I was secure and knocked the fuck out.
Would’ve been smarter to tranquilize me.
“I’ll call tomorrow,” he finally said as two boots stopped in front of me.
I had a quick fantasy about removing the laces and strangling him with them, and, God willing, I’d get to fulfill it. But for now, as the very stupid man crouched down in front of me, I shut my eyes and played rag doll.
He reached out and angled my face up to his, and it took everything I had not to surprise the dumb shit by lunging forward and biting a chunk out of his ugly face. But I was smarter than that, and after the last month with Shep I’d learned a modicum of control.
I was going to wait this motherfucker out and gain as much strength as possible.
He obviously had orders to keep me alive, and while that worked for me, it definitely wasn’t going to work for him.
Oh well, that wasn’t my problem.
But I was definitely his.