Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
T aking a swig of his beer, Rhys scanned the party for Haven. Gia always put on a good spread. It had been at a party just like this one that he’d first seen Haven.
She’d been standing in Gia’s living room, smiling, wearing a sexy, green dress that hugged that sweet ass of hers. She hadn’t laughed much, had been a little tense, but Rhys had still felt like he’d been hit by a flash-bang grenade.
Now, he’d finally had a taste of her, and experienced the smart, sexy woman beneath.
He wanted her. All of her.
His hands tightened on the beer bottle. He needed to get her safe first.
He still couldn’t see her in the crowd and frowned. He’d known that she’d needed a moment after the balcony. She felt their connection, but she was fighting it.
That damn ex of hers had her spooked.
He spotted Gia talking with her friends. Center of the party, as always.
“Hey, Gia, have you seen Haven?”
His sister frowned. “No, check the bathroom, maybe?”
Rhys strode that way. Saxon caught his gaze.
“You look like you want to smash someone’s teeth in,” Saxon said.
“You seen Haven?”
Saxon straightened. “No.”
Together they quickly checked Gia’s condo. Panic—hot and burning—hit Rhys’ chest. There was no sign of her.
They met Vander in the kitchen.
“Haven’s missing,” Rhys said.
His brother grabbed his phone and put it on speaker.
“This better be life or death,” Ace’s voice growled from the phone. Ace hadn’t come to the party as he’d had prior plans.
Rhys’ gut churned. “Haven’s missing from Gia’s party.”
“Shit.” The rustle of sheets, then a muffled female voice in the background. “This is work. You should head out, babe. Right. Vander, I’m getting my laptop now.”
A few moments passed.
“Pulling security footage.” There was a pause. “Shit. Damn. Fuck .”
Vander’s phone pinged, as did Rhys and Saxon’s.
Rhys yanked out his phone and stared at the image of Haven outside Gia’s door, struggling with a man. A woman in a blue dress watched with a faint smile.
“A man carried her out of the building,” Ace said.
“Ace, I need his face,” Rhys growled.
“Here.”
Another ding, and a new image appeared on Rhys’ phone. It was a perfect shot of the man’s face, with Haven’s head lolling over his arm.
Leo Becker.
“He drugged her.” A roar started inside Rhys’ head.
“Keep a lock on it,” Vander said.
“Hey, the woman in the blue dress is still here.” Saxon jerked his head toward the living room.
Rhys swiveled. He spotted the woman amongst the partygoers, then he exploded across the living room.
“Rhys!” Vander barked out.
The woman lifted her head, her eyes widening as Rhys barreled down on her. She backed up and Rhys pressed a hand against her shoulder and shoved her against the wall. Gasps and murmurs broke out.
“Rhys!” Gia snapped. “You can’t—”
“What did he pay you?” Rhys’ tone was low and deadly.
“Rhys?” Gia said again, confusion in her voice.
“He paid you to lure her out of the party. He drugged and abducted her.”
Gia hissed out a sharp breath. “Haven? Oh, God. Leah, what the fuck?”
Leah licked her lips. “It was all in fun. He’s her boyfriend, and he wanted to surprise her.” The woman was talking fast, babbling. “He asked me to find some way to get her into the hall, but I got lucky and she answered the door. Apparently, she’s into kinky stuff, likes being kidnapped.”
“Fuck!” Rhys exploded.
Vander and Saxon gripped his arms and pulled him away from the woman.
Leah rubbed her shoulder.
Easton pushed forward. “What’s going on? Where’s Haven?”
“Becker kidnapped her,” Rhys said through clenched teeth.
“Shit.” Easton muttered.
Leah’s face drained of color. “He’s…he isn’t her boyfriend?”
“He’s her abusive ex-boyfriend.” Gia’s voice was as sharp as a blade.
The woman slapped a hand against her mouth. “Oh God, I didn’t—”
Rhys turned away. “We need to get searching.”
Vander put his phone to his ear. “Ace, find what Becker is driving, and where the hell he took her.”
Rhys strode onto the corridor. He had to find Haven.
If that prick hurt her…
Vander gripped his shoulder. “Becker won’t hurt her.”
“Becker’s a wildcard,” Rhys snapped. “He hit her before, dragged her into this fucking mess, and now he’s drugged her.”
Standing waiting for the elevator, Rhys turned and punched the wall. His fist went through the drywall.
“We’ll find her,” Vander repeated.
Rhys nodded, but his throat tightened. He wouldn’t relax until Haven was back in his arms.
* * *
Haven blinked her eyes, fighting through the grogginess wrapped around her like a thick blanket. How much wine had she drunk?
She opened her eyes and found herself sprawled on a couch in a small, not-so-nice apartment. The couch had an awful floral pattern with dubious stains on it.
What the hell? She jerked upright.
Then she spotted Leo sitting in an armchair across from her.
She jolted. “Leo? What the hell?” Memories came back to her in a rush. “Oh, my God, you kidnapped me!”
“Haven—”
“Shut up.” She dropped her head into her hands. Her friends would be out of their minds with worry.
Rhys .
Shit, Rhys would be tearing the city apart.
Leo, looking bad-boy disheveled, leaned forward in the armchair. She noted the lines of stress and tiredness on his face. She jerked back, not wanting to get too close to him.
“I left,” she said. “I want nothing to do with you. Why won’t you leave me alone?”
His handsome face twisted. “I never wanted to hurt you. I love you, Haven.”
She laughed harshly. “You’re kidding me.” She saw from his face that he was serious. “God, you aren’t.” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you love the cocktail waitress who gave you a blow job in your office, too?”
Leo closed his eyes. “That was a mistake.”
Haven made an angry sound. Why wouldn’t her past leave her alone?
“I was under a lot of stress. You kept pushing—”
“I was your girlfriend . I was worried. I wanted to help you.” She sat back, and worried for a second what she might catch from this damn couch. “I guess being in debt to the Russian mafia is stressful.”
Her ex dragged in a breath. “You know.”
“I’m in danger, Leo. I’ve been hurt, a hundred-million-dollar painting I’m responsible for was stolen from my workplace, my apartment exploded. Yes, I know.”
“That’s why I’m here. I want to keep you safe. You need to come with me and—”
“You can’t be serious.” She rose and her head swam.
Dammit . She locked her legs to keep from swaying.
“I want nothing from you. I don’t want to be anywhere near you.
You’re the one who put me in danger.” She took two steps away.
“I need to contact my friends.” Rhys would be going crazy.
“They’ll be worried. Where the hell are we? ”
“Airbnb I rented. And your friends can’t worry for you, or care for you, like I do.”
Was he serious? Had he always been this self-centered? “You are absolutely right. They care for me way more than you ever did. I’m leaving.”
Leo leaped up. “No. It’s too dangerous. Zakharov’s men—”
She cocked her head. “Your Russian friends.”
“They’re after you,” he said.
“Why?” Anger was a burn in her throat. “How do they even know who I am?”
“I told you, I’m desperate. I needed to pay them back, and when I told Sergei about the painting…” Leo swallowed. “They’ve got it, but they’re finding it hard to sell a painting like that.”
“It’s a stolen masterpiece. No shit.”
“They need someone reputable to guarantee that it is what it is, and not a fake. They know how knowledgeable you are…”
Her eyes widened. “They blew up my apartment and tried to kill me!”
“You weren’t supposed to be there.” He shoved his hands through his hair. “It was the afternoon and you should have been at work. They just wanted to rattle you, limit your options…”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”
“They think you can help them shift the painting.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re also not happy with me. They have some San Francisco security firm on their ass.”
“My boss is a wealthy, influential businessman, Leo.”
“He the one you’re fucking?”
Haven ground her teeth together. “No, not that it’s any of your business. One of his brothers runs that security firm, and the other one works there. They want the painting back. They’re also my friends, and they want me safe.”
“Zakharov wants to use you to try and control me.”
“Why?” she screeched.
“Because he knows I love you.”
“Stop telling people you love me. I don’t love you!”
Hurt filled his features. “We were good, Haven.”
“For about thirty seconds, Leo. We had fun. Then it wasn’t fun, and now it’s really not fun. I’ve moved on. Please. Leave. Me. Alone .”
He stared at her with those clear-blue eyes she’d once thought were beautiful. “Moved on with that asshole on the phone?”
Haven wanted to scream. “That’s what you got from what I said? Not me telling you how I feel and what I want?”
He paused. “Are you with him?”
“I’m leaving, Leo.”
“No!” He lunged at her.
They wrestled for a second and she jabbed her fingers into his eyes. He yelped and fell, and they both went down in a tangle, rolling on the dirty carpet. They hit a coffee table, and pain flared in her hip.
“Let me go!” she yelled.
“I have to keep you safe!”
Haven managed to get on top of him, and rammed her knee into his gut. Leo stayed in decent shape, but he was nowhere near as hard and muscled as Rhys.
The air whooshed out of him and he grunted.
Haven scrambled up, then yanked the front door open. She’d lost her heels in the fight, but she didn’t pause. She raced barefoot down the dingy stairwell.
She hit the street, looked left and right, then went left. The cool air hit her and she shivered.
She wanted Rhys. She wanted those muscular, tattooed arms around her. For once, she wanted to lean on someone and trust them to help hold her up.
Stifling a sob, she turned a corner. She had no idea where she was, but she saw lights and shops ahead.
She broke into a jog and spotted a Walgreens. She needed to call Gia and Rhys.
The doors swished open.
“I need help.”
A middle-aged woman and a teenaged girl stood behind the counter, their eyes widening. The woman raced around to Haven. “Oh, honey. Are you okay?”
Haven nodded. “Can I use your phone?”
The woman patted her back. “Of course.”
Haven was so glad she knew Gia’s number by heart. She held the phone in her trembling hands. It rang.
“Hello?”
“Gia!”
“Haven! Are you all right? The guys are out searching everywhere for you.”
“I’m okay. Leo—”
“We know, we saw the security footage. Where are you?”
“At a Walgreens. Hang on.” She put her hand over the phone. “Where are we?” The teenager rattled off the address, and Haven gave it to her friend.
“Sit tight, girlfriend. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let me call the cavalry.”
“Thanks, G.” Haven handed the phone back to the woman. “Thank you. Someone’s coming.”
“Do you want to call the police?”
All Haven wanted was to not be here. “No, that’s okay.”
A few minutes passed and she saw movement at the door. She looked up.
A wild-eyed Leo stared at her through the glass.
Oh, hell . The doors opened and she pushed away from the counter.
Leo strode in. “Haven, we need to go now.”
“Leo, leave me alone. I don’t know how else to say it.”
He grabbed her arm. “You need to—”
“Hey,” the Walgreen’s lady interrupted. “Leave her alone.”
Leo ignored the woman and jerked Haven forward. She shoved at him, but he moved closer.
Suddenly, a candy bar sailed through the air and smacked Leo in the forehead. He blinked, shocked, and Haven glanced to see the teenage girl grabbing another candy bar off a display near the counter.
“Haven,” Leo growled.
“Just leave ,” she yelled.
He yanked her again and she pulled back. They spun in an unwieldy circle and crashed into a display. Hair brushes and accessories flew everywhere.
She fell to the floor and Leo landed on top of her. The air rushed out of her.
“My God, what did I ever see in you?” she cried.
She shoved at him, then suddenly, he was yanked off her and he went flying, smacking into a set of shelves.
She scrambled up to see Vander and Saxon standing in the doorway, their faces like stone.
Vander crossed his arms over his chest. “Haven, you all right?”
She nodded.
Then she turned. Rhys had Leo on the ground, one tattooed hand fisted at the front of Leo’s shirt, while he punched Leo in the face with his other hand.
Oh, God.
She raced over. “Rhys, let him go. He’s not worth it.”
That got her no response. Leo moaned.
“Rhys!” She clung to his side. “Please.”
He hesitated.
“I need you. I feel a huge freak-out coming on.” Not really, she was more pissed than upset, but she did a pretty good job of making her voice shake.
Rhys dropped Leo. He turned to her, face like thunder and his eyes boiling.
“Rhys,” she whispered.
He yanked her up and kissed her. She sank into him, feeling a punch of emotions—relief, desire, anger. His tongue touched hers and she slid her hands into his thick hair.
When he finally pulled back, he pressed his forehead to hers and she clung to him. Then she let out a happy, little sigh.
He tilted his head. “What happened to the freak-out?”
Oops . “Oh, well, your kiss chased it away.”
His dark eyes narrowed, but then his lips twitched. “You wouldn’t be trying to distract me from beating the shit out of your ex, would you?”
“Who, me?”
He shook his head, his lips twitching.
“You said you weren’t dating your boss.” Leo’s voice was nasally and his nose was bleeding.
“He’s not my boss,” she huffed. “He’s my boss’ brother.”
Leo scowled. “He’s an asshole—”
Rhys shifted, and quickly, Haven stepped in front of him to block his view of Leo.
“Be quiet,” she snapped at Leo. “You don’t exist for me.”
“But this asshole does?” Leo scowled at Rhys.
Behind her, Rhys tensed. She pressed a hand to his hard gut, and was momentarily distracted by feeling his six pack through his shirt.
“He does. Tell your friends I have nothing to do with you.” She turned. “Can we go home now?”
“Yeah, angel.”
Rhys picked her up and she snuggled into him.
“I can walk,” she said.
“I know.” He didn’t set her down.
She leaned into him as he headed out the door.