Chapter Nineteen
R ebel hated every step he took away from Crow.
He felt like he was losing a part of himself.
It amazed him that he had gone from hating the guy to craving his presence.
So yeah, he might have developed a little crush on Crow, but who in their right mind wouldn’t? Crow was hands down the hottest guy ever.
Jimmy’s hand slid over his shoulder and Rebel steeled himself not to shudder. The man’s touch gave him the fucking creeps. He had only flirted with the guy to get the job.
But now after hanging out hours upon hours with Crow, Jimmy’s touch was revolting.
Rebel hid it well, though, he’d learned that talent as a young man. When Tanis had touched him, he had had to school his reaction otherwise Tanis would have tortured him more than he already had.
It was nighttime, Rebel reminded himself. He only had to spend the night one more time at Jimmy’s and then get to dinner tomorrow night before he could walk with Angel in the gardens.
“I don’t like what you did tonight,” Jimmy said after they settled in a dark town car and were speeding through the dark streets of L.A.
“Brought you another hire?” Rebel asked keeping his voice confused.
“I don’t…like that you have a boyfriend.”
“I’m lonely.” Rebel gave Jimmy a sad pout.
Jimmy’s throat moved with a hard swallow. “I can take care of that.”
Rebel bit his lip and gazed at Jimmy from beneath his lashes. Distracting men with his looks had become a talent for him.
“Can I think about it?”
“What’s so good about him?” Jimmy didn’t look pleased.
“I had to think about him too before I said yes.”
That caught Jimmy by surprise. “You did?”
“Yes. He’s been wanting to date me for months.”
“Oh…” Jimmy frowned. “I don’t think I can wait that long.”
“I won’t make you wait for long,” Rebel said.
Rebel silently vowed to kill the predator soon. When Jimmy took his hand and held it, Rebel didn’t pull away.
“Promise?”
Rebel nodded.
He would keep his promise.
Only it wasn’t the promise Jimmy would be expecting.
The following day crept by.
Jimmy wanted to spend the day by the pool and Rebel knew why.
It got him into small swim briefs and Angel into a barely there bikini.
At least Jimmy hadn’t come to his room last night. He was grateful for that, but he also knew that Angel had paid the price.
Finger-sized bruises littered the inside of her thighs and she winced when she entered the water.
Rebel floated on the water closer to Angel. If he could carry his weapons in the house, or get his hands on a knife in the kitchen, then he could have sliced and diced the fucker into pieces.
But then he would be on the run and trying to get Angel out of there. And with all of Jimmy’s men, he would never make it.
And of that, Rebel knew without a doubt. If he killed Jimmy and had to get out alone, no problem, but with Angel in tow?
Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
It was only a matter of waiting for the right time and Crow would come for him.
“Tonight,” Rebel whispered when Angel floated closer in the warm pool, beneath the clouded sky.
Tears started in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks.
She ducked beneath the surface to hide them and Rebel dove beneath the water with her.
Jimmy shifted in his chair and took a long swallow of his bourbon on the rocks. Watching the two young teenagers swimming like seals in the water gave him a hard-on that wasn’t going to be satisfied until he had them both together. Surrounding him, over and under him. Imagining their combined sounds of release or pain, he rubbed his hand hard over his crotch.
Tonight, he would bring them both to his room. He knew instinctively that with Angel along, Rebel would be much more compliant. It gave him a way to avoid rape because Rebel cared about Angel. First, he would try coaxing the man, but if Rebel refused, all Jimmy had to do was threaten Angel and Rebel would be his.
“Hey, Boss,” Dennis said coming out of the house and drawing his attention from his possessions.
“What?” Jimmy asked when his right-hand man sat down at the table.
“Mitch is missing,” Dennis said.
Just then, Jimmy’s cell phone rang and he made a sound in his throat when his boss’s name flashed on the screen.
There was going to be hell to pay, and he steeled himself when he answered the call.
Dinner that night was strained and Rebel wondered what the hell had happened.
Men came in and out of the room constantly, interrupting the servers as they began to eat.
“It’s San Diego,” Dennis said, coming into the room holding out a cell phone.
Jimmy slammed down his fork and stalked from the room.
Angel gazed at him with wide, fearful eyes and Rebel held a finger to his lips.
He waited, and when Jimmy didn’t come back after ten minutes, Rebel pushed away from the table. Angel grabbed her sweater from the back of her chair and pulled it on. Rebel took Angel’s hand and drew her to the back door.
Since going outside in the back of the house was not uncommon, the two guards at the door moved aside to let them pass.
“Tell Jimmy we’re in the gardens,” Rebel said, and one guard nodded.
With their fingers linked, Rebel drew Angel along the winding path until they reached a stand of trees that butted up against a concrete wall.
Beneath Angel’s sweater was a thin dress that didn’t protect from the weather, but Rebel hadn’t wanted to waste time to change. He would give her the new sweats Crow had purchased for him the other day. They were about the same size, although the pants would be too long.
They only had minutes before Jimmy would find them gone and even though the man would know they were in the gardens, Jimmy would come and check on them.
Of that, Rebel had no doubt.