Brazen Obsession (Obsession #4)

Stealing Assets on Hand

Sara

It’s early morning when they pull us out of the van. After the darkness inside, it takes my eyes a moment to focus on my surroundings. We’re at another country estate, but this isn’t the same one I was held at before. The house is massive, and I can’t see anything around it except for trees.

More fucking trees.

Finn and Dante are both hooded with their hands tied. Just like Tom. They’re only in boxers while at least Natasha and I have on pajamas, not that it helps when the morning is chilly. We have no idea who is behind the kidnapping this time.

Wyatt and Drew should be on their way back to the estate, and when they find us gone with obvious signs of a struggle, who knows how they’ll react?

The men in black nod at us and then jerk their heads in the direction of the front door. I hold on to Finn’s arm and can feel Dante behind me as I follow. Natasha has Tom as we make our way up the steps and into the foyer.

It smells like an old library with a hint of lemon. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s different.

“Fuck,” Finn whispers.

“What?” Does he know something? Or is it just a general statement?

He shakes his head but his arm tenses beneath my touch.

“In here.” The leader opens a door to a receiving room. There are sofas and nice furniture with a few side tables. “The boss will be with you shortly.”

As soon as he closes the door with us in here, I reach up and pluck off Finn’s hood. He winces as he studies the room.

I take off Dante’s hood.

“Thanks, pip.” He blinks a few times and looks around, but there’s no recognition in his eyes.

“Where are we?” I turn to Finn and wait for an answer. He knows something.

“See that writing desk, flower.” He nods toward a wooden desk under a large picture window. “Middle drawer. Should be some scissors.”

I walk over and find the scissors. The back of my neck tingles. Does Finn know where we are? Or did he just guess they would be in the desk? I bring them over and cut the zip tie holding Finn’s hands and then Dante’s, before turning and cutting Tom’s.

“Thanks.” Tom rubs his wrists.

I don’t have pockets or I’d put the scissors in them. Weapons are important when you’ve been captured. I learned that the hard way.

Finn takes the scissors from me and returns them to the drawer before I can figure out where to hide them. When he comes back, he draws me down on the couch next to him.

“Might as well make yourselves comfortable.” Finn crosses his ankle over his knee like he’s wearing a suit and not just boxer briefs.

I open my mouth to question him, but the doors open. Wyatt and Drew walk into the room and the doors close behind them. My heart nearly bursts I’m so happy to see them. I get up and fling myself into Wyatt’s arms before turning and hugging Drew.

“Hey, trouble.” Wyatt kisses the top of my head as I hug him again.

“I’m not surprised.” Finn just shakes his head.

“What’s going on?” Natasha clears her throat from where she and Tom sit on the couch. “This isn’t one of my father’s houses.”

Everyone looks at Finn.

He blows out a breath. “This is my father’s estate. Guess my old man heard about our happy news and wanted to welcome you into the family.”

Finn’s green eyes land on me. I swallow. Finn’s father? Yeah, this doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a good time.

“What do you think he’ll do?” I whisper.

Wyatt guides me toward Finn. Finn takes my hand, dragging me down beside him.

“First off, give him nothing. Not even while we’re in here. You can assume you’re being watched everywhere in this house.” Finn glares at the corners of the room. “For now, flower, it’s you and me. Do you understand?”

He tips my chin up and searches my eyes.

I nod. So we’re a couple and not whatever with the others. I’m sure Finn is doing it to keep us all safe. But they found me in bed with Finn and Dante, so his father not knowing we’re in a complicated relationship is probably not realistic. But Finn knows how to deal with his father.

Maybe he just assumes Finn is into sharing.

Dante shakes his head. Drew nods thoughtfully as he studies the room. Wyatt sits in a chair and clasps his hands between his knees.

“What do we know?” Wyatt asks.

“There were no weapons used. They know one of the women is pregnant,” Dante says.

“At least they let us get dressed.” Drew smirks as he looks at the guys in their boxers.

“We didn’t exactly agree to go with them.” Finn rubs the back of his neck and glances at Tom and Natasha. “Sara’s pregnant.”

It’s a statement, but Natasha nods. Her face is a blank slate. She’s in the enemy’s camp this time. Our eyes meet for a second and she bows her head to me. Her knuckles are white where she clings to Tom’s hand.

If Peter was willing to do anything to me in vengeance for Natasha, what will Finn’s father do to Peter’s daughter?

“What’s the plan?” Wyatt doesn’t look at me but his gaze remains on Finn.

“Get some clothes and talk to my father. See what he wants.” Finn shrugs but his body is tense next to mine.

“Our mission wasn’t helpful.” Wyatt blows out a breath. “They suggested getting a bigger shark.”

Finn presses his lips together. The only one bigger than Peter is Finn’s father. What will that cost Finn? I tangle my fingers with his and lean my head against his shoulder. I don’t know a lot about Finn’s family, but I know he spent most of his childhood with us.

He squeezes my hand.

The others settle in chairs around us. I didn’t sleep well last night, and after a few minutes of quiet, my eyes grow heavier.

When the door opens, I straighten. A man in a suit comes in.

“Mr. Lawson.” The man nods and holds out a suit. He gestures to someone behind him who brings in some sweats and t-shirts. “If you’d like to freshen up.”

Finn stands and takes the suit and the other items.

“You may use the restroom individually.” The man bows his head and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Finn runs a hand through his hair. “There’s a bathroom across the hall. I’ll take anyone who wants to use it.”

“Yes, please,” Natasha and I say at the same time.

Finn smiles. A little of the flirt I love peeking through. “Come on, I’ll walk you both over there.”

He hands the other clothes to Dante and Tom and tosses the suit on the couch where we were.

“At least we won’t be mostly naked.” Dante smirks and shakes out the clothes that are clearly Finn-sized. Which will work for Tom but might be slightly short on Dante.

Finn takes my hand and nods to Natasha. She falls in line behind us. When he leads us out of the room, I take in the entryway with its marble floors and flashes of gold that I ignored on the way in.

Finn opens the door to the bathroom and I wave Natasha to go first. When she shuts herself in, I lean back against the wall. Finn leans over me, our bodies almost brushing.

I cup his jaw, the beginnings of stubble scratch my fingertips. Tingles light through me. “Are you okay?”

He lowers his forehead to rest against mine. “Yeah, flower. I have you. We’re all safe. My father doesn’t want to hurt me or you. There’s nothing to worry about here.”

“Then why are you so tense?” I ask and place my hand over his heart.

“My father is very much a black-and-white kind of guy, even though he lives in the gray.” His hand rests on my hip and he releases a breath. “I don’t know what he wants, but it can’t be good if he’s taken us in the middle of the night from what we hoped was a secure location.”

“He didn’t show up until Drew and Wyatt left.” I touch his soft lower lip with my thumb. “Maybe he didn’t know about the place, but was watching for us.”

“Or he didn’t want his men to get overwhelmed by five guys instead of three.” Finn closes his eyes. “We just need to keep our heads and not give him any ammunition.”

I breathe him in. “Okay.”

He presses his lips against mine and Natasha clears her throat.

I search his green eyes but they’re troubled, and I don’t know how I can help him. I kiss him back and slip into the bathroom.