Chapter 13 Fallon #2
We head up the stairs and Akio unlocks the door with a retina scanner. Who does he think he is, James Bond? He takes my hand and leads me through the house so quickly, that I barely have time to gawk at how freaking huge the place is.
“Honey, I’m home,” Akio announces as we enter the dining room. “And I’ve brought a date.”
There’s a table long enough to seat twenty in the middle of the room, and Akio pulls me down to the far end where the only two occupants, both mask-less and frowning, are sitting.
At the head of the table is none other than Lunar Security’s CEO, Matteo Moretti.
Holy yum. The image online didn’t do this man justice.
He has bronze skin and dark, wavy hair that is styled back from his face, showcasing his strong jawline and the white scar across his brow.
And if I look closely enough, there’s faded bruises circling his eyes and nose from where I socked him the other day.
Nice. “She’s not anyone’s date. Fallon is still our captive. ”
Declan snorts from across the table. “For now.”
Akio pulls out the seat to Matteo’s left for me, then takes the one next to mine. Matteo points a finger at Declan. “You don’t get to talk.”
“Oh, come on, brother. It’s not so bad. Look, she’s stuck with us now, true, but she was damn helpful in that interrogation back there.” He glances over at me. “And if she proves un-useful, well, then we just get rid of her.”
I raise an unimpressed brow. “By killing me, I assume?” I feign a yawn. “Boring.”
“Let’s just eat,” Matteo grumbles. He lifts a lid on the large serving tray between us, revealing the row of gourmet-style hamburgers sided with onion rings. I’m pretty sure I’m drooling.
The guys all take a burger and place it on their plate. Matteo is about to take a bite when his brows lower. “Eat,” he orders me.
“You know, I’m not actually your pet, you fucking caveman.” Still, I pick up the burger and bite into it. A moan slips from me. It’s like tasting a slice of heaven. Greasy and cheesy and prepared just the way I like it, with bacon. I swallow and take another bite.
“Damn, Siren.”
I glance up, noticing all their attention on me. Declan has already scarfed his burger down, but is scowling at me, and Matteo is just smiling smugly for some reason.
Akio shifts in his seat, throwing his arm over the back of my chair. “If we knew feeding you burgers would pull noises like that out of you, then we would have let you eat with us a lot sooner.”
I lick my lips, and his dark eyes follow the movement.
We eat in silence for a bit, but I can’t take much of it. I’m so sick of silence. “So, what happens now? You guys gonna feed me and then shove me back in that shoebox?”
“It’s not a shoebox,” Matteo says. “It’s a state-of-the-art panic room that we designed. It’s the best of the best.”
“Then you try living in one for weeks,” I shoot back. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I’m going to get out of here soon. If I know Quinn, then she’s been looking for me since you guys scooped me up on my run.”
“Quinn works for Helix, right?” Akio asks.
“Yes, she works at Helix Enterprises in the tech department. She’s an amazing hacker, actually.” I side-eye him and plop an onion ring in my mouth. “Probably better than you.”
Akio’s smooth laugh has shivers running down my spine. He leans closer, his warm breath tickling the shell of my ear. “Nobody’s better than me, baby.”
I turn my head to look at him, but he doesn’t move, which only brings our mouths inches apart. I stare at his lips, then drop my gaze to his athletic body. He's basically draped over me, and I don’t hate it.
“Enough,” Matteo barks. When Akio leans away, I make a note of the CEO’s clenched fist on the table, and the deep frown he’s aiming at his friend. He shifts his gaze to me. “We want to make a deal with you.”
“A deal?” I ask with raised brows. “What kind of deal?”
“The kind where everybody wins. We get the evidence we need and you get to go back to your life.”
Are they seriously considering letting me out of here? After I saw their faces? My eyes dart between the three of them. “This feels like a trap.”
“Not a trap,” Matteo says, folding his hands beneath his chin. “You say you were seeking Cerberus before we kidnapped you, that you wanted our help?”
“Yes…” My eyes narrow. If they think I’m spilling my secrets now, they’re shit out of luck. “So, what?”
“The deal is, you cooperate with us, answer any and all of our questions, help us nail the criminals that we know work at Helix, then we will help you with whatever you were so desperate to contact us for.”
I bristle at his choice of words. “I was never desperate for your help.”
He ignores me. “We’ll give you some time to think about it, but this offer will expire, so think quickly.
” Matteo picks up his napkin, wiping the corner of his mouth and tossing it on his plate.
“If you’re done eating, we can show you to your room.
” I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off.
“Your new room. Because of the circumstances, we decided you may need a more comfortable space.”
“Circumstances being you not leaving here for the foreseeable future,” Declan explains unnecessarily.
I roll my eyes at him, but Matteo continues.
“The rules are that you will stay locked in your room at night, but we will allow you to roam certain parts of the house during the day. You will remain inside the house at all times unless escorted by one of us. Any attempts to escape, any attempts to hurt or kill one of us, will result in you being thrown back into the panic room downstairs. Got it?”
I mock a salute. “Aye, aye, Funshine.”
Akio bursts a laugh. “Funshine? Like the fucking Care Bear?”
If I’m not mistaken, I think that pulls a little smirk from Declan too.
I shrug. “Matteo’s just so energetic and always making sure I’m having such a good time.” I look over at Matteo who’s got a bored look on his face. “Remember when you held me down and tore all my clothes off? Fun times.”
He huffs. “Just go to your room before I change my mind.”
Still laughing, Akio pushes his chair back and gets to his feet. “I’ll take you.”
He takes my hand again, and I let him, leading me up the grand staircase to the next floor. We pass room after room, and I have to wonder…
“Is it just the three of you living here?” I don’t know why the thought of them having someone else living with them, like a wife or a girlfriend, bothers me so much, but it does.
“Nope,” Akio says, and my stomach drops. He stops in front of a closed door, leaning his shoulder against the frame as he looks down at me. “Hades lives here too.”
I smile reluctantly, ignoring the sense of relief that just washed through me. “Right. Who could forget that sweet boy?”
He returns my grin. “You’ll also see our housekeeper, Ms. Trudy, around most days, but she lives just down the road in the guest house we have on the property. She’s a crotchety old hag who loves to bust our balls, but we love her.”
“She sounds like someone I’d get along with.”
“I could definitely see you two conspiring against us.” Akio nods at the door.
“This is your room. Let me show you.” Striding into the room, he aims for the nightstand by the giant king size bed and opens the drawer.
“You won’t be as bored here, I promise.” He shakes the remote at me then presses a button that has a TV popping up out of the footboard.
This room is already looking a thousand times better than the one downstairs.
I do a slow circle around the space, noting the camera in the top right corner. Of course. There’s a connected bathroom with a shower and a clawfoot tub. That’s also where I find a walk-in closet. I poke my head inside, seeing the few items hanging already.
“I went out earlier and got you some more clothes,” he explains, coming up behind me, so close that I can feel the heat of his body against my back.
“Thank you,” I say, slowly turning back to face him.
“Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you in our clothes, but I thought you’d want some that’ll fit you better.
” He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture is surprisingly intimate, and I find myself wanting to lean into his touch.
On an inhale, I catch a hint of leather and honey coming from him, which is a weirdly alluring combination.
I let my eyes wander down his lean, muscular body. Now that he’s no longer covered by a mask and hood, I can’t stop staring. “Didn’t think you were the kind of guy to wear leather.”
He leans back just enough to look at the sleeve of his jacket. “Because I’m a computer nerd I can’t wear leather and drive a motorcycle?”
“You do?”
Smart, big dick, cares if I live, and rides a motorcycle? Where’d this guy come from?
“Maybe if you’re good, I’ll take you on a ride sometime.”
“And if I’m a brat?” I tease, because I can’t help myself. Something about these guys makes me want to push and test their limits.
Our gazes lock, and it feels like all the oxygen has been sucked from the room.
“Oh, Fallon.” Pressing a hand against the wall above my head, he leans forward so that his hot breath fans my lips.
His other hand travels up the length of my neck to cradle my jaw.
“If I told you what I’d like to do to you every time you’re being a brat, then I’d never make it out of this room. ”
“Oh?” My voice comes out unsteady. “Sounds like a you problem.”
He huffs a laugh. “This fucking mouth,” he says to himself and rubs a thumb over my lips, dragging the bottom one down before releasing it. “The things I’ve dreamed of doing to this perfect fucking mouth.”
For an impossibly long second, it feels like he’s going to close the distance between us and show me exactly what he’d do – what I want him to do – but he expels a breath and steps back.
All the oxygen rushes back in, cooling my heated skin.
“I’m going to go before you make me do something you’ll regret in the morning.”
When he turns to leave, I blurt, “Why the sudden change?”
He pauses a moment before turning back to me.
His voice is low and thoughtful when he speaks.
“Maybe we realized that to get the answers we need, we were dancing on the line of becoming the same monsters we’re fighting against. Maybe I believe you, and the thought of hurting you doesn’t sit right with me.
” He leans closer so we’re face to face, a breath apart.
“Maybe, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how we treated you, and I am going to do whatever it takes to make it up to you.
I know locking you in your room and not letting you leave isn’t a great way of showing that, but I promise, keeping you safe is just as much of a priority to me as it is finding justice for those Cerberus fights for. ”
Reaching out, I link my hand with his. I don’t give any verbal response because it’s not okay and I’m not forgiving him anytime soon. Instead, I squeeze his fingers because being able to apologize that way deserves some kind of recognition.
“I know it’s a lot to process, but I think you’ll be surprised by how well we’ll work together if you agree to this deal.” He squeezes my hand. “Promise you’ll think about it?”
I nod reluctantly because I’d be stupid not to consider this deal with Cerberus, but a part of me – a huge part – still doesn’t trust them. These are the same men who were hellbent on torturing the answers out of me days ago. Why would I believe they’d help me after they get what they want from me?
Akio lets go of my hand and quietly slips from the room with one last lingering look back at me. The door clicks shut, the sound of the lock echoing through the space of my new but much roomier prison, and I sink to the floor.
What was I thinking actually wanting my kidnapper to kiss me? How the fuck did I get here?
All I know is that these guys are getting past my defenses, and I’m not sure I want to push them out.