Chapter 3
Cooper Ross.
I bet it’s not his real name. Why would I believe someone who’s wearing a mask? Somehow I keep ending up getting into these situations and I’m going to do it again. Yeah, sure, he’s going to help me lay low for my own safety. He wants something from me or a way to use me. It would be easier for him if I was willing, so he’s trying to make me think he’s on my side. I have to remember who I’m dealing with. He took me against my will and it’s not the first time a man has done that to me. I got away once and I’ll do it again, only this time I don’t think it will be so easy.
I’m not in a busy city like before where someone can hear me scream. We are speeding down a back road and I know I can’t jump out. He must read my thoughts because I hear the locks engage as he speeds up. I reach for the handle anyway to see if it will pop up, but it doesn”t. Child safety locks.
“Don’t hurt yourself with a stupid idea,” his deep voice rumbles.
He actually sounds like he cares, but it’s probably because I’ll splatter blood all over the side of his car. Someone would take notice of a women jumping from a vehicle, too, and he wouldn”t want that. I’m stuck and panic starts to set in. It creeps up my throat as I wonder what Cooper is going to do with me. How do I keep running into one bad guy after another? Maybe that’s all there is and it’s a cycle that’s never going to end. Maybe I attract them to me like some kind of bad guy magnet. I’m never getting out of the loop and it feels like it’s going to keep happening over and over.
The sudden onslaught of worry, adrenaline, and a mountain of fear take hold and my vision begins to become fuzzy. I can’t focus and my heart is hammering in my chest as my mouth dries up. This isn’t going to be good.
“Breathe,” I hear a voice say and I gasp as my eyes fly open. “Feel me breathe,” he tells me, and I close my eyes again as I try to get my breathing under control. I have to get it together because I can’t do this right now. “Breathe with me.” His voice is soothing and soft.
This time I listen as his big body wraps around mine and he holds me close. I feel his deep breathing and try to match mine with his. It takes me a minute but finally I’m okay. Oxygen fills my lungs and then I remember what’s happening and who’s holding me in their lap. The tightness in my throat starts to rise and I have to blink back tears.
“I promise on my life I’m not going to hurt you.” He voice is low and his warm breath against my ear tickles my skin.
“You said you’d cut me in half,” I remind him when I don’t feel a knife in his hand. They’re busy right now rubbing up and down my arm and back in a soothing pattern.
“That’s when I thought you worked for Monte.”
I do work for Monte, or I guess I did, but I keep that to myself. I already told him that and there’s no reason to bring up something that could make him change his mind. For some crazy reason beyond me, I don”t think he will, but I’m not exactly a great judge of character.
“Does that really matter? You seem like the type of man that’s going to do whatever he wants.” My eyes open and I don”t know why I’m getting smart with him. I should be keeping quiet and thinking of a way to get out of here. The first step would be to get out of his lap and get on his good side.
“Oh my.” I freeze when I realize he’s in front of my face and he’s got the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. He gives me a crooked smile and I see a dimple form on one cheek. I’m guessing he’s gotten this reaction from women before.
His short brown hair is a little messy, but even that makes him look hot. There’s something wrong with me because I should not be thinking about how handsome my kidnapper is.
“I’m not kidnapping you. I’m saving you.”
His smile is bigger now and I realize that I said that out loud. And I also realize that the thing digging into my ass is his incredibly hard erection.
“Sorry,” he says, but he doesn’t look sorry at all. My fears start to rise again but he just shrugs. “You’re beautiful and in my lap. There’s not really any way to stop it.”
My face warms at his comment and I need to get myself together.
He stands up with me in his arms and I let my legs drop as I slide down his hard body. I look around to see we’re on an empty road, but I have no idea where we are. I haven”t lived here long enough to know all the ins and outs of the city. The one thing I do know is that it only takes about fifteen minutes to get to the middle of nowhere.
“Back in the car, buttercup,” he tells me and he opens the door.
I do as I’m told because what is the other option? I’m in heels in the middle of nowhere and there’s no way I can outrun him. He’s a big man, but I could feel the hard ridges of his muscles when I was in his lap. He’s fit and the only way I can get away from him right now is if he lets me. I have to bide my time, but it doesn”t look like he has any plans for letting me go anywhere that isn”t with him.
He closes the door behind me and goes around the car and gets into the driver’s seat. “You do that often?” he asks as he turns to look at me. For a second I don’t know what he’s asking, but then I nod.
“When I was a kid I did. I used to have panic attacks.” I thought I was past them or that I had grown too strong for them to get to me now. That was until Warren came into my life. One was triggered the day I was told I couldn”t get a restraining order against him—not that it mattered. What was I going to do, throw the piece of paper at him when he broke in? Me trying to get one only fueled his anger.
“I’m sorry about the knife.” He shakes his head. “I wasn”t sure what I was going to get with you, but I can’t be too careful when it comes to Monte. That fucker is crazy.” I actually believe him. “I’m also sorry, but I can’t let you go.”
He puts the SUV in drive and we take off again. We sit in silence for a long time as he drives until I can’t stand it anymore.
“Are we going in circles?” I finally ask when I think I see the same warehouse a few times. They can all blend together at times, but this is the biggest printing press city in the United States. Warehouses are a dime a dozen.
“Have time to kill until the meet-up.”
That’s when I remember him saying something about a meeting spot in an hour. I swallow, wondering who we are meeting, and all I can think is Cooper could have a boss that tells him to get rid of me.
“I’ve seen your face,” I gasp and I know that means they’re never going to let me go.
“I thought you enjoyed looking at me.” His voice is teasing as I glance in the rearview mirror. Once again he’s somehow putting me at ease and he’s making this more lighthearted than it should be.
“You could be another Monte for all I know,” I mumble, not only to remind myself but because I want to see his reaction. The smile on his face drops instantly as he grips the steering wheel.
“Monte will get what’s coming to him.” His words are dark and it’s clear he hates him. At least we have that in common. “We’ll let his own sharks eat him.”
“What did he do to you?” I’m all for Monte’s life coming to an abrupt ending, but it’s clear that Cooper has a vendetta.
“Not just me.” His eyes are back on the road now and I strangely miss the comfort of them. “I don’t believe in coincidences, do you?”
“I never really thought about it to be honest.” I believe in the shit happens motto.
“Two inking companies left. Two.” He shakes his head again. “That’s five that have gone under because of Monte and his dirty fucking deals with his dirty fucking money.” His eyes come back to mine in the mirror. “I won’t let him own this city.”
If I understand what he’s saying that would mean almost everyone would have to come to Monte for ink. That is a big deal. He could have the whole printing industry here in his hands because they have to have the ink. I haven”t been here long enough to know how many other ink companies were our competition, but I did hear about one going under. “Going under” isn”t the right phrase, though, because it literally went up in flames.
I was amazed at all of the things you never think about coming from warehouses like these, but it takes barrels and barrels of ink each day to keep them running. Is Monte trying to create a monopoly here? Some of the biggest companies in the world have their stuff made here, but I don’t understand why Cooper wants the monopoly for himself.
“Is it because you think it belongs to you?” I start to roll my eyes, but his response stops me.
“No, we all do. The people here have worked hard to build this industry and we’re going to make sure it stays that way.”