“My friend only had to hang around Sammy’s shop for a few days before he overheard her making lunch plans with you today. It was like winning the lottery. First thing I did was give Zayid’s men a ring. You’re worth a lot of money. I guess your sister was kinkier, but for some reason, he thought you were a real prize.”
Resisting the urge to poke her palms with her fingernails and make herself bleed, Lynx stared straight ahead and considered her options. She could claim to need to use a bathroom and run, or she could throw herself out of the moving car.
Or she could wait for Mike. She knew her sister would call Landon. They would find her, and maybe, just maybe, wherever Bruno was taking her would lead to the larger pipeline for girls being sent abroad.
If she played along for a while, she could make Mike and Landon proud, lead them to the source. Rather than just dreaming about being the hero like she used to, she could actually be a savior for other women. And to do that, she figured she should act the part of a disgruntled kidnap victim.
“You sure you want to do this?” she asked.
Idiot that he was, Bruno told her his plan. “Oh yeah. I’m going to get my moolah and fly the coop. Caribbean, here I come. Sand, beaches, and women.”
She shrugged.
“For your sake, I hope it works out.”
“If I wasn’t afraid of those assholes, I’d backhand you for that comment. But they want you unharmed.” He let out a long cackle. “They think you’re rushing back to get to them.”
“Maybe I am.” Lynx let her old professional voice come out—coy, sexy, and wanton. She hated the way it sounded, but it seemed to please Bruno.
They drove across Alligator Alley, and hours later made their way over the bridge and into Tampa. Bruno pulled up in front of a luxury hotel.
“Be good. I don’t want to hurt you.” He jumped out of the car and opened her door, taking a firm grip on her wrist as she got out. “Feel good? You should’ve felt the way your boy toy squeezed my arm.”
Mike should have stayed out of it that day.Lynx kept her thoughts to herself and walked into the hotel.
In the lobby, Bruno urged her into an elevator and pushed the button for the seventh floor. Surprised he already had a room key, Lynx watched him pull it out and open a room.
He pulled some rope from his pocket and tied her to a chair, leering at her as he said, “Now we wait.”
For a second, Lynx couldn’t help but wonder what the hell she’d got herself into. She could be going back to that world, the one she’d escaped.
