Rupert had been urging him to fire Oscar for almost a year, promising the board would back him. Tommy had refused out of loyalty and gratitude for how much Oscar and Della had stepped up after his parents’ deaths. But after the outburst in September, when Oscar had screamed at the CFO and thrown a glass at the wall, even Tommy had to admit it was time.
By the time they pulled up to a small house near the airport, Tommy already had the beginnings of a plan.
The man clearly wasn’t a fan of Oscar. His disgust back at the mention of Evie had said as much and Tommy thought he might be able to use that. Offering double what Oscar was paying had crossed his mind, but he had a feeling the man would take it as an insult.
He studied him instead.
Good-looking, not Tommy’s type, but the kind of man who turned heads. Broad-shouldered and massive, the sort of size that made Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime look like a hobbit. He moved with quiet assertiveness, every motion controlled, purposeful and effortlessly intimidating.
Tommy realized both he and Evie had obeyed him without question, not because of what he’d done, but because of what hecoulddo. There was something about that calm certainty, that unspoken promise of violence, that froze resistance before it even started.
Inside the house, the blond man handcuffed Tommy to a bed in what passed for the living room. The chain was long enough for him to reach a small three-piece bathroom, but not much else.
Tommy sat up, propping the thin pillow against the headboard as his captor moved methodically through the space, opening cupboards, flicking lights, checking corners. The place looked half-abandoned; the drywall was torn down to the studs and wiring, the flooring switched halfway across the room from linoleum to vinyl planks, as if someone had simply given up halfway through the renovation and the only furniture was the bed and a square kitchen table with two mismatched chairs in the corner. “I take it we’re here for a while?” Tommy asked dryly.
“Until I am given the next set of instructions,” the man said without looking up. He sounded almost bored as he closed the last cupboard and crossed to the table, muttering something in another language before sitting down.
“Right.” Tommy hesitated, weighing his words. He needed to test how much of a conscience this guy really had.
“Since you told me Oscar’s behind this,” he began carefully, keeping his tone light, conversational, “and you let both me and Evie see your face… I’m guessing I don’t walk out of here alive.”
The words hung there. Then the fear hit, sudden and cold, and Tommy’s stomach dropped.
He swallowed hard. “Does Evie?”
“Does Evie what?” The man tilted his head at Tommy, confusion evident in his green-blue eyes.
“Get out of this alive?” Tommy’s chest tightened. Two years ago, he would never have imagined Oscar capable of hurting his daughter, but now, especially if Oscar learned Tommy had arranged for Evie to be his successor, Tommy felt certain Oscar wouldn’t hesitate.
“Oh!” The blond chuckled. “I would have taken her too if that were the case.”
Tommy let out a massive sigh; the tightness in his chest eased. The man studied him, curious. “I am a little surprised at the level of concern you have for her safety,” he said. “The man who hired me is convinced you are using her to get back at him.”
“Like I said, she’s practically my baby sister.” Tommy kept his annoyance at Oscar buried, keeping his tone even. “Do you have a name?”
The man hesitated, then shrugged. “Thorn.”
“Thorn,” Tommy repeated, looking him over. The name fit in a way he couldn’t explain. “So… is this what you do? Kidnapper-for-hire?”
A low chuckle rumbled from Thorn; he grinned, amused. “Yes. Essentially. I am part of a group of former Serbian military. We left service and offer our skills as mercenaries, bodyguards, soldiers for grey ops, whatever is required.”
Tommy seized the opening. “Have you done many bodyguard jobs?”
“I was with the Serbian Security Corps,” Thorn said, folding his arms and smirking slightly. “I provided security for the President of Serbia during the last three years of my service. Are you looking for a bodyguard, Mr. Sloane?”
“I need one, apparently.” Tommy managed a faint, wry smile. “If you come work for me as my bodyguard, I’ll give you whatever you were promised to kill me as a signing bonus, help you get U.S. citizenship, set you up with a very generous annual salary and private accommodations, of course.”
“Of course,” Thorn murmured, though Tommy could see the offer had landed. The man’s expression was thoughtful now, not dismissive.
Sensing silence was his best tactic, Tommy leaned back and glanced at his watch. If his timing was right, Evie had already reached the police and was probably either at the precinct or with Rupert by now. The thought made his pulse quicken. He had no idea how Oscar would react when he realized Evie, not him, would be acting in Tommy’s stead.
Before he could think too long about it, Thorn’s phone chimed. He read the message in silence, his expression unreadable. Then he stood and crossed the room.
Tommy tensed automatically but kept his face neutral as Thorn approached. To his surprise, Thorn pulled a key from his pocket, unlocked the handcuff, and extended his hand.
Tommy hesitated for only a second before taking it. Thorn hauled him to his feet effortlessly, so effortlessly that Tommy nearly stumbled forward into him.
“You have a deal, Mr. Sloane.” Thorn steadied him with one hand on his shoulder and shook with the other.
