“Where are we going?” I asked when the water and skyline came into view.
The muscles of the men next to me tensed. Seriously? Was I not allowed to talk on top of not moving?
“My apartment,” Sebastian said.
What did he have planned for me once we got there?
Chapter 28
I glanced down at the ropes tying my ankles together. Was he planning on walking me through the lobby of his condo like this?Ablush spreadacrossmy cheeks.
I could just imagine it: Sebastian tugging on my rope as I walked past women with this season’s YSL dresses. The doorman actually showing a hint of emotion as I attempted to walk with only a foot of leeway between my bound feet.
“What is it?” Sebastian asked, his eyes surveying me in the rearview window.
“Um… Are you planning to untie me before we go in?”
He smiled.“No.”
I could feel my cheeks turning as red as an Aperol Spritz. I hoped none of my high school friends lived in that building. Orworse, tookany pictures.
“Is there a back entrance we can take? Maybe,” my voice climbed higher than I liked, and I fought to steady it,“a service elevator?”
Hopefully the maintenance men were usedto the weirdnessof the city, and wouldn’t even notice me standing there with bound arms glued to my neck.
“Are you worried about someone seeing you tied up?” He didn’t seem concerned, his grin had only grown bigger.
“Obviously!”
The guard next to me dug his meaty hand into my arm. My jaw tightened as the pain pulsed. Sebastian turned around and shot a look at the guard. His hand immediately left my skin.
“There’s a car elevator that goes directly into my apartment,” Sebastian said.
I felt the heat ease from my cheeks. That made sense. He wouldn’t want to draw attention to the current circumstances.
“Although, we can go through the main entrance if you prefer,” he said, the smile returning to his face.
Keeping my hands firmly on my neck, I lifted the middle finger of my right hand. He laughed, his smile shifting into a smirk.
Twenty minutes later we were inside the private car lift. Ten men were flanked around thetruckwith machine guns pointed at the car. Again, I was almost flattered they thought that many men were necessary.On the other hand, it meant they weren'tunderestimating me, so that any escape attempt I made would be more difficult.
The oversized elevator hummed as it traveled up.“Don’t move unless I tell you to move,” Sebastian said.
I rolled my eyes. I knew the drill at this point.
Finally, the elevator stopped, and one man inserted a code into the garage door. The door eased open and revealed a garage with three cars sitting in it. An Aston Martin, Lamborghini Diablo, and a vintage Porsche were glinting on the polished concrete. More men were standing beside the cars with machine guns also pointed atus. We eased into the remaining space in the garage before Sebastian stepped out of the car. Immediately, the doors were thrown open, and more guns pointed in my direction. I heard the garage door slide close behindus.
“Get out of the car,” Sebastian ordered. He was standing a few feet away from me, and he was tappinghisGucci loafer against the concrete floor.
Slowly, I kicked my feet to the side, and kept my hands on my neck as I inched my way across the now empty seat. I hopped to the ground, and guns swarmed me on all sides.
“Take her inside,” Sebastian said. I couldn’t even see him past all the men surroundingme on all sides.
We slowly inched towards the front door. Whenthedoor creaked open, the lights flashed to life.I couldn’t see much beyond the mencirclingaround me, but I noticed the trendy long plank flooring that told meSebastian hadrecently renovated the place. The grey walls around me opened up as we marched along. I caught hints of details beyond the men swarming me: light oak kitchen cabinets, post modern artwork, and then a long glass table that we stopped in front of.
“Wait there,” I heard Sebastian’s deep voice, but again I couldn’t see him. I wanted to look around the room, but I didn’t want to move my head and give them an excuse to kill me. Ahead of me was a nine foot long glass table with eight heavy iron chairs arranged along it. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the room with what Iestimatedwas ballistic glass.
Through the windows ahead of me, I could see that the sun was sitting high above the glassy water. In my peripheral vision I could see a plush white rug that must have been terrible for getting blood stains out of, and a sitting area filled with oversized blackfurniture.
