Brad studies me shrewdly. “So, you’re not going to let me down.”
“Not yet,” I say sadly. It’s just occurred to me how I can get him to my car, but the thought of doing it makes me want to vomit. “I’m sorry. I’ve never hurt anyone before, but…I need this. Oh god. I really don’t mean to do this…”
I swallow hard as I grip the dagger tighter. I was going to use a rock, but this is more convenient. Nevertheless, as much as I want to, my arm’s not moving. It’s not doing what I need it to. I give myself a quick mental pep talk.
You have to do this.
You don’t have another choice.
They’ll kill you if you fail.
And then they’ll kill Brad anyway.
There’s no point in you both dying.
That’s true. We live in a cruel world where you either become the predator or the prey.
I know which I’d rather be.
Taking a deep breath, I slam the hilt of the dagger into Brad’s temple.
2
CADE
This isn’t my first kidnapping. Not by a long stretch.
But it is the first time I’ve been on this side of it.
Not gonna lie—it’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
It probably has a lot to do with the butterfly who cast himself in the role of my kidnapper.
A very sexy kidnapper with a cute ass. God, what I wouldn’t give to fuck it. I don’t even care that he knocked me in the temple with my own dagger. I’d totally forgive him if he let me fuck him.
That’s probably not what I should be focusing on right now, but honestly, this situation isn’t bothering me. It’s not like I couldn’t get myself free if I tried.
I suspect letting myself be taken will be far more interesting. It’s been a while since anyone’s captured my interest.
And this butterfly now has one hundred percent of my attention.
“Oh god, what do I do now? Oh fuck,” I hear him murmur. My eyes flutter open, a shot of pain moving through my temple, but I’ve had worse.
I watch him pace back and forth on the forest floor. He must’ve cut me loose, because I’m no longer upside down and I can feel leavesand twigs digging into my back. The moonlight filters through the trees, throwing the worried lines of his face into sharp relief.
I could get up and walk away. My brothers would probably want me to do that. Wylder might even punch me if he finds out I had the chance to escape and didn’t.
But why would I when this is exactly where I want to be?
At first, when he held my dagger in his hand, I thought maybe he planned on killing me.
Seeing as I’m still very much alive, I’m going with kidnapping instead. Seems logical. Maybe he didn’t buy my fake name. It’s not like my face is unknown. It appears in the media every time we go to an event.
And not to brag, but I am the sexiest of all my brothers.
Even if Ansel doesn’t know I’m part of The Firm, I’m still a Buckingham. We’re known to fetch a pretty penny. Or we would be, if the kidnappers ever made it that far.
No one has survived to collect a ransom yet.
