“But it’s just proof that I fucked up,” I say, my voice slightly hysterical. “All you’ve done is implicate yourself. Can’t you fucking see? They won’t want any witnesses to this. They’ll kill you now, just like they’re going to kill me.”
“They’re not.” He grips the back of my neck and pulls my forehead to his. “Stop spiraling and take some deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. Sending that picture will have the exact consequences I intend. Trust me.”
“Trust you? I don’t even know your name.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but my phone beeps. Hesnatches it from me before I can read it. His eyes scan over the message and then he snorts in amusement. “See? Fixed. I told ya.”
Bewildered, I take the phone from him to read the message myself.
UNKNOWN
You fucking idiot. You’ve fucked yourself over more than you know. Lose this number, Ansel. We’re not being dragged down with you.
“What the fuck?” I say, looking up at not-Brad with questions in my eyes. “What the fuck does this mean? Dragged down into what?”
He grins broadly and sticks out his hand. “Let me introduce myself, officially and with my actual name this time. Cade Buckingham. It’s a delight to meet you.”
10
CADE
Ansel gapes at me. He doesn’t shake my hand. It bothers me more than I can say.
“I’m sorry about the fake name,” I say. “I don’t use my real one when I hook up, for obvious reasons. Brad is a go-to for me. Innocuous and plain.”
He swallows a couple of times before speaking. “And because you’re part of the most powerful family in the city?”
“And the richest. Don’t forget that part.”
“Oh my god.” Ansel drops his head into his hands. “What have I done?”
I chuckle, resting my hand on the back of his neck. “Nothing I didn’t want you to, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t understand,” he says, his voice muffled by his hands. “Why the fuck did you go along with this? Why did you stay all this time? And why thefuckdid just a photo of you send…those people running in the other direction?”
Ah. So Ansel’s not ready to spill all his dirty secrets at once. He might’ve been ready earlier, but that phone call seems to have brought him screaming back to reality. “Well, unlike you, I guess they recognized me.”
“How did I not recognize you?”
I shrug. “Because people see what they want to. I told you my name was Brad, and that’s who you needed me to be. Besides, it’s not like I’m on the news, just the society pages.”
He lifts his head from his hands and stares at me wearily. “Why did you go along with it? You must’ve known I had the wrong guy.”
He looks so dejected that I tuck him under my arm. He’s stiff at first, but then he relaxes into me. “Like I’ve said before, you intrigue me. I haven’t met many people who’ve done that. I also knew I’d be a much better victim than whoever the real Brad was.”
“What?”
I kiss his temple. “I put myself in your car. I didn’t try to escape. I didn’t try to hurt you. I even gave you orgasms. Really, I’ve been the best kidnap victim. Just perfect for your first time.”
“But this isn’t your first time,” he says slowly, drawing himself out from under my arm. “You’ve done this before.”
I shift on the bed. Shit. I should’ve known Ansel would’ve put two and two together this fast. He’s smarter than I could ever hope to be. Not street smart, but the other kind. The one that figures shit out quicker than you’d like them to. “Technically, thisisthe first time I’ve been kidnapped.”
“But you’ve kidnapped people before.” Ansel’s on his feet now, pacing the room. “How is it that a Buckingham is involved in shady stuff?”
I stand slowly, and he flinches. “You knew I’d done bad shit before. Why is it different now?”
“I don’t know,” he says as he fists his hair. “It just is, okay? This whole time, I thought I was in control. But I wasn’t, was I?”
