Marko dips into the exit lane for downtown, and we ease through the congested Angeleno streets. At the rendezvous point, an empty, half-built office building rises above us, all gray cement and black metal.
Jed ducks his head so he can catch a better glimpse of the bare scaffolding looming in the midday light. “This it?”
I climb into the back. “Let’s go.”
Trinity scoots against the side of the van, as far away from me as possible, while Marko kills the engine. He follows me intothe cargo hold as Jed hops out and shuffles around the side to yank the door open.
“Do we get to string her up? I bet she’d look real pretty in rope.”
The glee in Jed’s voice grates my ears, and my jaw clenches. Fucking creep. Not that I fully disagree with the statement. The image of her bound, naked, and on my bed definitely holds appeal, but Jed’s likely the type of douchebag who doesn’t care about consent.
I jump to the ground and shove Jed toward the door. “Keep your perversions to yourself. We’re here to drop her off, not leave a message.”
Marko kicks the discarded hood out of the way. “Come on, Jed.” He pulls Trinity up by her armpits before settling her on unsteady feet.
Jed scoffs and reaches for Trinity’s waist. “Don’t be such a spoilsport. I swear, the two of you?—”
In a flash of motion, Trinity headbutts him like a Krav Maga master.
Jed jerks away, clutching his bleeding nose. “Shit!”
Trinity ignores his outburst as she struggles to free herself from the cable ties on her wrists.
I smack the side of the van while stifling a smile. “You can’t even handle a single girl? Hurry up, boys.”
Jed drops his hand and curls his lips over his teeth. “You’ll pay for that, you little bitch.” He reels back and slaps Trinity right across the face.
She stumbles into the van from the force of the blow. Dazed, she slides down the metal as a bright red handprint blooms on her left cheek.
Her out-of-it expression triggers an angry eruption in my chest. In the next blink, my gun appears in my hand, cocked.
At the hammer click, Jed spins. When he spots the barrel pointed straight at his face, his dark eyes bulge.
My voice remains cold and calm. “Put your hands on what’s mine again, and I’ll blow them off your wrists.”
In the short silence that follows, my gut clenches.What’s mine?What the hell am I thinking? I mean Declan’s. The Port Kings’. Trinity Gallagher has nothing to do with me. Jed’s just an idiot, and the sight of him touching her unleashed a swift, violent urge to remove his limbs from his body. A fucker like that doesn’t deserve to lay a single finger on a prize like Trinity, let alone damage her.
This isn’t about me at all. If she gets hurt, though, Declan would eviscerate us both. End of story.
Jed raises his palms in the air. “Sure. Whatever. I won’t touch her again.” He slinks past me.
Coward. He’ll hit a woman with blatant disregard, but when someone his size challenges him, he backs down every time. I may be a real asshole, but I have no use for men like him.
I slide my gun into the holster. From the corner of my eye, I notice Trinity shrink back against the wall, making herself smaller.
I ignore the unexpected pinch in my chest.Good.Maybe this little scene had a purpose after all. If she’s afraid, she’s more likely to behave, which means we can off-load her quickly.
“Marko, take Jed. You two stash the van and do a sweep of the perimeter. We’ll be in the foreman’s office.”
I reach into the vehicle and half-haul Trinity across the bumpy metal floorboards. She staggers out, less sure of her footing than she was before Jed hit her.
My fingers twitch. That asshole. If she has a concussion, I’ll worsenhisheadache by shoving my knife in his eye.
Jed and Marko drive off down the block as I lead Trinity into the dusty, echoey shadows of the construction site. We find acreaking metal staircase that leads up to the foreman’s trailer. Once inside, I drag a chair to the center of the room and sit her down.
Now we wait.
The murmur of Trinity’s voice pulls my attention from the piles of schematics on the desk. She’s talking around that filthy gag in her mouth, her eyes blazing as she glares into my soul.
