Page 29 of Brutal Captivity

“Then you have your answer.”

I glare at him. “That’s not an answer.”

“Fine. Then here’s an answer. You can like someone and still remember they kidnapped you.”

“Can you?” I ask.

Nico shrugs, and I drop my face into my hands.

fourteen

“He annoys the ever living piss out of me, and don’t call him princess.”- Leo

Friday Morning…

“Okay,so...thisisthe place according to the coordinates Peadar sent.” My body sways as Fletcher brings the van to a stop.

“I’ll see if I can hack into his security system.” Evan grabs his laptop and opens it, clicking away in a matter of seconds. “That’ll give us a better idea of whether or not he’s home, where everyone is located, including his security team.”

“Wait, he’ssupposedto be home, right?” Daron glances out the window trying to be inconspicuous. It’s a useless effort; the property is heavily fenced and gated. The house sits too far back to see from the road. Fucking rich people.

“Yeah, but he has security.” I rack my brain for a halfway decent plan. Peadar gave us little to no information. He said De Luca lives here, and he wanted us to break into the house, kill his guards, and torture him for more information about Altieri’s next move. We don’t even have a blueprint of the property. I’m no stranger to climbing walls, but these are very high. Evan could hack into the system and open the gate for us, but the security guard that is stationed there would definitely notice.

“How’s babysitting going?” Fletcher asks, with a shit-eating grin, while we wait for Evan. I tap my foot, anxious to get moving.

“Leo, you wanna take this one?” Daron smiles in my direction. I glare in return, letting my confusion show. “C’mon, Lee, don’t wanna tell them ‘bout the note you insisted on leaving for ‘Cali’ this morning?” Daron uses four fingers to quote the nickname, and I barely stop myself from lunging across the van. My cheeks heat, but I’m not embarrassed. I don’tgetembarrassed.

“A note for Cali?” Fletcher’s eyes widen before his face breaks into a massive grin.

Yes, I am going to murder Daron. Tonight. While he sleeps, I’m going to cave his skull in with a toaster. It will be perfect, the little bastard. I could probably come up with a more creative assassination plan, but that’ll have to do for now. I’ll think of something better later. I’m saving all of my creativity for De Luca.

“It was nothing. He was asleep when we left, and I wanted to let him know where we went.” I shrug it off, trying to keep my face from betraying my words. I gulp down my coffee, as memories from last night flood my brain– the electric feeling of Callisto’s hard length pressed against my own. I swallow roughly, the liquid catching in my throat and burning all the way down. I sputter coughing violently as Daron cackles while patting me on the back.

“Come off it. Nico was there. We told him what was up, so you didn’thaveto leave your boy a love letter,” Daron points out.

I look up, glaring at him through watery eyes. It’s hard to look intimidating when you’re actively drowning on dark roast, and Daron bursting out laughing once again, tells me my death-stare failed completely.

“He’s not my boy, and it wasn’t a love letter,” I murmur, praying this will be the end of it. Evan needs to hurry the fuck up because I cannot take much more of this. The rapid-fire tapping of keys that weaves through Daron’s laughter dashes my hopes.

“Are you fucking him? Leo. Jesus fuck. Peadar is gonna be pissed the fuck off if he finds out.” Fletcher's voice drops all humor, loud and tense in the small space. I meet his hazel eyes, which are wide with genuine concern.

“What? No. I’m not fucking him! He’s not even my type!” I defend. I absentmindedly reach out, playing with my necklace. Callisto is pretty. Gorgeous even. But he’s definitely not my type. He’s too… too… rich? Stuck up? Perfect in every way?

“Leo, you haven’t dated anyone in years.Youdon’t even know your type,” Daron chimes in. I punch him in the arm, ignoring his overly dramatic ‘ouch’. I didn’t hit himthathard, for fuck’s sake.

“I mean, he is pretty cute from what I remember,” Fletcher shrugs.

“Watch it, Morgan,” Evan says quietly, blue eyes not even leaving his screen.

“You have no room to talk, Lynch.” Fletcher's tone is still playful, but there’s a certain iciness to it. Evan’s fingers pause, hovering above the keyboard. They exchange a look– brief, heated, and heavy with a history they refuse to clear up. Fletcher shakes his head, and Evan goes back to the computer.

What the fuck was that all about?They certainly don't have the right to lecture me about my sex life. Those two have been on-and-off so many times, I’velost count.

“Yeah. I remember him being pretty, in a very prissy sort of way,” Daron says, entirely oblivious to the tension between Fletcher and Evan. He taps his chin and looks up at the ceiling. I roll my eyes.

“You’ve got one thing right. He’s very prissy. He’s like the biggest walking contradiction I’ve ever met. He blushes if you say the word ‘dick’, but he has absolutely no modesty when it comes to his body.”

“Are you growing attached to the princess?” Hearing the nickname I use for Callisto coming out of Fletcher’s mouth grates on my nerves. I have no idea why. I call him that all the time. I literally called him that last night right before I came in my pants.That was ridiculously hot. Jesus fucking Christ.I need to get myself together before it happens again. My dick twitches in my combat pants, and I shift uncomfortably, trying to hide my growing erection.