Page 14 of Vendetta

The solid muscles of his arm, caging me to his chest, disarmed me for a blink. If I hadn’t been so desperate to get away, I might’ve allowed myself to enjoy the way Cruz lifted me off my feet with no effort at all, and the way his body rubbed against mine.

My legs swung on autopilot, trying to connect with the wall of alpha behind me, but he was faster and stronger than I was, and I missed every attempt.

“Let me go,” I snarled, clawing at the arm around my stomach. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to go. I couldn’t let this happen.

Ignoring my outburst, my father leveled his coal-brown eyes on me. “Things have changed and adjustments needed to be made. I didn’t want to scare you, but Francisco-fucking-Moreno ambushed our last three shipments. It’s been massacre after massacre. People tortured to death, tongues torn out and left to bleed. I won't let him take anything else from us. Lorenzo agreed to help in exchange for you. We need this.”

I barely heard him over the panic ringing in my ears as I struggled against the unwavering grip of my bodyguard. The Morenos? Fucking murderers! We’d been at war with them since they killed my brother. But still, there had to be some other way. “Put me down! Now!”

My demands were ignored just as easily as my flailing limbs.

“Lock her in her nest until she calms down, and take her phone. Your security badge will give you access.” My father straightened the already straight crystal butterfly figurine on his desk and sat down, resigned to my anger.

Bitter tears burned my eyes as Cruz carried me out of my father’s office as if I weighed nothing. I didn’t want to be locked in that cage my father called a nest. I didn’t want to be married to that monster, Lorenzo. Every door frame we passed, I grabbed and hung on for dear life, and every time I did, Cruz dragged me away.

“Which door is your nest, little hellcat?”

“Don’t put me in there! I don’t want to go in there.” I illustrated my point by catching my foot on my bedroom door, halting our progress and keeping Cruz from carrying me past the threshold.

When he moved to untangle that limb, I reached and grabbed the door frame with my flailing arms. “No! Please. Don’t put me in there. Please. I’ll behave. I’ll be good.”

He continued to ignore me and tossed me over his shoulder. The breath was knocked from my chest, but that didn’t stop me from pounding on his back, intent on escape. When his palm came down on my upturned ass with a slap, I squeaked and stilled my struggles in shock.

“Hush, or I’ll really give you something to scream about,” Cruz growled and continued into my room.

Did he just spank me? How dare he spank me! My outrage fizzled as the warmth from his hand radiated over my skin in a pleasant way, and I huffed. Maybe I’d let him get away with it, just this once.

But no, wait, this jackass was about to lock me up like a naughty pet.

Fuck that.

My struggles resumed, but he'd adjusted his grip on my legs so all I could do was pound ineffectually on his back. Which he utterly ignored.

He found the door with the key card reader easily, despite my lack of cooperation. It was the obvious option. When it unlocked with a ping, another surge of panic shot through me.

He carried me into the small anteroom with the table. I knew exactly where we were. Right outside the nest where I’d hidden the hoodie earlier. The beep from the interior lock rang in my ears with its finality. The only thing beyond the next door was suffering and despair.

Cruz pulled open the heavy, metal door and flopped me down into the thick wall-to-wall bedding.

Cold dread swept through my veins.

“Give me your phone.” His deep voice was like silk across my skin.

“I don't have it.” I scooted away from his hulking figure. Even if I had it, which I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given it to him.

His dark eyes narrowed, scraping over my baggy clothing. He was not at all satisfied with my answer. With a grunt, he dragged me back to him by my ankle. His rough hands skimmed over my body, and a pleased groan caught in my throat, which I quickly swallowed down before it escaped.

What in the hell was wrong with me? My heat should be months away, and I hadn't missed a single dose of suppressant. I didn't want him touching me, but his bare hands on my skin felt too good, bringing back memories of the night before with the green-eyed alpha. This was not the same man, even if it did feel incredible.

The big alpha took a step back, satisfied that I didn't have the phone, and closed the inner door in my face, locking him outside in the anteroom with a rattle of inevitability.

I was well and truly fucked now.

Chapter 10

Cruz

I’d done some fucked up shit in my life, but this job was climbing the ranks more quickly than I'd expected. There was plenty of blood on my hands—too much, maybe—but locking an omega in a sort of nest jail was new.