Page 13 of Warlord’s Empire

The only way he’d been able to get to the hotel on time to save her was if he’d had people tailing her. They’d probably been on her from the moment she stepped foot on his home continent. Maybe they were following her around Prague too, she didn’t know. He’d called her his woman. Of course she knew what he wanted.

“You can’t keep me here, Radik,” she said, trying to infuse steel into her voice.

“I’ve no intention of keeping you in Pretoria. I’m taking you home with me.”

Again, a thrill of excitement went through her before being snuffed out by the feelings of dread beginning to build.

“Now who’s purposely misunderstanding who,” she retorted. “You know what I mean. You can’t keep me. Period.” She waved her hand in the air. “I have a life back home. I have a job.” And a plant, but she didn’t think he’d care about her Jade. It probably sounded pathetic to a man like him, but she’d built a life. One she wanted the opportunity to live. No one was going to take that from her.

“You’re staying with me,” he said, removing his hand from her arm. “It’s our time now.”

Chapter Six

“You can’t do this.” Saskia tried to sound tougher than she felt.

Radik wasn’t paying attention to her, he was barking at his people, ordering them to prepare the jet.

“Jet?” she repeated faintly. Where was he taking her?

To the doctor, Radik said, “Zander, I thank you for answering my summons quickly. I am grateful, my friend.”

Saskia didn’t think anyone would ignore a summons from Radik, but as the two men embraced each other, she realized their relationship went deeper than just doctor and client.

“If you need anything at all, please call,” Zander said, winking at Saskia. “I will come.”

“Uh, thanks for patching me up.”

Zander gave her a crooked smile, pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to her before leaving.

Saskia tucked it into her pocket, then realized what she was wearing, blushing over her belly-baring bustier. She probably wouldn’t have chosen bar-star chic if she’d known she was about to be reunited with her stalker.

“I can’t go with you,” she tried again, but Radik walked away from her, leaving her in the living room, his staff buzzing all around. “Hey, come back here.” He returned with her jacket, a jacket she had last seen hanging in the closet of her hotel suite. “Did you go through my things?”

Ignoring her question, he put the jacket on her, tucking her arms through the sleeves as though she were a child.

“Stop it,” she grumbled stepping away from him. “I’m warm enough.”

“It’s too cold out for your…” his eyes dropped to her cleavage then lower, lingering on her belly button ring. “Shirt.”

She zipped the jacket to her throat.

“It’s kidnapping to just grab a person from the street and decide to keep them. Even if you did save them.”

He took her arm and shuffled her out of the way as his employees rushed past them, bags in hand. One of those bags belonged to Saskia.

“Hey, that’s mine.” She reached for it, but it was whisked away before she could touch it.

“I didn’t grab you from the street, I carried you unconscious out of a basement,” Radik said.

“Semantics.”

“You prefer I’d left you there?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m grateful you took care of me in my moment of need, but I don’t owe you myself as payment. If you want compensation, take me to an ATM. I’ll get you some money.”

As soon as the words were out, she regretted them. Well, not so much the words, but Radik’s reaction. Though not a muscle moved in his face, it was like a thundercloud passed over him. His voice was soft, but steely as he said, “You need to be more careful with your words.”

A shiver ran down her back and she was tempted to step away from him, but he still had hold of her arm. “Gotcha, you don’t want my money.”