Zip. Zip.
In less than a heartbeat, I truss her up.
“You’re going to regret this.” Maria thrashes beneath me.
“I seriously doubt that.” I spin her around and loop my hands under her arms. Pulling her up, I place her in a sitting position against the side of the van. Her knee rears up, but I’m ready.
No way is she doing that twice.
With my hand firmly on her knee, I lean in close. “Princess, you and I are going to have a little conversation. Knee me in the groin again, and I won’t hesitate to swat your very fine ass.”
“Only bastards hit women.”
“I never hit a woman in anger, but if she begs for it, I’m more than happy to oblige. Since you know what will happen if you knee me in the nuts again, I’ll know you’re begging for it.”
“Fuck you.”
“Such foul language from a princess.”
“I’m no fucking princess.”
“I guess we’ll see about that.”
Damn if that little exchange doesn’t make me hard as a damn rock. This is not the time for shit like that. I’m on an active mission and getting hard? I need my fucking head examined.
What I need is to get as far away from Maria Rossi as I can get.
Unfortunately, that’s not happening.
12
LIAM
Since I have no hood, I use the next best thing and strip out of the dang Happy shirt. Her eyes practically bug out of her head when I pull off the shirt. I’d say she was enjoying my well-defined six-pack, but I wear a full suit underneath the garish shirt.
There’s nothing to see. Although, I can guess what she’s thinking.
“Yeah, it’s bulletproof.” I tap the material with my fist.
“So, the whole time …” She’s cute the way her forehead scrunches.
“You’ve got spunk, sweetie. Gotta admire that. While a slug from your Colt would’ve kicked like a motherfucker, I was never in danger.”
I was.
A shot fired at point-blank range would be enough to contuse my heart and concuss my lungs. It likely would’ve killed me, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“You’re a cocky asshole.” She huffs and puffs beneath my shirt.
“Careful, sweetie, or I might take that as a compliment.”
For the rest of the drive back to Rose Manor, an old plantation home Guardian HRS appropriated for our use while in New Orleans, we ride in silence.
We being me and Maria.
The rest of the van is quite talkative.
Jinx and Lily speak to the three women we rescued, reassuring them and preparing them for what to expect when we get to the manor. Wolfe keeps looking at me, shaking his head like I’m a goddamn fool.
Fucker is having fun with me.
CJ carries on a conversation on a private channel with Mitzy, our technical lead and bona fide wizard of all things tech. The term Mitzy Magic is well earned. No doubt, they’re discussing what to do about Maria Rossi.
The ride through the city and then out to the plantation takes a little more than an hour. When we get to Rose Manor, Wolfe and I, along with CJ, join Sam, head of Guardian HRS, in the carriage house garage.
I lead Maria, bound and hooded, to an uncomfortable chair and push her down into the seat.
Wolfe moves off some distance with Sam and CJ. Jinx stands by Wolfe’s side. I’m happy to see the two of them finally got their heads out of their asses and figured shit out. While they do a quick debrief out of Maria’s hearing, my fingers absently knead Maria’s neck and shoulders. I don’t realize I’m doing it until she jerks away with a hiss of venom.
“Didn’t ask for a neck massage, asshole.”
Damn but she’s a feisty one. I lift my hands like I’ve been stung.
Bad move.
Maria launches out of the seat. The guys glance over as I burst into action. I fling my sorry ass after her. Still hooded, she takes two steps before tripping over a rock.
I lunge, catching her on the way down. Maria shrieks as I tug her tight to my body and twist us in the air, shifting our positions. Landing on my back, I break her fall.
A sharp rock digs into my shoulder, along with another one at my hip. I grunt with the impact while Maria’s thrashing dislodges the makeshift hood. Her wild and frightened eyes stare down at me, unfocused and terrified.
Not too terrified that she doesn’t try to head butt me again.
I dodge and flip our positions. Lying on top of her for the second time in as many hours, I cradle the back of her head to protect her skull from hitting one of the small rocks littering the ground.
Garage is too modern of a name for the carriage house. Built over a hundred years ago, it’s where the carriages and horses were housed. The stalls are long gone, but the dirt floor remains, along with all of its rocks.
Nose to nose, eye to eye, Maria and I trade stares. I’m easily twice her size. Her chest rises and falls as her breaths rush in and out. The musty smell of the ground fills my nostrils but layered on top of that is something I can’t quite describe. Lilac and rose, it’s a heavenly perfection. I lean down, sniffing Maria’s neck.
No idea why the fuck I do that, but damn if she doesn’t smell good.
Good?
It’s fucking intoxicating.
“Stop sniffing me.” Maria wriggles. Her dark eyes blaze with fury.
“Stop trying to get away,” I fire right back.
“So, I am a prisoner.” Indignation darkens her sapphire eyes, turning them a deeper shade of purple.
“Hey, you’re the one who jumped inside our van.”
“I didn’t jump. You yanked me inside.”
“Only because you were being a little shit, waving your gun at me. We needed to get out of there before your goons arrived.”
“They’re not my goons.” She breaths out a frustrated breath. “Seriously, can you get off of me? This isn’t comfortable.”
“Are you going to behave?”
“Are you going to let me go?”
“Not until we have a chance to chat, princess.”
“Please stop calling me that.” Pain flashes through her eyes again. “I’m no princess. If anything, I’m a damn stooge.” Her inner lip curls. The moment she notices me staring, her eyes close and she blows out a breath.
“Stooge? Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“Liam, get off the girl.” CJ saunters over. His expression stern, arms crossed over his chest, but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He not so subtly kicks the heel of my boot.
I remove myself from Maria, then hold out a hand to help her to her feet. She gives me a look like I’m an idiot. That’s when I realize how foolish I look. Her hands are secured behind her back.
Maria rolls to her side and slowly takes to her feet. She gives the chair an irritated glare, then primly walks over as if it’s her choice to sit on it.
“You gonna keep me tied up like a criminal? Or do you think you can cut these off?” She shifts to the side and wriggles her fingers.
I look at CJ. He gives a nod.
“Are you?” I pull out my pocketknife.
“What?”
“A criminal?”