His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(14)
Author: Shayla Black

“You don’t want to answer me? All right. I can wait. I’ve got all afternoon. How about you?”

“Afternoon?” She blinked at him, then cut her stare over to the long windows on the other side of the room. Sure enough, behind the closed shutters, golden sunlight seeped in between the slats and under the frame.

“It’s almost noon,” he provided, easing back and releasing her wrists.

How had she lost nearly twelve hours? Horror spread through her, cold and thick. “Please let me go. I have a rehearsal at two. I have to be there. Next week, I’m supposed to audition for a part in Dallas for one of Texas Ballet Theater’s upcoming shows.”

“Then I suggest you talk fast,” he growled. “Your earliest memory?”

Bailey couldn’t believe that he’d abducted her to ask the first thing she could remember. Did he know how crazy he sounded? But if it would satisfy his weird curiosity so he’d release her . . . “Falling on the playground and losing a tooth.”

“How old were you?”

“Five, I think. What does this have to do with anything?”

“Who was with you?”

Why did it matter? “I don’t remember.”

He stared at her with eyes narrowed, dissecting her. She didn’t think he believed her.

“Look,” she began. “I hope you find whoever you’re looking for, but I’m not her. I really am Bailey Benson from Houston, just like the records state. I’m preparing nonstop for the biggest audition of my career. I’m also expecting company tonight, and he’s really special, so—”

“Blane?”

When he ground out her friend’s name, she froze. “How did you know that?”

“I was in your house for a few hours last night. You really should lock your doors and windows better.” As she gaped at him, he sent her a little smirk. “By the way, I secured your house as much as I could before we left. You need better locks and a security system going forward.”

Bailey wanted to ask why he even mentioned it, but that wasn’t the most important question of the day. “So you were the one in my room, hovering over me in the dark?”

She remembered that heavy presence, just before she’d felt the prick of a needle in her neck.

“Yes. Why did you have a reaction to Viktor Aslanov’s picture on TV?”

“Who?”

“The infamous scientist. He was murdered. They showed his photo in the montage during Callindra Howe’s interview.”

Bailey couldn’t answer her captor’s question. She’d seen Aslanov’s image before. Every time, it upset her in a way she couldn’t explain. “I don’t know. Why did you take me from my house in the middle of the night?” Another terrible thought occurred to her. “Are you going to rape me?”

The big man reared back. “The idea of forcing a woman makes my skin crawl. Besides, I was mostly raised by a single mother and I have two sisters. They’d all have my balls if I even tried.”

“A-are you going to kill me?”

He tossed his hands in the air. “Were you listening earlier when I mentioned that I’m trying to save you from winding up six feet under?”

“And what? I’m just supposed to believe you?” She gaped at him. “If you’re such a stand-up guy, why are you drugging an innocent woman—you did drug me, right?”

“Sedated. It wasn’t like I spiked your drink at a bar to take advantage of you.”

No, he’d just injected her with some unknown substance that left her unconscious for half a day. Because that was so much more virtuous. “What exactly do you want from me, Mr. . . . What’s your name?”

“Not relevant. The only thing that matters is that my goal is to prevent you from winding up like this.” He shoved the screen of an iPhone in her face, and from corner to corner it was filled with one of the most gruesome images she’d ever seen.

Bailey screamed. “Oh . . . What the hell?”

Someone had punctured a young woman’s rib cage multiple times with something that made symmetrical, seeping holes. They’d cut off her ears, ripped out teeth, snipped off toes. God, she couldn’t look anymore. Why would anyone do that to another human being?

“She’s not the first victim. In fact, she’s the fifth. They should find number six soon, sadly. I was just hours too late to save her, but you . . .” He swallowed as he pocketed the phone again. “I refuse to let that happen to you.”

“Why would you think anyone would want to hurt me? How do I know that’s not your handiwork?”