Hitman's Captive: A Bad Boy Romance (20 page)

Fuck those bastards.

I waited until I’d gotten
us out of the underground car park and onto the streets before I reached over
and squeezed her hand gently.

“It’s okay now, you’re
safe, Alessa. I just need to concentrate on getting us out of this.”

She accepted my words
with a quiet nod, her hand clasping mine briefly before letting go, and I could
see her breathing deeply, trying to get herself back under control. After a
moment or two, she gave me a small, quick smile and that was enough to let me
relax a little. She didn’t hate me for what had happened back there, and would
trust me to get us through this. That was all I needed right now, as my mind
turned immediately to its own calculations.

The men I’d killed had
only been foot soldiers - their skills had been rough and they’d clearly been
of the
shoot first, ask questions later
type. Anyone else would have
realized the
bratva
would want me alive more than anything, or at least would
try and secure the place a little before launching into a firefight. If they’d
done it properly, there was no way I should have gotten out alive, at least not
with Alessa to protect as well.

From their comments, it
had obviously been her they’d recognized instead of me, which was another bonus
- I might be able to count on my identity still being safe, even if they’d
reported the sighting of Alessa. And that also seemed unlikely, based on the
way they’d jumped us. If there’d been more goons on their way, they probably
would have held off a little.

But whatever luck all
that gave me, I knew the bodies would be discovered soon. It would be a fool’s
hope to think the
bratva
wouldn’t immediately start questioning if I was
involved…using Alessa’s description if they still didn’t know mine. The net
around me was closing fast, and with that, any alternatives to the flight I’d
planned started slipping away. Even running might not be possible if I waited
much longer.

My gaze darted
continually to the rear view mirror as I took random routes in the bustling
traffic, changing direction on a whim. I didn’t think they’d had a chance to
call anyone, so the risk of a tail was small, but it was worth spending the
time to make sure we weren’t being followed. Eventually, after a half hour of
twisting and turning in nowhere near the right direction and feeling the
unspoken questions in Alessa’s gaze, I decided I’d done all I could.

Either we didn’t have a
tail, I’d lost it, or whoever followed us was good enough that I was never
going to lose them. I turned us back in the direction of the safehouse and we
got there quickly as the morning rush hour traffic died off.

I glanced up and down the
street a couple of times, but I didn’t see anyone as I drove the car into the
garage. With any luck, no one would trace this place for a while.

“We need to get out of
here - grab anything you need from the house and we’ll leave.” I stepped out of
the car without another word, walking up to the house and unlocking it for her.

I gave her a pointed
look, but Alessa didn’t need a reminder to be quick. I wouldn’t have let us
come back here at all except that I wanted to switch cars - Jay’s Toyota could
be too easily linked to the fight. I took the chance to grab the couple of
large, overnight bags I kept packed up and ready, and a few moments later
Alessa came down with a - hurriedly filled - bag of her own.

We threw them into the
back of the second car in the garage - a black Audi this time, infinitely nicer
than the Toyota and one that I’d been disappointed to relegate to back up.

Guess you got to take it
out after all.

I locked up the house for
the last time and then I pulled the car out of the garage, taking off down the
street with a gentle roar from the engine and leaving yet another safehouse
behind us.

Another safehouse,
another city. I might have been prepared to run from here, but I needed to end
this soon. I didn’t have time to create yet another escape route.

We were silent for a long
time, the tension thick until we made our way out of Chicago and headed south
on the Interstate, our held breath only easing once we saw the bulk of the city
start to fade behind us. It was only then I let myself think we might make it,
that my preparations might have been enough to keep these guys away for another
few days. Just a few more days, then I could disappear, and Alessa could return
to her family.

The now-familiar twist of
my stomach let me know what I thought of that idea, but I ignored it. Now, more
than ever, it was obvious that would be the best option - the only option we
had. Maybe I’d enjoyed living the last couple of days in a haze of pleasure,
but I’d always known it was a temporary thing. A little fun in the middle of
the death and violence that made up my life.

The most I could hope for
was to enjoy it for the remainder of our short time together. And if I wanted
to get us both out of this alive, maybe I couldn’t afford even that much of a
distraction.

It wasn’t a pleasant
thought.

Instead of dwelling on
it, I looked over at Alessa, taking in the pallor beneath her sun-kissed
features, and the lines of worry etched across her sweet face. I hated seeing
that, even as I knew on some level that she was handling the whole thing far
better than I’d expected. Instinctively, I reached across and squeezed her
hand, offering a rough smile. Now that my thoughts weren’t solely focused on
survival, I could offer a little support. I still didn’t think I knew a thing
about comforting women, but Alessa…I was starting to know her, at least a
little.

“You okay?” I asked.

She seemed to see my
slight change of attitude, absorbed the question as more than just the
can
you deal with this enough to get out of here
I’d given her at first. Still,
I wasn’t entirely sure she was going to answer as she shrugged a little, one
hand bringing her hair over her shoulder and playing with it. Even now, with
everything else bearing down on us, she still took my breath away with that
simple, unaffected beauty.

“Yes, I think so.” She
sighed and glanced over at me, uncertainty flickering across her face. “I just
wasn’t expecting them to come after me like that…attack me.”

The man’s leering
accusation flickered through my mind again, and I suddenly understood her
withdrawal. They’d thought she was working with me. Anger flared at the idea of
someone harming her, followed quickly by a protective instinct hammering at me
to prevent it at all costs. But this wasn’t something I could clear up. It was
probably even my fault.

“I know. It will be
alright once you’re back with your family - your father will protect you, and
you can make it clear you were kidnapped and held against your will.”

She didn’t respond, and
the words were heavy between us as my hand slowly stroked the back of hers. I’d
kidnapped her, yes, and held her against her will…but now?

The lines were blurred
and neither of us could acknowledge it. We couldn’t let there be any truth in
the
bratva’s
dangerous suspicions. The idea of them thinking that…made
me more uneasy than even the idea of her returning to her family.

It took a while until she
came back to herself, and I let her have her silence as the car raced down the
Interstate. We’d left behind overcast skies, and now the brightness of the sun
was easily dispersing them, the heat rising on an early summer morning. Despite
the ugliness and death earlier, the weather was unaffected, and it looked like
it was going to be a beautiful day.

“Guess it just means I’m
stuck with you, right?” Alessa’s words broke off my thoughts, and I glanced over
to see that she’d pulled herself up a little, obviously trying to push away the
unpleasant concerns. Her words were tentative, but the look she sent me had
some of her usual humor in it. “Can’t go running off with the
bratva
hunting
me, hmm?”

Something unexpected rose
up within me at the sight of her courage and how hard she was trying to deal
with it all. Instead of dwelling on it, I respected her obvious desire to move
on and sent her a smirk of my own.

“I’ll try to make it
worth your while.” My hand slipped off hers, further down her thighs and she
caught her lip between her teeth as heat flared in her eyes again. She gave me
a sultry look, which I returned with a small grin before my hand slid back to
hers again.

Good.

Something in me settled as
I turned back to the road. She would be okay. Like everything else that had
been thrown at her over the past couple of weeks, this wouldn’t break her. The
silence between us turned companionable again, but this time it was broken
quickly.

“What about you?” She
finally asked as her attention returned to the present, “What do we do now?”

“I’ve got another place
set up for us - one last escape route. More remote this time, and it should buy
me a couple of days to book flights and get the hell out of here.” My gaze
turned distant, focusing on the horizon as if my unknown future might appear
there. “I’ll get you safely back to your father when I leave for my flight.”

“You’re…definitely
leaving?” I felt her eyes on me and the hesitation in her tone. She knew I’d
been hoping for another way out of this - for Jay to come through with
something. Even if it had been a slim hope.

“If I was going to hear
from Jay, I would have already. The trail’s gone cold by now, princess.” I
responded more casually than I actually felt.

“Well, that’ll be
exciting at least - another country, something completely different.” Her dark
eyes were too perceptive and I knew her words were intended to comfort me, but
even so, her voice contained a slightly wistful note. “Where are you going to
go?”

I have no idea.

And even if I did, she
was the last person I could tell. I was running from Santini as well as the
bratva
,
and there was little point in going all that way only to have her give them my
destination when she was reunited with her family.

So instead, I turned the
question back on her. “Where would you go, princess?”

“Italy.” The answer came
so quickly that I wondered whether she’d thought about this before. “My family
always talk about it, you know - our motherland, where we come from. But I
don’t think they’ve ever actually been there. I’d like to see what it’s like -
really
like. The food, the sights, the history…”

She trailed off and I
tried not to stare. It was the most Alessa had ever said about something she
wanted. She flashed me a quick smile, and I could see the light flush behind
her skin.

“But I think anywhere in
Europe would be great. It’s just so
different
, you know?” She followed
up quickly, as if trying to cover the sudden passion she’d shown. I gave her a
quick nod and a smile, not wanting her to see that I’d noticed her
embarrassment.

“Europe, hmm…” I
murmured, wanting to acknowledge her thoughts but unable to say anything that
might tell her too much.

It was a good suggestion,
and while I’d never had much interest in traveling - and I usually didn’t give
a shit about history or culture - somehow her passion was a little contagious,
and it spread to cover at least some of my previous disinterest.

Chapter Fifteen

Alessa

We pulled up to Leo’s
getaway place a couple of hours after we’d left Chicago, the midday sun
hovering over us and turning the mild weather of the last few days into a pure,
dry heat.

Unexpectedly, the horrors
of the morning were already fading - just another of the series of terrifying
moments I’d faced since Leo had taken me.

Being targeted directly
like that had scared me silly, but the only thing that really stuck in my
memory from those brief few minutes was the way Leo had dived in front of me.
In
front of me.
He’d kept me safe, as he’d promised to do, and then had gotten
us both away.

So I figured I could
either give into the terror and fear because that was what I
should
feel,
or accept that Leo made me feel safe regardless of these crazy situations. And
I decided to go with the option that kept me sane. I didn’t want this to wreck
me if I could help it and for the moment, with Leo here, I could almost feel
brave. So I let go of the awful memories and focused on what we were doing now,
letting that return me to normalcy again.

The house in front of us
was far larger than the others had been, taking advantage of the space that the
outskirts of a small village gave you. We hadn’t passed many houses on the way,
and the place seemed even more remote than I’d expected. I certainly couldn’t
imagine anyone looking
here
for us - or any of the other anonymous towns
we’d passed by on the way.

As we stepped out and
grabbed our bags from the back, I paused to look around at the open countryside
and breathed in the sweeter tasting air. I’d never imagined myself somewhere
like this, but I was strangely excited to be somewhere completely different
from the hectic streets of New York City. I grinned up at Leo as he unlocked
the door, and threw my bags down into the hallway before darting through the
place, looking around.

If I was going to be
dragged around the country and trapped in different places with him, I might as
well enjoy what I could of it. This place gave me the feeling of a villa, with
a marble island in the kitchen that separated it from the well-decorated living
space - cream leather sofas sitting before glass doors leading outside.

I went to look at the
garden space, and then immediately gasped, turning the key in the doors and
throwing them open to step outside.

A pool!

The crystal clear waters
sparkled, reflecting back the sun from above and tempting me as I looked
longingly at it. Leo came up behind me, but I spun to face him before he could
wrap his arms around me.

“Leo! There’s a pool!” My
voice was slightly breathless, and I could feel myself flush - but it was more
with excitement than embarrassment. I hadn’t gone swimming in far too long.

“Indeed there is.” His
voice was tinged with amusement, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled
down at me.

Any other time, the sight
of him would have taken my breath away, but I was too distracted for that.
Instead, I pushed my hands against his chest to make my point.

“Why didn’t we come here
immediately? And why didn’t you
tell me?!
I didn’t bring a bikini!” I
exclaimed, my mouth running without thought as I got caught up in the idea of
spending a beautiful summer’s day in the pool.

He just laughed at me,
shaking his head. “If I’d have known you were going to react like this, maybe we
would have…”

He brought my mouth up
for a slow kiss, and I felt a familiar heat rising inside me. He was just
humoring me, of course - there was no way he would have brought us to a village
in the middle of nowhere when he had business in Chicago, but I hadn’t been
able to help exclaiming over it anyway.

Why couldn’t all the
houses have been like this?

It was certainly better
than trying to read or play solitaire…though the other things Leo and I had
been doing to pass the time had certainly been enjoyable. I shifted against
him, pressing forward as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him deepen
the kiss, his tongue invading my mouth and playing there delightfully.

Since that first night, I
couldn’t deny that I’d been insatiable. I’d wanted everything Leo had offered
and could give me, and more. The things he’d done to me had been beyond
anything I’d wished for, and I didn’t want to let it go for a second. If this
was my one chance to indulge in true passion and pleasure, I’d decided to take
it with both hands - everything else be damned.

I had no idea whether I
was even going to survive this madness, and for once it was worth prioritizing
what I wanted above what my family would expect. Duty to my family could wait
until I returned.

And the result had been
the most liberating few days of my life.

Maybe Leo had taken me
and kept me captive, but his possession gave me more freedom than I’d ever felt
around my family.

I pushed the thoughts
aside and slowly withdrew from the kiss, even Leo’s rugged strength not quite
distracting me from the pool at his side.

“Do you think we could
get a swimsuit somewhere around here?” I looked up hopefully, but he just
laughed again, a low sound that lit a fire in my stomach.

“No need for that,
princess. If you want to use the pool…use it.” His eyes glittered dark heat,
promising so much and making me shiver in pleasure as I caught his meaning.

I blushed and glanced
around the garden, for the first time taking in the high walls and isolation of
the place. My sense of modesty had changed drastically in my time with Leo, and
I was now eager for glimpses of his hard, muscled body instead of embarrassed
and awkward, but even so - I didn’t think being naked in public would ever
quite be me.

“No one can see you in
here, princess. That’s kind of the point of this place.” He murmured as if he
could read my thoughts, and I had to admit that unless someone tried to scale
the walls, we were pretty safe here.

At that thought, the
now-familiar rush of desire hit me again as I pictured Leo and I skinny-dipping
in the pool together. Now
that
would be fun. I smirked up at him, the
naughtiness of the idea igniting a spark of pleasure as I lowered my hands to
his hips, fingers brushing the tight curves of his ass.

“Shall we spend a little
time in the pool then?” I let the invitation linger in my eyes, my mouth
whispering over his as I nibbled at his lips.

His hand came up,
pressing my head to his as he growled at my teasing, taking my mouth in a hard,
passionate kiss as he always did when I started it softly. My pulse jumped and
I let out a slight moan, loving the feeling of him taking me over every single
time he did it. My hands brushed through his wild, dark hair and it took a long
moment before he let me go again.

When he did, I was surprised
to see the hint of concern mixed with the obvious lust in his expression. His
hand shifted to stroke against my cheek.

“Are you sure you’re
okay, Alessa? After everything…” He let it trail off, but I knew what he meant.

How could I be interested
in this again, so quickly after the traumatizing events this morning?

Slight irritation flared
inside me, even though I knew by now that it was just his way of ensuring that
he wasn’t taking advantage. I wanted to forget
all that
, why did he have
to bring it up? And I hated the thought there could be something wrong with me
enjoying myself instead of sitting in a corner somewhere, shaking and
terrified.

I wasn’t trying to prove
anything. It was simply beautiful weather, with a glistening pool beside me and
a hot-as-hell guy standing in front of me. And there was no reason for two
thugs with guns to take that away from me.

“Alessa?” Leo’s voice
came again, and as I glanced up into worried eyes, my annoyance slipped away.

If you’d told me a week
ago that Leo was capable of this kind of caring and concern for me, I wouldn’t
have believed it. But the last few days he’d lightened up from the harsh,
unrelenting attitude he’d had before. While I could never describe him as being
soft, he was a lot more fun - talking with me and laughing easily now - and he
did seem to care what I thought or felt. His infuriating cockiness and
arrogance was still there, but - I had to admit - in the most deliciously
sensual ways, instead of the mocking tone it had held earlier.

So I couldn’t quite fault
him for the way he cared about me. Instead, I resolved to convince him just how
fine
I was.

I tilted my head up and
kissed him again, moving slowly and letting the steady build of pleasure thrum
through our bodies while my hands slid up under his t-shirt. I moaned at the
light dusting of hair that slipped between my fingers, curling them and tugging
gently. When I finally broke our kiss to look up at him, I could feel his cock
pressing hard against me. My pussy pulsed in response, already wanting it -
wanting him.

“Mm, I’m fine, Leo. It’s
not
this morning
I want to think about.” I gave him a small smile,
watching his eyes shift from concern to a thrilling heat. “Besides, sex is supposed
to be a natural instinct after life-or-death situations.”

“Is it now?” He flashed
that cocky smile at me. “That would explain a few things.”

His gaze turned
considering for a brief moment, and I could well imagine he was thinking about
all the life-and-death situations he faced regularly - and no doubt what he did
after them.

“Leo!” I scowled, pushing
at his chest. “You’re not meant to think about sex with other women when you’re
around…the girl you’re sleeping with!”

My mock-outrage stumbled
as I tried to work out how to describe what I was on-the-fly, and my heart
stuttered in my chest at the thought.

“No?” Oblivious to my
confusion, he leaned down and tilted my head up to his, until his sparkling
blue eyes were all I could see, inches from mine. “Not even if it’s to consider
just how much better this is?”

My stomach did another
flip, and I felt my knees weaken against him.

Oh damn. Okay. Yes. Maybe
that’s allowed. Fuck.

The cocky bastard always
knew how to drive me crazy, and I felt a low, hot need sear through me. The
ache in my pussy grew stronger and I moaned against his lips.

“Okay. That’s allowed.” I
said breathlessly.

“You know, I think you’re
making these rules up as you go along.” The smoldering amusement in his voice
has me clutching onto him again, and I tried to recover enough to continue the
verbal sparring, but I really just wanted to jump him.

“Of course. Female
prerogative.” I kissed along his jaw, enjoying the slight roughness of stubble,
and let my hands roam over him.

His laugh was deep and
rough, and full of far more intent than our teasing words. “At least you admit
it.”

I didn’t care anymore.
“Pool? Now?”

There was nothing I
wanted more than his naked ass in the pool right now.

He grinned down at me,
but with a sigh, shifted my hands away from him instead and leaned in for one
last teasing kiss. “Fuck, I wish. But I have a few flights to book - and if you
want to actually enjoy the
pool,
I should probably give you a little
time alone first, hmm?”

I narrowed my gaze and stepped
back. He had a point, but my libido was reluctant to admit it. I felt ready and
aching for him
already.

“Well, if you’re sure…” I
gave him a sweet smile.

Then, in one quick
motion, I drew my t-shirt over my head. I didn’t notice where it landed as I
pushed my skirt off my hips and stepped out of it, looking up at him innocently
in just my bra and panties. His gaze was locked on my body, and I received the
same thrill I always did from knowing just how much I affected him. I wouldn’t
have thought I could ever do this so easily, but the way I intoxicated him gave
me a unique confidence that was near addictive.

I matched his cocky smile
from earlier as I unclasped my bra and let it slide neatly to the floor,
exposing my firm breasts to the warmth of the sun. If I hadn’t been distracted
by the heat
inside
my body, I would have been relieved to finally ditch
the clothes. And the water was calling to me almost as much as Leo did. I
shimmied out of my panties and sauntered past him, enjoying the way he growled
under his breath.

“
Fucking tease.
”
The muttered words were one of the compliments I enjoyed most.

He watched me until I got
to the edge of the pool, his eyes burning into my back as I slipped down to
dangle my legs in the water. I shivered in pleasure at the cool relief of the
water, then arched up, stretching my body out while the sun fell around me. It
felt ridiculously liberating to be sitting here naked, and I reveled in the
idea that no one else could see me. Well, no one except the exact person I wanted.

After a few moments, I
cast a glance over my shoulder, affecting surprise at seeing Leo still standing
there, hungry eyes watching me.