To his surprise she covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “You’re a menace,” she said, groaning.
For the first time in…hell if he could remember, Roman felt lighter, more at peace. The situation notwithstanding, being around Taylor was a breath of fresh air. He was insanely attracted to her, but he genuinely liked her. Way more than was good for his sanity.
After another forty-five minutes of waiting—and flirting—he changed shirts. She stared at him hungrily when he’d stripped, her clear lust setting him on fire and making him think of nothing but what it would be like once they were finally alone and able to act on their need. After he was dressed he put on a fedora-style hat himself, then headed out. But not before checking the small caliber weapon he’d left for Taylor. Because even if the threat level was low, he sure as hell wasn’t leaving her unarmed. She knew a little about weapons thanks to her former boss, Hugh. He’d still watched her handle it and made sure she knew how to use it.
He returned from his scouting mission less than ten minutes later and found the weapon he’d given her on the backseat. The magazine was empty and loose bullets lay scattered on the floorboards. Roman’s heart lurched as the bottom of his world fell out.
She’d been taken.
Chapter 13
On the other side of the marina, Taylor folded her arms over her chest as she watched the man sitting on a white bench across from her. After basically kidnapping her—at gunpoint—he’d told her they were taking a stroll so they could chat.
He’d been incredibly polite about it, but that didn’t matter. Maybe it even made it worse. The man had somehow opened the locks on the SUV she’d been in with a keyfob. He clearly had some sort of master electronic key. Which wasn’t unheard of. But it was impressive—and scary. Terror streaked through her, the jagged edges piercing all her nerve endings as she tried to keep her cool. More than anything she was a little numb, which was the only thing keeping her from hyperventilating.
He’d grabbed the gun Roman had left for her and within seconds the man had taken it apart, emptying the bullets. Then he’d ordered her to come with him so they could chat for a few minutes. When a mother with a double stroller had paused by the SUV to tie her shoe he’d given Taylor a deadly, speculative look. As if to say he didn’t care who got hurt if she didn’t cooperate.
So Taylor had gone with him. But only because they were still in a public place, and she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. If he’d tried to get her into a vehicle she’d have screamed and fought for all she was worth. She’d rather get shot than be kidnapped. People walked by every few minutes and cars drove past on a consistent basis. None of that would help her if he decided to pump her full of bullets though. A shiver rolled down her spine as she imagined it happening.
“You and I are in a bit of a quandary,” the man finally spoke, his slight accent betraying his heritage. She wasn’t actually sure if he was Russian but that was what she’d dubbed him in her head. His dark aviator-style sunglasses with silver rims made it impossible to see his eyes. He was huge, with broad shoulders, but his build was more sleek than muscular.
She glanced around, wishing Roman would somehow find them. Her heart beat an erratic tattoo in her chest, thumping out of control so loudly blood rushed in her ears. She and the Russian hadn’t gone far, but it was out of sight from the SUV and the dock where Roman was. If he was back from his recon mission, he’d be looking for her. “I can’t see how that’s possible when I don’t even know you.” But she guessed that he must be working for Neal. That thought made a cold sliver of fear skitter over her skin. He could have just killed her in the SUV though, she reminded herself. Whoever this guy was wanted her alive. Because bringing her out of the SUV to kill her in a public place didn’t make any sense.
“True, but we have a mutual acquaintance.”
“So you’re working for that bastard?” she asked, unable to hide the bite of anger from her voice. Because really, who else could he be working for? She might have suspected he was the man who’d come after her at Vadim’s house, but this man had dark hair and tattoos. The description of the man Roman had interacted with was so plain and unassuming. Not this guy. This man was memorable, like a jungle animal roaming the streets wearing a black suit that did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that he was a predator. Which meant Neal had two guys working for him.
To her surprise, the man snorted. “For him? Lynch owes my boss money. And Lynch told me that you stole his money.”