Page 58 of Virgin for Next Door Wolf Daddy

“Rosa said to tell you she’d be glad to make extra food and send it over so you don’t have to cook.”

Talia groaned. “Rosa knows before Sebastian does?”

“It’s hard to keep secrets around here.”

“I tried to tell him the other night, but our conversation got interrupted.”

“He’ll be back soon. All will be well. The kids are restless. We’re going to play hide and seek. Talk to you soon.”

“Take care.” Talia grimaced. She hated the idea that everyone in the world was going to know about the baby before Sebastian did.

She sat down and pushed the food around on her supper plate. What in the world did he want to talk to me about? Was he going to tell me that he loved me or that he really didn’t?

Although the stress of not knowing drove her insane, she believed, deep inside of her, that he did love her and he was going to talk about the next step in her relationship.

Savvy and Beth were both dolls. They both called her every day to make sure that she was doing okay. They mentioned that they should get together on Saturday and hang out. Talia was waiting to see if Sebastian would be home by then.

The next afternoon, Talia noticed a van with no windows following close behind her. She didn’t think much of it as she pulled into the grocery store parking lot. However, it was parked a few spaces away from her and pulled out behind her when she left.

Talia drove toward the police station and pulled in. The van continued going straight. She quickly drove home, went inside the house, locked her door, and set her alarm.

Should I call Sebastian’s company and tell them about the van?

After deliberating for a few minutes, she decided not to. Her doors were locked and the alarm was set. She wouldn’t go anywhere but work and home, so she should be fine.

Before she went to bed, she walked around the house, making sure that her doors and windows were locked. Then, she did it again.

I’m just being paranoid. I watch too many true crime shows.

Despite her self-reassurances she struggled to go to sleep. Finally, after tossing and turning a million times, she dozed off.

Suddenly, she sat straight up in bed. The bright red numbers on her clock told her that it was a little after three. Talia shook her head, trying to pinpoint what had disturbed her sleep.

Talia heard a shuffling sound, as though someone dragged their feet over the tiled floor in the kitchen. She pulled back the covers and put her feet on the floor. Talia was prepared to shift in a second if there was an intruder.

Before she could stand, there were four men in her room. Talia leaped to her feet and started to shift. Halfway through the process, one of them punched her hard in the face. Stunned, she returned to her all-human form. The man behind her grabbed her head and pressed a damp rag to her face. A sweet smell filled her nostrils and the world went dark.

Talia’s eyes fluttered open. The world was spinning around her and the sharp pain in her head made her sick to her stomach. It took her several minutes to figure out where she was.

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself as she looked around. The trickling of water in the background told her that there was a stream nearby. The floor was cold and rocky. Stalactites, shaped like spears, hung from the ceiling.

She felt the shackle around her ankle before she saw it. Talia reached down to touch the iron wrapped around her ankle and felt the chain. Her eyes followed the chain to a huge D ring bolted into the cave wall.

Her heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat. She was being held prisoner in a cave.

Why would someone do this to me? With Joe and Darius out of the way, I shouldn’t have any enemies. I’m pretty sure no one else knows I exist.

Her body ached and she had a coughing fit. Talia’s throat felt raw and burned as though she had been screaming for hours. She managed to push herself into a sitting position.

A man sitting by a fire watched her. The warmth of the flames didn’t reach her, teasing her, just out of range.

“What’s going on?” Her voice was hoarse as though she hadn’t used it in a month.

“Your man, Sebastian, took something special from my boss so we’re going to return the favor. We’re going to wait for him to rescue you, and then we’re going to torture you and kill you slowly in front of him. When you finally die, we’ll kill him slowly.” His thick accent made it hard to understand his words, but the message was quite clear.

She shivered and coughed again until her chest ached.

He handed her a bottle of water. She looked at it distrustfully, but she had no choice. The cool liquid soothed her throat a little.

---