Page 4 of Holiday Hostage

“Time to switch things up.” Eli flicks on the turn and eases on the break while making a right turn into a narrow alleyway and answering my rhetorical question about obeying traffic laws after committing an armed robbery that slipped past my verbal filter. His warm brown eyes meet my gaze in the rearview mirror. “You know one of the easiest ways for people transporting drugs to get busted? Breaking traffic laws and getting pulled over by some beat cop during a mundane traffic stop. Once you ditch the cops, you blend in and act like every other driver out on the road.”

“Umm, okay?” My voice breaks, and I let out a shaky breath. “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever find myself in a situation where I’m running from the police again.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to be happening any time soon,” Bryce grumbles from the seat beside me. “Or ever, if I have anything to say about it.”

Eli stops the car, shifts it into park, pops the trunk, and gets out. Koda follows and walks to the back of the car. Bryce unfastens my seat belt and takes me by the hand, tugging me across the back seat.

“Come on.” Sensing my hesitation—or maybe it's the way I’m gripping the handle of the door on my side of the car—Bryce tugs harder, forcing me to loosen my grip or dislocate my shoulder.

“So much for not hurting me,” I mutter under my breath and let go of the door.

“I wasn’t trying to, princess. I don’t want to, trust me, but you can’t stay here. You’ll have to come with us.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Koda clasps his hand on Bryce’s shoulder and jerks his head toward a dark metallic gray extended cab pickup truck parked at the other end of the alley. “We can still cut her loose.”

“You could. Youshouldlet me go.” I seize an opportunity to slip from Bryce’s relaxed grip and the distraction Koda’s suggestion provides, but his fingers tighten around my wrist again before I free myself of his hold. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise, and I keep my promises.”

I throw Bryce’s words back at him, eager to use his own logic against him to gain the upper hand and hopefully my freedom.

“Nice try, princess.” Bryce chuckles, pulling me close to his side before turning to his friend. “She knows too much now.”

“And whose fault is that?” Koda jabs his finger into Bryce’s chest. “You’re the one running his mouth.”

“Let’s go.” Eli slams the rear passenger side door of the truck and opens the front passenger door. With a glance back over his shoulder, he called out, “Koda, you’re driving. Grab the girl and get your asses in the truck now before some beat cop stumbles on us.”

“Whatever,” Koda grumbles, catching the keys Eli tosses to him before climbing into the passenger seat. “We go down for this because of her, and I’ll whittle my prison-issue toothbrush into a shiv and bury it in your ass.”

“It’s like that?” Bryce asks, his tone challenging, but there’s a hint of a smile on his face.

“It’s like that,” Koda tosses back without looking and gets behind the wheel, slamming the driver’s side door closed.

“That was, umm…oddly specific.” I dig in my heels, trying to slow the progress Bryce is making as he pushes me closer to thetruck. “He’s…he’s kidding, right? I mean, he wouldn’t really stab you, would he?”

“Koda’s good with knives. Better than good. It’s kind of his thing. So, yeah, if we ended up in the joint, I’d sleep with one eye open until he decided to come around and forgive me.”

“But aren’t you guys friends or something?” I’m clueless about the connection the three of them share, but I couldn’t imagine committing a federal offense like armed robbery with just anyone. I would have to be close to someone and trust them with my life before I became their partner in crime. Not that I ever would. But still, I couldn’t put my faith and future in the hands of someone if there was even the slightest chance they would stab me in the back.

And Koda had just vowed to do exactly that to Bryce if they got caught. What the hell would he do to me?

“Friends?” Bryce laughs and shakes his head. “More like brothers from different mothers. Eli and Koda are the closest thing to a family I have. Come on, princess. It’s time to go.”

Bryce rests his large hand on my shoulder, clamping down, and steers me to the truck. His hands circle my waist as he hoists me up and tosses me into the back seat. There’s no point in fighting or running. I’m not athletic or fast. I’d never outmaneuver or outrun any of them, and I have zero desire to get shot. Or stabbed. My best chance of getting out of this mess is still to convince them to let me go. They can’t drag me along forever, right? If they are going to be on the run for any length of time, they will need to cut the dead weight at some point.

Don’t say dead, Laiken.

I force myself to stay positive and think of reasons they should keep me alive and let me go. Unfortunately for me, it’s shaping up to be a very short list.

CHAPTER 3

“Time to wake up, princess.”

The rough timbre of Bryce’s voice pulls me from the sleep I’d succumbed to about half an hour into the drive, but I still haven’t opened my eyes. I don’t want to wake up because when I do, the reality of my situation is waiting for me, and I’m not ready to face it yet. His large, strong hand is surprisingly soft despite the calluses I can feel when he brushes my bedhead hair from my face. With a content groan and nuzzle in, I refuse to open my eyes and drag my nap and denial out as long as I can.

“Princess.” Bryce makes a noise that sounds almost like a growl but with an edge of pain behind it.

My eyes flutter open, and I shift again, only to realize that my head rests on Bryce’s lap and that is most definitely not a gun pressed against my temple. A gasp escapes my lips, my mouth hanging open a little as I blink, surprised by Bryce’s reaction to me.

“Not helping.” His gaze locks on mine, those glacial eyes darkening as they track their way down to focus on my mouth.

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