Page 17 of Russian Roulette
I stand tall, staring him in the eye. “I’m not a pawn in your game,” I say, my voice steady. “I won’t be manipulated or controlled by anyone. I’m aware of what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work.”
He raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “Is that so? We’ll see.” He reaches behind me and opens the narrow bathroom door. “Don’t try to escape,” he warns. “There’s only one way out of here and that’s straight through me.”
“You mean I can’t crawl out through a ceiling tile?”
“You can try,” he says. “Give it your best shot. I’ll be ready outside to chase you. I love a good hunt. It’ll be a challenge for you and entertainment for me.”
He shuts the door, and I flip the lock. For the first time since they grabbed me, I have a few moments alone to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. The heavy weight of my situation bears down on me. With him right outside waiting for me, escaping is impossible.
I’ll bide my time, wait for the right moment, and then make my move. I won’t let him win. In the meantime, I need to clear my head and piece together the few facts I’ve learned about Vulcan, Kit and Seven.
Who are these guys?
They’re clearly not part of an organized mob or gang. Seven is a performer with Vegas billboards who keeps snakes in his pockets and trick scarves. He’s obviously a magician or illusionist. I can’t understand why a man with a big career in Vegas would risk a kidnapping charge.
Leroy is Seven’s bodyguard and driver. He made it clear he’s not involved in the planning of my kidnapping, so that leaves the other two guys.
I’m coming up empty with Kit or Vulcan. I’ll try to drag more information out of Vulcan tonight. If I’m stuck here with him, I might as well try to get him talking. With any luck, he’s a drinker. A few beers might loosen his tongue. I’ll drink with him if that’s what it takes. I can hold my alcohol as well as any man can, though it’s not a fact I advertise.
The other pressing question is why did they kidnap me? One minute I think they’re trying to scare me, the next I get the distinct impression they’re trying to protect me in their own weird way.
Especially Kit. If there’s a weak link in the group, it’s him. He wasn’t happy with Vulcan for tying my wrists. He also wasn’t thrilled with the idea of leaving me here alone with him. Which is concerning. Why was he worried? Is Vulcan as dangerous as he appears?
Why would any of them want to protect me, though? We only just met, and it’s not as if I was a helpless woman standing on a street corner waiting for an alpha male to rescue me.
There’s something they’re not telling me.
I hate being in the dark without knowledge of the full situation. It puts me at a distinct disadvantage. A place where I’m not accustomed to being.
Vulcan raps lightly on the bathroom door with his knuckles. “Need help in there? Or have you already escaped?” he asks, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Don’t take too long or I’ll assume you’re up to no good. Something tells me you can be a very bad girl, Jade. Guess what happens to bad girls? They get punished. Don’t make me take off my belt.”
“Jeez! Give a girl a break, will you? I’ll be out in a second.”
After quickly giving the bathroom a quick search for weapons and coming up empty, I open the bathroom door to walk straight into his bare chest. He laughs at my discomfort and after a long moment takes a step back to allow me to pass by him.
“What now?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. “Do we sit inside this tiny RV all evening, or do you have any better ideas?”
Uh oh.I shouldn’t have given him that opening. As soon as the words slipped out, I realized I’d made a mistake.
He shoots me a sinister grin. “I can think of plenty of better things to do, can’t you? Want to hear my ideas? They’re usually on the kinky side. Or do you want to tell me your ideas first?” He sprawls out on the small bed and pats the space beside him invitingly. “Come and take a seat. Tell me what you like to do for fun.”
I need to put a stop to this before it goes any further. “If you have any ideas concerning you and me, forget them now,” I reply firmly. “It’s not happening. Not now, not ever.”
“Never is a very long time,” he says. “Never say never.”
The RV is too small and claustrophobic, with both of us sharing the tight space. Vulcan’s presence is overwhelming, and I desperately need fresh air. Without asking for permission, I rush out the door and sit at the picnic table to breathe fresh air. I can’t imagine spending the night inside the cramped RV with him. I wish one of the other guys had agreed to stay here to act as a buffer between us.
To my surprise, he doesn’t come after me. I sit there alone for a solid fifteen minutes until I wonder if he’s fallen asleep inside the RV. With a tired sigh, I walk over and open the door to the RV.
Vulcan doesn’t acknowledge me when I step inside. How long was he willing to let mesit outside by myself? He’s standing at the small kitchen table while piling raw hot dogs onto a paper plate. He opens a cabinet and pulls out a large bag of potato chips. “Here,” he says. “Take these outside, along with the bottle of ketchup.”
“Sure,” I reply, taking the chips from him. The past two days I’ve lived off granola bars and energy drinks. I won’t refuse food if it’s offered to me. Even from a kidnapper.
“Grab that package of hot dog buns on your way out,” he says. “Hope you like campfire food, since that’s all I have. Actually, I don’t give a shit whether you like it or not. Eat or starve. Doesn’t matter to me.”
“I can eat anything. I’m not picky.”
“Suit yourself.” He follows me out of the RV carrying a plate of hot dogs and a two-liter soft drink.
