Page 66 of Love Undercover
Rat Face froze, and Santiago managed to look borderline interested.
“Just call off your rodent,” she continued, her voice feathery. “I’ll come willingly if you make sure he doesn’t touch me.”
Santiago smiled, his eyes shifting to his little minion, whose expression fell like a child being denied a toy. A second later, Santiago gave a sharp whistle, and both Rat Face and Sadie flinched. She remained where she was, holding her ground until she was sure Rat Face wouldn’t come near her.
The little man glared at her before slinking back over to his boss, though he kept his gun pointed at her.
“We have a deal,” Santiago said, raising a brow when she still didn’t move.
Her heart rattled against her ribs, and it felt like she couldn’t get a full breath even as her chest heaved oxygen in and out. She took slow steps toward them, Santiago’s sinister grin growing with each inch she covered. She may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. But she hadn’t stood a chance of fighting them off, anyway. Two grown men against her? With a bum foot? It was better, but she doubted she could outrun either one.
This was the better option, right? Cooperate until she came up with a plan or an opportunity presented itself.
Her eyes shifted to the door of their own volition, her mind calculating with the speed only panic and an influx of adrenaline could inspire. What were her chances of any escape planworking? If she screamed, would the neighbors even hear? And if they did, would they check who had screamed and why? Those psychology studies would say not.
“I wouldn’t try it,” Santiago warned. His expression showed amusement, but there was a darkness in his voice as he continued to smile at her.
She sucked in a breath, hating her face for giving her thoughts away yet again.
“Travers is small, but he’s spry. Quick reflexes.”
She looked at Rat Face, deciding she’d rather keep calling him by the nickname instead of his real one. It fit better.
“And don’t forget that you have nowhere to run, pretty girl.”
For the first time, the sound of real danger appeared in his tone. The way his voice had gone husky onpretty girl,and his eyes made a slow perusal of her body had her wondering if she’d misplaced a level of trust.
“I promise Travers won’t touch you as long as you cooperate. Shall we?” He gestured to the door, and she swallowed.
He jerked his head at Travers, who scowled and went out the back door ahead of them. Santiago had her follow before he fell in behind her. The backyard was so closed off and secluded, she wasn’t sure anyone would hear her if she screamed. With Santiago’s presence a cloying heat that made the skin at her back tingle with awareness, she doubted it would do her any good anyway. His eyes raked over her, too, like a laser all down her spine, taking in the curves of her body like he was analyzing something.
She wiped her sweaty palms against her thighs, her breathing audible. She swore she could feel Santiago’s grin behind her. He liked that she was scared.
Chase, where are you?her mind chanted as they led her around the garage and through a gate to the alleyway. The remnants of her hope died a quick and painful death as all shesaw were high walls and hedges that blocked them from sight of the houses around them. No other cars sat in the alley.
Rat Face led them to a black SUV with windows tinted impossibly dark, and the anxiety writhed faster in her stomach, adrenaline flowing through her limbs, flooding her with the desire to run. It even cleared away the residual pain in her ankle.
“You said willingly,” Santiago purred behind her.
She sucked in a breath. How had he known? Her face was an easy read, but was her body language so loud as well?
His body heat intensified, and she felt his breath against her neck. He’d moved closer, not trusting his words to hold her in place.
It was at the passenger side door of the vehicle when her heart rate jumped into erratic chaos, and she realized that this was real life, that she was actually in this situation.
She’d been scared when Chase stuffed her in his trunk, but not in the same way. Maybe some part of her had known he wasn’t going to harm her. Not the way the knowledge that these two men would love nothing more than to hurt her was so solid and tangible.
Rat Face opened the door, his expression pinched, still grumpy about the deal she’d struck with Santiago. Knowing what he was sad about losing made her skin crawl, and she halted three feet away from him.
“I made a promise, pet,” Santiago said, the humor obvious in his tone, and it was starting to become more and more obvious that she’d made a deal with the devil.
His hands danced down her arms, barely skimming her skin, and she spun, her whole body tightening up. He was grinning at her, and all of her insides froze.
26
Brewing Storm
Chase would have to be clever with his approach. Santiago likely expected him to come busting in, eager to play the hero. And he wanted to. He wanted to light that place up. But he needed to be smart.
