Page 37 of Accidentally Kidnapping the Mafia Boss
“Is that the girl?” the man on the phone demands. “Is she okay?”
“Here, you can speak to her yourself.”
Finn holds out his phone to me, and I blink. I’m almost afraid to take it. But when I hold it to my ear, Finn’s green eyes are steady on me and the same sense of calm descends as when he has me tied up, in his power.
“Hi?”
“I’m Duncan Blackstone, Miss Harewood?” says male voice in a broad Scottish accent.
“For now,” Finn rumbles.
“That’s right.” Am I answering the man on the phone or the one in front of me?
“I understand you’ve been kidnapped,” says Duncan.
I flick my gaze to Finn’s.
He spreads his hands. “You did it first.”
“It’s complicated,” I reply.
“I had a fuck-buddy marriage to my daughter’s best friend who I was secretly in love with, and she secretly felt the same. Try me,” he says, Scottish accent bone dry.
Finn snorts with laughter.
“Okay, you know about complicated,” I acknowledge. “What happened was…” I think about telling Duncan that I accidentally kidnapped Finn, and then Finn captured me back, then we’ve spent six days together and I think I’ve fallen in love with him. “Basically, the same thing.”
My captor grins.
“You’ve got married?” the Scot asks sceptically.
“No,” I correct him. “Not exactly.” It’s just that I know about secret love now.
“I can propose, anytime you want, pet.” Finn winks and my heart gallops. He doesn’t mean it. We’re going back to London tomorrow, and this is his compensation for me kidnapping the playboy kingpin. A fun and sexy escapade.
“Look, I’ll cut to the chase. The London Mafia Syndicate aims to reduce kidnappings. For some reason,” he adds under his breath. “And we assume since he’s missing, and so are you, that he’s kidnapped you.”
Neither Finn nor I say anything. I’m certainly not telling this Blackstone character that Finn allowed me to kidnaphimfor funsies.
“Is Kilburn holding you against your will?”
I hold Finn’s gaze, and words clog in my throat.
A seagull squawks as it wheels around in the fading light as the sun sets.
“Miss?” Duncan asks when I don’t reply for long seconds. “Where are you?”
“At a cottage by the sea that won’t be mine in two days.” The despair catches me by the gut again, dragging me down even as Finn slowly shakes his head, and I can’t understand why.
“Look.” The Scot sighs impatiently. “Is this a kinky sex thing, or do you want to get away?”
“You can run, but I’ll catch you, pet.”
Duncan’s accent leaves me cold, but Finn’s Irish accent? The thrill that shoots through me rocks me back on my heels. It’s unreal. A smile plays around Finn’s mouth. He’s so, so big. Next to the sea, no one should feel like a mountain. But Finn does.
“Those two things aren’t necessarily different,” I point out to Duncan.
“Like that, is it?” he replies with amusement. “In that case?—”
