Page 40 of His Kidnapped Queen
“Put your hands on the dash,” he orders, and the other man sneers but slowly obeys.
“You won’t get away with this.”
Maybe not.
It’s risky, doing this out in the open, even for me. It would be for anyone. But the cops in this area know this event is going on and they’re in our pocket.
But still. It’s not like me at all. It’s…concerning, actually, but I choose not to worry about it right now. What I need to do is focus on getting Sophia somewhere that I can talk to her.
Make her talk to me.
By whatever means necessary.
Diego keeps his eyes fixed on the boyfriend, not moving an inch, not even blinking. Diego was in the military before he became a wiseguy. He spent two tours in active combat in his twenties. Before his little brother got blown up by a landmine, he was a model soldier. After that, he kind of went off the rails. We had grown up together, taken different paths. When they shipped him home, he fit into my life just like he’d never left.
I’m thankful for him right now. Without him, Sophia probably could have wriggled away, but she’s stock still, trembling, scared for her boyfriend, which makes me want to scream.
Diego doesn’t speak, just keeps pointing his gun.
“Just drive away,” I tell him with a snarl, able to drop my gun to my side now and drag Sophia back across the street, her heels scraping on the pavement.
She opens her mouth as if to scream, and I grip her hipbone until she winces in pain.
“Scream and I’ll order Diego to take off your boyfriend’s head,” I hiss, and she closes her mouth with a click of her teeth.
My chest feels tight, my stomach rolling. She shut up quickly when I threatened him. How serious is it? There was no ring on her finger, but it seems like she’s terrified of losing him.
“Just go, Soph,” the boyfriend says, his voice calm and warm. “Don’t fight him. I’ll find you, okay? I promise.”
It’s heartfelt and saccharine and it makes me want to throw up. I have to stop myself from ordering Diego to shoot him anyway.
“Take her,” I bark, and Diego takes Sophia from me. I raise my gun as she struggles, kicks at him, and one of her stilettos going flying into the street.
He ignores her, his arms like iron as he drags her to his Escalade.
Her screams fade out and slowly, I lower my gun.
Her boyfriend keeps his hands on the steering wheel, but he keeps his eyes trained on me.
“I’ll find you,” he warns.
“I hope so,” I say honestly. All I need is a single reason to put a bullet in the back of his head.
He takes his foot off the brake and takes off.
I watch him go for a moment, trying to memorize the license plate. But it’s no use, he speeds off too quickly. Shame. I’d like to have gotten to know more about him, tried to figure out how he’s connected to Sophia.
I guess I’ll just have to make her tell me.
I make my way to the parking garage where I know Diego is parked. My own car is at the valet, but I think I’ll leave it for the night, ride back with Diego. I don’t want to let Sophia out of my sight again.
She’s too good at slipping away. Pixie. Cop.
Take your pick.
Diego stands outside the Escalade. The windows are too tinted in the back to see anything, but I can hear her banging around in there.
He looks up at me with curious dark eyes.
