Page 141

Wherever Aiden is, sleeping or tied up or whatever, it’s ludicrous to wait for him to make a move. Then again, if I try any kind of heroic attempt, they might just shoot us and be done. Right now, I’m banking on their necessity for keeping both of us in good condition.

Things can change on a dime.

I’m not sure why they want us, although the sinking feeling in my gut says it’s nothing good.

So what’s the next move? How do I get out of this when I can’t move?

Gilli is crying, unable to control herself, and my head is still spinning from the punches.

“What’s that, beautiful? You want to say something? If you promise not to scream then I’ll remove the gag.” Mask pauses for a moment and I crane my head up to watch him slip the cloth off her mouth.

Tears streak along her cheeks, her lower lip trembling. “Please don’t hurt him.”

Well, fuck. Her first thought is for me?

I try to catch her attention, to tell her silently to forget me and to get out, to run if she can.

“Oh, honey, why would I hurt my merchandise? You’ve given me a gift far greater than what I anticipated. Not only your skills, but him. Both of you are here just for me.”

“You said you were going to killme,” she breathes.

Acid churns in my stomach. He said that to her?

“There are times when a change of plans is necessary.”

Mask snaps his fingers, and the pressure eases off my back. I buck, flailing at the ties, only to have the second brute step down on my spine, the tip of his boot between my shoulder blades.

I grit my teeth. This wasn’t supposed to happen. What good are cameras and security if people like this breeze right inside?

The other dude returns shortly with what looks like a tripod and a ring light.

“Set up over by the sliding glass door, if you please,” Mask directs. “I think we’ll be able to utilize the space nicely. Draw the curtain, of course. We want to make the most of the angles without the neighbors watching. Oh, right.” He turns to me. “What neighbors?”

“You piece of shit,” I spit out. “You’re not getting away with this.”

“Such fire, such bravado.”

“I’ll shove both of those things right up your ass until you choke on them.”

Mask chuckles and says, “We’ll see who is going to be choking when we’re done.”

There’s no warning, no minuscule sound to give him away. Aiden comes out of nowhere, firing from behind the kitchen island. It goes wide and hits the lamp to the left of where Mask stands near the couch.

Aiden rises up like a storm god, re-cocking the hunting rifle and training it on Mask with a steady hand.

A smile splits my face. These guys are totally fucked now. For whatever time they wasted watching us, they hadn’t reckoned onhim.

The pressure on my back eases slightly.

Aiden steps carefully around the kitchen island, unblinking and absolutely furious. “Step away from them both. Hands in the air,” he warns.

“You aren’t a very good shot, are you?” Mask asks calmly. “You missed me by a country mile.”

Aiden scoffs coldly. “It was a warning. Hopefully this time you’ll take me seriously.”

There’s death in his eyes, turned black with shadows. He’s not kidding, and I’ve seen him use that rifle before. He’s good.

The dude behind me steps to the side with his hands in the air on either side of his head.