Page 22 of Stolen Temptation

I need to find out who he is. That’s my best hope of figuring out a way out of this, if any hope exists at all.

“What brought you here tonight?”

When Rory speaks again, there’s a smile in his voice. “I’m a humble art collector.”

“Okay,” I say, my disbelief evident from my tone. I’m sheltered, not stupid.

We reach a door, and he holds it open so I can awkwardly shuffle through.

“What, I don’t strike you as an art afficionado? Because I can assure you that I know who Libertas is.”

Bright pink surprise pings through me. Never thought I’d be havingthisconversation with my kidnapper.

“You…really?”

His voice softens. “Yes. Libertas is a favorite of my mother’s. She loves the art, and so do I. That combination of darkness and whimsy always lures me in and evokes an emotional reaction. I could stare at some of those paintings for hours and keep finding new things.”

It’s like I’m in primary school, finding out a boy I like has a crush on me. The butterflies in my stomach lose their minds.

Why am I so flattered? He didn’t say anything romantic or amazing. He’s literally making off with me like a bandit in the night!

But I am. Flattered, I mean. His praise renders me temporarily speechless, and my cheeks burn. Maybe I’m not good with compliments because I’ve never really received any.

At least, not from men.

He leans closer again as we enter some kind of service hallway. “What about you? Do you enjoy Libertas?”

“I used to…” The intensity of his eyes on the back of my head is visceral. “The work of Libertas meant a lot to my mom and me, too, once upon a time.”

Without missing a beat, Rory guides us to an intersection in the hallway and through another door that leads to an upward staircase.

How does he know his way around so well?

The tone of his voice changes again, deepening and becoming more pensive. “I was shocked to find that the artist himself was on the auction menu tonight. What do you think about that?”

Bitterness surges up my throat. “I don’t think human beings should be auctioned.”

“I agree with you there.” Still steering my body, Rory pushes me forward and we ascend the staircase, one big step at a time. It’s like we’re deep in the bowels of a haunted castle, hoping to find our way out before dawn. When we reach the top, Rory huffs a bitter laugh. “Maybe we should have helped Libertas escape instead.”

Horrible irony claws at my insides. Fastening my jaw shut is the only thing that keeps me from blurting out something dumb.

I focus on my feet as we approach a large door. Rory reaches around me to shove it open, and I gulp down the crisp, nighttime air of early autumn.

We’re outside.

Free of the auction house.

Now I just have to figure out how to free myself from Rory.

My chest compresses. I pray Mae made it out safely too.

Except, I’m not sure “safe” is the correct word for my current set of circumstances. I choose to believe that I’m in a better situation than I was with Leo, but only time will tell.

The urgency of that thought sandbags me. The worst has yet to come. Once Leo realizes his cash cow slipped her leash, he’s going to freak out. If I don’t hightail it out of here, he may still catch me. Whatever Rory’s planning to do with me is nothing compared to what Leo will do…

The thought of Leo fills me with the urge to run until I reach the ocean and dissolve like sea foam.

We come to a small parking lot. Standing on the sidewalk, several paces away, are two security guards, one with a disfigured mouth and face tattoos, the other with crazy eyes and a cut near his buzzed hairline.