Page 27 of Stolen Temptation

I shift the van into drive and ease back onto the road. At the same time, I ease myself away from worrying over Kiara. I can’t let anything distract me, least of all our pretty little hostage.

My resolve tightens the closer we get to the estate. It’s like my brain is screwing the lid shut on the jar of my emotions and sealing them away.

Other than tech, my ability to lock up my feelings is my only true superpower.

Shoving them aside. Blending in with my surroundings. Pretending like nothing much gets under my skin.

Acting the way I’m supposed to act.

I’m good at it because I know how to hide the guy I am on the inside so well that nobody remembers he exists.

Sometimes, even I don’t.

Chapter 9

Kiara

I awaken alone in a strange hospital room.

There are no windows in here. Just one large square skylight in the ceiling.

Lying here alone, with a view of the clear blue sky above me, is eerie. Like waking up in an open grave moments before dirt is shoveled in.

Am I dead?

Blinking hard, I notice the ache in my head.

I’ve never had enough alcohol to ever be hungover, but this has got to bewhat it’s like, right? Throbbing, hazy pain, small sounds hitting my ear too loud…

What the hell happened to me?That question blazes to life behind my eyes—bright, hot, and urgent enough for me to shoot up from the bed.

I regret the sudden motion when pain streaks through my skull.

“Ow.”

Touching my hand to my forehead, I discover a bandage under my fingertips. No wonder my head hurts so much.

One terrible scenario after another spins through my mind in a merry-go-round of anxiety.

Abuse.

Assault.

Murder.

Words I know the men around me are all too familiar with.

My mother’s own story haunts me, stoking my fear even higher.

Have I become a victim just like her?

This may be my first time running away, but I know what mafia men do to women like me. I’m not that stupid.

Except, I obviously am that stupid.

Rory.I trusted him. Kissed him. Then he forced me outside, murdered two men in front of my very eyes, and drugged me.

The last thing I remember is losing control of my body.