Page 33 of Stolen Temptation

“You.” He glares. “You’ll stay put if you know what’s good for you.”

The warning withers the anger coursing through me, allowing the terror to return.

With more adrenaline seeping out of my system, the pain from our cage match becomes more pronounced too.

Scarface exits first, and Darren and Rory follow. When the door creaks shut behind them, my new reality sinks in.

I just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Chapter 10

Rory

After this morning’s victory, the rest of my day is turning into a disaster.

The second we’re out in the hallway, Finn waits for Darren to leave before ripping into me.

“What the hell were you thinking,abductinga woman from the auction? You were supposed to go in there to find intel and the most valuable auction item, but you come out with what?” A vein in his neck pulses while he pins me with his signature scowl. “A fucking souvenir?”

“She was trying to escape.”

His scowl deepens. “Sowhat?”

“The De Luca guards were trying to capture her.”He’s so pissed at me, he can’t see the truth. I push out a breath, attempting to focus before Finn has a fucking conniption fit and I lose my cool too. “I told you before that one way to get to the De Lucas is through their women. We couldn’t find anyone at the time, but she referred to Leonardo De Luca asLeo, so they must be close. She’s got to be in his inner circle. A family friend. A lover. Maybe a business associate.Something. Did you really want me to not take advantage of whatever stroke of luck put her in our path?”

Finn’s nostrils flare as he huffs a few rapid breaths through his nose. “So? Which one is it, then?”

“I intend to find out.” More confidence seeps into my voice. “Look at it this way. If she’s desperate enough to get away from him that she relied on a complete stranger’s help, she’s desperate enough to talk.”

Instead of appearing reassured, Finn squints at me.

Never a good sign.

“Don’t tell me you’re the complete stranger she gothelpfrom.”

Heat singes the back of my neck, and I knead the spot with my hand.Shit.Can’t let Finn investigate this one.

The last thing I need is for him to get all up in my ass about touching her.

I try to dispel the suspicion in his tone with the truth. “She walked right into me. Randomly. By accident?—”

“And said what, exactly?”

“I think you’re missing the point.”

His eyebrow shoots up. “Am I?”

“She’s important to the De Lucas. I guarantee it.” I drag my fingers through my hair. “She’s valuable to Leonardo himself, which means she could have value to us.”

“And what is she toyou?” Finn lasers my face with his dark brown eyes. “I caught the way you looked at her back there. And the way she scowled at you, like you personally pissed in her cornflakes.”

My jaw wires shut, and I fight the urge to avert my eyes, butdamn. Somehow, he knows something happened between us.

Nothing gets past Finn Gallagher.

Nothing except the mole, that is.

Finn’s shoulders rise with the swell of his ire. “We buried three more this week!” His gaze burns into mine. “Do you know how badly I want to march over to the De Lucas’ littlecompound with a few grenades, an M-45, and blast Leo into next year myself?”