Page 12 of Taken With Trouble

I’ve been imprisoned… by the man I’m trying to imprison.

The irony is distressing.

So is the déjà vu. Fifteen years ago, I was sitting on a bed, looking out a window at the very same tower, knowing my life would never be the same. My grandmother had sent me to boarding school, then died. I was completely alone in a city brimming with life. I have no good memories here.

But that’s not even the most frightening part of this situation.

I’m way too close tohim. My ex. My heart thumps loudly in my ears with memories better left forgotten. My eyes sting, and I pinch them closed.

I pull out my badge, running my shaky fingers over the gold shield. The familiarity of the motion instantly slows my pulse, and my breathing spaces out. I slip out my photo, and on the back are the words I wrote that were said to me when I left this continent seven years ago.

Everything will be okay.

The words are so faded they are barely legible, but the memory of the friend I left behind still calms me.

Everything will be okay.

One thing is for sure: Liam has a plan. The only way I’m going to make it out on top is if I have one of my own.

I excel at plans.

I ended up drifting off for an hour or two, scrunched against the headboard, turned toward the window, running for my life in a dream I never fully understand.

The smell of sausage wafts under the door tugging me in with its heavenly aroma. When was the last time I ate?

Better yet. What day is it?

I have far too many unanswered questions.

Armed with an overwhelmingly uneasy feeling, I stomp out of the bedroom preparing for another fight, but find Liam… cooking?

I halt, fearing I just walked in on something more nefarious than a simple meal.

Surely kidnappers don’t waste valuable time playing house.

Liam looks up from the stove and grins, a dimple creasing his cheek. “Morning, beautiful,” he says, flipping a towel over his shoulder and giving the entire scene a very domestic feel. Women all over the world would kill to wake up to this sight: a handsome man, dressed in a suit, looking like he stepped off a runway and landed in the kitchen, ready to hand-feed me grapes.

The man is the definition of seduction, and I am…clearly delirious.

I blink. “Do you always feed your captives?”

“Only the pretty ones.” He winks, a lock of his hair slipping down his forehead.

I shouldn’t, but the plate of sausage and eggs is only ten steps away, captivating every sense I have. I stomp forward and snatch a sausage link, stuffing it into my mouth. I nearly groan. It’s perfectly seasoned and crispy on the edges—the way I like it.

Liam raises a single eyebrow. “Careful, it’s poisoned.”

I freeze mid-bite.

Screw it.

I’m starving. If this is how I go, I choose food.

I finish chewing and straighten my shoulders. “About that. Drug me again, and I will not hesitate to stab you with an artifact next time.”

His left eyebrow flicks up. “Testy. Allow me to repeat… I did not drug you the first time. One of the bounty hunters following me did the honors. The second time was out of necessity, so I didn’t get caught in my con.”

I’m a part of a con man’s con. I grip the edge of the counter to keep myself upright. I’m so getting fired. I’m going to be sent to a federal prison and become the target of people I helped lock away.