Page 163 of Carnal Urges

“But not a word to anyone that you received permission,” I warn, gazing at him steadily, the threat of violence in my eyes. “Disobey me on that, and you’re done.”

He babbles his thanks, rushing over to kiss my hand.

I want to swat him away, but I don’t have the heart to kick him when he’s down.

Falling in love has made me fucking mushy.

We exchange a few more words, then he leaves, looking like he’s floating on cloud nine. Had I known he’d be so eager to shed Irish blood, I would’ve had assignments for him far sooner.

When he’s gone, I lock all the doors and turn off all the lights. Then I head to the back of the warehouse to the hidden stairway.

A button recessed in the floor operates a swinging door disguised as a section of brick wall. The door swings slowly open on silent hinges, revealing inky blackness beyond. I walk forward a few steps, feeling around on the wall for the button to close the door.

I hit it. The door swings shut behind me. I’m plunged into darkness.

I hit another switch, and a bare bulb dangling from the ceiling illuminates the staircase landing. I’m surrounded by unpainted drywall on three sides. The fourth side is open, with a pine staircase descending into more darkness.

I trudge down the stairs, flick on the light at the lower landing, and head over to the metal cage.

It’s not big, but it is strong, made of reinforced steel bars sunk into concrete top and bottom. Inside the cage is a toilet. On the floor sits a plastic gallon jug of water and an empty plate. On the thin mattress, a man lies on his back.

He turns his head toward me, squinting against the light. He’s a young Latino male, just shy of thirty, who the rest of the world thinks is dead.

He might as well be.

I lean a shoulder against his cage and smile down at him.

“Hello, Diego. I understand your friend and former second-in-command, Declan O’Donnell, is a spy. I have a proposition for you.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Of all the novels I’ve written, Sloane and Declan are two of my favorite characters. I’ve heard the same from many readers. I had so much fun with them while writingCarnal Urgesthat I ended up with an entire file of outtakes and deleted scenes, a few of which are included here.

These scenes take place between the end ofRuthless Creaturesand the start ofCarnal Urges,after Sloane has been kidnapped by Declan in the parking garage of Kage and Natalie’s high-rise building. I played around with how Sloane would react to being kidnapped and came up with a few different scenarios, all of which she kicked ass in either physically or figuratively.

Because as we’ve seen, Sloane Keller is a fighter and a survivor at heart.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted her to be tougher than her captors, who she’d eventually win over and wrap around her pinkie finger. I just wasn’t sure at the start how much to show of the logistics of her being taken. While in the final published version,she wakes up on Declan’s plane, in these deleted scenes, Declan doesn’t get off quite as easily.

A few other details were changed for the final version, but all of the banter and chemistry remain.

I hope you enjoy the wee camel and her besotted gangster king.

DELETED SCENE #1

SLOANE

Never one to spend time agonizing over decisions, I quickly conclude three things as the SUV rockets down the rain-slicked street at top speed with an army of enraged Russian gangsters in hot pursuit.

First: this will be my one and only trip to New York City. I’m pretty much up for any kind of adventure, but kidnapping is a little over-the-top, even for me.

Second: I’m always going to carry the gun I stole from Stavros. I can’t believe I packed almost every item of clothing I own to visit Nat for a week but left the .357 behind in Lake Tahoe. I’m so disappointed in myself.

Third: as soon as I get out of this car, someone is getting his ass kicked.

And by “someone,” I mean the blue-eyed bastard who grabbed me and tossed me in here like a sack of rocks.

My kidnapper.