Page 7 of Hunted to the Altar (Caputo Crime Family #3)

CHAPTER FIVE

S amuel

The silence in her apartment stretched taut, like the moment before a violin string snaps.

I watched her, my gaze never leaving her trembling form as she backed away from me, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.

Her fear was palpable, a living, breathing thing that fed something dark and primal inside me.

It should have made me feel guilty. It didn’t.

My little bunny had always been fire—the way she looked at the world, the way she fought to survive—but tonight, she was cornered prey, and I was the predator who refused to let her go.

Her deep brown skin gleamed under the dim apartment light, the rich undertones reminding me of polished mahogany.

Her wide, expressive eyes, with a hint of desperation, locked onto mine.

Even in fear, they carried a spark of defiance that made my chest tighten.

Her wild curls framed her face in untamed chaos, the contrast between her vulnerable, trembling lips and her bold presence only feeding my obsession .

She shook her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. “You need to leave,” she said, her voice trembling but defiant. “You don’t belong here.”

I stepped closer, slow and deliberate, letting the weight of my presence press down on her. “On the contrary, Nina,” I said, my voice low and even. “I’m exactly where I need to be.”

Her hand darted toward the lamp on the table, but I caught her wrist before she could lift it, the fragile bones of her arm dwarfed by my hand. Her full lips parted in a sharp inhale, her eyes widening as she struggled against my grip.

“Let go of me,” she hissed, twisting her arm to break free. Her voice carried strength, but the tremor beneath it betrayed her.

I tightened my hold just enough to still her movements. “I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, my voice softening. “But you’re not safe, Nina. Not here. Not anywhere but with me.”

Her laugh was bitter enough to cut. “You think locking me away is protecting me? You’re the one I need to be protected from!”

Her words stung more than they should have, a flash of something raw and unfamiliar sparking in my chest. I released her wrist, taking a step back, but I didn’t give her the space she wanted. I couldn’t.

“Do you think this is a game?” I asked, my voice hardening. “You think the people who took you before won’t try again? That they won’t finish what they started?”

She froze, the fight bleeding out of her as her expression crumbled. I’d struck a nerve, and the guilt I should have felt never came. Instead, I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You don’t have to like me, Nina. But you’re going to trust me because the alternative is far worse.”

Her lips parted, but whatever retort she was preparing died on her tongue. Instead, she turned and bolted, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood as she made a break for the door .

My pulse surged as she ran, the primal part of me waking up fully.

I let her get just far enough—her fingers brushing the doorknob—before lunging.

She twisted the lock, and I could almost hear her gasp of triumph before I slammed the door shut with one hand and caught her around the waist with the other.

“No,” I growled. “Not this time.”

She kicked and flailed, her nails clawing at my arms, but I didn’t loosen my hold. I felt the sharp sting of her nails cutting my skin, but it didn’t matter. Her fight was nothing compared to my resolve.

“Let me go!” she screamed, her voice raw with desperation.

I leaned in close, my breath brushing against her ear as I whispered, “Run all you want, but you’ll never escape me.”

With a sudden burst of energy, she broke free, slipping from my grasp and darting toward the kitchen. Her bare feet skidded on the tiles as she grabbed a knife from the counter. She gripped it with both hands, trembling but determined.

“Stay back!” she yelled.

Her defiance burned even brighter than her fear. It was intoxicating.

“Put it down, Nina,” I said, my voice calm, measured. I took a step forward, watching her eyes widen as she realized I wasn’t stopping. “You will not hurt me.”

“Don’t test me,” she warned, but her voice cracked. Her fingers twitched on the handle of the knife, and I could see the way her breath hitched as she struggled to keep her composure.

I smirked, taking another deliberate step closer. “Do you think a knife will stop me?” I asked, my voice low and dangerous. “Do you think you’re the first person who’s tried?”

She darted her gaze toward the door, her body tensing as if she were calculating the odds of making it past me. It was a foolish gamble, but I admired her determination.

When she bolted again, I let her run just long enough to think she had a chance.

She darted toward the hallway, but I was faster.

My steps were silent, deliberate, and I let her hear the faintest whisper of my approach before I grabbed her from behind, and pinned her against the wall.

The knife clattered to the floor, forgotten, as she twisted and writhed in my grip.

“Let me go!” she howled, her voice broke under the weight of her desperation.

I tightened my hold, my hands encircled her wrists like steel shackles. “Enough,” I said, my voice cold and unyielding. “You can fight me all you want, but you’ll lose. Every. Time.”

Her struggles slowed, her breaths coming in short, shallow bursts.

The sheer fragility of her form pressed against mine made something in me twist painfully.

I could feel the tremor in her limbs, the exhaustion radiating off her in waves.

The marks of the past year were etched into her—the faint hollowness in her cheeks, the subtle tightness in her posture, the haunted look in her eyes when she thought I wasn’t watching.

And yet, she still burned. She was fire and ash, broken but blazing, and I couldn’t let her go.

“Calm down, Nina,” I said, my voice softening. “If you don’t, I’ll have to drug you. Is that what you want?”

Her body went still, her breaths hitching as my words sank in. The tension in her muscles didn’t ease, but she stopped struggling, her silence a mix of fear and reluctant compliance.

“That’s better,” I said, loosening my grip just enough to let her breathe. “See? Things are so much easier when you listen.”

Her silence was louder than any words she could have said, her trembling body pressed against mine as I held her in place. I hated the fear I saw in her eyes, hated that she thought I would hurt her. But I couldn’t let her go. Not now. Never.

By the time I carried her to the car, she had stopped resisting, her body limp in my arms. She refused to look at me, her gaze fixed on the ground as I placed her in the trunk quietly.

I could’ve shoved her in the front seat, but I didn’t want to deal with the police right now. I wanted time alone with my new toy .

“What are you doing?” She broke the silence as I wrapped the rope around her ankle.

I ignored her and reached for her hands.

“Don’t,” she warned, but I could hear the tremor in her voice.

I didn’t reply. Instead, I tied her wrists together and leaned down close enough to hook them to the base of the trunk so she couldn’t try to escape from me.

Her breath caught in her throat from my proximity, and I couldn’t help but grin. I watched as her stormy eyes filled with fury after testing how strong the bonds were. There was still fire underneath her skin. I was afraid her trauma would keep her terrified, but it seemed she wanted to fight.

I wanted to kiss her trembling lips, but I pulled away, one hand on the lid.

“Wait,” she gasped out. “Don’t do this!”

I slammed the lid shut on her shocked face. I guess she thought I wasn’t taking her with me. That was a naive way of thinking for sure. I heard her thumping around back there, screaming her head off.

“You are literally insane. ?Hijo de puta!” she screamed while thumping harder.

I had to give it to her. Nina had a set of lungs on her and when she spoke Spanish to me, I couldn’t help getting hard. I wanted her to yell more and more.

“Nina,” I yelled back to her. “You’ve proven that you can’t be trusted to stay put on your own.”

“Fuck you!” she screamed.

I chuckled. “Believe it or not, I’m doing this for your safety.”

“You can’t do this to me. Not again!”

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I started the engine and pulled out of the garage. Her banging intensified as the car jolted slightly over the threshold, her muffled screams accompanying the rhythmic thud of her legs.

I didn’t like the sound of that, so I pressed harder on the gas. I didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to get out of this situation between us. That wouldn’t do at all. I turned the radio on to drown out her sounds.

Earned it by The Weeknd played and I couldn’t help whistling along. I did get my prize and glimpsing in the rear view mirror, I earned it.

Nina’s screams grew louder and I just raised the volume. A necessary evil. I wouldn’t mind listening to her cry and beg me to let her go, but it wasn’t the time for my dick to play with her. I was breaking as many traffic laws as I could to get her safe. She would thank me one day.

I turned down the music. “You know,” I began, my voice casual as though I were addressing a passenger sitting beside me, “this reminds me of a mission I went on back in the military.” I glanced at the rearview mirror, as if expecting her to peer out through the trunk somehow.

Her screams didn’t falter, but I continued anyway.

“We were transporting a high-value asset, just like this. Except, instead of a stubborn woman, it was an arms dealer with a penchant for explosives.”

I paused, allowing her muffled shouts to fill the silence.

“Now, this guy,” I continued, “was absolutely terrified. He didn’t stop screaming the entire ride.

Kind of like you.” I chuckled softly, ignoring the renewed pounding from the trunk.

“It was so bad we had to duct-tape his mouth shut. Lucky for you, I don’t have any tape on me. ”

The pounding softened for a moment, as though she were processing my words. I could almost feel her fury radiating through the steel.

“Shhh,” I murmured, my tone calm but firm, as though soothing a restless child. “You’re safe. You just don’t realize it yet.”

Her fists resumed their assault on the trunk, and I shook my head with a wry smile.

“You remind me of a cadet I trained once,” I said.

“Always trying to fight his way out of trouble. You know what happened to him? He ended up trapped in a latrine for three hours because he wouldn’t listen to orders. ”

The pounding slowed again, and I let the silence stretch, broken only by the hum of the tires on the road. “You’re a fighter, Nina,” I said, my voice softening. “I like that about you. But sometimes, even fighters need to know when to stand down.”

Her response was another sharp thud against the trunk, but it lacked the fervor of before.

I smiled to myself, easing the car into the penthouse parking spot in the garage right next to the elevator.

“We’re here,” I announced, as though she could hear me clearly through the steel barrier.

“I’ll let you out, but only if you promise to behave. ”

The silence that followed was almost deafening. I took it as an agreement, stepping out of the car and walking to the trunk. Opening it slowly, I met her furious gaze, her eyes blazing with barely contained rage.

“Welcome home, Nina,” I said. “Let’s get you settled.”