He seemed surprised, but shook his head. “They didn’t expect the flashbang.”
“You ran in there. Why would you do something do stupid?”
“Are you worried about me now?”
“No, I’m not, I only—” I stopped myself. He was right, why did I give a damn if he risked his life? “Who were those men?”
“I don’t know for sure yet, but I suspect they’re from your brother.”
I leaned back, my heart skipping a beat.
I knew Darren would try to get me back. He couldn’t leave me in Kaspar’s clutches, not when he knew what Kaspar wanted. I wasn’t sure if he realized Erin set it all up, but it didn’t matter. She’d escape punishment like she always did, assuming he realized.
They didn’t bother to clean up. Kaspar ordered his men to fan out and lock down the hotel. Two more guards came and gathered me and all my things, hustling me into the hallway. Kaspar followed like a shadow, like a starving hound. I looked back at him over my shoulder and he was staring at me, unable to look away.
Darren came for me. I knew he would, but I had no clue it’d be so bloody.
Darren came, and he failed.
We rode the elevator in silence. Kaspar stood close. He smelled like copper and sweat. It was strangely alluring, and I wanted to touch his cheek, to dig my nails into the soft skin along his face, to mar his pretty eyes and crack his perfect nose. He led me out into the night then shoved me into the back of a black SUV.
He sat next to me and stared out the window as we drove.
“You’re scared, aren’t you?” I knew I shouldn’t provoke him, but I couldn’t help myself. I was coming down from the adrenaline high and wanted to lash out. I was angry that Darren failed, and Kaspar was the obvious target for my ire.
“I wouldn’t say scared, but I am curious.” He glanced at me sidelong. “How did he find out where I was keeping you?”
“Darren’s an Oligarch. He has as many resources as you do.”
“Perhaps. But I wonder.”
“You think Redmond betrayed you?”
“No, not Redmond, but someone else.”
I chewed on my lip. Nobody else knew where I was—except for his security team.
“You think one of your people tipped him off?”
He gestured in the air with his hand. I was very aware of the two guards sitting up front listening intently.
“I know that all of the Oligarchs try to keep spies within each other’s households. It’s part of the game we play. If I catch one, I kill him, but I don’t punish his master, just like they don’t punish me when they catch my little mice.”
“You think my brother’s spy gave him your position.”
“It’s possible. What bothers me more is that he acted on the information.”
“Darren’s not going to let you keep me.”
He didn’t reply right away. Instead, he gave me a long, probing look. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m positive.”
“He’s not a stupid man. He understands what an alliance between our two families could mean for him. If he were to give his blessing—”
“He wouldn’t.” My anger flared and I clenched my jaw tight.
“If he did, then our two houses could unite. We’d be nearly unstoppable.”
“Then why hasn’t he done it yet?”
“I suspect your sister has a part to play in that.” He laughed softly. “Little ambitious Erin. She’s too smart for her own good. She’ll get herself killed if she keeps trying to wrestle power away from Darren.”
My feet went cold and I looked away. “It doesn’t matter what Erin wants or what Darren thinks. I’m not going to marry you. Why don’t we stop this game before you get killed?”
“That’s not going to happen, my treasure. You’re mine to have and to keep, and soon you’ll see that I’m the only person in this world that cares about you.”
I looked back at him and suddenly lashed out. I pushed his shoulder, shoving him against the door. He barely moved, and only grinned bigger, which made me shove against him over and over again, viciously grinding my teeth until he finally grabbed my wrist and pushed me away.
I stared at him, breathing hard. My hair was a mess and I smelled terrible, a mixture of sticky fear sweat and blood. I hated Kaspar, I hated him so much for everything he’d done to me—and still I knew he might be right.
The thought made me so irrationally angry that I didn’t know how to control it.
He held me back and met my gaze.
“You see it, don’t you? To everyone else, you’re some minor bit player. You’re not important. But to me, you’re everything.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with me.”
He tilted his head. “Obsessed. That’s a good word. You are an obsession. You consume me, Penny. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day we met back at Blackwoods.”