“I know, but I didn’t say anything about my boss.” He leaned closer. His lips almost brushed against hers. “And he’s a hard man to please. If he finds you lacking for him, he’ll get rid of you. Now hold still.”
His words stayed with her as he pressed something cool against her face. She stared past his shoulder wondering what the hell was going to happen to her. James would fight for her. She didn’t doubt her man for a second. What she doubted was the time in which he’d come for her. Daren painted his boss in a bad light.
She wasn’t at home anymore with her sister or parents. James’s arms wouldn’t be wrapped around her as she fell asleep. For all intents and purposes, she was alone in the world.
“What’s your boss’s name?” she asked. Prue had grown sick and tired of hearing him referred to as, “my boss”, or “the boss”. She wanted to know who was causing her so much trouble.
Daren let out a sigh. He stroked her bruised cheeks then stared into her eyes. “You’re very pretty. I can see why James likes you.” She tensed waiting for him to say something. He’d promised her she’d be fine. Part of her feared being raped by this man while another part did not because he’d kept his word for the most part.
“His name is Henry, and that is all you need to know.” Daren placed two white pills in her palms. “Take this for the pain, and try and get some sleep. I’ll come to you every morning and night. If you wish to walk on the deck or do something else, let me know first thing in the morning so I can arrange it.” Daren grabbed her plate then turned to leave.
“You’re not going to keep me locked away in this room?” she asked to his retreating back.
He turned. “No, that’s not my intention.” Daren continued to stare at her. “I want to be clear, Prue. I’ve never hurt a woman unless I’ve been forced to do so. I live by my own code. I do what Henry says, but other than that, I live like every other man.”
“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? I watched you shoot Jermaine and probably kill him.” Prue pushed her hair off her face. Tears welled in her eyes as the gravity of her situation suddenly swamped her.
“Jermaine had a choice. You don’t have a choice, and for that I’m sorry. I’m following orders, and you were the only way I saw them being filled.” He opened the door then turned back to her. Daren watched her then closed the door. The lock clicked in place, making her flinch.
A chill settled in the room. Turning away from the door she stared out at the water. Her thoughts returned to James. What was he doing? Did he miss her?
Settling down on the bed, Prue closed her eyes wishing that she was still at home in the comfort of her bed. The swaying of the boat made her feel sick, but not half as sick as the knowing there was no chance of her surviving this ordeal the longer she was away from him.
Please, James. Come and get me.
Chapter Three
James ignored the ringing of his bell. He opened the safe inside the office at his father’s old home. The house had been in his family for several generations, and he needed to find what Daren wanted. He no longer saw the other man as Leo, the guy who had worked for him. His life would be a lot easier if he only saw the enemy and not the friend he’d thought he was. He swigged down the strong whiskey he’d bought from the liquor store. The numbing quality of the alcohol was very much welcome.
The door continued to ring as he threw jewels and other pieces of meaningless paper over his head. None of the stuff in the safe would get him back his woman. He thought about emptying out all of his bank accounts and demanding they give her back with the millions of dollars he had. Money was no matter.
Daren, or more accurately, Daren’s boss wanted some f**king piece of paper that he didn’t have the first clue in finding. A piece of paper or a file that would implicate the boss man himself instead of him living a merry life away from all the shit.
Veronica had been f**king useless. She’d been ordered by a guy she didn’t know and wouldn’t recognise to give him the envelope. What was inside the envelope had been a mystery. When James showed her the pictures inside, she’d been clueless. To Veronica, Leo had been an employee and nothing else.
Swigging from the bottle, James moved onto the desk. His father was well known for loving secret compartments. Moving out of the room, James grabbed a hammer from the store cupboard that kept the cleaning supplies.
When he returned to the desk, he threw the computer along with the stationery to the floor. Next, he upended the table, then set about throwing the hammer onto the hard wood. The sounds he made echoed throughout the house. Pain unlike anything he’d ever felt consumed every part of him. He couldn’t breathe past the suffocation he was feeling about losing Prudence. Nothing else existed for him other than his love for one woman.
“I’m going to find her.” Reaching for the bottle of whisky, he took another large gulp before returning back to hammering the table.
The sound of splintering wood and crashing filled the air. James ignored the sound and continued his brutal assault on the wood.
“James, what are you doing?” Stephen asked.
Turning to the sound of his name, he saw Stephen standing with Lucas and Sean. Dane was nowhere in sight, nor was Cadeon.
“What are you three doing here?” Half a bottle of strong whisky and his speech wasn’t even slurred.“We handled the cops, and Dane is with the women. Cadeon has taken Violet away. His woman is in too delicate a condition to be part of this.” Stephen’s words made sense.
“I understand why Cadeon has run. They took Prudence. Why not take Violet?”
He raised the hammer above his head then smashed it against the desk. When the hammer wouldn’t do what he wanted fast enough, James lowered the hammer and began using his strength to tear the desk apart.
“James, stop this,” Lucas said. The other man approached the desk with his hands raised. “What are you doing?”
“Leo, f**k, Daren, needs a file. I need to give him that file, and then I get Prudence back. It’s pretty f**king easy.”
The three men looked between themselves then stared at him. Shrugging his shoulders, James went back to rummaging through the desk. The old wood was nothing but broken chunks and splinters by the time he was through with it.
“I’ve got more shit to tear apart,” he said.
Brushing past the men he moved toward the pictures surrounding the walls. He’d never moved the other pictures. His father had shown him the one he’d torn apart with the jewels and a few property files inside.