Fight for Me (18 page)

Natalie smoothed down her short dark hair, trying to make it look presentable. She still wasn’t used to it. The first thing she was doing when this was all over was dyeing her hair blond again.

No, scratch that.
She
wasn’t dyeing it. She would let the professionals try to restore her hair to as close to its normal color as possible. But just like it would take years for her hair to truly return to normal, she’d also be feeling the after effects of the last couple weeks for a long time. It would take a while for things to return to normal.

Except she wasn’t sure what normal was anymore.

She glanced over her shoulder at Knox, who was pacing. He’d been on edge ever since they saw the Adamos yesterday, but he hadn’t told her why. And he wouldn’t until he was ready. That much she knew about him.

But she couldn’t worry about it now. She had to get ready to meet the board.

She pulled the makeup out of the bag, surveying what Kat had chosen for her. When she’d left home, makeup hadn’t seemed important enough to take up space in her backpack.

Home.
It wasn’t home, anymore, was it? The house had been in the Farrington family for generations, but now her father lived there. God, she wished she’d thought about that earlier so she could have pulled up the property records at the library. Was he on the deed? He must be, right? When her mother died, she’d been underage, so it couldn’t have gone into her name, and there was no one else. Her stomach rolled at the thought of her father living out his days in her mother’s family’s home.

Bastard.

She took a deep breath, letting the rage roll over her and then recede. Getting control of her inheritance wouldn’t be the end of her struggles with her father. Baby steps, though. She had to get that enormous task checked off the list before she could even think about anything else.

She made quick work of applying the makeup and studied her reflection in the mirror with a satisfied nod. Kat had done a surprisingly good job choosing the right shades. She hoped they’d be able to continue their friendship once this ordeal was over. The small taste of spending time with her yesterday made Natalie realize how much she’d been missing out on.

Yet another reason to hate her father. She couldn’t wait to put that man out of her life for good.

Her life was about to change, one way or another.

As was Knox’s.

How fitting that they’d found one another right when they’d each just started a journey toward a better future. Now they’d be able to reach the destination together.

She hung up the business clothes and returned to the bedroom. “An hour until showtime, right?”

Knox stopped pacing for a moment to focus on her. His eyes roamed over her face, and she ducked her chin, feeling a little self-conscious. He hadn’t seen her in makeup since the first night he met her.

“You’re gorgeous.”

She looked up at him, and judging from the heat in his eyes, it wasn’t an empty compliment.

On second thought, she took back her idea of dyeing her hair being the first thing she did when this was over. The first thing would be spending several hours—maybe
days
—in a proper bed with Knox.

She flipped open the spiral notebook she’d asked Knox to purchase on his latest supply run. All of her notes were there, neatly organized into bullet points. She probably could give her talk straight from memory, but she wasn’t taking that gamble with something this important.

She read over her notes again, just to give herself something to do until she had to dress. There was no such thing as being too prepared. She hadn’t decided what approach she would take yet. Should she play to the board’s sympathies? Or appeal to logic? She didn’t know any of the other board members, so it would have to be a last minute decision once she’d gotten an impression of them.

You can do this. You can do this.

She repeated the mantra in her head over and over.

“You have nothing to worry about.”

She looked up sharply at Knox, who was looking at her intensely. Had she been talking out loud?

“This could change everything,” she said. “It all rides on this meeting.”

He crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her. His expression—she couldn’t read it. Was he more worried than he let on?

He lowered his mouth to hers, and she kissed him back with vigor. While he wouldn’t physically be in the boardroom with her, he’d still be with her. He was her strength.

“You should change. We need to get going,” he said.

She took a shaky breath and nodded, then slipped into the bathroom to change into her battle armor of a cheap polyester suit.

Knox changed into his last clean shirt, deciding that if Natalie was going to spruce up for this meeting, then he might as well, too.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded, tugging at her skirt one last time and stepping into her heels. He studied the unsteady-looking things and frowned. They’d better not have to outrun any of X’s men today. Natalie wouldn’t make it very far in those.

He didn’t comment though, because nerves were already eating away at her. He held out a small gun to her, but she shook her head.

“It doesn’t go with the outfit.”

He looked down at the gun, then up at her. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. I can’t go in there with a gun hanging out of my waistband. That doesn’t fit with the image I’m trying to present.”

Her image wouldn’t mean shit if she were dead.

Even though Natalie’s mother had selected these people to sit on the board, he didn’t trust them. For all he knew, one of them might pull a Victor Harding on Natalie. And without her gun, she’d have no way to defend herself.

He wasn’t supposed to go in with her, but they’d see about that when they got there, especially now.

He’d bring the extra gun, just in case she changed her mind.

She let out a breath and shook her hands a little, trying to rid herself of excess energy. She seemed more nervous now than before they’d set out to steal X’s drugs.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You’re going to be great.”

Her brow furrowed. “I hope so. I just don’t know what to expect.”

He understood that. He used to get nervous before fights when he hadn’t seen his opponent fight before.

She brought her face up to his and kissed him, then rested her forehead against his. “This is it,” she said. “Everything’s going to be different after this.”

Dread hollowed out his stomach. Everything
would
be different, and he wasn’t convinced it would be better. How long would it take for Natalie to realize that she needed more than what he could offer?

But staring into her hopeful eyes, he returned her smile. He knew in his gut that she belonged with him. If necessary, he would just have to convince her of that.

They started the trek toward the law office where the meeting was being held. It was several blocks past the hotel where he’d seen Tony.

That motherfucker.

At best, Tony had lied to him. At worst, Tony was selling him out. Knox had trusted that bastard. He wasn’t a genius, but it didn’t take a huge leap to figure out that Tony
Adams
was actually Tony
Adamo
.

But why?

Knox didn’t have a fucking clue. Logic told him that he shouldn’t have trusted Tony. But in his gut, he still believed that Tony was a good guy.

It just didn’t make any fucking sense.

Knox glanced over at Natalie, who was looking straight ahead, although it was obvious her mind was somewhere else. She was the only person he trusted entirely. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

She looked over and smiled at him and squeezed his hand. The muscles in her face visibly relaxed.

That.
That’s why they belonged together. They were good for each other.

They stopped at a red light, and Knox pulled out his phone to check the GPS directions. The office should be just another three blocks.

The light signaled it was their time to walk, and Knox took a step, then felt a sharp pinching on the back of his right arm and the left side of his back.

He stumbled, and Natalie’s hand slipped from his.

“Knox?” She stopped, but was soon flanked by two men and forced to keep moving.

Knox slipped to his knees, the buildings and pedestrians swirling around him.

“Mister? Sir? Are you okay?”

Natalie’s terrified face as she was ushered toward a black SUV was the last thing he saw before his world went black.

Natalie jerked her arm away from the man and started to spin on her heel. She sucked in a breath, preparing to scream.

The man tightened his grip and something hard poked into her rib cage. “Feel this gun? Scream and I’ll use it, first on you and then on your boyfriend. So keep walking, sweetheart.”

Her mind whirled. Would they actually shoot them in front of all these witnesses? She couldn’t risk it, especially not when Knox was in no position to defend himself.

Once she was inside the SUV, Natalie peered through the tinted windows, trying to see Knox. The last she’d seen, he’d fallen to his knees. Now she could only see a crowd of people gathered around where he had been.

Thank God. Someone will help him.

She whirled on her abductor. “What did you give him?”

The man to her left had a scar reaching from the corner of his mouth to his ear, and he didn’t bother to acknowledge her question, staring straight ahead. The man to her right was the one who had dug a gun into her rib cage and told her to keep walking. He chuckled.

She wanted to slap him across the face.

“You’re lucky your boyfriend isn’t dead already. X has plans for him.”

The blood drained from Natalie’s face, and she forced herself to breathe. She still stupidly clutched her spiral notebook to her chest, as if it could protect her.

They wouldn’t have shot him. She’d fallen for their bluff.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

It would be okay. When she didn’t show up for the board meeting, Eleanor would know something was wrong, and she’d call the police. Natalie tried to convince herself of this uncertainty.

And Knox wasn’t dead. He was just knocked out or something. It was better that way, better that they both hadn’t been taken. He’d wake up and then . . .

Oh, shit.
He’d come after her. That wasn’t good. X might not be willing to have Knox killed in broad daylight on a crowded street, but he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him in private.

“Where are you taking me?”

The driver grunted, and there was still no reaction from Scar Face.

“Tell me where we’re going,” she demanded, sounding much more confident than she felt.

“It’ll be better for you if you shut your trap,” Gun Man said. He turned toward her slightly and ran a fingertip up her thigh, pushing her skirt up. “But I might be persuaded to give you some information.”

Natalie slapped his hand away and looked forward. He laughed at her.

“Sweetheart, where we’re going, that’s the best offer you’re going to get. You might want to think twice about turning it down.”

The edges of Scar Face’s lips stretched into a sadistic smile, and Natalie fought hard against hyperventilating.

She closed her eyes.
Remember the rules.

First rule—fight dirty.

No, that wasn’t it. There was another one before that.

That’s right—
run away.

That wasn’t possible when she was stuck between two muscle-bound men in the back of an SUV that was cruising through the city. But eventually, it would have to stop at a red light. They were bound to get caught by at least one.

Then she’d . . . what? She had no weapon, and her measly little fists were no match against these guys. She looked around the car, trying to find something she could easily reach that could be used as a weapon, but this had to be the cleanest damn car she’d ever been in. There wasn’t so much as a stray gum wrapper.

Her knuckles tightened on her notebook. She was doomed. She squeezed her eyes shut.
No, no, not smart. Keep your eyes open so you know where you are.
She didn’t know what good that information would do her once she was already there, but it gave her something to focus on besides the metal coil of the notebook that was cutting into her palm.

And then it hit her.
That’s it.

She slid her hand down the notebook, feeling for the sharp edge of the metal. Then slowly, she began to twist the metal so that several inches of it were hanging below the paper. She straightened the end of it the best she could, nearly gasping once when it pierced her finger.

Good.
It was supposed to hurt.

She kept her eye on the traffic lights in front of them, waiting for an opportunity. She’d have to be fast. Both men had buckled their seat belts—although not hers—so she was hoping the few extra seconds it would take for them to free themselves would give her enough of a head start.

As soon as the driver applied the brakes, Natalie sprang into action. Using all the force she had, she shoved the wire into the fleshy part of Gun Man’s cheek. It pierced the skin and she was momentarily stunned, staring at the notebook that was hanging from the man’s face.

She launched herself over Scar Face’s lap, shoving her left elbow up into his windpipe and reaching for the door handle with the other hand.

Fuck! Locked!

She fumbled with the door’s lock, but by the time she got it undone and reached for the door handle, Gun Man had grabbed her around the neck and pulled her back.

She gasped for air and was thrown forcefully into Scar Face’s lap. Gun Man roughly turned her so that she was faceup, then smacked her across the face with the back of his hand.

The pain reverberated through her eye socket, and her face felt like it was going to explode. Her arm flew up to protect her face, and she felt moisture on it. Was she bleeding?

She opened her uninjured eye. Gun Man was leering over her. The moisture was his blood, dripping onto her from the wound in his face. He’d ripped the wire out of his cheek, leaving a gaping hole.

She gagged and turned her face away.

“
Bitch,
” Gun Man said, spitting blood on her.

Scar Face still said nothing, just roughly shoved her off his lap and into a sitting position.

“Bind her hands,” Gun Man said. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to his cheek. “You fucking bitch,” he said to her. “That one was free. But if you try anything like that again, I will shoot you. There’s lot of places you can get shot and still live. X wants you alive. He didn’t say anything about whole.”

The SUV pulled away from the light, zooming ahead of the other cars. Natalie watched the pedestrians, none of whom had any idea that behind the tinted windows of the SUV that passed them was a woman fighting for her life.

Natalie squeezed her eyes shut as the tears welled up in them, both from pain and from the knowledge that she’d failed. She’d tried to run and fight dirty, and neither had worked.

She ground her teeth and opened her eyes.
No.
She would not be a damsel in distress. Her fear turned to fury. These men were messing with her life and they’d hurt Knox. They would
not
get away with this. One way or another, she would make them pay.

Knox’s eyelids felt like they were sealed shut with cement. He had no idea where the fuck he was. By the slight jostling of his body and the feel of leather under him, he figured he was in a car—a
luxury
car. But his hands weren’t bound. Not that it mattered. He felt paralyzed.

It took all his strength just to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tony driving.

“What . . .” he croaked out, then licked his lips and swallowed to try to return moisture to his mouth. “What the fuck?”

Tony glanced over his shoulder to the backseat where Knox was splayed out, then returned his eyes to the road. “Don’t worry.”

“What the fuck?” Knox repeated. “Where’s Natalie?”

“You were drugged.”

“
Where . . . is . . . Natalie?
”

“I don’t know.”

“Tony, I swear to fucking God—”

“Look, Knox, all I know is that I was driving by and you were passed out on the street. Someone was about to call nine-one-one when I saw you. So I loaded you into my car.”

Knox didn’t say anything for a moment, just closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing.
Fuck, he was so fucked.

“How could you do it, Tony?”

Tony sighed. “Dude, not everyone is out to get you.”

“Oh, yeah, Tony Adams? Or isn’t it Adamo?”

Tony gripped the steering wheel tighter, but stayed silent. Yeah, Knox knew his little secret. But as long as Tony wasn’t involved in taking Natalie, then he could have it. Knox didn’t care anymore.

Knox let his head fall back against the seat. What the fuck had they given him? And when the fuck would it wear off? He had to find her.

Natalie sat on the rickety cot and rubbed her wrists where angry red welts burned from the zip ties that had bound them. Her eye throbbed from the hit she’d taken in the SUV, and she put her fingers up to it gingerly. She winced immediately. It hurt something awful.

The room was small with a single window. Other than the stained and rank cot she was sitting on, there was no other furniture. The room was filthy, like no one had been in it for years.

After her escape attempt in the SUV, they’d bound her wrists, and gagged and blindfolded her. She had no idea where she was, other than on the second floor of some building. They’d carried her up the stairs and deposited her on the bed.

The window was higher than normal, like she was in some sort of warehouse. She pushed the cot under the window and stood on it, inspecting the window. Though it was covered in a film of dirt and grime, she could see enough to confirm that she was on the second floor like she’d thought. Judging by the building’s surroundings, she was definitely on the south side.

She pushed on the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Even if she broke the glass, she’d have a hard time fitting through, and then there was the two-story drop to contend with. No, escaping out of the window wasn’t an option. She might be able to signal for help, though.

She pulled her shoe off her foot and used the heel to hit the window. After three hard smacks, the heel broke off of the cheap shoe.
Damn.
She tossed it aside.

She looked around the room for anything she might be able to use. Perhaps she could break a leg off the cot. But then she wouldn’t be able to reach the window.

Wait! There in the corner was the small bag she’d had with her. Its contents had been dumped out—no doubt they were looking for a cell phone or anything else she could use to call for help. She knelt next to it, sorting through the items. A compact, lipstick, a few pens, and the mini-recorder she’d planned to use to record her meeting with the board. She clutched that in her hand. It was made of hard plastic, so it might work.

She shook her head in disgust at her own wishful thinking. All she’d do if she banged the cheap recorder against the window was break it. She stuffed it in her pocket.

Now what?

She crossed to the door and banged on it. “Hey! Is anyone out there?” She paused, waiting for a response. “I have to use the bathroom!”

It wasn’t just a ruse—she really did have to go, and she figured it was a good excuse to tempt whoever was out there—if anyone—to open the door.

How long were they going to keep her locked up, anyway?

There was no response, so she banged and yelled again. Still nothing.

Well, fuck. What was she supposed to do?

She turned slowly, and leaned her slumped shoulders against the door. A big industrial bucket in the corner of the room caught her attention, and she grimaced as she realized what it was for.

She squatted over the bucket to relieve herself, feeling totally and utterly degraded. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, there was fire in her veins and anger in her gut.

Though X’s men had taken her, she knew her father had to be involved in this. And he was going to pay for this—for kidnapping her, for drugging Knox, for killing her mother.

Natalie wouldn’t stop until she’d broken him.