“I plan to, but first I wanted to return your car keys.”

“How are you getting back?”

“I have my own ride, a fact I made very clear when you kidnapped me a week and a half ago.”

“Then who the fuck is driving my car?”

“A friend.” Keiran fully stepped from the room and shut the door behind him. I could tell by the angry vein that he was pissed. “You do know that you just locked yourself out, right? Lake probably won’t let you back in since you won’t let her out to play.”

“What friend?” he asked, ignoring my taunts.

“A simple one.”

“Di?”

“Why would you think it’s Di?”

“Do you think I’m stupid? How do you think I found you?”

“That’s bullshit.” My mind was racing even after denying it. Had Di betrayed me?

“She wasn’t too careful the last couple of times she came to Six Forks. On her last trip as your spy, I spotted her. She gave me your address only if I promised not to kill you.”

That explained the hysteria when I disappeared. She wasn’t worried. She felt guilty.

“What does it take for a little loyalty,” I mumbled.

“You tell me.”

We glared at each other for long moments, neither one of us willing to fold. It was the elevator opening and the sound of Kennedy’s excited chatter that forced us to end the silent duel.

“Keenan!” She freed herself from Jesse and ran to me as fast as her short legs would let her.

I stooped down to eagerly accept her hug. “Good morning, princess. How are you?”

“Fine. Thank you. Where’s mama?”

“She’s waiting for you right now to come and play. Will you come with me so I can take you to her?”

She nodded and looked up at Keiran. “Uncle, can I go?”

Behind her, I glared at him feeling jealous rage. My fists clenched at the smug look on his face before he answered. “Sure, kiddo. Be sure to tell your mother to call me.”

He sent me a warning glance, which I chose to ignore. After gathering our bags from the room we never used, I put the resort in my taillights.

My plan worked without so much as a hiccup and the only remorse I felt was for having to lie to Kennedy. I had no intentions of letting her mother near her anytime soon.

Not until after I punish her thoroughly.

* * * * *

I let Di know picking up Kennedy was successful, and after dropping off Keith, we met at a mini mansion across the city from my apartment. I was still surprised at how easy it was despite Keiran’s subtle threat. I knew they would eventually search out Sheldon, so I implemented the second part of my plan.

“And who is this little darling,” Di cooed.

“Hi,” Kennedy greeted shyly. She then wrapped her arms around my leg and ducked her head. I was humbled by the knowledge that she trusted me to keep her safe.

“Are you going to be okay here?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m a big girl,” Di replied flippantly.

“Because I know what this place did to you.” I convinced her to let me use her father’s house where she lived for most of her life and where her father had pimped her out to his various business partners. It was also where we had found the safe full of money that had totaled up to about eight million. We split the money and never returned. “Can I trust you?”

“Do you have a choice?” she joked. The smile on her lips died at my unmoving expression.

“I’ll be back tonight and when I do, we need to talk.”

For a few heartbeats, she stared at me with confusion and then awareness. “He told you.” I didn’t reply and didn’t give her a chance to explain because I walked away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SHELDON

THE SOUND OF the lock and the door opening alerted me to Keenan’s presence. I had given up on trying to escape and had begrudgingly thrown myself on his bed where I stayed until he returned.

I was mourning the loss of Kennedy. I had only just gotten her back only to be taken from her in return.

“I need to get back to her,” I said after the silence had stretched for too long.

“She’s in good hands.”

“She’ll be better in mine.”

“You’ll get her back when I think you deserve her.”

“Excuse me?” I was out of his bed and in his face faster than I could breathe my next breath. “I am her mother. She needs me.”

“A fact you forgot when you chose to protect your boyfriend over our child.”

“Eric had nothing to do with her abduction.”

A cloud of hatred wafted around us. His eyes changed from impassive to furious as quickly as if someone had pushed a button. His hands were in my hair, tugging me down until I knelt at his feet, but I refused to cower before him. I glared up at him with equal hate.

I didn’t see the knife, but I felt it at my throat. “If you say his name in my fucking presence again, I will end you.”

“Then do it,” I challenged. “I will never give you what you want. I will never be yours.” Silence was all we had between us as I waited for the press of the knife, but it never came.

“Maybe not here,” he whispered as he trailed the knife from the throat to my chest where my heart beat underneath. “But you will in everything else.”

He lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the bedroom. I looked around as much as I could. Nervous anticipation built until I was shaking with it. He carried me into the kitchen and set me down gently on the tabletop. The coldness in his eyes remained so I scooted away, but his hand on my thigh stopped me. “Don’t move.”

My clothes were shed under his hands, and while I wanted to fight him, the warning in his eyes made me hesitate.

When I was completely naked, he nodded to the chair, and I quickly sat in it. I pushed forward and used the tabletop to shield as much of my body as I could. His smirk told me that he noticed.

He turned his back and quickly set about making breakfast. I watched him from the corner of my eye, but he never turned to acknowledge me. When he was done, he set a plate in front of me with the order to eat and then turned back to clean the dishes.

“Who said I was hungry?”

“It doesn’t matter if you are or not. You do what I say and that means eating when I say.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll punish you.”

“This isn’t punishment?”

“You aren’t suffering… yet. So don’t try my patience.”

The dangerous edge in his voice made the threat seem all the more real, so I silently picked up my fork and ate. I was surprised at how good it tasted.

When did he learn to cook?

Like me, he had barely been able to defrost a chicken without screwing it up somehow. An ugly thought formed, and I was disturbed by jealousy. “This is good. Did your girlfriend teach you how to cook?”

His bark of laughter surprised me. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t for four years.”

“Fine. Your slut buckets. I’m sure you have tons.”

He turned to face me, gripping a plate in his hand. “I don’t have tons… only one.” He took a seat and regarded me with lust in his eyes. “Come here,” he ordered. He pushed his untouched food away and patted the space on the table in front of him. Ever aware of my naked state, I climbed on the table to the spot he indicated. “Spread your legs for me. Let me see what’s mine.”

My trembling legs seemed to fall apart under his heated gaze, warming my sex in return. His hands ran the length of my thighs, but he kept this touch light.

“I’ve always loved the feel of your skin. So soft and supple. Touch yourself. Feel what I feel.”

My fingers hesitantly pushed through the warm lips of my sex. My body quivered in answer, and I could almost feel everything he was thinking of doing to me. Everything he would do to me.

“I won’t need to ask if you’re ready for me. I can see the evidence dripping from your fingers.” I wanted to beg for him to touch me, but that would be surrender and I couldn’t do that. “I know what you want, but you won’t ask for it, will you?”