Claiming His Prize Read online

  “You feel amazing, Lori. I’m the luckiest bastard alive to have you.”

  She felt like the luckiest woman in the world, and she didn’t want to lose him.

  ****

  Chains shook his head. “I’m not doing that.”

  “Yes, you are. This is still my day. I’ve fed you breakfast, and we’ve watched a horror flick, which I think was a bad idea. I hate horror films.”

  “Why did you watch it then?”

  “Because I knew you wanted to watch it, and because of that, I figured I’d do something for you for a change.” She swung her hips from side to side, clapping her hands in time to the beat of the music.

  Since his conversation with Maurice the night before, Chains had felt tense. He didn’t doubt that Boss knew about Lori. The son of a bitch probably had every single little detail on her life and was basking in his downfall. Another Killer of Kings to be lured in by the pleasure of a woman.

  Lori was … fire to him. She was like a drug he didn’t want to give in to. All of his life he’d given everything back to people or had it taken from him. He didn’t want to give her back. She was a treasure. No one else cared about her. He did.

  She came back to him, and that meant fucking loads to him. There’s no way anyone was ever going to take her from him. He’d kill every single one of those bastards first.

  He wanted Lori to stay here while he went and dealt with El Diablo and Boss. If he didn’t think Boss would be a problem, he’d take her with him, but he knew Boss, and that man would find some way for him to pay.

  There was a reason Boss was the leader of the Killer of Kings. No one got anything past him. He had more kills than any of them. In fact, his list of skills, kills, and deals was so long that some people believed they were mere speculation. He’d heard Boss’s name whispered as being in cahoots with the devil himself.

  Chains just figured there was a lot more to Boss than any of them would ever realize. Boss always made the decisions. He kept to the guidelines, and he never crossed the line unless he had to. He was fearless.

  “Where did you go?” Lori asked, standing in front of him. Music played in the background.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “You can tell me whatever is on your mind,” she said.

  There were some things that would absolutely terrify her. Boss was not for the faint of heart.

  “You want me to dance with you?”

  “Yes.” She smiled at him. Getting up from his seat, he moved toward the stereo and changed her bubbly pop music for something heavy, filled with rock. She groaned, and he swung his head, making the movements as if he had a guitar in his hands.

  “Now this is what I want to dance to.” He took her hand and pulled her against him.

  “You can’t dance to this noise.”

  He laughed, gripping her hips. “You’d be surprised what you can dance to. Feel the beat, baby.” He held her close so that her ass nestled against his cock. “You feel that?”

  “Your erection?”

  “Well, feel how hard I am, but also feel what I do to you.” Back and forth, he guided her in a dance. Her body melted against his, and she didn’t fight him either.

  When the song changed to one of her bubbly pop songs, she pulled out of his hands, threw her arms up in the air and began to dance. “Come on, Chains, you’ve got to learn to adapt. To change, and to be part of it all. Whoo.” She jumped from side to side, and deciding to throw caution to the wind, he gave in, and started to dance with her.

  She bent forward and laughed so hard as he swung his hands in circles, and started to do some pecking thing with his head.

  “Oh my God, that is so funny.” She spun around, and together they danced crazily. The song lasted for three and a half agonizing minutes, but when it turned into a slow ballad, Lori was instantly in his arms.

  He held the base of her back while also keeping hold of her hand.

  Staring into her eyes, he was completely blown away by the feelings that she inspired inside him, and it wasn’t sex either. He didn’t want to think about what those feelings meant right now.

  “I like dancing. I could never do it at home. There wasn’t a lot of room, and no one liked listening to music. I know it’s silly.”

  “I loved doing it. You’ve got nothing to worry about. I hope we do this more often.” He closed his eyes, hating her family once again. If he ever met them, he was going to murder them. Maybe Boss would do it for him and then he wouldn’t have to worry about her being upset with him.

  See there was a benefit to having him around.

  “I really enjoy being with you, Chains. Like this. I…”

  “What is it, Lori?”

  “I …”

  “You don’t have to be afraid.” He was worried now.

  “I don’t want you to leave me. I’m not a needy woman, and I don’t want you to think that I’m begging or anything, but I really like you.”

  He slammed his lips down on hers, silencing her words. Hearing the desperation in her voice, it tore at him. Sliding his tongue into her mouth, he breathed her in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her tightly.

  “I’m not going to leave you. I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure we’re always together.”

  “I know your work is dangerous, but I won’t ever get in the way. I’ll be by your side.”

  When he’d taken Lori, he didn’t have any expectations. He’d seen her, and unlike normal guys who’d have asked for her number, he decided to take her instead. No one was perfect, and he was aware of his faults.

  The music turned, and it was back to rock music.

  Letting her go, he began to rock his head, with the guitar back in his hands, and when he stared at Lori, he saw she was doing the exact same thing.

  He’d never allowed himself the pleasure of goofing around, and that was how Lori wanted to spend her day. After a couple of hours of laughing and joking, they collapsed on the sofa. She took his hand, and held it tightly.

  “Where you’re going tomorrow, will it be dangerous?”

  “Yes and no. I’ve got to get two people to meet. It’s not going to be too dangerous, but the guy that saved you, he’s wanted.”

  “Like a criminal?”

  “My boss wants him. It’s not going to be a big deal. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “When you get back, you’ll teach me how to fight? How to stop someone like El Diablo from hurting me.”

  “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” She snuggled in against him, and he played with a lock of her hair.

  “Do you go abroad?” she asked.

  “You’re asking a lot of questions tonight?”

  “I’m just curious. Dancing with you, knowing where you’ve come from. I want to know everything about you.”

  “Tell me something about yourself?” he asked, avoiding the question.

  She shook her head. “I’m a completely boring person, Chains. You know that. I’m one daughter of many children. I spent a great deal of time taking care of my brothers and sisters while trying to make sure they got an education. I went out to work, fed us all, clothed us. It’s not a very colorful life story. Unless you count suddenly being taken late one night after taking out the trash.”

  He chuckled.

  “Then my life got really exciting. I was chained to a basement, fed amazing food, held at gunpoint. Being forced to leave my kidnapper only to come back. See, kind of boring.”

  “I don’t know, your kidnapper sounds awesome. I bet they were top of the range chains.”

  She burst out laughing. “See, you’re full of surprises. You told a joke. It was a very funny joke.”

  He kissed her head.

  Yes, he’d told a joke. He wondered if this was one of the reasons Boss didn’t like his men falling in love with women. He didn’t feel any softer, but there was a time he’d have shot someone before telling a joke.

  Lori was special though, and he wanted h
er to see him differently than just a killer. To her, he wanted to be a man worthy of taking her virginity. It meant a great deal to him.

  Chapter Ten

  He left before she woke up. She’d only worry, and he didn’t want any emotional distractions—not today. Lori would be safe at the cabin, and he’d find out where he stood with Boss before he returned to her. He couldn’t punish him for having a woman, not when he gave his blessing to at least four other hitmen on his payroll. As far as he knew, being committed to a woman didn’t affect their performance on the job. Same would ring true for him—he’d prove it if he had to.

  Once he hit the main highway, his GPS said he’d be at his destination in just over an hour. He turned on the satellite radio, and cranked the music. Yes, he hated Xavier for breaking into his house, but Boss had planted a file there. It had been part of his plan. Maybe Chains was more disappointed in himself than angry at Xavier. He really didn’t expect that bastard to jump through all Boss’s hoops successfully. And he never thought Lori was in danger. The security system had been activated, and Chains had only been gone a few hours. He needed to be smarter.

  He zoned out as he drove, his mind going in several directions. El Diablo was more like him than he cared to realize—both forced to survive with the odds against them, both sadistic enough that Boss wanted to recruit them. Chains remembered when he first met Boss. He swore he’d met the devil himself. The owner of Killer of Kings was in his home town on a contract hit with a couple of men. One of them was Viper.

  Chains had worked his way up the ladder, working for a powerful Bratva doing hits and shakedowns. He was able to maim and kill with no remorse, a sought-after quality in his line of work. From an early age, he’d gone numb in the emotions department, a safety mechanism thanks to his shit childhood.

  Boss had been there to kill the man he worked for, the kingpin of the organization. Chains was young, but he still managed to put up one hell of a fight. That was as far as he got, but instead of making an example of him, Boss ended up offering him a position at Killer of Kings.

  It hadn’t take Boss long to uncover every detail of his miserable life—crooked orphanages, unspeakable abuse, and a life of crime and violence. But he saw deeper, saw Chains’s skills and the person underneath all the bullshit. He had pity on him.

  “What’s with the scars?” Boss asked.

  They were on a plane to America, Chains leaving everything behind. Boss had the seat beside him at the front of the plane—the very best money could buy. Chains rubbed his wrist, looking down at one of the permanent reminders he wanted wiped from memory. “Chains.”

  Boss nodded. “You survived. That’s what counts,” he said. “Bottle that shit up and use it to your advantage.”

  They never spoke more about his sins or any of the horrors he’d endured. Boss probably knew it all anyway. Now he saw something in El Diablo.

  Once he neared his location, Chains sat straighter, more on alert. They were meeting at a shipping yard, mountains of colored containers creating a maze of metal.

  He dialed Killian. “You on site?”

  “Just pulling in. Keep on the down low. El Diablo will be going for the yellow office trailer near the dock.”

  “It looks like business as usual around here. Boss prepared for the collateral damage?”

  “We’re professionals, eh?”

  He hung up and drove around back. His trunk had everything he’d need if things got ugly, but the whole point of this venture was to blackmail Xavier into a job at Killer of Kings. Even if things went down without a hitch, which was unlikely, he still had to explain himself to Boss. He hadn’t lied, just failed to offer every detail of his life. Lori was his business, no one else’s.

  His custom holsters were full, his jacket hiding all the heat. He parked and walked around the area. The place was bustling—trucks backing up, cranes loading containers, and every sort of bell and whistle. With all the dock workers, there would be a bloodbath if Xavier decided he wanted nothing to do with Boss’s offer. He patrolled up and down the aisles between stacks of metal containers. Everything had gone too smoothly. El Diablo was either a genius or a fool for making it to the end of Boss’s trail of breadcrumbs.

  He didn’t have a good feeling about any of this. It wasn’t Boss’s style. His instincts were screaming at him to get out.

  If Xavier was indeed like him, then he was smarter than this.

  Chains walked to the edge of the dock, looking down at the water lapping the sides. He’d left a cell phone with Lori for emergencies, and he called it to ease his mind.

  “Took you long enough.”

  His blood turned to ice, his muscles tensing. He kept still, the horn from a boat sounding off.

  “Nothing personal, Chains. But, if I were you, I’d make sure you play nice.” Of all his men, Boss had to send Bain. He was a sadistic bastard.

  “If you touch her—”

  “Relax. She doesn’t even know I’m here,” said Bain.

  He paced back and forth. “I don’t get it. What point does Boss want to make?”

  “Keeping a woman hostage in your basement is kind of fucked up, no?”

  “Does she look like a prisoner?”

  Bain exhaled. “Look, I couldn’t give a shit, but your extracurricular activities are making you sloppy. Did you put on false plates when you drove Boss to that poker game the other day? You think company vehicles aren’t tracked?”

  He paused. Fuck, he’d been so worried about leaving Lori alone in the basement that he’d been making stupid mistakes. He’d used the same car to drive Lori to the damn cottage. So much for his hidden retreat.

  “We weren’t tailed.”

  Bain scoffed. “You willing to bet her life on it? Having a woman in our line of work complicates everything. Makes you a liability. You have to be on top of your game every second.” The line went silent. “According to Boss, you’ll have unwanted visitors within the hour.”

  “I’ll leave now.”

  “You leave, Boss gives me the go ahead to torch this Popsicle stand.”

  Another test.

  Boss wanted him to be one hundred percent loyal to Killer of Kings. The man had a hard-on for control. If Chains sacrificed the mission or Boss’s safety, Lori’s life could be in danger. If he stayed, her life was in jeopardy as those mobsters looked for revenge. He couldn’t win this.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” he said. “Do you know who the fuck I am?”

  Bain laughed. “You know exactly what I’m capable of, so don’t test me. Boss said to break her legs first. That’s if she survives the fire.”

  “You’re a real piece of shit,” he said. “I’ll stay. Don’t go near her.” Then he added. “She’s all I have, Bain. If anything happens to her … I know where you live.” He hung up the phone.

  No problem. Get El Diablo to sign on with Boss, then race back to the cottage before anyone could get there. He took a deep breath, knowing this entire mess was due to his inability to separate business and pleasure. All these emotions were new for him. He was used to going in headlong, not caring about consequences or worrying about getting hurt. Boss kept him close because he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Things were different now.

  Thanks to Lori he cared more about survival. She was his salvation. Or would he lose her, destined to always end up with the short stick in life?

  At this point, he didn’t care about appearances. He pulled out a Glock, holding it just inside the lapel of his leather jacket. His heart still raced, a powerful sense of betrayal making him see red. How could Boss do this to him after so many years of loyalty? Chains was a fool to think that monster could actually care about anyone but himself.

  He found the trailer and didn’t bother hiding until Xavier showed up. He opened the door and barged inside. There were two men sitting having coffee.

  “Break time’s over. Get out.” Usually his size and appearance were enough to get results without having to get physical. When they
didn’t move, he repeated himself in Russian. Then they scurried out with no argument.

  Chains sat down on the swivelling chair of the main desk, lifting up both legs to get comfortable. What was so damn important that El Diablo would go on this goose chase? The final file should be here, in this specific trailer. Chains pulled open the top drawer and saw an envelope marked “Top Secret”. He grabbed it out and tore off the seal. He wanted to know exactly what the fuck was going on around here. He slid out the paperwork and examined it.

  Interesting.

  Boss was skilled at finding the slightest weakness to use against a person, and it appeared that even the Colombian devil had an Achilles’ heel.

  He waited, leaning back in the chair, wishing he could be heading back to the cottage. Anyone who hurt his woman would suffer severely. It wasn’t much longer when he heard the handle rattle. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the doorway, his arm crossed over his chest as he palmed a second.

  The moment El Diablo’s head popped into the trailer, he had instant recognition. They’d spent quite a bit of time together last time Boss had him tail the hitman. He’d do just about anything for money or pussy, and it surprised him he had this sensitive spot to exploit. It was probably why he had had pity on Lori.

  He released the handle of the second gun, still aiming the first, then wagged the envelope in the air. Xavier immediately slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “That’s not for you, big boy. Hand it over.”

  Chains smiled. “I’ve already read it.”

  Xavier licked his lips, his dark eyes unreadable. “What do you want?”

  “All I care about right now is my woman.”

  He nodded. “Oh, I get it. This is about that girl I set free from your makeshift prison. You’re a real piece of work, buddy.”

  Chains sat up straight, bringing his legs down. “Listen, it’s not what you think. She came back to me. I’m going to marry that woman.”

  “I think both of you need some counseling.”

  “I have something you want, but you’re not getting it so easily,” said Chains.