fucking do this. I'm gonna kidnap that girl from Fascinations, take her to the drop point, and figure out how the whole operation is set up. Then come back with Luka and Valentin, guns blazing, rescue her and all the other girls, take out Igor, and fucking end this once and for all. Failure isn't an option. Not with Penny's life on the line.
I call Luka back. "Bro," I say. "There's a new plan."
Back inside, the cool air soothes my aching body. I didn't realize just how sore I was.
I toss my phone down on the couch, then head back upstairs to where Penny is waiting. She's sitting on the bed, arms crossed, the handcuffs attached to her wrist like a leash. I'm surprised she didn't fall asleep. I was outside for almost an hour.
"Can you sit with me?" she asks.
My mind is too fucking occupied to protest. So I sit down on the edge of the bed, trying to mentally prepare myself for what I have to do.
"Hey," she says, tapping me on the shoulder.
I look at her. "What?"
She leans forward, tilting her head, going for another kiss.
But I dodge it. I get up, and I leave the room.
27
Penny
When Havok pulls away, I feel like I've been sucker-punched.
Just an hour ago, he tried to kiss me. And now when I return it, he denies me.
I stare at him, trying not to let emotion show on my face. But I'm sure it's plain as day.
"Why are you doing this?" I blurt out, just before he walks out the bedroom door.
He stops and turns around. "Doing what?"
"Pushing me away," I say. "Come on. I feel this connection. I know you feel it too."
He leans uncomfortably against the doorframe, as if he's contemplating escape from the room. "No idea what you're talking about."
"One minute, you kiss me, and the next..." My voice trails off.
"I'm not pushing you away. I'm not pushing anything away. There's nothing to be pushed," he says.
"You're lying," I say. "I see the way you look at me. The way you've always looked at me. Up on the stage. In this house."
He shrugs, shifting his weight to his uninjured leg. "You think you've got some special connection with me just 'cause I ogle your naked ass and tits?"
My face burns bright red, I just know it does. I can feel the blood rushing to it now. "If I'm just a set of body parts to you, then why did you kiss me?"
He looks away. "It was a mistake."
"You don't feel the connection? I think you're lying."
"Okay," he says, showing me his open palms, "So I was thinking about fucking the shit out of you. That's a far cry from this emotional bullshit you're spewing."
I'm getting angry. This feels like my old relationship with Brock. This is how it started. He was cold, used my emotions to manipulate me. And I feel like that's what Havok is doing right now.
"But there is a connection, right?" I ask. I sound like a desperate idiot. Stupid, stupid girl.
He just stares, a hollowness in his eyes. This isn't a normal man I'm dealing with.
I don't even want a fuck from him anymore. Don't want to give him the satisfaction, no matter how good it would feel to have him inside me. If he'd ripped my clothes off, that would've been one thing. But he kissed me, and I felt the connection, and I can't un-feel it now.
"Penny," he says, with a haunted expression. "I'm broken. I'm a monster. You should stay far away from me."
I sense deep pain inside him, and I think back to what he told me about his ex-fianc茅e. And about his father back in Russia. Stupid me. Of course this is a man who's emotionally unavailable. This is how I got mixed up with Brock in the first place. By going after men who are bad for me. I should have known better.
"Okay," I say, quietly and deflated. "Forget everything then. Just tell me when I get to leave this place."
"You want the truth?"
I nod. "Yes."
"The truth is, I don't know. I don't know if I can trust you not to sell me out to the cops. Especially now."
"And why should I trust you?" I say, seizing the courage to say what I've wanted to say for a long time. "You keep me tied up. You killed my boyfriend. You come home with bullet holes in your leg. How do I know you're not the one stealing girls from