I was still so mad I wanted to throw something, but everything within reach was expensive and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They had me confined to a main living room in the house and I was getting angrier by the second. I still only wore a tiny g-string and Angel’s jacket. Frustrated that Angel had abandoned me while he apparently tried to fix the mess I had made, I paced the room. I did not know what he was talking about, and that was the problem. I knew nothing. All I know was that he sent away with no explanation and that was one reason I had returned. I deserved to know what was going on; I was determined to find out the truth. When I left I had been nineteen, now I was an adult.

The door abruptly opened, and I stopped. Bruno entered the room with some folded clothes. He had always reminded me of a gentle giant. His size was intimidating, but I had never seen him harm anyone. In fact, he had always been so friendly and kind. Never a harsh word.

“Bruno,” I murmured, knowing if there was anyone I could talk into letting me out of the room, it was him. He had a soft spot for me and I was sure I could exploit it.

“Miss Ward,” he replied, and offered me the clothes.

I took them slowly, trying to figure out the best way to approach him. “Bruno.”

“Yes, Miss Ward?” he asked, halting his retreat.

“I need to have a shower and clean up,” I told him, confident that he would give into my hopeful gaze.

He shook his head. “Sorry Kira. Angel has given strict instructions that you are not to leave the room.”

“What if I need to go to the bathroom?” I raised an eyebrow to dare him to deny me that.

He nodded. “I’ll escort you.”

I frowned, gripping the clothes tighter in my hands, resisting the urge to throw them, but I kept my temper in check. “Sure,” I murmured.

I set the clothes down on a nearby chair and Bruno followed me out of the living room to the nearby guest bathroom.

He opened the door for me and waited for me to enter.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, knowing there was no way to escape out of the small bathroom. There were no windows and the only exit was being guarded by Bruno.

I used the toilet briefly and washed my hands before Bruno walked me back to my prison. He opened the door for me.

Once I entered the room, the doors closed and the sound of the locking twisting shot my temper off the charts. Angel was used to issuing commands and having his men follow them, but I wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t in charge of me and I didn’t have to answer to him.

I sank into the nearby chair, and I stared at the clothes. There was something familiar about them, then I realized they were mine. How did he have my old stuff here? It made little sense.

I could refuse to wear them, but I was only putting myself at a disadvantage. To go head to head with Angel, I needed every advantage I could get.

Reluctantly, I changed into the clothes. They were a little big, confirming I had lost weight in the last couple of years. It was a simple pair of jeans and a top. My taste had changed but at least it covered for than what I had worn before. I kicked off the high heels I had been wearing and rubbed my sore feet.

I did not know why Angel had my clothes. I had only had a short time to pack some things before he had sent me away with no explanation. Everything I hadn’t taken with, had been left behind in my bedroom, in my father’s house.

It was getting late. I refused the offer of food that came later. I was a prisoner, even if my prison was a lavishly decorated room, with no expense spared. It was still a prison, none the less, and I would not go along with it.

My stomach grumbled as I had had little to eat, but I refused to give in and ask for something to eat.

I paced the room, feeling like a caged wild animal ready to pounce on their prey, but time seemed to stretch on and I was getting more irritated as time went on.

I concentrated on a few things I wanted to get off my chest and I was looking forward to giving Angel a piece of my mind. People wouldn’t dare question him, raise their voice to him, but I wasn’t just anyone.

Seated on the sofa, I was staring at the bookcase and I remembered something. It tugged at my memory and I stood up to look at it closer. Then I remembered there was another way out of the living room that would bypass the security that was keeping me there, and only a handful of people knew about it.

There were some advantages to growing up around the house Angel was keeping me confined in. I smiled as I reached for a book and tipped it forward. The bookcase creaked, and it opened like a door. I remember my father talking to Angel’s father about the safety measures that Angel’s father had installed. It was the stuff right out of movies, a house with hidden passages.

Although there was no way out of the property without security seeing me, I could escape the room and Angel would not be happy to hear that I had disappeared. My sly smile widened as I took my first step into the dark passage. If I remember correctly, it led to a door that led into the gardens.

The passage was lit, and I closed the door behind me. There were some cobwebs and dust. It had been a while since it had been used. When I reached the end, there was a door. The doorknob was dusty, and it creaked when I opened it.

The fresh night air met me as I peaked out to see if the surrounding area was clear. Angel had the place crawling with security and I had to be careful to get across the grounds to my destination, which was a small cottage. It was the one advantage of growing up on the estate. I knew it pretty well. I didn’t know if it was still in use, but I could hide out there for a bit while Angel tried to figure out where I was. It served him right for disappearing on me with no sort of explanation. After the lengths I had gone to get his attention, it was beyond frustrating.

My feet touched the perfectly cut grass as I slowly closed the door. I saw a couple of security men pass and I pressed myself up against the wall to keep myself hidden. I waited patiently for them to disappear before I hurried across the lawn to a couple of trees that would hide me.

My heart was beating fast as I surveyed my next obstacle to the cottage. Another guard passed, unaware of me hiding behind the trunk of the tree.

When I made it to the cottage, I felt triumphant that I had successfully evaded all Angel’s men. It would only give me a momentary sense of victory because I knew Angel would find me. It was only a matter of time.

I tried the door but I discovered it was unlocked. I didn’t switch any of the lights on, for fear someone would see, so I crept inside and closed the door. I didn’t want just anyone to find me. Angel was the one I wanted to find me. This had all been for his benefit. It was my way of making it clear that I wasn’t some obedient girl that would just do as she was told. I was making a bold statement.

He had forced me away from home for two long years and I wouldn’t allow it to happen again. No matter what Angel said, I would not leave again. I would fight him on it. I wasn’t some puppet to be ordered around. I would not obey.

The cottage brought back memories of Angel’s grandmother. She had been so sweet, and I smiled as I sat down on the sofa. There was a throw that I pulled over me as I waited for the door to bust open to see a furious Angel glaring at me.

I tucked my hands under my head to make a makeshift pillow as I waited. My eyelids grew heavier, and it became more difficult to keep them open. Who knew how long Angel was still going to be? I just wanted to rest for just a little and then I would be ready to take him on.

Adrenaline had kept me going, but I could feel the tiredness set in my muscles and for the first time in a while, I felt myself relax.

Just a few minutes of sleep was all I wanted.

I awoke when I heard a sudden noise. I half sat up. The throw fell from my shoulders as I rubbed my eyes. It was still dark, but I could hear voices in the distance. I listened more carefully to pinpoint the noise that had woken me up.

The steady footsteps on the steps leading to the front door made me sit up straighter. Angel had found me.

The door opened, and light flooded in the room. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light. The figure stilled in the doorway for a moment. It was Angel. He entered the room and his presence dwarfed everything, including me.

I stood, feeling a little shaky and still half asleep. And in no way prepared for this confrontation with him.

“Are you quite done with the dramatics?” He was angry, but there was also a tired edge to his voice. “I don’t have the time or patience for games.”

“You can’t just keep me locked up against my will and disappear with no explanation.” I put my hands on my hips. He couldn’t treat me this way.

“Yes, I can.” He moved closer, and I had the urge to move away, but the back of my knees hit the sofa.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Your stubbornness is going to be your downfall one day, Kira.”

I frowned. “I’m standing up for myself because no one else will.” There was no one to fight my corner.

“I thought you would have at least matured over the last two years.”

His words hit me right in the chest, and I wanted to lash out at him. It took all my strength to hold any sort of composure.

“I’m not immature,” I argued hotly.

My anger did not illicit any type of response except a shrug of his shoulders. “Your actions speak volumes Kira.”

I clenched my teeth together, trying to stop my temper from pushing me to do something I would inevitably regret.

He took a step closer, and I had to look up at him to hold his gaze. To be this near to him seemed to scramble my fuzzy mind, and I swallowed when my eyes dropped to his lips before I looked straight into his eyes.

“No more secrets. You’re going to tell me why you sent me away.” While I held his stare without wavering, I reminded myself how strong I was. I could handle anything he revealed.

“Sit,” he said, and I frowned, not liking his tone or his command.

“I’m fine standing,” I replied defiantly.

“Sit down Kira.” His voice was louder and more commanding, but I remained standing.

“I can listen just as well while standing.” I crossed my arms. I would not do as I was told. I wasn’t some lap dog.

“Suit yourself.” There was an undercurrent of irritation in his voice. “When’s the last time you saw your father?” he asked, his expression watchful.

“I don’t know… before I left.” It wasn’t like my father was going to win any father of the year awards. The only person who had loved me had been my mother. My father was too self-centered to consider anyone else other than himself.

“You haven’t heard from him at all in the last two years?”

I shook my head. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

He rubbed his chin. “Your father stole some money from some very bad people.”

It didn’t surprise me, but what I couldn’t figure out was what that had to do with me.

“So.” I shrugged my shoulders dismissively.

“You know what happens to thieves,” he reminded, softly.

“You find them and make them pay the money back?” I lifted an unsure eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. “They get made an example of.”

It was difficult to care about someone who hadn’t given a shit about me. “I still don’t know what any of this has to do with me.” Couldn’t he just get to the point?

“He stole money from the Vincents.”

The Vincents were a ruthless family that dealt with every seedy criminal activity. I knew them for their vicious way of dealing with people who wronged them and they were direct rivals to Angel’s.

“Has something happened to him?” I asked, trying to figure out the strange emotion I was experiencing. It wasn’t fear, but it made me uncomfortable.

“No. Your father went into hiding. No one has found him.”

“I still don’t know what this has to do with me?” I asked, still not seeing a link to this conversation and what happened to me.

“To pay his debt to them, your father gave them you.”

I frowned as his words sunk in. “Me?” I touched my hand to chest as I tried to understand what that meant. “He gave me to them?”

Angel gave me a solemn nod as he studied me.

“I don’t get it.” I was at a loss, my mind reeling and struggling to come to terms with what that meant.

“But I’m not a possession. I’m not an object that can be given away or exchanged.” I was stunned. Of all the stupid, ill advised things my father had ever done, this had to be the worst. I lowered myself into the chair. “I can’t be owned.”

Silence ensued.

“What would they even want with me?” I asked, still trying to figure out what value I could have.

“You really want me to explain that?” His voice was grave and for the first time, I felt a genuine fear.

My father had worked for the Knox family for as long as I could remember. The Knox family had intertwined my life for what felt like forever, or as far back as my memory would take me.

I frowned. “Why don’t they just find my father and get the money back?” I stood and paced.

“I have already offered to pay all the money back and more, but they have refused. They want what your father promised them. They want you.”

“How could my father do this?” I put my hand to my head, suddenly I felt weak, and I sat back down.

There was silence as Angel allowed me to process what I had discovered.

Then I realized. “That’s why you sent me away.”

He nodded.

He had sent me away to keep the Vincents from taking possession of me. Suddenly, he didn’t seem to be the bad guy in this situation.

“So what happens now that I’m back?” It frightened me for what that would mean for me.

“Nothing good.” His tone was foreboding, and I felt a shiver of fear.

His phone rang, and he answered it. The phone call was brief and his responses curt and to the point.

“We need to go back to the house,” Angel instructed.

I looked up at him. He had tipped my world upside down, and I was still trying to find my feet in this new situation. The last thing I felt like was leaving the safety of the cottage.

“Either you walk or I carry you. Your choice.” He took a threatening step in my direction. The thought of him so close to me made me shoot up despite my unsettledness. He always had a way of making me very aware of my femininity and I hated it.

“I can walk,” I grumbled.

He opened the door and waited for me. I led the way out of the cottage and he followed me.

It was dark, and a few times I stumbled. Angel caught me, but I pushed his hands away. “I can do it myself.”

I was determined not to be some damsel in distress. I was strong and I would show him I wasn’t some wilting flower ready for some guy to swoop in to save me.

“You want to fall flat on your face, be my guest.”

He took the lead, and I hurried after him. His long strides, making it more difficult to keep up with his pace.

When we returned, we didn’t use the secret door, Angel headed to the main front door. One of his guys opened the door for him. He entered and stopped to look back at me.

I took my time in reaching him, and he grabbed my arm. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“It’s called not being a doormat.”

He shook his head. “No one could ever accuse you of that.”

Bruno met us as we entered. Angel scowled in his direction and I threw him a sympathetic look. I hadn’t meant to get anyone into trouble, but that didn’t seem to matter to Angel, who was dragging me to the study.

“Stop Angel,” I said, unable to keep up with his pace. I tugged free.

Angel turned to face me, and his expression made me falter a step backward.

“I’m doing everything I can to make sure you don’t end up in a situation I can’t get you out of. Do you understand?” His voice boomed, and I felt the full force of his anger.

It was the first time he had ever spoken to me like that. I didn’t know how to handle this Angel.

I bit my lip and nodded slowly.

He took my hand and allowed him to lead me to the study. At the door, he stopped for a moment before he opened the door.

The room wasn’t empty. A tall man dressed in a suit who had his back to us turned to face us.

“Kira?”