Chapter 37

Her tense body relaxed slightly. She had indeed planned on waiting for the car to slow down enough that she might be able to somehow get her seatbelt off, the door open and then jump into the road before he could grab her again. It was an unlikely plan, but it was all she had. She found his statement almost reassuring. She hadn't been looking forward to the amount of her bare skin that might come in contact with the pavement if the car was moving when she managed to get out.
"Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?" she asked, glancing out the window at the passing buildings. The club had been located in a somewhat unsavoury area of downtown. They were speeding past the dilapidated buildings toward the nicer end next to the river.
He ignored her first question, but answered the second. "We're going to my penthouse."
Claudia shifted in her seat, edging her knees away from where they rested close to his. He was such a big man that his body filled most of the roomy back seat of the vehicle. If she had to guess, she would say he was around 6'4" and close to 300 lbs. She wasn't a small woman, but he had held her as easily as he might a child. One of his massive fists could easily kill her with one blow.
As if sensing her discomfort, he spoke easily. "I'm not going to hurt you, Claudia. That was never my intention."
"What is your intention then?" she demanded, trying to make her voice sound snappy, but she knew the waver ruined any hope she had of sounding like she was in complete control of herself. "Because forcing me out of that club and into your car isn't a very good start at convincing me of your good intentions."
He only continued to stare at her and she thought he might not answer. Finally, his deep voice rumbled, "I didn't say my intentions were good, just that I have no intention of hurting you in particular. Don't make the mistake of thinking I might be a respectable man, Claudia. Keep that in mind."
Claudia shivered and glanced toward the front seat. The other two men were ignoring the pair in the back seat as though their jobs were that of statue and driver. That was exactly what they were, she realized, employees of Tyson King. They weren't his friends. This thought wasn't a comforting one. Friends might argue with Tyson's decisions regarding to the woman he had plucked out of the club and forced into his car. Loyal employees would follow his orders blindly. Which includes helping him make a woman disappear quietly.
"Stop worrying," he said, "there's nothing you can do right now. Just relax, we'll be there soon, then we can talk."
She sensed he wanted to reach out and touch her, but was holding back in an attempt to avoid frightening her further, which confused her. Upon brief acquaintance with him, she suspected he was the type of person that didn't care what others thought of him. That he took what he wanted without consideration of others, much the way he had snatched her up. But rather than doing what he wanted with her, he was holding back. For now, anyway.
They turned into the parking garage of one of the most exclusive high rises in the city. Claudia stared up in awe at the monstrous tower through her side window as they waited for the garage door to slide open before driving inside. Maybe once they were parked and out of the car she could try to alert someone to her plight, if there was anyone in the parking area. At the very least, she could make sure she was seen by one of the security cameras.
Rather than parking though, the driver steered the car toward what looked like a huge industrial elevator. Momentarily forgetting her immediate problem, Claudia's jaw dropped as the huge doors, opened and the car was driven onto a platform. The doors closed with a bang and a jerk as she felt the uneasy sensation of being transported upward in an elevator. She gasped and continued to look out of her window into the brightly lit car lift as it ascended. She had no idea this sort of thing existed except for in James Bond type movies.
After a minute the doors opened onto what could only be a private garage near the top of the high rise. Other cars filled the garage, drawing Claudia's notice. She wasn't even close to a car expert. And while she didn't know what kind of car they were in now, she thought she saw a sleek black Jaguar, a red Ferrari, what looked like an older model Mercedes and several black SUVs with dark tinted windows.
Her shocked gaze met Tyson's. Who was he? And what the heck did he want with her? He looked back at her, his eyes dark and probing, as though trying to divine her thoughts.
The driver parked the car in a spot near a set of glass double doors leading into some kind of private lobby. Tyson unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her across his seat to leave through his door. Taking hold of her arm once more, he led them through the doors and into the lobby with another set of elevators.
His hold was less a way of making sure she wouldn't run again and more of a proprietary touch. Where could she run to anyway, she thought bitterly? She suspected she wouldn't be able to find her way out of this massive penthouse space even if she spent a few days trying, let alone the seconds she might actually have if she was able to somehow break his hold on her arm.
Tyson turned to his men, "I'm finished with you both for the night. I'll call tomorrow if I need anything. Mercer, no one disturbs us tonight."
Both men nodded, though Mercer's piercing golden eyes met Claudia's for a split second. The coldness there nearly made her step closer to Tyson for protection against his protection. Mercer might be good-looking in the classical sense with a bearded, chiseled jaw and high cheekbones , better looking even than Tyson King , but his terrifying demeanour would certainly stop a woman's gaze from lingering. Claudia would be happy if she never set eyes on him again.
She hoped fervently that she could resolve this situation with Tyson quickly and get away from his scary empire unscathed. If she managed that, she vowed to move to the middle of nowhere and become a recluse. Maybe then she would manage to stop getting mixed up with mob types.
Tyson's men took an elevator. She noticed the light above the other elevator indicated the others were going down. They were probably on the top floor of the building. She shivered, beginning to feel like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower. Only she was trapped with the bad guy and she feared he would kill any prince that tried to steal her away.
"Come," he said, turning toward a door at the end of the hallway.
Claudia had no idea what to expect when they entered his home, but she had assumed from the evidence of his wealth so far that it would be ostentatious. She was surprised to find that, while it was certainly grand, it was furnished with rusticity in mind, almost like a very expensively decorated cabin. The high ceilings sported wooden beams that ran from one end of the open floor plan to the other. The stainless steel kitchen dominated one section of the room while the rest was dedicated to plush leather furniture, a massive fireplace and wood flooring. Once more forgetting that she was possibly the victim of a kidnapping, Claudia stepped into the penthouse and stared around with unconcealed appreciation.
"You like it," he said, his words a statement rather than a question.
She nodded, stepping over to the windows to stare out at the sprawling view of the city below. "It's beautiful," she murmured.
"Good," he said, coming up beside her. Only, rather than the view, he stared at her, his eyes glowing in appreciation. "It's important that you like it here."
Claudia tilted her head up to look at him, heat from his body reaching out to warm her chilled skin. Though she wanted to hate everything about him, a part of her revelled in the warmth, wanting to step closer and seek more of that heat.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why is it important that I like it here?"
He reached up to touch the softness of her cheek and run a finger down the side of her neck until it rested across the delicate skin over her collarbone. She shivered at the contact. It felt good, but the underlying possessiveness of his light touch wasn't lost on her.
"Because you'll be staying here with me, Claudia."