Chapter 42

Claudia took two minutes to use the toilet and wash her hands. She placed her hands on the vanity and stared at herself in the mirror. She hated the vulnerable, frightened look in her green eyes. She'd been running for more than a year, with the threat of Dante and Franco Delgado always close behind. After arranging for fake ID and stealing information that would incriminate Franco Delgado's illegal business in Vegas and Dante Marquez's in Miami, she had fled. She'd also paid a hacker to arrange for fake records for her fake ID. For six months, she had run from state to state, never settling down. Unable to cope with a nomadic lifestyle, she finally took a risk and set herself up here, in Tyson King's city. After eight months, the fear of discovery had finally started to fade.
She breathed deeply, urging her heart to slow down and her brain to start moving faster. She couldn't have her wits scattered if she was going to get out of this new mess. Staying with Tyson King was not an option. She would find a way out of his penthouse and then she'd leave the city. Go on the run again. Then, maybe find a way to contact her family in Canada.
She missed them. Her break from them had been painful. They hadn't understood how their daughter, a woman who had always been successful and kind, could have been sucked into the Vegas lifestyle and thrust them away so callously. She hadn't dared contact them in more than a year, which led them to fear their only child was dead, a victim of the scene she had willingly become a part of when she moved to Las Vegas to become a showgirl.
The first thing Claudia had to do was find a weapon. She didn't stand a chance against Tyson if he caught her. His giant, muscular frame could too easily subdue her. She searched the drawers in the washroom and came up with nothing. No aerosol cans she could use to spray him in the face, no conveniently hidden knives, nothing. Next, she checked the massive walk in closet, tossing clothes and shoes on the floor in her haste.
The best she could come up with was a box filled with tie pins. She picked the longest one she could find. It was made out of gold and about the length of her finger with a sharp tip. It wouldn't cause much damage, but with luck she'd be able to find her way out without running into anyone.
Claudia opened the washroom door and glanced around the empty bedroom. She felt fairy certain Tyson went downstairs. She briefly considered putting her heels back on, but decided they would slow her down. Forcing herself to think without panicking she tried to decide how to get out of the penthouse. It wasn't going to be easy.
She had seen a door on the first level that led outside to what she assumed was a balcony. A man with Tyson's wealth likely had a heated pool out there. There would also maybe be another exit that way, but chances were it was going to be locked.
Think, Claudia!
She could come up with nothing that involved staying safely away from Tyson. She would have to somehow get past him and into the lobby. If the elevators were locked, as she suspected they were, since he wouldn't want just anyone accessing his penthouse, she would then have to get into the garage. Maybe she could find a set of keys, get into one of the cars and somehow figure out how to get that car elevator to work.
And maybe a flying unicorn would come rescue her.
But she had to try.
Claudia made her way down the spiral staircase as silently as she could. It was made out of wood flooring, like the main floor. Her bare feet whispered against the hardwood as she moved cautiously. She heard voices as she made her way onto the main level of the penthouse. Her heart sped up. Did he have someone with him?
As she made her way down the hall, hugging the wall, she realized it was music. Soft jazz instrumentals filled the space. She also heard him moving around the kitchen, like he was cooking. It seemed odd to her that a man with his kind of wealth might cook for himself when he could probably afford to have a five star chef on staff. Not that she cared. She wasn't going to be around long enough to see if he was any good.
Keeping to the shadows, she peeked around the corner. He was indeed working in the kitchen. His big, black forearms strained against the white dress shirt, rolled up to his elbows, as he cut into an avocado on a thick wooden cutting board. She stood frozen until he turned his back to her and opened the fridge. Claudia dove forward, crouching down behind the marble-topped island.
She held her breath, heart hammering in her chest. She thanked god the music masked her swift dash. The chopping noises resumed a few feet away from her head. Trying not to picture the sharp knife in his huge hand and how angry he would be when he found her missing, she started to creep forward, making sure she was covered by shadows.
She made it to the far side of the island and prayed he would need to open the fridge once more. A moment later she heard the promising suction sound of a fridge opening. She dove forward again, staying crouched and refusing to look back over her shoulder. She made it to the hallway leading to the front door and glided softly toward the big wooden door.
It was locked on the inside with a heavy duty deadbolt. But it wasn't the deadbolt that caught her attention, it was the alarm panel, flashing red with the words ‘alarm set' that concerned her. Fuck. She would alert him and probably his security detail the moment she opened the door. She placed a hand on the deadbolt and considered her options. She could try to sneak back through the kitchen and pretend she was coming from upstairs. Or she could go into the kitchen, hand him the tie pin and apologize with the hope that he wouldn't be too angry.
Or she could take door number three , the stupidest option. She would open this door, set off the damn alarm and run faster than she'd ever run in her life to get to one of those cars. Maybe it would be unlocked with keys in it and a car elevator opener that was appropriately labeled.
And maybe the unicorn that came to rescue her would be rainbow coloured and shit gold bars.
Fuck it.
Claudia slammed the deadbolt back, opened the surprisingly heavy door and bolted into the elevator lobby. The alarm sounded immediately, spurring her to run faster as she pelted past the elevators. She hit the down button but didn't bother to stop for an elevator. She knew there would be a key or a code in order to get off or on the penthouse floor. She hoped, though, that she could trick Tyson and his men into thinking she had somehow locked herself in the elevator.
The glass doors leading into the garage weren't locked. She dragged the door open and rushed into the darkened interior. Behind her she heard the door to the apartment being wrenched open. Tyson was fast on his feet for such a big guy.
"Claudia, stop!" he thundered, staring at her through the glass. His face looked forbidding. He barely paused before charging forward.
Claudia knew her plan was doomed to fail from the outset, but she still turned and fled. She ran for the first SUV to her left and yanked on the door handle. Unlocked! It was her first stroke of luck. She dove inside, shut the door and slammed the lock down just as Tyson reached the vehicle. The look on his face when he tried the handle and found it locked was enough to convince Claudia she should probably spend the rest of her life inside. Because her odds on the outside were decidedly grim.
"Open it, Claudia," he growled, slamming his palm against the window, causing the entire vehicle to rock.
She ignored him and began searching for keys. She was relatively certain she wouldn't find any, but it gave her something to do besides look at the wrathful visage of her abductor. After a minute, she looked up and realized Tyson was no longer there. Frantically, she searched the garage, but he was definitely gone.
Then he was walking back toward her with purpose. She stared at him, terrified. The unmistakable click let her know he had disengaged the door locks with a key fob.
"No!"
She tried to crawl over the console to go out the other door, but he yanked open the drivers side door and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her backwards, not exerting enough force to really hurt her, but she knew if she struggled he would make it hurt. He slammed the door shut once she was clear of the vehicle. He pulled her around until she was facing him. Without the four extra inches of height her heels had given her, she was much shorter than him. He stared down at her, his eyes glacial.
"I had to try," she whispered.
He shook his head. "You should have listened to me, Claudia."
The door to the garage banged open and Mercer, backed by two other men she didn't recognize, stalked into the garage. His hair was disheveled and he was wearing only jeans, no doubt awakened by the security alarm. He held a gun in his right hand so comfortably it looked like it was an extension of his arm. "Secure the garage," he snapped at the guys behind him.
Tyson let go of her hair, but took her firmly by the arm. He dragged her toward Mercer, stopping in front of the bodyguard. "She set off the alarm when she ran for the garage," he said to Mercer. "Good response time. Make sure no one slipped through. I'll secure her for the night. This time I'll make sure she stays put."
Mercer nodded shortly, his icy eyes sweeping Claudia and the boss, checking for injuries.
Claudia might have ogled the insanely chiseled pectoral muscles and abs of Tyson's bodyguard if he wasn't such a cold-blooded monster and if she wasn't in the midst of being kidnapped. And if she weren't pretty sure it would get the other man killed by his boss. Suddenly she wished very much for Anya. Her friend, a healthy red-blooded woman with good eyesight, would understand her current dilemma.
Tyson pulled Claudia back toward the penthouse. "What does that mean? How will you secure me?" she asked, hurrying to keep up with his much longer strides. He clearly wasn't in the mood to slow down for her. Her bare feet hurried over the cold pavement as he forced her to go with him.
He ignored her question, dragging her through the lobby and back into the penthouse. He slammed the door shut, locked it and re-engaged the alarm. He finally let go of her arm. Claudia rubbed it where his fingers had bit into her skin. He stalked into the living room and turned to look at her.
"Come here."