The Criminal's Captive (Unpunished Book 1) Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2018 Mackenzie Williams

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-633-0

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  Thank you to my husband for all the support. Thank you to Evernight for the help getting my stories to my readers.

  THE CRIMINAL’S CAPTIVE

  Unpunished, 1

  Mackenzie Williams

  Copyright © 2018

  Chapter One

  A car horn sounded a block away, causing Tessa to jump. She put her hand up to her chest, inhaling sharply.

  "Damn it." Tessa's stomach dropped as more fear ran up her back.

  She lowered her hand and started to walk faster down the dark sidewalk. It was just after eleven on a Tuesday night. Not a time she would normally be out walking the streets, but tonight had been hell.

  Tessa looked around herself as she walked. The streetlights lit up just a few small circles on the street and sidewalk. She reached up and grabbed a hold of the top of her buttoned sweater as a chilly breeze blew through her dark hair.

  "Fucking asshole." Tessa rounded a corner, heading toward a busier street where it would be easier to catch a cab.

  Her boyfriend, well, now ex-boyfriend, had left her in the middle of nowhere after a blow-up argument. Tessa had found several recent texts from women on his phone, and many of them contained nude pictures. When she confronted him, Brad had cussed her out for touching his phone.

  "What the hell, Tessa? This is my goddamn phone. You have no right to touch it when I'm busy."

  "Who gives a fuck if I violated your privacy? You're cheating on me!"

  "Get the fuck out!" Brad slammed on the brakes and flung her door open.

  Tessa's first mistake had been to bring up this sensitive subject while in his car, far from home. Her second mistake had been getting out of the car when he told her to. Now, she was wandering around in the dark city, on the wrong side of town, trying to get a ride.

  Of course, she had a few friends she could call, but she was too embarrassed at the moment. All of her friends and even her sister had warned her about Brad, but Tessa had always defended him. Now, there was egg on her face, and she'd have to tell everyone the story. Well, eventually. Not tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was tell everyone they were right about her asshole boyfriend.

  Tessa sighed in frustration and anger as she came to the end of the block. She looked both ways, not seeing any moving vehicles or people. She quickly crossed the street, her heels clapping against the pavement and her dress flaring up at the bottom.

  It was getting colder, and she couldn't wait to get to a street with more light. She knew that about two more blocks away there were quite a few bars. She'd wait there and call a cab or Uber or whatever was the fastest way to get her home. All she wanted to do was forget about this night and forget about Brad.

  Just as her feet touched the curb, squealing tires sounded down the street. Tessa's heart jumped into her throat as she spun around. A dark van, with no headlights on, was screaming toward her. She was frozen with fear for several seconds until her flight instinct kicked in.

  The only reason she ran and didn't simply stare dumbfounded was because it had no lights on. What possible reason would there be for screaming down the street without headlights on unless they were up to no good? At the very least, she needed to get away from the street if this was a drunk driver who could potentially jump the curb.

  Tessa let go of her sweater and started to jog up the next block. Her heels slowed her down, and she contemplated stopping to kick them off. Before she could decide if it was necessary, the van slammed to a stop next to the curb.

  She spun around and watched wide-eyed, against her better judgment. A tall man jumped out from the rear sliding door, and her whole body trembled. A scream was stuck in her throat as he took a step toward her. Tessa turned back around but only managed a few steps before he was on her. With little effort, the man wrapped his strong arm around her waist and picked her feet up off the ground.

  "Let go of me! What the—" She was swiftly cut off when the stranger placed his free hand over her mouth.

  Tessa screamed as loudly as she could, but only a muffled shriek came out from under the man's hand. She started to kick wildly as he turned back toward the van. He was tall and strong. It took little effort for him to return to the van and drop her inside.

  The man climbed in after her and slammed the door. "Go!"

  The driver stepped on the gas, and Tessa was thrown back against the bed of the old van. There were no seats in the back, just scratchy carpet under her. As she slid to the side when the van took a sharp turn, it nearly gave her a rug burn on her bare knees.

  Tessa held her hands out, trying to stop herself from flying all over. She frantically looked around the vehicle, but it was extremely dark. The man who had thrown her in slowly crawled toward her.

  "Stay back! M-my dad has connections. Just let me out, and I won't report you." Her eyes were wide as the man inched closer.

  Her mind raced with other vague threats to yell at him.

  A bit of light from outside momentarily landed on his face. Tessa held her breath as her legs started to tremble. The man was young, with light stubble shadowing his jaw. He wore a cocky smirk as he leaned into her.

  "I know your dad. That's why you're here."

  Tessa didn't have any words as the man reached for something off to the side. He turned back to her, and she instantly tried to scramble away. She didn't get far, however. The man grabbed her and twisted her body. She was soon on her back on the van floor.

  "Wait! Stop." Tears started to wet her eyes.

  "Will you shut her up?" the driver yelled. "She's giving me a fucking headache."

  More light illuminated the face of the man who was now crawling on top of her. He straddled her, putting some of his body weight on her but not enough to make it hard to breathe. His eyes were bright green, and they were dancing.

  "Sweet, you'll have to be a good girl or this could get messy." His smile grew more crooked as he reached for her.

  Tessa squirmed under him, but he gracefully wrapped something over her head. She was blindfolded in no time. The man grabbed her arms and swiftly tied her wrists together with a scratchy rope. He let her arms rest on her stomach. Tessa stopped moving, frozen with more fear, as he reached up and ran a hand over her cheek. He traced her bottom lip with his finger, and a shiver went through her.

  "Now, if you keep quiet I won't gag you. Deal?"

  Tessa had no cards to play. She paused for a few seconds and then simply nodded. The man crawled off of her, and she was slightly relieved.

  "Good girl. I knew you'd be a smart little thing."

  Chapter Two

  Levi watched their little captive on the van floor. She was taking short, shallow breaths. Her legs shook every so often, and he wished he had a blanket to put over her. A small grin played on his lips when she nervously lifted her bound hands to her blindfold but stopped before removing it from her face. She timidly put her hands back down on her stomach and took a shaky breath.
<
br />   That's why I do this job. Levi held in a snort as he let his stare roll down her body. She was a cute little thing. Judging by her dad's looks, she must have gotten it from her mom.

  Levi didn't do this for the money. Not that he refused it when it was time to get paid, but that wasn't why he kept himself in this life of crime. Money had long ago stopped having much meaning. No, he did this job because of moments like this and moments of excitement like grabbing this fragile one off the street.

  Tessa, you are in for an adventure.

  ****

  Tessa huffed out her held breath as her body bounced on the van floor. The vehicle turned a corner very slowly, and in a few minutes, they were parked. She tried to listen as carefully as possible for any clue as to where she was. She didn't hear much.

  "All right. Let's get her upstairs and secured. I'm starving." The driver's voice made it clear he was a smoker.

  The man who was crouched next to her lightly touched Tessa's leg. "Ok. I'll bring her up. Go unlock the door, and for Christ sakes, be quiet this time."

  "Whatever." Tessa heard the driver exit the van with a slamming of the door.

  "Idiot." The man next to her removed his hand from her leg, and she heard him slide toward the side door.

  Tessa tensed her whole body as the door opened. She wondered briefly if she should make a break for it but quickly talked herself out of it. Her hands were tied, and she was blindfolded. This man had obviously outrun her earlier, so even if she managed to get past him now, and pull off her blindfold, how would she outrun him without a weapon to defend herself?

  She listened as he climbed out of the van and prayed that she'd hear signs of others outside of the van. Maybe people talking or another car, but she heard nothing except the abductor. Suddenly, his hands grabbed her waist and hastily pulled her toward the door. Tessa gasped as the cold night air ran over her.

  "Here we go, love. Now don't do anything stupid that would cause me to have to hurt you."

  Tessa thought she heard a bit of humor in his tone.

  She made no noises as he grabbed her arm, pulling her into a sitting position. He paused for several seconds, and Tessa wondered what he was doing. Was he just staring at her? She nervously flexed her fingers against each other.

  Finally, he pulled her arms toward himself and twisted her body so her legs were hanging out of the van. In a quick movement, she was being picked up and flung over his shoulder. She tried to look out of the bottom of the blindfold but saw little. It was dark, and she only saw a bit of wet pavement.

  The man twisted, and soon the loud bang of the van door closing rang out. Tessa held her breath as the man started to walk. A sudden rush of adrenaline hit her then, however. Without much thought, Tessa started to kick her legs violently, squirming against his shoulder.

  His reaction wasn't what she expected. Tessa was waiting for him to scold her or maybe even hit her. He did neither. The man continued to carry her through the parking lot and even started to chuckle. After a few seconds, Tessa stilled on his shoulder. What's so funny? Was he that cocky?

  "Love, it'll take an army to get you out of my hands. Just relax so you don't hurt yourself." He laughed again, and Tessa felt him start up some stairs.

  His laughter was making her more uneasy, if that was even possible. She was fucked.

  Chapter Three

  "Hurry the hell up. Damn!" Sam, the driver, held the hotel room door open.

  "Shut up." Levi pushed past him with his prize still on his shoulder. "Do you really need to be in such a hurry to add to that gut?"

  Sam closed the door more softly than his attitude would predict. "Fuck you. Tie her up. I'm going to get food."

  Levi turned back toward his partner, still holding the little cutie. "Get her some water."

  "Fuck that!" Sam folded his arms over his too big for his body beer belly.

  "You'll get her some water, or you'll have me to deal with when you get back." Levi narrowed his eyes on the other man but didn't expect any more arguments. Sam was a coward through and through.

  "Whatever." The driver unfolded his arms, shooing Levi and his threats.

  Sam turned back around, opening the door. He was soon gone, back out into the dark. Levi rolled his eyes. His partner really was an idiot. He was the biggest downside to this job. Someday soon, that headache would outweigh the fun, and Levi would take his fortune to an island paradise.

  Not tonight, though. Tonight was about Tessa.

  Levi stepped to the queen-sized bed and slid her off his shoulder. He set her feet on the floor, but before she could really stand on her own, he gently but firmly pushed her back. Tessa let out a small scream just before her back hit the bed.

  "Don't worry, love. I didn't carry you all the way up here to bounce your head off the floor." Levi smirked as she tensed her whole body.

  He leaned down, grabbed her waist, and slid her up the bed. They had been ready for her, so there were already ropes attached to the head and footboard. Levi quickly untied her wrists from each other, and Tessa started to turn away from him.

  "No, love."

  Levi put his knee on the bed, getting closer to her. He pulled one of her wrists up to the headboard and made quick work of securing it. In no time, her other arm was stretched up and tied to the bed also. He climbed off the bed and grabbed one of her ankles. As he started to secure it to the footboard, her soft voice quivered out.

  "Stop calling me that."

  Levi cocked his head to the side, watching her. His lips lifted into a grin as he finished her first ankle. A bit bold. He stepped toward the head of the bed and pulled her blindfold down, letting it lie on her neck. Tessa blinked up at him rapidly.

  "What did you say, love?" He was well aware of what she had said.

  "S-stop calling me … that." She searched his face before nervously looking down at the bed.

  Her beautiful dark brown hair lay messily around her shoulders. Levi reached down and moved some strands off to the pillow. Tessa flicked her stare back up to him, and her bright blue eyes showed her fear. Her mouth parted as her breathing became even more ragged.

  "Love?" Levi let his eyes move down her body slowly before returning to her face.

  "Yes." Her voice was just above a whisper.

  Levi rubbed his hands together. She's going to be more fun than I thought.

  ****

  Tessa looked down at her dress, which was scrunched up, high on her thighs. The man standing over her let his eyes wander down her body a second time. She nervously pulled on her arms, which were still tightly tied to the bed.

  When his gaze returned to her face, she was momentarily frozen but not by fear. She hadn't noticed in the sudden abduction or in the dark night, but the man was gorgeous. Like, model gorgeous. Why would a man like this need to resort to being a criminal? He certainly didn't fit her description of a lowlife.

  The man had piercing green eyes, which were now searching her face. His blond hair was lying messily across his forehead, but in an attractive “bad boy” kind of way. His tight gray t-shirt showed off a trim but fit physique. Tessa slid her stare down his muscled arms, which were covered in tattoos. She had never really liked men with tattoos before, but they looked great on him.

  "I don't think you're in a position to give demands." His lips curled into a cocky smile.

  Tessa pulled her free leg up toward her body, which was probably a mistake. The man looked over at it, and then made his way back to the foot of the bed. He grabbed her ankle, and Tessa pulled her leg up toward her body farther.

  The man didn't harshly yank on her leg like she expected. His smile increased, and his eyes seemed to lighten with excitement as he held eye contact with her. He held her ankle firmly, slowly pulling it toward him. After a few seconds of resisting, Tessa had to give in. Her leg straightened, and the man laid it down on the bed.

  He tied it to the footboard and then stood up straight, resting his fists on his hips. He lifted his chin, still staring down
at her.

  "Fine. Should I call you Tessa then?"

  Her name on his lips sounded like sin and heaven combined.

  "No." She didn't know what else to say.

  The man huffed out an amused breath before folding his arms over his chest. "Well, how about this? You can call me Levi."

  Tessa tilted her head. "Why would you tell me your real name?"

  Sudden panic filled her chest, causing her arms to shake. Was he planning on killing her? A dead girl couldn't call the police. They aren't even wearing masks. Her arms shook harder, and Tessa started to twist frantically on the bed.

  "Love, calm yourself. How do you know that's my real name?"

  Tessa gradually stopped moving, watching him closely. She had a suspicion that it was his real name, but he was trying to calm her down. That thought quieted some of her fear and strangely even had a bit of her comfort returning.

  Levi stepped around the bed and moved back to stand next to her. He reached out his hand and moved more of her hair off her shoulder.

  "Hello, Tessa."

  She swallowed loudly. "Levi."

  Chapter Four

  The other man, whom Levi had referred to as Sam, had been gone for about a half an hour. Tessa squirmed on the bed, trying to get her dress to move down her body, but it wasn't helping. She huffed out a frustrated breath as Levi came out of the bathroom.

  He stilled in the doorway, watching her. Tessa slowed her movements, and she felt her cheeks heat. The way he watched her had her body waking up.

  Stop it, Tessa. Are you going to Stockholm syndrome yourself?

  Levi put his hands in his pockets and walked toward the bed. He stood over her, again just watching her. Tessa felt her face heat further, and she slowly rubbed her thighs together. She frowned as she inwardly scolded herself for being so attracted to this stranger.