Saving Aurora

Chapter 19

Dexter

MY ANGER at our f****d-up situation and the crowded bus has me feeling both

jittery and suffocated. Grounding myself, I tighten my hold on Aurora and rest my

cheek on the top of her head. “I promise, Aurora , Mayer will pay for what he’s

done.”

“Who are you?” Aurora pushes out of my embrace and smacks my chest,

demanding an answer.

We have regained the attention of those around us, and I turn my head to

scowl at them. They quickly look away.

Smiling, I turn back toward Aurora, amused that despite how intimate we’ve

been since last night, she still doesn’t know my name. “Dexter Malone.”

“Dexter Malone,” Aurora parrots back, and I see recognition dawning on her

beautiful face. Despite the fact we haven’t seen each other since she was a

teenager, she knows who I am—her cousin Peter’s best friend and business

partner. “As in Malone Distributing?”

“Yes,” I tell her brightly, enjoying her shocked expression as she realizes

who I am and how I am connected to her.

The bus lurches, and Aurora falls forward into my chest. Her thin arms wrap

around my waist as she anchors herself to my body.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” I say, tightening my hold on her. I’m never

fucking letting go.

My princess is relying on me to keep my s**t together and to get us out of the

fucked-up situation we’ve found ourselves in. Last night I had begrudgingly met

with a new business contact, Robert Ban, at his favorite exclusive brothel,

Executive Hospitality Limited, here in Hong Kong. Our meeting started with

constructive negotiations, and I felt good about the prospects of us doing

business together. That all turned to f*****g s**t when we entered the large

lounge where the entertainment was. It was there I found Aurora, barely dressed

and serving drinks to the other men, all while avoiding being molested.

After an unforgettable night getting to know one another—in every way

possible—we successfully walked out of the brothel she had been held captive in

for almost three weeks. Not before an armed confrontation with the asshole

manager and his muscle, who runs the place. Thank f**k for my Krav Maga

training. The manager informed us that James f*****g Mayer, Aurora’s fucking

stepfather, was the one who had her kidnapped in the first place. It was clear his

plan had been to have her for himself and profit from whoring her out. Thank

fuck I got her out before his planned arrival. The blaring of horns turns Aurora's and my attention toward the windows. I

crane my head to see outside and notice an all-too-familiar black SUV swerving

through traffic and trying to get closer to the bus.

Fuck.

“We need to get off at the next stop.” With my arms still wrapped around

Aurora, I push our way closer to the door.

“What?”

“They’re following the bus,” I tell her, attempting to infuse my voice with

calmness. The last thing I need is for her to start having a f*****g panic attack.

“What the f**k are we going to do?” Aurora demands, looking around

frantically.

“We are going to get out with the crowd, walk a few blocks in the opposite

direction, and jump into a cab.”

Hopefully, the men from the brothel won’t be able to turn around and catch

up with us before we have a chance to grab a cab. The bus is slowing down

when I realize we cannot go back to the hotel I’m staying at. Last night, the

brothel sent a driver to pick me up there, so it’s the first place they’ll come

looking for me—for us. f**k.

Exiting the bus along with the other passengers, I grab Aurora's hand, then steer

us in the opposite direction. We walk quickly on the inside of the sidewalk,

against the buildings to keep us as far away from the street as possible. There is

an intersection ahead, the perfect place to wave down a cab. Stopping at the

crosswalk, I step in front of Aurora and wave down a cab that is driving toward us.

Scuttling into the cab, Aurora throws herself into the seat and I follow. Once the

door slams closed behind me, she starts giggling softly. I watch as the tension

leaves her body. I can’t help but smile back at her.

“We made it.” She pants softly, reaching out her hand to grab my arm,

initiating contact.

I spent the whole of last night seducing her, and it looks like my efforts have

paid off. It may seem a small and insignificant touch, but I know what it means.

It means when not faced with imminent danger, she still wants me.

“Of course we did,” I state confidently, matching her grin with my own There’s no need to freak her out and tell her how nervous I was when I saw

the SUVs behind us.

“Where you go?” the middle-aged cabby asks aggressively from the front,

ruining the moment.

I scowl at him and rattle off the name of a hotel. Then I take out my wallet

and peel back several bills before asking to borrow his cell phone. Money

always helps in these situations. I make a point of always having cash on hand.

After some negotiation, extortion on the cabby’s part, and several more bills

are added, he hands back his cellphone. Last night, I had begrudgingly left mine

at the hotel. The brothel doesn’t allow patrons to bring in electronic devices, and

I didn’t want it confiscated at the door.

“Who are you calling?”

“I’m texting my assistant, Trevor,” I say. He is waiting for us at my original

hotel and will need to meet us at our new location.

I cross my fingers that the text will go through. Calling him is not an option,

as I doubt the cabby has an international calling plan.

“You have his number memorized?” Aurora asks incredulously as I open the

message app and, after locating the English keyboard, begin typing.

Finn: This is Dexter . Borrowed a phone. I have Aurora. Need to change

locations.

“I give it out all the time to people. It’s his work phone,” I tell her. There

have been plenty of times when I needed to give someone, usually a woman, a

phone number but don’t want them to have access to my private phone.

“How many women have you given it to?” she asks perceptively, smiling

widely at me.

I shake my head at her and take hold of her hand. She raises my hand and

bites my finger playfully. Shaking off her hold, I grab the back of her neck and

pull her into a rough kiss. She comes willingly, grabbing onto my T-shirt and

moaning into my mouth.

The phone vibrates in my hand. I quickly pull out of the kiss to read it. Aurora

giggles, releases her hold on me, and leans back to relax.

Trevor: Where r u headed?

Finn: Where Peter stays. Landmark Mandarin Oriental. We need a

reservation. Meet us there.

Trevor: Ok. All packed & ready to go. Have clothes for Ms Stone.

I smile at how efficient the man is.

Aurorq cuddles up next to me. She links our arms, rests her head on my

shoulder, and reads the messages as they pop up on the screen. I kiss her

forehead gently.

Dexter : Any messages from Peter?

The fucker has a lot to answer for!

Trevor: Peter texted “Meet me in Paris”

Aurora's body shivers against mine. “f**k Peter. I don’t want to go back to

Paris,” she states, her voice laced with understandable fear.

If I had been drugged and kidnapped off the streets of Paris, I wouldn’t be in

a hurry to return either.

“Shh, don’t worry, princess,” I tell her in a low voice, resting my head

against hers and placing my free hand on her leg to squeeze it lightly.

Trevor: Would you like me to reply?

Finn: No. He can wait.

“You need to tell him I’m safe!” Aurora exclaims, shaking my arm. “He’ll be

crazy with worry.”

“Don’t worry, he knows you’re with me.” I stroke her leg soothingly, but it

continues to vibrate with nervous energy.

Finn: We’ll be there shortly.

I close the message and delete it entirely from the app. Although I doubt the

cabby can speak much English, let alone read it, I still do not want my private

conversation easily viewable on his phone. Afterward, I turn my full attention to

my princess.

“Oh my God, I need to text my mom,” Aurora says frantically, grabbing for the

phone. “She won’t believe I’m all right until she hears from me.”

“We can’t, princess. Not yet.”

“Why the f**k not?” Aurora demands with a fiery angry scowl, which has my

cock inconveniently growing hard.

I thought she was sexy last night: quiet, nervous, shy. Virginal.

I was f*****g wrong!

“Because,” I growl, fisting the back of her hair. Gripping it tightly, I gain her

attention. “Because no one thinks you’re missing.”

“What?” Aurora says through a nervous breath.

“I had Trevor look into your disappearance last night and called him back

while you were sleeping. He said according to all your social media accounts,

you had a great time in Paris and are now back at school.”

“But how?” Her voice cracks slightly, and her grip on my arm tightens.