Page 57 of Challenging Luke

Before her brain could register the movement, Silverstein's hand whipped out and cracked her across the cheek. The sound echoed through her brain, and the pain had her biting down on the inside of her mouth hard enough to draw blood.

Shit, she forgot that amongst his charges there had been spousal abuse. His wife had years’ worth of abuse documented.

Pissing him off hadn't been her smartest plan.

"You never said anything about physically hurting her," Fletcher whined.

Monica was stunned. Was Fletcher really that naive? Samuel had gone to prison for abuse and the man really thought Silverstein would never hurt her?

"What do you think he meant when he said he wanted to collect his debt?" She really should've kept her mouth shut, but at this point, the anger was taking over and that was never a good thing. She had a tendency to lash out when she was pissed and hungry.

"That he would frame you so you lost your job just like he did. Maybe even do some jail time. I didn't think he meant he would hurt you."

"Oh, I don't plan to just hurt her. I want her dead."

Fletcher was the only one to gasp. Her kidnapper didn't look surprised nor concerned either way. To him, this was probably just a job. One he did routinely from the looks of it.

She, on the other hand, had already come to that conclusion, so Silverstein confirming it did nothing for her. Her only focus at the moment was finding the opportunity to slip away. It was vital that she get away from Silverstein before he had the chance to follow through on his plan. Give herself enough time for Luke and his team to rescue her.

Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself a few moments later when Silverstein and Fletcher started to argue. Neither gave her any mind as the two hurled insults at each other.

Monica stepped back slowly, conscious not to make any sudden movements that would bring attention to herself. She managed to get a few feet of distance before she said “screw it” and turned around to haul ass.

Running in heels wasn't ideal, but she gave it her all regardless. With her arms pumping against her side, she took off for one of the abandoned buildings. With any luck, she would find a place to hide and bide her time.

She was about five feet away from the building when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Unlike the last time, these arms were gentle, but that didn't stop her from kicking and screaming. If she was going to be dragged back to Silverstein, then the person would need to do it with her fighting them the entire way.

"Easy, now. Tex sent me."

She didn't recognize that voice, but she recognized that name and that was enough for her. Monica sagged against the muscular chest.

"Please tell me Luke's on his way."

"He is, but I'm going to need you to come in here with me while two of my teammates deal with your friends."

They weren't her friends, but who was she to correct the giant of a man who looked like he could bench-press two of her.

"I'm Matthew but my friends call me Wolf."

She shook his outstretched hand. "I'm Monica, but you probably already knew that."

Wolf laughed and it eased her some. "Tex may have mentioned your name when he called in a favor."

"Do you and your friends do this often?" She circled her finger in the air. "You know, rescue kidnapped people?"

"More often than people realize." Wolf stopped and looked to be listening to something. Monica tried to hear what caught his attention but the pounding in her head was still present. Not as bad but enough to keep her from concentrating too hard. "Sounds like my team handled your little problem. Let's go wait for Luke outside. He shouldn't be too far behind."

They stepped back out of the decrepit building and moved back to the town car where both Silverstein and Fletcher sat on the ground with their hands stretched behind their backs. The man who kidnapped her lay crumbled on the pavement at an unusual angle, and there was a fourth man also tied up by the hood.

"I take it he gave you some trouble." Wolf nodded his head toward her kidnapper.

All three men had dark hair and were of similar height. They were dressed the same. If it weren't for their facial features, she would've assumed they were related.

"He pulled a knife," the man with a few scars on his face answered. "He should stay asleep until the authorities arrive."

He wasn't dead. Somehow that made her feel marginally better. She wasn't too keen on having a man's death on her conscience.

"That's Mozart and this guy is Dude."