Page 32 of Sweet Temptation

My blood runs cold. What the hell is going on? Why am I a target for this woman? Why? "Chop, chop, Monroe. If you don't meet me, then someone you love will die," she chirps. With that, the phone goes dead.

That call was an hour ago. And thirty minutes ago, I was standing in front of Damon's condo. Throwing a jacket on, I race down the hall, snagging Scarlet's keys from the rack and darting out the door. "Literally screwed," I mutter as I slide into the driver's seat and reverse out of the driveway.

And this is why Damon should have been honest with me. If he was, then I wouldn't be in this position.

Following Google maps, I pull up to the dark alley and shudder at how uncomfortable I am. Her voice sketched me out, and this alley sketches me out even more. Putting the truck into park, I climb out and wrap my arms around myself.

"Hanna…" A voice comes from the dark alley.

I gulp and make my way toward the sound, stopping when a tall brown-haired boy with tattoos and piercings comes into view.

"Sweet child, I knew you'd make the right choice." She grins as she makes her way toward me. Gulping, I step away from her, my insides on fire as all the alarms in my head start going off. My conversation with Damon seems like days ago. After I got the call, I had to see him for one last time.

Shoving my arms into my sleeves, I wait patiently for her to tell me what she wants, but she says nothing as a man comes up to her side. His eyes are dark, and he doesn't seem to give a shit that I'm scared.

I gulp and shuffle my feet. "What do you want?" I don't like men, they make me uncomfortable. This man, on the other hand, sends shivers through my body with only one glance. So does Damon's mother.

"She's coming with us, Lenard," Margarita says, sitting on the hood of the Lamborghini. Fuck. I turn on my heel to run, but the tattooed man traps me, yanking me to his chest and hauls me over to the car.

"Please!" I screech, but Lenard laughs in my face. It's ridiculous; I should have just called Damon, but I didn't. I kept my mouth shut and followed her orders. I didn’t tell them about her call. I never said a word.

"Little girl, I don't have time to wait around." She nods at the tattooed man before she slides into the passenger seat of the car.

The tattooed man shoves me into the car before climbing in beside me. "Hayes, you keep her at your apartment while I deal with my son and his little infatuation with this girl," Margarita growls as the driver pulls out of the alley onto the road.

Shivering, I pull myself closer to the window, not wanting to be anywhere near them. She grins at me before he presses dial on a number. My eyes focus, and to my horror, I realise that's Damon's number. "What the fuck do you want?!" he growls on the other side of the line. I curl up into myself, not even able to find my words.

"I have your girl. If you don't do what I say, son, then you'll never see her alive again." She cackles into the phone. What kind of mother is she? And why would she do this? I think Damon tenses up or something because the other end of the phone goes silent.

"Prove it!" Damon barks.

Horrified, I make my lips move, stuttering out each word. "D-Damon!" I scream. Margarita laughs as I curl up into my jacket again. This woman is the devil if I had ever met one, and I never want to see her again.

"If you touch a hair on her fucking head, I’ll gut you like a fish," Damon growls. I hear the venom in his voice as he barks out each word to his mother, nonetheless.

"Tik tok." The line goes dead as she ends the call and shoves her phone away.

Closing my eyes, I breathe in and out as I feel panic overwhelm me. "Get out," Margarita growls at Hayes. Climbing out of the car, he pulls me with him, once again dragging me to where he needs me to be.

I'm shoved through a door into warmth. Looking around, I notice how clean it is, other than the smell of drugs wrinkling my nose. "Sit." Hayes shoves me onto the couch. "Behave," he adds before disappearing into the kitchen. Pulling my knees to my chest, I bury my face in my legs and hide my tears from the world.

I should have known answering that phone call was going to be a mistake. It was a private number, and those always end up being bad news.

Opening my eyes, I gaze around the small apartment and bite my lip. She's going to kill Damon. Or maybe I'm being dramatic because that's her son. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I stare around the room.

I flinch when a hand comes down on my shoulder, causing me to jump and move away. "I'm not going to hurt you," Hayes replies, coming around the couch and handing me a bottle of water.

My wide green eyes gaze up at him, fear is one thing he definitely doesn't miss as he flinched as well. Maybe he should feel bad about this. He could have just let me go.

"Look, I don't want to do this. My dad was born into this world, and so was I. But trust me when I say this, I'd never hurt a woman," he whispers. I relax a little, but my shoulders stay tense as I swallow the water. I don't know this man and I don't trust him.

Hayes watches me with soft eyes, and I don't understand why he wouldn't have gotten out. "Why don't you leave, then?" I croak out the words as a stutter takes on.

Hayden smiles lightly before he takes a sip of water. "You're in till you die."

I nod before my eyes go to the door as someone kicks it in. Damon and Damien race through the broken door before Damon's eyes meet mine. "Get the hell away from her!" Damon snarls, the venom slicing through his teeth. Hayes glares at Damon before he rises to his feet to face him.

"I didn't fucking touch her! I'm not my fucking father," Hayes seethes. My body shakes as my eyes land on the twins in front of me.