Bought His Life by Aleka Nakis Tia Fanning

door, she grabbed her carryall off the floor and signaled for Lawson to move.
    “We’re not leaving out the front door,” he informed her.
    Why did he have to be a stubborn asshole?
    “Hey, Lawson, ever play Simon Says?”
    “Yes.”
    “We’re going to play a game like it, but this one is called Bertha Says.”
    He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t play games.”
    She took three long steps toward him, thus allowing him a closer look down the barrel of her gun. “Now it’s I who begs to differ. You will play this one.”
    He turned back around, his large hands, still in the air, balled into fists. He was such a typical man. Just couldn’t accept that he wasn’t in control of the situation, or of her.
    She tsked. “Are you angry? Are you imagining what you’ll do when you finally get a hold of me?”
    Lawson stiffened at the remark, and for a split second, her bravado actually faltered.
    Fuck it. She’d shoot him if she had to.
    “Lady, you’re one crazy bitch,” commented the smelly biker sitting on the floor.
    “Yeah, you don’t know the half of it.” She took another step forward and pushed her gun into Lawson’s back. “Bertha says walk straight.”
    To her surprise, he did. She thought for sure it’d be a fight to get him to do her bidding, especially after that show of obstinate behavior he’d tried to pull.
    Keeping the gun pointed at his shoulders, she followed closely as he made his way around fallen tables and toppled chairs. She was almost disappointed that he’d caved. For a moment, she thought she’d met her match.
    Truth be told, she liked Lawson, though she had no clue as to why. Despite all the annoying things he’d done since they’d met, she felt a certain affinity toward him.
    “Bertha says turn left.”
    In the blink of an eye, he took a quick step back, grasped her outstretched arm with one hand and gave it a sharp twist while he snatched the gun away with his other.
    Shit.
    Retaining his crushing grip on her wrist, he practically dragged her to the exit.
    “Let go!”
    He acted as if he didn’t hear her.
    When he reached the door, she pulled back with all her weight. “Stop!”
    He came to an abrupt halt but didn’t release his hold. Instead, he leaned into the nearby booth, grabbed his hat, and placed it on his head. Turning back to the door, he kicked it open and jerked her onto the sidewalk.
    As soon as they cleared the threshold, he fired at a black Hummer parked in the lot. Window glass shattered.
    “What the—”
    Lawson dragged her to the Mustang and wrenched her carryall from her arm. Fishing out her keys, he opened the passenger door, shoved her in and threw the tote at her before slamming the door. He fired at the Hummer’s tires as he went, then placed the gun in his waistband, got in the driver’s seat, started the ignition and sped out the parking lot.
    Kimber turned around to see if anyone followed. The Hummer had appeared empty when he’d shot it up, but she couldn’t be sure.
    “What is going on? Did you just kill whoever was in that Hummer? Or were you merely venting your frustration on some random empty vehicle?”
    He didn’t acknowledge her questions much less give her an answer. But he drove through the streets like a maniac, barely braking on the turns.
    “Slow down. You’re going to get us killed.” Why she bothered telling him that, she didn’t know. If anything, she should be praying for the cops to show up and save her from the gun-toting lunatic who had just kidnapped her.
    His sudden stunt made her see Lawson in a whole new light. He was a very sexy bad guy. Damn, it was kind of a turn-on.
    She immediately scolded herself for thinking something so stupid.
    He glanced in the rearview mirror then lifted his foot off the accelerator.
    “Where are we going?” She held her breath and waited.
    No response.
    She folded her arms and stared out the window. “What are you going to do with me?”
    Again, no response.
    And here she always