Taken by the Greek Billionaire (12 page)
“You can pull over anywhere here,” Penny said, interrupting his
frantic thoughts and indicating a stretch of road that had about a million
potholes. “We have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Here?” he asked, noting the fact less than half the streetlights
were in working order. “Is it safe?”
She nodded. “They’ll think you’re a dealer or something. They won’t
dare touch this car just in case. Don’t worry about that.”
“A dealer?
As in drugs.”
She laughed. “No valuable antiques.”
He scowled and pulled his seat belt free. “And this is where you
spend your time?
With drug dealers and criminals?”
Another laugh.
“Well yes, or have you forgotten I am one?”
“I forget nothing.”
“Let’s get moving then.”
The road was deserted but it felt to Sebastian like there was a
lingering menace. He was glad that he’d gone for jeans himself rather than the
suit he would normally have worn. Suits would not fit here. They suggested
authority and Sebastian suspected authority was the last thing the residents of
this area respected.
“Come on,” Penny prompted.
“Best not to linger.”
They walked for a good ten minutes, through shaded streets and side
alleys, and Sebastian became more and more appalled as he took in their
surroundings. Penny did not seem to notice. Hands by her side she strode along
as if she were walking through Knightsbridge.
“Penny, do you live around here?” he asked, wanting the answer to be
a resounding no.
“Uh huh.”
“But why?”
“It’s all we can afford.”
We, not
knew he had to. He gritted his teeth and took her by the arm, steering her past
an old trolley. “We as in
who
?”
She looked up at him, the light from a nearby house reflecting off
her surprised expression.
“Myself and my sisters of course.”
Relief filled him, sweet and searing. Up until the question left his
lips it had not occurred to him that there might be another man in the picture.
The very idea made his anger spurt and he exhaled shakily. “Not a boyfriend
then?”
“Nope.
No
boyfriend.”
“No dates?”
“Sebastian,” she asked, pulling her arm free. “Do you really think
I’d have fucked you if I was involved with someone else?”
He shrugged. “People do it all the time.”
“Some people maybe. Not me.”
They walked across an unlit area and Sebastian had to bank down the
urge to pull her close again. She was clearly at home in their surroundings, moving
easily past boarded up houses and rusting cars.
Yes, because she lives here. The woman you’re fucking comes from one of
the most dangerous parts of the city….
“Why here?” he asked.
“Why here what?”
“Why do you live here?”
“Because as I said it’s all we can afford,” she said.
He shook his head. “But you stole two hundred grand from me did you
not? And with those tools I assume I was not your first hit. So surely you can
live somewhere safer?”
“Yes, no, and no. I said I’d answer your questions after, didn’t I?
And just for the record you gave me the money so stop prodding.”
They turned the corner and they were confronted with a block of high
rise flats. Sebastian was surprised. He’d heard they were either privatizing or
pulling down these buildings. Property as well as finance was his thing and
he’d even looked into acquiring on the
looked only about half full. He got that by the fact most of the windows were
boarded up.
“Come on,” Penny urged.
As they approached the building, the smell or urine hit Sebastian
hard and he almost gagged. “
Dios
,” he
hissed. “You’re not serious. We’re not going in there!”
“Of course we are,” she said. “I need to get my papers.”
“You think it’ll be safe here?”
She nodded but looked around wearily. “Keep your voice down. And
yes, I know it will.”
“And how do you know that exactly?”
“Well I live round here so and I spend a fair bit of time in these
flats. But if you don’t want to come in you can wait here and I’ll come back in
a little while.”
“You think I’d trust you to do that? Come back to me?”
She shrugged, hands in the pockets of his sweats. They were far too
big for her even with the cord pulled tight. “Well I don’t know but you should.
As I said I don’t break my promises. Besides you’d never find your way back to
the car.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Fine.
Let’s go.”
He breathed in shallow breaths as she keyed in a code on the door.
The smell was worse inside, but Penny did not seem to notice it. She headed
straight for the stairs and he followed.
“The lifts don’t work,” she said. “And even if they did it’s too
risky to use them. They break down half the time and no one will come out to
fix them.”
He was appalled.
Absolutely appalled.
Eight
flights of stairs they climbed and Penny seemed to relish the exercise. She
wasn’t even out of breath when they reached the desired floor. But then neither
was he, only he ran five miles a day so that was to be expected. He found
himself wondering exactly what his thief did to stay in such shape.
The hallway was dim, most of the overhead lights blinking on and
off, casting odd shadows. He counted the doors as they passed by until they
reached the one with a number fifty on it. Somewhere close by a baby wailed,
followed by a woman’s voice telling it to shut the fuck up.
Dear God.
“What is this place?” he asked and Penny laughed.
“Home sweet home.”
And as she said the words Sebastian was certain of one thing. More
certain than he’d been of anything before. Madness or not, once this job was
done Penny was never coming back here ever again.
Chapter Seventeen
Just put your life in the
hands of the man you robbed, Pen. Go right ahead and do that.
But what other choice was there? As they stood outside her home Penny
couldn’t for the life of her think of another solution. She needed her ID to
verify the sale at the auction and she hadn’t taken it with her to Sebastian’s.
That would have been beyond foolish. Instead her plan had been to return home
with the cash and get everything she needed for the auction the next day—which
was exactly what she was doing now. Of course she hadn’t expected to have cut
it so fine.
But this?
Showing
him where she lived? It could cause all sorts of problems. He’d know more about
her than she wanted.
Her address.
Her
sisters’ address.
But he’s not
going to call the police,
her mind reassured her. He promised.
But you barely know him
, the other side
chanted, except in the biblical sense. It could all be lies. What to do?
“You’re unusually quiet,” Sebastian said as they stood outside.
“I’m wondering if this is such a good idea after all,” she replied,
being honest for once.
“How so?”
“I’m showing you where I live. You’ll have an address to give the
police when you let me go.”
He sighed. “The police are no longer in the picture,
Kleftisa
. I
thought we’d already established that.”
She turned at her door and gave him a long, assessing look. “I stole
from you, Sebastian. Two hundred grand and you’re just….” She waved a hand,
unable to put her thoughts into words.
“Letting you off?” he asked.
“Hardly.
You
know our deal. You stay with me from now on and we forget the theft ever
happened.”
“That’s our deal? I thought it was until you tired or me.”
He shifted, a scowl splitting his face. “Yes, that is what I meant.”
“And then?”
“And then you go on your way and I go mine and that is that.”
“And I’m worth two hundred grand, am I?” she asked. “Fucking me for
however long is worth all that money?”
He shrugged one perfect shoulder. “It is small change to me,
Kleftisa
.
”
Small change
.
Penny glared, anger chasing through
her. Did he have any idea how insulting those words were? “Let’s get this over
and done with then.”
Getting into her home presented no problems. The door frame was
hollow at the top, something they’d done not long after they moved in. Back
then they’d had one key only and they took it in turns to leave it in the
hollow. Besides it wasn’t as if they’d had anything worth stealing. No one in
their block did.
The key was in her hand before Sebastian moved back and she turned
the lock, opening the flat up. It was dark, because obviously no one had been
back in a while. The plan was firm in all their minds. Once they left they did
not return until each of their missions
were
complete.
Lyra
.
Rachel.
How she wished she could see
them now. How she needed their comfort and advice. Because for the first time
Penny was thinking, really thinking, about the bargain she and Sebastian had
made.
In the plush luxury of his home it seemed to make a weird sort of
sense. She’d seduced him and he’d seduced her. Because of it he was unable to
call the police and lock her up as he should have done. So what was left but to
keep her with him where he could find out her secrets and ensure she wasn’t
burglarizing anyone else?
But the money.
He’d given it
to her without
so
much as a murmur. He’d fucked her,
fed her, and then driven her out to spend the money she’d
stolen
from him! Only now was she realizing how odd it all was, how
little sense it made.
Sebastian was a fine specimen of a man.
Rich, good
looking, sexual dynamite.
He had no need to pay women to share his bed,
so why in essence was he doing that with her? Why?
She had to ask those questions. When he asked his she would have to
ask hers, whether she liked the answers or not.
Her ID was in the bedroom and Penny left Sebastian where he was as
she went to gather it. The room was cold and musty after only a couple of days.
She shivered, running a hand along her bed as she bent down to gather the kit.
“You share a room with your sisters?” His voice intruded on her
thoughts and Penny shot up, kit in hand.
“Yes.”
“How…odd.”
He looked so out of place. His jeans were probably worth a month’s
rent. It pained Penny to see it. “I thought whilst I’m here I might as well
grab my clothes,” she said. After all she could hardly live in his sweats.
He nodded. “That makes sense. Bring them all.”
“All?”
“Yes. You will need them.”
“For a few days?”
“I never said it would be a few days,
Kleftisa
. You assumed that. So
bring them all.”
Not even wanting to ask about his time scales, Penny gathered her
jeans and tees and dumped them in her backpack. The ID followed and she zipped
it up. “I just need one more thing.”
Sebastian trailed behind her as she headed for the main room where
the picture of she,
Lyra
, and Rachel was. The only
one they’d ever had taken, it sat pride of place on top of the aged fire place.
Framed in cheap glass, it was taken just over three months ago. The day they’d
handed in their notice at the chicken packaging plant. They’d gone out for a
little celebration and the picture had been taken by a roaming photographer.
Even though it had been an extravagance they’d all chipped in to buy it. It
captured them all so perfectly. Rachel was wearing a flowered top and skirt,
her blonde hair blowing in the breeze.
Lyra
was
kitted out in tight, faded blue jeans and red shirt, her hair piled as
haphazardly as ever. She was in her usual black jeans and tee.
Her sisters.
She
couldn’t help but sigh as she added the picture to the backpack. Just a couple
of days and she missed them so much.
“Is that everything,” Sebastian asked. “There aren’t more clothes?
You don’t need a suitcase?”
“No,” she sighed. “These are all my clothes.”
“Okay then. So let’s get this done and get out of here.”