Falling For You [Tom Hiddleston]

46

Claire's POV

At the appointed time, dressed to the nines, wearing a stylish waterproof coat and holding a sturdy umbrella, I confidently glided towards the expensive black car waiting where I'd left the Range Rover earlier. It might look like a regular short limo, but this thing was literally a civilian tank with heavy duty body armor, run-flat tires and missile-proof glass.

A tall, burly man with an umbrella was standing beside the passenger door; he waited to open it until I was closer. A middle-aged man in a bespoke charcoal gray suit stepped out of the vehicle and under the cover the burly man's umbrella provided.

"Lady Clarissa Alaina Dumont Kingsley." So he was Jimmy Castle; I instantly recognized his voice from the way he precisely pronounced every syllable of my name. "Your punctuality is noted; I am The Messenger."

"Mr Castle." I gave him a slight nod. "If I said it was a pleasure to meet you, I'd be lying."

While his expression didn't change in the least, I sensed that he was amused by my retort; I highly doubted anyone had ever said that directly to him before. While it probably wasn't smart to antagonize a criminal overlord's human bloodhound - supposedly those that found themselves on his bad side were eventually found in the Thames - but I had nothing left to lose by being myself.

"Don't be cheeky, gel," the burly man growled disparagingly as he opened the back door for me and gestured for me to enter. "Guv'nor don't like tarts."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a prostitute." Stepping under the cover of his umbrella, I furled my own and held it out to him, mildly amused at the longsuffering expression he wore as he took it from me.

"You may also give Gabriel your bag and mobile," Jimmy stated before climbing in the car.

I handed the glowering flunky my purse, not bothering to protest; I'd expected that. "Phone's in it," I said, deliberately using American terminology to see if I got a rise out of him.

"Bloody Yank," I heard him mutter derisively as I slid into the backseat.

I smirked in satisfaction as the door slammed shut before making myself comfortable in the leather bucket seat. I put on my seat belt, crossed my ankles and set my hands in my lap; this was undoubtedly the fanciest cage I'd ever been in - and I'd been in more than my fair share of cages these past three years. I noticed there were no door handles on the inside as I took a quick look around the plush interior and the thick, bulletproof windows were tinted so that it was impossible to see anything through them.

"I expect my belongings will be returned when our business is concluded, Mr Castle."

Jimmy inclined his head slightly. "You will of course comply with our usual procedures."

"Of course." While he made it sound like I had a choice, I knew better than that. "And those would be?"

He smiled slightly. "I do apologize, but after his earlier...encounter...with you, I'm afraid my assistant insists on the need for restraints, my lady."

I sighed and held my hands out with my wrists together towards the other occupant of the vehicle, narrowing my eyes as I determined which one he'd been in the attack earlier. "How's the head?" I asked with mock concern as I placed him - he was the last one I'd knocked out.

He only scowled at me as he roughly repositioned my wrists, holding them hard enough to bruise them; yep, he definitely remembered me.

He zip-tied them a little tighter than necessary, the plastic digging into my flesh - but he'd been smart enough to realized that I could've escaped from the original position I'd chosen if I'd wanted to. I could still escape from them in this position - but it wouldn't be as easy...or very fun.