Kat Attalla Special Edition (27 page)

He tied her wrists together with a piece of rope and helped her to her feet. “Don’t try that again.”

“What are you going to do, kill me?” she snapped.

He put his hand on her elbow and led her back towards the house. “No one’s going to kill you, Lilly. We just need to talk to you.”

She coughed to cover a nervous laugh. He couldn’t think her that naïve. “Yes. I got the message you guys left for me at my home.”

Jack exhaled a groan. “I had nothing to do with that.”

“Oh, yeah. And I should believe you.”

* * * *

Jack quickened his steps and pulled her along. He’d already drawn enough attention by discharging his gun. If a neighbor decided to check out the commotion, he would have a tough time keeping Lilly from yelling for help. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead. I’ve had more than enough chances.”

“I always got away.”

Jack chuckled. Apparently, she believed herself caught up in a misguided game of international intrigue. “You got away because I let you. Except for
Lisbon
, where I’ll admit you got the better of me. I’ve always known where you were. If you saw me, I wanted you to.”

She stopped walking and cast him a mocking glare. “Right. I’ll bet that’s what you told your boss too.”

“Oh, come on, Lilly. I can tell you where you spent your first night in
London
. What you ate for breakfast every day. Why, I can even describe the sexy black lingerie you bought last week.”

Her eyes widened, and her face flushed scarlet. “And why would you want me to get away?”

“To keep you moving. Every time you checked into a hotel you had to give your passport. It only takes a few days to track it down. I’m not trying to kill you. I’m trying to keep you alive.”

Her bitter laugh spoke volumes. She didn’t believe him. “I suppose it never occurred to you to tell me this in the beginning and save all this trouble?”

“Not really. I only told you this much so you’d see that I don’t mean you any harm. I’d prefer not to have to drug you every time I move you. But if you make me, I will.”

“Who are you? CIA? FBI?”

“You read too many spy thrillers.” He tugged on her arm to get her moving again. “Who I work for isn’t important. Just follow orders and we’ll both live to tell our grandchildren about it.”

“Am I allowed to know your name, or is that classified information too?”

“Murphy.”

“Murphy? And does that come with a first name or should I just call you...?”

“Jack,” he said, before she labeled him with her choice of colorful nickname.

They reached the front door, and he pushed it open with his foot. “And one more thing. It isn’t much of a face, but it’s mine. Don’t cut it again.”

“I wasn’t aiming for your face. I was aiming for your throat.”

“I guess I can be thankful you didn’t set your sights lower.” She jerked her arm free of his grasp and stomped into the house. That attempt failed, but he knew she would try again. He almost saw the wheels spinning in her head as she walked towards the bedroom. “Stay here.”

“I prefer to be alone.”

“Tough. I wouldn’t want you to cut yourself on the broken glass.” Or to use another sliver to free herself from the rope again. The woman had guts for an amateur. She flopped down on the worn sofa with a grunt.

He stepped over to the old porcelain sink and splashed water on his face, keeping a watchful eye on her at all times. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he blotted the gash along his face.

“Excuse me, Mr. Murphy, but I need the little girl’s room.”

Jack shot her a nasty scowl. She shrugged and smiled innocently.

“Come on.” He led her down the hall to the bathroom. She held her hands out in front, and he removed the rope. When she tried to close the door, he stuck his foot inside. “I think not.”

Her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious? I can’t use the bathroom with an audience.”

“If you really need it, you can. Leave the door open.”

He took up a position just outside the bathroom. Humiliating her was not his objective, but he never made the same mistake twice. His little captive still possessed a fair amount of fight. “Turn on the water. It helps.”

“Go to hell!”

Jack laughed. No doubt one day he would. His wasted youth had earner him fire-front accommodations. No amount of penance could erase the memory or the guilt. He’d started out with such high ideals, but somewhere in the execution, he’d lost sight of the goals. His job of scaring the shit out of a woman not even charged with a crime left a foul taste in his mouth.

Would he care if they’d sent him after a middle-aged spinster with a wart on her nose? He wanted to believe so, but no assignment caused him to lose sleep like this one. An air of innocence surrounded her, despite her ability to wrap a man around her finger, as he learned from his incident in
Lisbon
.

“Are you still there?”

Lilly pounded her fist against the wall. He tried not to laugh when he heard the water running. Something like that had to be easier for men.

She finally emerged from the bathroom and returned to her seat in the living room. He admired her strength. She neither cried nor pleaded like many women in her position might do.

“Do you want something to eat?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders indifferently, refusing to admit she wanted anything, but he guessed she must be hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything in the last day.

He opened the old refrigerator and removed cheese and a chunk of crusty bread. He handed her the sandwich and sat in the squeaky wooden chair across from her.

She drummed her fingers on the frayed arm of the sofa. “How much longer are we going to be in this resort?”

“Depends on the weather.”

“I suppose if I asked where we’re going from here, you wouldn’t tell me. Right?”

“Right. Think of it as an adventure.”

“An adventure is shopping in
New York City
.”

The sarcasm of her words failed to mask the anxiety reflected in her eyes. “Nothing is going to happen to you,” he said softly, hoping to calm her fears. “You have my word on that.”

She leaned back in the chair and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “There’s a comfort. You drug me, kidnap me and take me against my will over international borders. Now I should rest easy on the word of a terrorist.”

He stiffened. “I am not a terrorist.”

Lilly’s stinging barb touched a raw nerve. His own family had accused him of something similar. After all, there wasn’t much difference in the job, only in the people who paid him.

“That depends on your point of view, doesn’t it? If what you’re doing were legal, I’d be going through an extradition process. Even a criminal is permitted legal counsel.”

He couldn’t argue with the truth. Her job as an export clerk made her well versed in international law. However, he couldn’t bring her back through the regular channels. Their survival might depend on no one knowing about her return to the States. If she tried to go back on her own, she might not make it there alive.

“Finish up your sandwich. And then you can get some sleep.”

Judging by the tired look in her eyes, she could use the rest. So could he, but he also knew he wasn’t going to get any. Especially not when she discovered the sleeping arrangements.

* * * *

Lilly finished the last bite of her dinner. Eating in front of a man made her self-conscious enough. When Jack stared at her with his penetrating gaze, her embarrassment grew. She swallowed hard. Fear kept her heart pounding at a rapid pace. How was she going to get free?

He sat next to her on the sofa. Before she could spring from her seat, he took her hand and locked a cuff around her wrist. The other end he fastened to himself.

She tried to twist her hand out of the metal bracelet. “What are you doing?”

“I would have thought it was obvious. I’m too beat to spend the night chasing you through the woods and you’re too good at getting out of the ropes. Should we sleep on the bed or right here on the couch?”

“Are you out of your mind?” Her voice pitched. “I wouldn’t share a bed with you if you were the last man on earth.”

“I guess than means you want the couch.”

“No!”

“Then sleep on the floor. I’m sleeping here.” He stretched out full length. The old springs creaked. His solid thigh brushed against her hip and pushed her off the edge of the cushion. Her rear-end hit the floor with an indignant thump. The man possessed the manners of a wild boar and the personality to match.

She wrapped her arms around her waist, a gesture that brought his handcuffed arm right into her lap. As if she wasn’t already mortified, his fingers didn’t remain idle, but instead drummed playfully against the zipper of her shorts.

“Don’t touch me, you … animal.” She raised her hand, leaving his arm dangling in the air.

“I’m too damned tired for this crap.” He hooked her around the waist and hauled her onto the couch. With one leg wrapped across hers and his arm cradling her hip, he pinned her against his hard body. She twisted, trying to free herself from the entanglement. The more she turned, the tighter he held her. She managed to make herself aware of every inch of his rock solid body. Painfully aware.

When she gave up her struggle, he chuckled. “Much better. Now get some sleep, or it will be a long night.”

If he thought she would be able to sleep like this, then he needed to have his head examined. How was she supposed to relax with his arms wrapped around her like two steel bands? How could she ignore the body heat that cocooned her like a fleece blanket? And how could she deny the strange sensations caused by his rhythmic breathing caressing her neck? Hell. With erotic reactions like this, she was the one who needed to have her head examined.

Yes, indeed. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter
Two

At dusk the following day, Jack maneuvered the Jeep along the dirt road. Every so often, he glanced at Lilly. The rough terrain caused the vehicle to bounce, but she refused to wear the seatbelt. He tried several times to draw her into a conversation. Having no wish to strike up a friendship with her kidnapper, she ignored his overtures.

After the long night sleeping like a contented baby wrapped in his arms, she had spent the day berating herself for her traitorous physical reactions to him. He’d kept her cuffed to him most of the day to punish her. She was forced to remain at his side or stumble behind him as he made regular checks of the grounds around the cabin. If nothing else, she knew his foot ached since she made damned sure she stepped on him every time he found it amusing to tug on her arm.

A little after nine o’clock, Jack parked the jeep on a deserted street just outside a marina. He uncuffed her hands and led her towards the docks.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Jack said.

“Yeah, right. A perfect night for an abduction.”

The cool breeze off the water sent a chill down Lilly’s spine. Her dusty shorts and tee shirt provided little protection against swirling sea breezes. She’d been in the same clothes for two days and looked forward to getting on the boat to change.

Jack kept a tight grip on her elbow making escape impossible. She knew he had a hypodermic needle in his jacket pocket in case she decided to try anyway. But she learned from her mistakes. He expected her to make another attempt and prepared for anything.

He wasn’t perfect. Eventually, he would relax his guard. She wondered how to help him along. They might refer to it as a fate worse than death, but….

She arched her eyebrow and ran an appraising gaze over his lean, muscular body. Could she? Since her life depended on escaping, she had to try. She only had to convince him that she had resigned herself to her fate. Pretending to be interested in him might be more than she could pull off.

“Lilly?”

She blinked and lowered her gaze. “Yes?”

“Forget it. I’m not some off-the-boat fisherman you can wrap around your finger.”

The blood rushed to her face. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes you do. And if you offer, I’ll take you up on it. But it wouldn’t change a thing, except possibly put a smile on your face.”

She exhaled a low grown of disgust. “I doubt I could compete with your ego for your attention, Mr. Murphy.”

“If I were egotistical, I’d think you were interested. But I think you’d sleep with the devil himself to get away.”

She raised her head and smirked. “At least you know what you are.”

He chuckled and applied more pressure to keep her moving in the direction of the boats. Crafts of every make and model filled the dock slips. Where had all the people gone? Someone had to be running the place. The spooky silence made her nervous.

A loud shriek pierced the night silence. Lilly jumped. She got another fright when Jack returned the same call. He turned in the direction of the sound and pulled her along.