The Art of Retaliation (10 page)

Mara folded her arms and pouted trying to work out if he was teasing
or he meant it.
 
She got her answer
when he returned the chicken to the plate to gather some rice with it failing
to hide the smirk on his face.

She glared at him and lifted her lips in to a sarcastic smile.

“Oh that’s all right,
Mr
Garreau
.
 
I
willjust
grow my hair out of the window and climb down it.”

“That’s a good idea, only there aren’t any windows in this tower.”

She cursed and opened her mouth.
 
He deposited the food in her mouth.
 
She snatched the fork from him and
forced as much food as she could down.
 
Eventually she sat back leaving two pieces.

“There I have finished, now will you go.”

“There is still some left.”

“I am not eating any more,’ she told him with a hard firmness in her
tone that signaled nothing would persuade her to do so. She could already feel
her stomach churning and the need to retch.

“Oh well I’ll just tell Maurice to get the room in the tower ready
or maybe you would prefer the dungeon.
 
We have one of them as well.”

Mara leant forward taking a hold of
Stephane’s
black shirt and pulled his face level with her own.

“I don’t know how but I am going to get you back for this.
 
I am going to come after you with
everything I have got,” she promised.

“I am very sure you will and I will be looking forward to it,” he
said huskily watching her lips mesmerized.

The billionaire moved closer and lowered his lip.
 
Mara closed her eyes allowing him to
move to kiss her.
 
But as he came
closer she callously opened her eyes again and found that his own were closed
in anticipation.
 
She smiled to
herself and with a heavy tug on his shirt she pushed him away before he could
make contact with her lips.
 
Mara
sat back quickly inserting the food she had left into her mouth.

Stephane
opened
his eyes sharply and frowned but he said nothing as he removed the tray and
allowed her to crawl under the covers.
 
She gave him a surprised look as he made to tuck the covers in around
her body.

“Are you trying to make sure I don’t escape from this bed tonight?”
she asked feeling a little trapped.

“Something
like
that.
 
But you can’t really go far anyway with
that ankle can you,” he mocked.

It was his turn to win a round and she had to concede.

“This has just made your day hasn’t
it.
 
It will make your life so much easier.”

“Yes I suppose it has.”

He switched off the bedside lamp and stole the kiss she had denied
him sweeping his own over hers and left before she could rebuke him.

The next morning Maxine came storming into Mara’s room without
warning to find her sitting up in bed reading a book, in a position she looked
as if she spent most of the night in.
 
She hugged her friend and fell on the bed beside her.

“He told me that you sprained your ankle and then I heard the
servants gossiping about how a tree had nearly fell on you both.
 
I haven’t slept a wink all night
worrying about you.
 
I didn’t know
what happened to you yesterday morning.
 
Mara
say
something.”

“If you would let me get a word in edgeways . . .”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.
 
Don’t worry.”

Mara narrated the events of the past evening adding that she had no
intention of staying in bed.

“In the bath alone with
Stephane
,” Maxine
repeated a sparkle entering her mischievous eyes as she raised them in
surprise.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice.
 
He wouldn’t leave me alone in case I
hurt myself again.
 
He was quite
nice about it all, despite his insufferable arrogance and the way he thinks he
can boss me around.
 
Just wait until
we get out of here Maxine he won’t know what has hit him when I . . .”

“So I am right,” Maxine interrupted.
 
“You have fallen for him.”

“No way.
 
He’s pompous,
arrogant, bossy . . .”

“You protest too much, Mara.
 
Only love can inspire such emotions of attraction and hatred then swirl
them around together to make something solid.”

Maxine looked pleased with herself at her intricate observation of
love.
 
Mara just wanted to shake
her.

“Listen, Maxine we have something more important to discuss,” she
said directing the conversation onto safer ground.

Maxine listened intently as she told her about the wall and the farmhouse.

“You will have to get over the wall yourself.
 
I don’t think I can make it with my
ankle,” she told her friend.

Mara’s heart sank as she watched Maxine’s face cloud over with fear.

“I’m not leaving you here.
 
What if Ryan doesn’t send Louise home and
Stephane
decides to take revenge on you.
 
He
could hurt you.”

Maxine paced the room folding her arms tightly across her
chest.
 
She shook her head and
repeated,

“No I am not leaving you alone here.”

“Look it’s our only chance to get help, Maxine.
 
Why should you suffer for what Ryan has
done?”

“Why should you?
 
We’ve
always stuck together when anything happened and I am not going to change that
now.
 
You helped me out of a lot of
trouble and I am not going to desert you.”

“But Maxine it really is our only chance after my plan at the office
in Paris failed.”

“No, Mara.
 
Now that’s
the end of it.
 
We go together or
not at all,” she said with stubborn firmness.

Mara knew it was useless to argue with Maxine when she had made her
mind up about something but she also knew that Maxine could be worn down
eventually like water dripping on a stone.

Mara spent the next couple of days in bed resting.
 
Her attempt at alighting thwarted by the
housekeeper who informed her that she had strict instructions from the Master
of the house to lock her in her room if she tried to get up.

When the fifth day of their captivity arrived Mara was forced to
admit that she felt better for her rest and with the help of the tablets the
doctor had left for her dizziness.
 
Maxine helped her downstairs and led her out onto the terrace at the
side of the house facing a picturesque small bridge running over the moat and
sat down for breakfast.

“Please, Maxine, you have got to try and get over that wall.
 
I would go with you but I can’t in this
state.
 
You can get help.
 
My ankle is a lot better but I still
can’t walk very well and I would only slow you down,” Mara frantically gestured
towards her still bandaged ankle, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Maxine began pouring her a cup of tea.

“So we will wait until you are better,” she spoke calmly, smiling
innocently to warn Mara as
Stephane
came striding out
of the house looking devilishly handsome in a black suit towards them.

“Good morning,” he said bowing his head gracefully.

“Bonjour,” Maxine simpered whilst Mara put her cup of tea to her
lips deliberately ignoring the false niceties.

“How is your ankle, Mara?
 
Still sore?’ he asked gently with courteous concern.
 
“I am sorry I have not been able to check
in on you but I have been away on business.”

She looked up at him as if she had just found him standing there.

“Yes it is still sore but getting better.
 
I will be up and around causing trouble
for you ooh very shortly I would say.”

“Good I look forward to it,’ he mocked.
 
‘I have to go away yet again on business
for a couple of days,” he said.
 
“Don’t get any ideas about escaping, Leon will be here to look after you
and he isn’t as patient as me with indiscretions,’ he looked directly at Mara
with hooded eyes that made her breathe hard and as she remembered the car, the
scene of her last indiscretion and his punishment.
 
There was a wicked look in his eyes as
she hastily sipped her tea to hide from him.

“Now do I have your word that you won’t try anything I wouldn’t want
to have to put you both under lock and key.”

Mara ran a hand through her hair noticing the billionaire was
watching her intently.
 
Every time
she was near him she could feel him watching her and it was hard to keep her
own from him.
 
There was so much
tension between them the air crackled and she was finding herself becoming more
and more aroused by his presence.

“No, I can assure you no one will be trying to escape,’ she looked
at Maxine as she spoke, the annoyance in her voice causing Maxine to turn away
embarrassed.

“Good because we have made contact with Ryan and are trying to
persuade him to bring Louise back.
 
So this should all be over very soon.
 
Right then I will leave you.
 
Maxine make sure Mara rests on that
lounger.
 
See that she stays there
all day and only gets off it to go to bed to rest.
 
Is that clear?”

Maxine nodded in response and satisfied he left them to their
devices.

“For someone who is holding you to ransom, he seems to care a lot
about your welfare,” Maxine said with a grin.
 
“I hope he is right and this is al over
in a short while.”

“He just wants me to be healthy to enjoy a long prison sentence on a
trumped up charge and the end of my career if Ryan doesn’t come through and
runs with Louise again.’

“Mara,” Maxine reprimanded her with her sharp tone for her words.

“It’s true.
 
I don’t know
what he is up to.
 
At least he will
eventually let you go.”

Maxine shivered.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you, Mara.’

“Well, get over that wall,” she almost shouted.

Maxine ignored her and took another sip of her coffee.

A day later, on his return
Stephane
called
Mara in to his study.
 
He was
sitting behind an ornate desk speaking to someone on the telephone his security
chief Leon standing behind him like a faithful pet.

On her entrance into the room the billionaire stopped speaking on
the phone and looked sternly at her.

“I’ve got Ryan on the line and I want you to speak to him.
 
He doesn’t believe that I have kidnapped
you.”

Mara’s face lit up and
Stephane’s
eyes
narrowed in response.
 
He handed her
the phone.

“Ryan, is that you?”

“Oh thank god, Mara.
 
He
hasn’t hurt you has he?
 
I’ll kill
him.”

“No, no he hasn’t,” she answered nervously glancing at
Stephane
.

“I didn’t believe him.
 
Don’t worry, darling, I am coming straight over there.”

“Don’t act as if nothing has happened between us,” Mara snapped
forgetting there was an audience.
 
“I don’t give a dam about you.
 
I just want you over here to sort this mess out,” she shouted.

Stpehane
motioned
to Leon and instantly he snatched the phone from her hands, handing it back to
her captor.

“You’ve heard enough, Ryan.
 
Now get back here with my sister or the next time you see Mara she will
be behind bars.”

He slammed the phone down and brusquely asked Mara to leave the
room.
 
There was anger in his eyes
and she thought there was also something else, jealousy perhaps.