Page 65 of No Love Lost

Whatever she lay on was solid and smooth. Beyond her closed eyelids, it appeared dark, so she lifted her lashes a bit. Definitely dark. Opening her eyes the whole way made little difference until she moved her head to look behind her.

A glimmer of light showed higher up on the wall. A straight edge. Was it a window? It seemed higher than normal. Was it a barn window or a door at the top of some stairs?

The light started to twist, and Addy realized she was holding her breath. She released it slowly and drew in another the same way. The air was chilled. The walls provided some protection, but this space wasn’t heated.

The light widened, and she realized it was a door at the top of the stairs, and it was opening. Panic shot through her veins. She’d wanted to find a way out before the person came back. She’d spent too long in the dibiki, and now he was here.

The light hadn’t landed on her yet, so she dropped her head back to the ground and tried to relax her body. If he didn’t think she was awake, she might figure a way out.

How much time had passed? How long had she been unconscious and then in the dibiki? Too long.

Heath would be looking for her once he found she wasn’t at home. Or when he found her car. He would find her.

The light spread until she could see it on the wall in front of her. An old block wall, like many of the basements in Vermont. Some people used them for cold rooms or utility rooms. Other people added insulation and made them living spaces. Then, a light flipped on behind her, and smaller things came into focus as she heard a door close. She noticed the cracks in the foundation, a stack of boxes, and a toolbox. Several potential weapons if she got a chance to use them.

The important thing was that escape was up. Hiding in this room wouldn’t give her any advantages. She had to get up those stairs.

Which made her wonder if she was tied up. How had that not occurred to her before? A few muscle flexes revealed that while her feet didn’t appear to be bound, she couldn’t move her hands much. She still wore her winter clothing, which brought a whole different kind of relief. She hadn’t been raped, but she was potentially tied up. Not so tightly anything hurt, but enough that she wouldn’t be able to run freely.

Her brain was clear now. She was more scared than she’d ever been, but she was also angry. Completely pissed that someone had trapped her here. Nina was going to be scared, and that was unacceptable. She would be strong for her daughter.

“Hello, Addison. You must be awake by now. You can’t fool me, you know. I know you too well.” She didn’t respond, and the happy, whispery chuckle was tricky to identify, but her heart said it was Jonas. Heath had been right. She closed her eyes until they were open just a slit.

The stairs creaked, and footsteps approached. She hoped the man would come around into the light. She’d be able to identify him for sure, and she might have a shot at escaping to the stairs if she could somehow knock him down.

Her chest would be tight for hours yet, and running wasn’t advisable. But it was better than staying locked up with whoever had kidnapped her.

“It’s so nice to have you here, Addison. I know we’ve been dancing around our attraction for years, but I think it’s time for us to be honest about it. It’s time for us to be together for the whole world to see.”

What. The. Hell?

“I’ve got some tea upstairs for you. Once we come to an agreement on how we should tell the world about our marriage, we’ll go upstairs and get you warm.”

Definitely Jonas. His voice was different, whispery, but it was him. Her body shook, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. Jonas had lost his grip on reality if he thought she was agreeing to any of this.

Fear consumed her, and she tried to squash the panic. In all the scenarios she’d imagined, she hadn’t thought she’d have to deal with someone unbalanced enough to believe she’d marry him.

“There you are, Addison. You’re coming back to me. I know we’re going to have such a wonderful life together. Just the two of us.”

Had Jonas hurt Nina?

Panic consumed her, and her lungs wouldn’t cooperate.

In and out.

Slowly.

Find the air.

But panic clawed at her, and her body wouldn’t cooperate.

Where was the air?

CHAPTER 21

He Who Hesitates

Heath let his senses check out the house before he moved. The air was empty, and he didn’t think anyone was on this level, but there was a basement and a second floor.

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