Page 23 of Trapped With the Secret Agent

“She’s distracting you, too,” Peter continued with an oddly desperate edge to his voice. “Look, you’re paying attention to her when you should be preparing for the release of your comrades.”

The leader glanced at her then sent her to the floor with a twist and push of his hand. Georgia was careful not to move. Peter was up to something. He had to be. Why else would he suggest she join the other hostages?

“Why do you want her with the others?” The terrorist asked.

Peter didn’t reply. She risked a quick peek. The leader stared at him, as if he could read the answer on Peter’s face.

“She stays here,” the terrorist finally said. Then he yelled something to his men and two of them grabbed her by the arms, dragging her to her feet. She hung there between them, assaulted by their rancid body odor, her stomach rolling again.

The leader got right into Peter’s face. “I’ll put you back in that little room with her again.” The terrorist walked around Peter, almost touching him, but not quite. “You liked having her so close, in the dark. Yes? You find her a distraction, don’t you, journalist?” The leader chuckled; a sick, sordid laugh that made the bile rise to new heights in Georgia’s throat. “You’ve done well. So, I’ll put you in there with her for the six hours.”

“No,” Peter said quickly, a look of panic crossing his features briefly.

The leader saw it. “Yes.” He glanced at her. “I think you like it too much.” He leaned in again, taunting. “I suggest to you take advantage of your six hours. Who knows what will happen at the end of it.”

He glanced at his men and gave them a clipped order.

They shoved Georgia ahead of them and kept on shoving her all the way down the stairs, Peter right behind her. They were tossed into the storage room, the door jammed shut, and left in the dark.

Again.

Georgia took deep breaths, controlling herself until the last echo of their footsteps faded away into nothing, only then did the cap on her volcanic emotions loosen. Shaking, she let out a sob. Her hand flew to her mouth. No. Quiet. She had to be quiet, if they heard her, they might come back, and she didn’t want that.

Hands touched her shoulders and she tensed. It was Peter in the dark with her, a man her uncle had told her to trust, a man who’d nearly gotten himself shot for her.

“After what happened up there...” he paused. “You need to vent. Howl, cry, get it out of your system. The sooner the better.”

“I...I.” Georgia could hardly talk. She’d never felt this full of so many horrible emotions before. “Once I get started, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop,” she said in a choked whisper.

“You’ll feel better if you do,” Peter said soothingly.

His gentle tone undid her, and she couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer. Her body shook with each gut retching cry, tears streamed down her face to drip off her chin. He gathered her up, pressing her cheek against his chest in a way so protective, so gentle she cried even harder. One palm stayed behind her head, gently rubbing her scalp, while the other massaged her back.

“Why are you being...so nice to me?” she asked between sobs.

“Because.”

She sniffed, feeling his shirt become damp. “That’s not an answer.”

“No, I guess not.” He sighed. “You’re a good person, Georgia.”

“How do you know? You just met me a few hours ago. I could be the biggest bitch alive.”

He snorted. “I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I know bravery when I see it.”

“I’m not,” she protested weakly. “I wanted to run away. I had a chance you know, right after that guy—” She couldn’t say it, the memory was too distressing, too raw. “After...that, they left me alone for a couple minutes, I almost bolted out the door, but—” She sniffed again. “I was afraid of what they might do to Uncle Theo, to you, if I disappeared.”

“Uncle Theo?” His arms tightened around her. “You’rethe ambassador’s niece?”

“Yes.”

“Well,” he said with a grunt. “That explains a lot.” His hand tilted her head up and feeling along her cheekbone, wiped away some tears. “A coward would’ve run, you didn’t.”

“But I—”

He didn’t let her finish. “Do you know what bravery is?”

“Doing your duty in the face of danger?”

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