Page 41 of Obsessed

"The worst kind. They drove me out to some random, remote building. I tried to fight them off. Even hit one in the head real good with a bottle of booze. But so much of my strength had been zapped, I was basicallyhelpless."

A hard knot forms in my chest. "Christ, Ten, didthey—?"

She shakes her head slowly and looks up at me. "The next thing I knew, the guy I'd clobbered was crumpled in a heap on the floor and the other guy was struggling to breathe." She stares back at her hands again and rubs the line around her wrist, a mark left behind by the leather cuffs. "Kane was strangling him. I begged him to let him live so he could have his day in court, but Kane told Oscar to get me out of the building. I passed out after that." Her bottom lip wavers as she continues. "I'm sure he killed him. The look in Kane's eyes—He wasn't going to let the guylive."

"Well, there's one point in Freestone's box," I saywryly.

She hops up with a moan of disgust. "No, the guy was scum, but he should have been arrested. Not murdered. And I'm telling you this humiliating story just to make a point. Kane is capable of murder. He's capable of killing someone with his bare hands. Which is why I wish you had never stuck your big head into any of this. I would have found a way out on myown."

"Yeah, clearly the last story provesthat."

"Grrr and on top of it you're being an asshole." She comes at me with her fists. I grab hold of her wrists and easily stop the pummeling she's about to give me. My fingers wrap all the way around her thin wrists. One squeeze and I could break them. I lift one hand to my face and press my mouth against herpalm.

I lower my voice in case one of the giants or Kane is listening in at thedoor.

"Ten, I'm just glad you're alive. Whatever happens to me, I see the way this guy looks at you. I don't think he'll do anything to hurt you. I can almost like him for it." I release her wrists and lower my voice. "Which brings me to my next plan. Turn against me. Tell him you don't want anything to do with me and that he should do whatever he needs to. Tell him you are going to stay with him." I lower my voice even more. "Clark is getting closer. It's pretty hard to hide your comings and goings if you're tooting around in a private plane. Airports keep tightlogs."

She stares up at me with her brown eyes that are even bigger in her small face. Without warning, she reaches up and pushes a strand of my hair back off my cheek. The gesture causes me to take hold of her hand once again. I kiss her palm and the line on her wrist where Kane has kept her shackled like hiscaptive.

She drops her hand away when I release it. "I don't like that plan. I'm going to talk to him, plead with him to let you go," she says confidently as if she has that kind of control over him. And maybe she does. She sure has more control over me than Irealized.

"Well then, problem solved," I say wryly. "Just don't be too sure about it. This guy is thinking on a whole different level than us mere stupidmortals."

"We'll just have to see," she saysconfidently.

A knock on the door startles both of us. "Mr. Freestone wants everyone up on deck," Oscar says as he pops open thedoor.

"After you, Miss Tennyson," I say as I wave her past with aflourish.

Ten slips past Oscar. He holds up the handcuffs before I can get by. "Back into the shackles foryou."

I hold my hands together in front of me. He shakes his head and tells me to turn around with his finger. I turn around and he wrenches my arms behind my back. The one thing I have learned since my undercover assignment fell apart is that hands in the back mean something bad is coming. My gut tells me the same thing as Oscar cuffs me and pushes meforward.

38

Angie

Kane hason his captain's hat as he stands in the wheelhouse getting the boat ready to leave the dock. It's as if we're all just out here on the water for a nice day trip across the sparkly blue sea. Only Maddox is sitting silently, his mouth set grimly in a straight line and his hands fastened behind his back. Jason has gone ashore. It seems he will be 'missing the boat' for lack of a betterphrase.

The yacht club has sent out two men dressed in white shorts, matching blue shirts and holding two-way radios to help Kane with the moorings and navigation out of the marina. It's a glorious day out on the water, glowing sun, fresh air, sea birds darting down for fish. The picturesque scene ahead makes the whole thing feel even more surreal because the mood on deck is far fromglorious.

Once the yacht is clear of the marina, buoys and other obstacles, the boat speeds up and we glide over the turquoise water toward the endless horizon. With the tough maneuvering out of the way, Kane takes a sip of his drink and stands alone in his wheelhouse. I decide it's my chance to talk to him inprivate.

I climb the stairs and step inside the glass encased captain's bridge. "We left Jason behind," I sayunnecessarily.

"Yes, he had some things to take care of for me on shore." Kane puts on his black sunglasses. They reflect the sunlight and make it impossible for me to read his eyes and figure out what he might be thinking. Something tells me that it'sintentional.

I stare out at the ocean. The view is fantastic from the bridge. "So you know how to captain a yacht. I suppose I should have knownthat."

"Did you eat some of the fruit Oscar brought back from themarket?"

"I did. It was delicious. I'm thrilled to be enjoying food again. Where are we going?" I decide to start with the easiest question only I forget I am asking the man who has perfected the art of dodgy answers. He doesn'tdisappoint.

"Felt like a cruise around theocean."

"Of course. Well why not then. Sounds perfectly wonderful except there's a man in handcuffs sitting on the polished teak deck of the yacht. Just let him go. You've taken every precaution to make sure no one knows how to get to the Lace Underground. He'll go back to the precinct, and they'll be right back at squareone."

"Sounds like you have things all figured out." Kane's face turns my direction. I can't see his eyes but I know he’s looking at me. His hand reaches for my arm. He strokes it lightly, sending a swirl of heat through me. "What would you sacrifice for him? What would you sacrifice for the man youlove?"

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