Page 20 of Captured Pawn
Mentioning my brother’s name broke open the wound again. The familiar panic I’d felt since his last phone call closed in. I hated how the grief hit me in waves.
If she’d heard the sadness in my voice, she ignored it. “I made you more of Matt’s favorites for breakfast. Hope you like pancakes.”
My patience was being tested. She may be a nice person on the surface, but the fact was she was aiding and abetting my abduction. Time to go on the offensive.
“I’m going to get out of here today, one way or another. When I do, I’d hate to have to tell the police that you were helping to hold me against my will. Stop fussing with the food and come untie me right now.” I delivered the demand with as much authority as I could muster, which wasn’t much. My voice sounded shrill and panicked, even to my own ears.
My proclamation succeeded in at least getting her to stop and look over in my direction. Any normal woman would have been horrified at seeing a fellow woman tied to the headboard, being held against her will, but Margaret smiled kindly instead.
“I’m sure Mr. Nick is doing what he thinks is best to keep you safe. Perhaps if you started behaving, he wouldn’t need to keep you restrained.”
“And perhaps you’ve been working here too long because you seem to have forgotten that holding me against my will is kidnapping. It is against the law.”
Rather than causing her to release me, my words fell on deaf ears. The older woman took her time going to the windows and balcony to throw open the drapes, letting the early morning sun flood the room.
“How did you sleep?” The deep voice just inside the room made me jump.
I’d been so busy watching Margaret that I’d missed Nick’s arrival. The angry words on my tongue died as I turned toward the door. The sight of him leaning casually against the door jamb, his muscular arms crossed, and that strong jaw covered with exactly the right amount of scruff, caused me to choke down my furious words—that only made me angrier at myself.
“Let me go! I can’t believe you left me like this all night.”
“Well, believe it, kitten.”
“Why the hell do you keep calling me that?” I spat, angry that his silly name for me increased my damn pulse.
“Because you like to scratch and hiss like a kitten, but your efforts only amuse me. You have as much of a chance of hurting me as a kitten.”
“Oh? If you’d untie me and give me a fair chance, maybe you’d see I can be more like a lioness.”
I hated his rich laughter and the way his eyes lit up with humor. He was making fun of me, and my continued banter was only making it worse. I needed to keep focused.
“Untie me. I need to go to the bathroom.”
“I bet you do. Maybe that’s part of your punishment.”
The man was insane, yet the painful pressure on my bladder had me reluctantly agreeing that he might be right.
When Margaret started picking up around the room, Nick barked, “Leave us.”
The older woman hesitated. “But I need to make sure she eats…”
“Leave,” he repeated before adding, “She’ll eat.”
The housekeeper nodded. “Yes, sir. Call when you’re ready for me to pick up the breakfast dishes.”
Nick didn’t bother to answer, and instead just moved out of the open doorway to let Margaret pass into the hall before slamming the door closed behind her loud enough to remind me how screwed I really was.
The only good thing about being alone with my unwanted host was he came to untie the rope holding me captive. I did my best to avoid noticing the masculine scent that wafted by as he leaned in close enough to brush against me.
The second I was free I scrambled away, pushing against him as I rolled to the edge of the bed. In my haste, the tangled covers almost made me trip and fall to the carpet. His tight grip on my bicep saved me from falling to my knees, but it also reminded me of exactly how much Nick Knight had affected me.
Just as I was about to run to the bathroom, I heard his taunting chuckle as he observed, “I love the jeweled end of the plug peeking out as you scurry away from me.”
How the hell had I forgotten the humiliation of having a foreign object burrowed into my most private hole?
Like he had before, I slammed the door harder than necessary, grateful there was a lock. While it gave me a bit of comfort, I was under no delusions. The brute could gain access to the room any time he wanted—key or not. I rushed to remove the offending plug before he decided he wanted to watch, or worse, help.
It gave me great pleasure to drag my feet, taking a long hot shower. He pounded on the door a few times, telling me to hurry, but that only made me stay under the heavenly spray longer.
