“Skye.”
The voice sounded different, too. Deeper, more mature, but still gravelly and full of emotion. Her fingers moved over his face again, but when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled it away, she jerked and opened her eyes wide.
Hallucinations. The drug she’d been given was causing this. Why else would she be seeing the man she’d once been married to? Oh God, what kind of hideous, cruel drug had she been given?
Pulling in a long breath, Skylar opened her mouth to scream.
Gabe slapped a hand over her mouth before she could release a sound. What the hell was wrong with her?
Her eyes were wide with horror as she stared up at him. Hell, had he shocked her that badly?
She struggled for barely an instant before her eyes closed and she went limp. His heart in his throat, Gabe checked her pulse. Slow and steady. The trauma of the last few days, along with what ever drug Victor had given her, had taken its toll. This was best anyway. Rescuing people was a hell of a lot easier when they weren’t screaming and struggling to get loose.
“Go, Gabe,” McKenna’s urgent voice whispered behind him. “He’ll be back any minute.”
Gabe turned to glare at her. Hell, he didn’t want to leave her to face Victor alone. “Come with me and we’ll come back and get Kane together.”
Her mouth lifted in a slight smile. “What’s wrong with you, Maddox? You getting soft in your old age? Get out of here, before I have to kick you in the ass for trying to be a gentleman. I’ll be fine. I know how to handle Victor.”
Her eyes, dark and haunted, belied her brave words. Gabe didn’t even want to speculate on how she planned to handle what was sure to be a violent confrontation with Victor.
But right now, Skye was his priority. Knowing he had no other choice, Gabe clamped his mouth shut against further protest, held Skye more securely in his arms, and stalked out the door.
McKenna allowed herself one second of regret as she watched Gabe place his wife in the backseat of his car. Just her luck. Gabe Maddox was the first man she’d been attracted to in years. One look at his face when he’d seen his wife lying on the bed had squelched any hope of anything coming of that attraction. Never had she seen such stark, absolute love. Unfortunately for both Skylar and Gabe, a look of denial had quickly followed. She could recognize denial faster than anything. It was her forte.
Not that Gabe had ever indicated he felt an ounce of attraction for McKenna. Most times when he looked at her, she expected a pat on her head. Maddox had a reputation for being overly protective of those he cared for. Which seemed odd since the woman he’d just had to rescue was a wife McKenna hadn’t even known he had. That was a can of worms she needed to stay out of.
Relieved to see his taillights disappear around the corner, McKenna jumped into her car and went in the opposite direction. Victor would be returning any minute now.
Once he found out his prize trophy had escaped, she’d have a hell of a time calming him down. Victor wasn’t one to forgive and forget. Even though it had been Stan and Lester’s responsibility to watch their charge, they were dead and wouldn’t be able to give the bastard what he would want. An outlet for his special kind of vengeance. When she returned, she’d have to pay a hefty price for this failed job.
Damned if she would die, especially by Victor’s hand. Besides, Lucas Kane needed rescuing. She’d read about him. Knew what kind of man he was. A good one. She might pay a high price, but she would save one more before she and Victor had their final confrontation.
Rounding another corner, she parked herself in front of the building she’d left a few moments before. Victor’s shouting could be heard all the way out in the street. She tensed in spite of her bravado. Pain wasn’t a big thrill for her … but it had been a part of her life for so long, it had become commonplace.
Besides, she’d chosen this life. A punishment for an unforgivable act. She had nothing to whine about. At least she was alive. Those she had betrayed hadn’t been so lucky.
The need to get Skye to a safe house was foremost in Gabe’s mind. No telling how many people Victor had on his payroll. Once he realized his victim had been taken, he’d most likely have all of them on the lookout for her, roaming the streets and hotels.
Despite his knowledge that Skye was his main priority, leaving McKenna to Victor’s wrath hadn’t been easy. No one knew how old McKenna was, but he’d once seen her without the heavy makeup she insisted on caking on her face. She’d looked about sixteen. Gabe knew she was older than that, but he figured not a whole lot older.
As he maneuvered through the busy streets of Rio, dodging cyclists, taxis, and buses, he shot a quick glance back at Skye. She had changed a lot in the last eight years. Beneath the cuts and bruises on her face, he knew she was still beautiful. Maybe even more so. He’d seen her occasionally on television, but not on purpose. The few times he did, he quickly changed the channel. Seeing her always stirred up those gut-wrenching emotions he thought he’d successfully killed years ago.
His eyes on his surroundings, Gabe saw nothing to indicate they were being followed. He turned in to an alleyway, made two more sharp turns, and then stopped in front of a seedy-looking building—their hideout until it was safe to get Skye out of the country.
Gabe jumped out of the car, looked around again, and then pulled the back door open. Skye was still unconscious. He didn’t know if it was from the drug she’d been given, the trauma she’d experienced, or both.
Lifting her into his arms, Gabe kicked the car door closed and then shoved open the door to the building. His teeth ground together; he ignored the knots developing in his stomach as he stalked into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. If he hadn’t needed to get Skylar to safety as soon as possible, he’d have taken the stairs. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. Gabe was a pragmatist. He did what he had to do. No matter how it churned his guts. And, of course, this being an old building, the elevator was ancient and as slow as molasses. Setting his shoulders straight and gritting his teeth, Gabe held Skye and endured.
Skylar felt as if she were floating. She opened heavy eyelids and looked up at the man above her, who was sweating profusely. Funny, he looked so much like Gabe … but not. And he looked so pale, almost sick.
Unable to keep her eyes opened any longer, she closed them and continued to dwell in that comfortable limbo between consciousness and dreaminess.
Her body jerked a bit and the sensation of floating ended. Too sleepy and content to try to wake up, she pressed her cheek against the hard chest. The harsh rasps of breath disturbed her. Why was he breathing like that?
She heard keys jingling. A door opened and then closed. The warms arms disappeared and a cool, fresh-smelling pillow met her cheek. Skylar smiled.
“Skye, are you awake?”
Gabe’s voice again. Oh good, another Gabe dream. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, enjoying the luxury of another dream. She was usually allowed only one a night. This extra one was a treat.
Hard hands shook her shoulders. “Skye, I need you to wake and talk to me.”
“No,” she muttered. “Don’t want to.”
She heard the thud of feet move away from her. Good. Now she would get back to her dream.
A cold, wet feeling hit her face. Someone was wiping at her face … she moved away from the sensation.
“Dammit, Skye. Wake up.”
Skylar huffed in irritation. Apparently she had no choice but to confront this person and tell him to leave her alone. She only prayed her dream would be waiting for her when she slept again. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked her heavy lids. A face wavered in front of her. She brought her hands up to her eyes and rubbed them hard. The pain in her bruised eye brought reality crashing down around her. Opening her eyes again, she stared into the face that had haunted her dreams and caused endless nightmares for years. No. It couldn’t be.
Her mouth frozen, shock and denial zoomed through her. She finally opened her mouth but only a g
asping sound emerged. She was unable to say his name. If she said it, would he disappear?
“Don’t look so terrified, Skye. You’re safe now. I’m going to get you back home as soon as possible.”
Skylar felt her head shaking in tiny, rapid movements. No, this couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. It was the drug that bastard had given her. It had to be.
A warm, calloused hand touched her face. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
Skylar no longer cared if it was a dream or not. Gabe was in front of her. If this was just a hallucination, pray God she never recovered. With a small sob, Skylar threw herself at Gabe. His hard arms caught and held her tight.
Sobs of agony, joy … the sheer wonder of the miracle that had been granted her burst from Skylar’s throat. She cried against the hard, masculine chest. Breathed in the familiar scent of masculine sweat and musk. How could this be a dream or a hallucination? It seemed so real. He smelled just like Gabe. Yet, how could it be anything but a hallucination?
Forcing herself to face reality, Skylar pulled away and looked up at the man who obviously was either a fantasy or trying to pretend to be Gabriel Maddox.
“Feel better?” the fake Gabe asked.
Unable to stop herself, Skylar raised a trembling hand and touched his face again. Beard stubble stung the tips of her fingers as she caressed his jaw.
“Skye, you’re scaring me. I know you can get drunk on a half of a glass of wine. Did the drug that bastard gave you knock you out that bad?”
How would anyone but Gabe know that she couldn’t drink but a small amount of alcohol before she was completely tipsy?
She pulled her hand away and let her eyes roam over the face she’d just caressed. Older. Harsher. Tougher. But it was Gabe’s face. Gabe!
Disbelief mingled with joy; Skylar threw her arms around him again for a whole new reason. It was Gabe. Dear God, Gabe! As she pressed kisses to his face and his neck, sobs of happiness built up and exploded. He was really here!
“I’m glad you’re so happy to see me, honey. But we really need to talk.”
The sardonic tone jerked her back to reality. Skylar pulled away so abruptly, she fell from the bed onto the floor.
“Damn. Are you all right?”
Ignoring the hand that reached for her, she pulled herself to her feet. Her head shaking once more in denial, Skylar pointed a trembling finger at him. Fury pounded through her but was consumed by a hurt so intense, so devastating, she knew if she didn’t get away from him, she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.
Whirling, Skylar spotted a door across the room. Saw the edge of a sink. She ran toward the bathroom. Her legs wobbling like a newborn calf’s, she staggered but couldn’t stop. Anguished sobs were rising to a crescendo inside her and she needed to get away from him before they burst out again. Gabe would never, ever see that again. He’d lost the right to see anything other than her wrath and hatred.
Slamming the door behind her, Skylar collapsed onto the floor and covered her face with her hands. How could he? Sweet God, how could he have betrayed her like that?
Frozen with shock, Gabe watched a seemingly devastated Skye stumble out of the room. He was tempted to follow her but her look of pure hatred stopped him. What the hell had happened?
Sure, she was probably surprised to see him. They hadn’t seen each other in over eight years. And it hadn’t exactly been a good parting. Terminating a marriage by phone wouldn’t be anyone’s idea of a good ending. But the choice had been hers, not his. Admittedly, getting married had been a crazy, impulsive thing to do in the first place, and the marriage probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few weeks more. Nevertheless the call had been a shock.
Jeremiah James had at least tried to warn him. He had to give the bastard credit for that. Finding him on his doorstep instead of Skye had been a rude awakening … but that had only been the beginning. Out of the blue, or more like out of hell, Jeremiah had introduced himself and explained not only who he was, but who his incredibly famous daughter was also.
Since Gabe had been out of the country for over three years and had never read a gossip magazine in his life, he hadn’t known that Skylar James was the only daughter of the famous Jeremiah James and heiress to a multi-billion-dollar fortune. Sometime model, all-the-time playgirl. Jeremiah had made sure he knew all the facts.
Why Skylar hadn’t told him wasn’t hard to figure out. She’d enjoyed playing house with a clueless country hick. Why she’d taken it as far as to marry him had puzzled him. Then, after all her little machinations had played out, Gabe realized that to Skylar James, little things like wedding vows and till-death-do-you-parts were meaningless words and phrases. Nothing more. The Jameses of this world were apparently above such things.
Gabe turned when he heard water running in the basin. Hopefully, she was about to come out and explain her bizarre behavior. Then they needed to discuss the information McKenna had given him. Another girl had been abducted?
The door opened and he was glad to see she’d regained her composure. However, the hollow, lost look in her eyes still bothered him. The bruises on her face stood out in stark relief against her pale skin. He knew she’d been through hell … but had something more happened to her? McKenna had told him about the bastard who’d tried to choke Skye—was that the reason she seemed so disturbed? Or had something else happened, maybe before Victor took her? Had she been sexually assaulted by the first bastards who snatched her?
Gabe stiffened his legs to keep from going to her. His natural instinct was to comfort someone so obviously upset. With Skye, it just wasn’t that simple. He asked gruffly, “You all right?”
Instead of answering, she walked slowly toward him, her eyes locking with his. Without conscious will, Gabe took a step toward her, suddenly feeling as if eight years had never passed. Skye stopped within inches of him. His heart kicked up, pounding with what felt like anticipation. Gabe waited.
Giving him no warning, she drew her hand back and slapped him full across the face. “You bastard!”
His jaw stinging, Gabe grabbed the hand that was headed toward his face again. “Damn, woman, are you crazy?”
“Why, Gabe, why?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
The anger and bitterness he’d thought were long gone suddenly emerged full force inside him. “Actually, I don’t, babe. I suggest you either explain yourself or back away before you get more than you bargained for.”
As if she hadn’t heard him, she moved closer. Her eyes were still dilated and he wondered if the drug was causing this bizarre behavior.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you didn’t want to be married to me? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Damn you, Gabriel Maddox.” Her voice, though cold and hard, shook with emotion. “If you didn’t want to be married to me, why didn’t you just tell me that instead of faking your death?”
Gabe dropped the arm he’d been holding and jerked back. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Stop asking me that question, dammit. You fake your own death and then show up eight years later as if nothing ever happened. What the hell kind of man are you?”
“Skye, those drugs must’ve screwed up your brain or something. You’d better lie down.”
Her look one of pure loathing, she turned around and started toward the front door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Getting away from you.”
Gabe was on her in a second, pulling her around to face him. “You little idiot. Victor’s probably got his hounds out there sniffing every street. You’re staying here until I can get you out of Brazil.”
She glanced up at him, obviously startled. “I’m in Brazil?”
“Yeah. Rio to be exact.”
“I didn’t know … no one ever told m
e.” She glanced around the room and then back at him. “Maybe you should tell me what’s going on. And the truth this time, please.”
Determined to get back to her ridiculous claim that he’d faked his own death to get out of their marriage, Gabe explained how her father had contacted LCR.
As if her legs were no longer able to hold her up, Skye dropped into the nearest chair. “So my father is the only one who knows about my abduction?”
“As far as we know.”
“And you work for Last Chance Rescue?”
“Yes. You’ve heard of it?”
“Of course. Who hasn’t? Did my father see you?”
“Yes, he was surprised.”
“Of course he was surprised. He thought you were dead.”
Gabe gritted his teeth. “We’ll get back to that in a minute.”
“Yes, we will. Until then, I need to know something. There’s a young girl missing. Kendra Carson. I think she must have been abducted at the same place I was.”
Gabe nodded. “McKenna said you were concerned about a young girl.”
“McKenna?”
“The blond girl working with Victor. She’s an LCR operative, working undercover.”
Seeing her wince, he said, “What’s wrong?”
“Now I feel guilty for knocking her out.”
Gabe swallowed a surprised chuckle. “You knocked McKenna out? Hell, no wonder she looked so pissed.”
Skylar shrugged. “I was trying to escape. She was in the way.”
Gabe looked at Skye with newfound respect. Few people could get the jump on McKenna. She had the reputation of having eyes in the back of her head. He wasn’t surprised that McKenna hadn’t told him about the incident. The operative was also known for her pride in being able to see her opponent coming.
“Tell me about Kendra,” Gabe said.
“She’s twenty-one years old. From a wealthy family … not that they pay any attention to her. She sent me a message that she was interviewing for a modeling job. When I didn’t hear from her, I checked with her boyfriend. He hadn’t heard from her either and didn’t give a damn. I went to the address in the ad. My bodyguard …”
No Chance Page 9
