McKenna’s being here upped the danger quotient a hell of a lot more than he would have liked. Though he knew she could handle herself about as well as anyone, he didn’t want her endangered if he could prevent it. Killing Damon needed to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Then he’d deal with the explanation she was sure to demand of just how and why he was here.
Her mind racing, McKenna faced Damon, more than aware she was in deep shit. Yesterday he’d let her get away with being in the office with almost no questions. At this time of night she had no answers, lame or otherwise.
“Have you been a bad girl, McKenna?”
His taunt surprised her. Years ago he would have just knocked the hell out of her and asked questions later. Now he almost looked amused. Maybe it was time for Damon to take her seriously…to show him just how bad she could be. Arching a brow arrogantly, she said, “I was looking for information.”
“Information on what?”
“On where Jamie Kendrick is.”
“I returned her, McKenna. I know you’re lacking in intelligence, darling, but don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”
“You returned a female. She wasn’t Jamie.”
He shrugged. “So? One’s as good as another.”
And for him that was so true. This man had no conscience, morals, or ethics. Setting up an exchange for Jamie had not only been pointless, it had been stupid. Damon Hughes did what was expedient and convenient for him. Expecting him to keep his word, act with any kind of honesty, had been incredibly naïve of them.
“Tell me where she is.”
“McKenna, I like neither your tone nor the fact that you’re asking questions of me.”
“I don’t think you get the picture, Damon. I’m not asking, I’m demanding. And guess what? I don’t give a flying fuck what you like or don’t like.”
A fist flew toward her face; McKenna caught it with her hand and gave it a quick, hard twist. Damon grunted. Using all of his weight, he pushed her hard. McKenna landed on her butt, sprang back to her feet, and slammed her fist into his jaw.
Holding his hand against his face, he snarled, “You little bitch, you’ve been holding back on me.”
She snorted her disgust. “Stupid fool, you have no idea just how much. Now, either tell me where Jamie is or I’ll just beat it out of you. Your choice.”
Though his face went harder at her insult, he said mildly, “Did you not find the information you were looking for on my computer?”
“I found plenty of information about your drug and arms smuggling, as well as gambling and prostitution.”
Damon grimaced. “My downfall, I fear, is that I keep excellent records. And I hate paper waste. The clutter appalls me, not to mention the damage to the environment.”
“Yeah, you’re a real humanitarian.”
“Sarcasm is such an unattractive trait in you.”
“Tell me where Jamie is.”
“No. And since I’m the only one who knows, I guess it will have to stay a secret. But tell me, what would you do if I told you? Call the authorities, who don’t even believe I’m alive? Tell them I’ve kidnapped a woman whose abduction everyone else believes was arranged by her ex-husband?” He shook his head. “Poor, stupid McKenna. They’d probably actually lock you up this time.”
“Fine, I’ll just beat it out of you.” Swinging her arm back, she put everything she had into the punch as she belted him in the gut. Damon grunted. His fist swung at her again; she dodged it and came back at him with another jab. Before she could deliver it, a giant hand grabbed her from behind. Out of instinct, McKenna whirled and punched. Agony vibrated through her arm as her fist slammed into a rock-hard chest. Simon, the one who’d grabbed her from the helicopter. Close to seven feet tall and built like a tank. Not a man she could take down with just one slug.
Simon didn’t even flinch. Before she could try another punch in a more vulnerable area, he spun her around to face Damon and then picked her up as if she were a doll.
“Thank you, Simon,” Damon said. “I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to come along and take care of my troublesome fiancée for me.”
McKenna felt like the girl in the King Kong movie. Simon held her at least two feet above the floor. Making use of her dangling legs, she focused on the one area of Damon’s body that would cause him the most pain, the most embarrassment. Wishing for steel-toed boots, she made do with her bare foot and kicked him deep in the balls.
The earsplitting shriek almost made up for the suffocating agony of Simon’s crushing arms. Before she could deliver another kick, Simon wrapped one of his long legs around both her legs, stopping her.
Holding his hand over his crotch, Damon was bent over, gagging. Years ago this had been one of her dreams, and she had finally made it a reality. McKenna knew she would pay dearly for what she had done, but in that one brief moment she had never felt prouder.
As Damon tried to recover, McKenna allowed herself to spew the words she’d longed to say for years. “You’re a pathetic piece of shit, Damon Hughes. You think I or any other woman could love someone like you? You’re nothing but vermin, garbage. You—”
Damon straightened and delivered a hard, backhanded slap to McKenna’s face. She ignored her throbbing jaw as fury continued to fuel her. “You think you can do anything to anybody, but you’re nothing but a lowlife, a good-for-nothing piece—”
The next blow caused stars to appear. Stunned into silence, McKenna blinked rapidly, fighting to gather her wits.
Damon’s face was purple with rage. Tears of pain poured from his eyes. The kick had definitely done some damage. The bastard would try to punish her more, but at least he wouldn’t try raping her for a while.
Once again, McKenna used the only weapon she had left. “You’re nothing but an ugly-as-sin, tiny-dicked moron.”
Snarling, Damon lunged forward, wrapped his hands around her throat, and squeezed. The roaring in her ears battled with the thundering of her heart. His face blurred before her…she was losing consciousness. She twisted, squirmed, tried to kick, to get away. The roaring in her ears deafened Damon’s words as he screamed at her. His red, furious face was the last thing she saw….
With extreme effort, Damon removed his hands from McKenna’s neck. She was slumped over. Unconscious or dead? Checking her pulse, he was only slightly relieved that he hadn’t killed her. Pain speared through his groin and nausea clawed inside him. She deserved death, but what McKenna didn’t seem to understand was that his love was forever. Just because she chose to hurt him didn’t mean he stopped loving her. She had hurt him years ago and it hadn’t killed his love.
But now her punishment would be more severe than he had originally planned. Before, he had been prepared to spend only a day or two on disciplining her. Now that had changed. McKenna would know weeks, perhaps months of agony. When she emerged from her punishment, there would be no defiance, no anger inside her. Even if he had to burn, beat, and fuck her to within an inch of her life, she would be a changed person. The McKenna of today would never exist again.
Still, he had already made plans, and everything would go forward. McKenna would just be a little more silent than usual. “Take her back to her room. Tie her down. I’ll be there soon.”
Simon threw her slender body over his shoulder as if he were carrying a feather. Not for the first time, Damon was happy to have found the ox. He might be low on brains, but he more than made up for it by his amazing strength.
Their marriage would take place tomorrow, but there would be one additional bit of entertainment to add to the festivities. He had thought to present Lucas Kane’s dead, bloodied body as a wedding gift. Instead, it would be a performance of spectacular proportions. He’d rarely had an audience when he killed; tomorrow he would make an exception.
He had hired a photographer to come in after the ceremony. Damon only hoped the man wasn’t too squeamish. Pictures of Lucas Kane’s blood-drenched carcass would be a perfect addition to the wedding
album.
twenty-one
McKenna woke slowly, painfully, aware that something was very wrong. Moving her head slightly, she moaned at the excruciating pain coming from her neck and throat. Tears sprang to her eyes as she tried to swallow. Agony! Was it strep or something worse? Her throat hadn’t hurt this bad even when she had the flu. Her mind was blurred, felt dim and slow.
She moved to touch her throat and realized she couldn’t. Her arms were tied to the side of the bed. Her legs were bound, too. Memory slammed into her like a sledgehammer. She’d challenged Damon, hurt his pride and his manhood; he’d almost choked her to death. And now she could barely move.
Great going, McKenna.
Lying back on the pillow, she tried to ignore the pain in her throat as she reviewed her options. As satisfying as it had been to hurt him, she knew she was lucky he hadn’t killed her. Even though his insane delusions told him he loved her, he could have easily lost control. The selfishness of her act wasn’t lost on her. If he had killed her, Jamie Kendrick might never be found.
McKenna didn’t waste time castigating herself. It would do little good. What was done was done. She just needed to figure out how she could overcome her carelessness and get Damon to tell her where Jamie was. Now that he knew she wasn’t the weakling she used to be, he would be much more wary around her. What little cover she’d had was blown. Only good thing about that was she no longer had to act like an imbecile, nor did she have to pretend to enjoy his hands and mouth on her. No matter what he did to punish her, she’d never let him touch her again without causing him extreme pain.
However, no way in hell would Damon willingly tell her where Jamie was. How could she get him to talk?
He was planning something for today, and she greatly feared she knew what it was. More than once since she’d been here, he’d mentioned marriage. What other grand celebration would he be planning besides her forced marriage to this pig she despised?
It wouldn’t matter. She’d die before she said “I do.” If the minister, or whatever the hell kind of person Damon brought in to do the deed, tried to marry them without her consent, she’d scream no at the top of her lungs. No one would doubt the extent of her unwillingness to marry the groom. She would never say yes to the bastard.
Brave thoughts for a girl who could barely swallow, much less move.
What was she going to do?
Lucas paced around the room, cursing his confinement. He was beginning to think that kidnappers were some of the rudest people alive. This was the second time in less than a year that he had been abducted. And both times he’d been left alone for hours at a time.
Escaping and hunting down Damon had been his goal. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen until someone came to let him out. The door was impenetrable. Not a regular household door, it had some kind of steel reinforcement behind it, thick and solid, almost like a vault.
Lucas concluded this room had been created for one purpose: to keep whoever was locked in it from escaping. Even the lock was impossible to pick, which pissed him off mightily since that had been one of his best skills at the agency. The only window in the room was a skylight about twenty feet above him. He was tall, but not tall enough even if he stood on the bed.
The delay infuriated him; he had no real choice except to wait. He worked hard not to think about what McKenna might be going through with the bastard. How Hughes had gotten to her again didn’t matter as much as what he was doing to her. Since she’d left him less than a week ago, he could only assume the bastard had nabbed her not long after they’d said goodbye.
That was good in one way—he’d hadn’t had her for long. It was bad in another, because five minutes with the perverted creep was too long. His memory was hazy because of the drug he’d been injected with, but from what he could remember she’d looked healthy. He had seen no new visible scars or bruises. However, Lucas knew the worst damage Hughes might inflict could be on the inside. Places where injuries didn’t show but the pain lingered for years.
How he wished he could erase all the damage that had been done to her, but he couldn’t. However, now that he’d found the bastard, the man’s time on this earth was limited. Failure wasn’t an option; it never had been with him. He didn’t consider his attitude one of arrogance as much as one of determination. McKenna would be freed today from the devil who’d hounded her. What was in store for them after that was entirely up to her.
For so long she hadn’t had a life at all. Had been living without choices. After today, she would have all the choices in the world. Lucas hoped that choice included him.
Noises outside her room told McKenna she was about to find out what Damon had planned. No matter what it was, she vowed that at some point today she would get the information she’d come for. If it was the last thing she did, Jamie Kendrick would be rescued.
The door opened, then closed. McKenna twisted her head to see a tuxedoed Damon approach the bed. Dressed for a wedding, no doubt. Damned if she’d let that happen. He’d have to kill her to marry her. She’d rather be dead than wed. She felt a small amount of amusement at the rhyme. Who knew she had a talent for grimly humorous, bad poetry?
Damon pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down. “Good morning, my love. I know it’s considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but since there are some things I think we need to clear up, I chose to buck tradition.” He smiled. “Once you understand, we’ll pretend it never happened and we’ll have the traditional wedding that I know all young girls dream of.”
Curses sprang to her mouth, and McKenna shouted at him. Only nothing came out—a mere gasp of air, no words. Oh God, she couldn’t speak!
Damon nodded, his smile one of supreme arrogance. “Your vocal cords are frozen. After your unattractive outburst last night, I realized that you wouldn’t be able to keep your mouth shut. And let’s face it, no one likes a loudmouthed bitch for a bride.”
He slid a caressing finger over her neck. “While you were unconscious, you were injected with a drug that temporarily freezes your vocal cords. It’ll wear off in a few hours, after the ceremony, but I must say I do like this silent side of you. I’ll have to check with my medical friends to see if it’s something we can use on a regular basis. As much as I love to hear your sweet voice, when you become a screaming shrew, it’s not nearly as pleasant. Having the drug on hand will be helpful in the coming weeks until you become accustomed to married life.”
The pain she endured to come up with a croak wasn’t worth it. Letting her eyes speak for her, she showed him contempt, revulsion, and hatred. His widening smile told her he really didn’t care what she thought.
“Here’s the plan for the day. In a few minutes, Margret will arrive to help you shower and get ready.” He grinned. “Be nice to her—I think she’s a bit jealous that you’re marrying me.
“Then a woman, along with her two young daughters, will come in to assist you with your makeup and hair. Now, I know you’ll want to resist, but you need to understand something. All three are unaware of our, shall we say, relationship difficulties. If they get any kind of hint that you aren’t the happy bride, I will break their necks. And darling, you know full well I can and will do that. So the choice is yours. Allow them to make you into the beautiful bride of my dreams and we’ll have a wonderful day. Or you can come to me as a not-so-attractive bride and the mother will watch her daughters die, before I kill her. Your choice.”
He stood. “I told them about your unfortunate attack by some thugs yesterday. They were horrified, as you might guess, and have promised to cover all of your bruises. And they understand that you can’t speak. They’re so sweet and sympathetic. Especially the young girls. I’d hate to have to kill them.”
On his way out of the room, he stopped and turned. “We’ll have a happy life together, McKenna. How soon that happens is entirely up to you.” His smile grew wider. “I can’t wait for you to see the preparations I’ve made or the special gift I brough
t you. This day will be memorable for both of us.”
Tied up and mute, McKenna could only glare at him as he went out the door. He had her exactly where he wanted her, but not for long. There was no way in hell she would jeopardize three innocent lives. And he knew that. But once she was assured of their safety, she’d be damned if Damon didn’t pay.
For so long she had wanted to see him dead. She had told Noah that she couldn’t do the deed. Now she knew she could. However, Damon couldn’t die until he gave her the information she needed. If Jamie was dead, her body should be returned to her family for burial. But if she was still alive, then she needed to be rescued.
She would go along with Damon until she could get him alone. And then the man would learn that her well-placed kick last night was nothing but a mere twinge compared to what she was capable of delivering.
Damon stood in the midst of beauty. He had demanded that a modern-day garden of Eden be created, and his commands had been obeyed. Flowers of every hue and variety were represented. Some were in pots, lining the walkway to the arbor; others hung from hooks attached to invisible wires and looked as though they were floating in the air. Every flowering tree available stood in the background.
The wedding planner had exceeded his expectations. When he’d called and informed her that the wedding was back on and she had even less time than before, he had expected at least a small protest. There had been a long pause and then she had agreed to his requests. Having that much power was a powerful aphrodisiac. Despite the injury McKenna had inflicted last night, Damon was more than ready for his honeymoon. He might not be able to perform as quickly as usual, but there were many things he intended to do to his bride, all of which would give him satisfaction and pleasure in some way. And he was certain one of them would resurrect his injured manhood.
Leaning down, he inhaled the floral beauty of a rare orchid. No woman could ask for a more beautiful wedding day. Not that his bride would appreciate the trouble he’d gone to, but that was all right. He was getting what he’d wanted since the moment he met her. Soon McKenna Sloan would become McKenna Hughes, and all would be as it should have been eight years before.
Last Chance Page 24
