Angel in the Shadows

by Amy Deason

  Madison struggled to move away from him and after a moment, he released her. Her skin was flushed and her breath came in short, uneven bursts. But before she could get too far, he gripped her wrists tightly, feeling his fingers sink deep into her skin. There would probably be bruises but that was something to worry about later. If there was a later. Pulling her back to him, he stared into her eyes, seeing the fear and lust there, mingled together in an intoxicating mixture.

  “What’s wrong, isn’t this what you want?” he asked, his voice fierce.

  The woman was trembling in his grasp and he could feel her pulse slamming against the soft, thin spot in her wrist. Holding her firmly in place, she couldn’t free herself from his rough grip.

  “No, I . . . Please just let me go,” she whispered breathlessly.

  “Come on, Ms. Sinclair, let’s not play games. Let’s see if you can distract me long enough to get away. That’s what you were hoping to do, right?” he asked, his voice mocking and cold.

  “I-I . . .” Madison stuttered.

  “Oh yes, that’s exactly what you were attempting to do, seduce me so you could get away. But let me let you in on a little secret. If you want to distract someone to escape them, you might want to stick to something you actually know a little bit about.”

  The hurt in her eyes was immediate and sharp. He’d cut her deep with that particular barb but he wasn’t done with her just yet. This game was getting old and he needed to find out who she was instead of relishing the taste of her mouth. There were several ways to get the information from her and while they were more pleasant, he didn’t have time for that. He’d wasted too much time with her already. He should feel sick for what he was about to do but instead, there was nothing, no feeling at all.

  “Tell me,” Seth murmured, “what were you doing at Vance’s house? You weren’t the photographer hired to cover the party.” He squeezed tighter, drawing a soft whimper from her lips. Tightening his grip, he could feel the fragile bones in her wrist as they rubbed together.

  She cried out and then he loosened his grip slightly, letting his thumb caress the place where he had squeezed her wrist, soothing the pain he had caused her.

  The anger lingered in her eyes but the lust was gone, driven out by pain. “Go to hell.”

  Seth stared at her intently. “The truth,” he replied quietly. “Don’t make me do it again.”

  “I don’t know what you want . . .” Her words were cut off as he squeezed her wrist again, this time, increasing the pain. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold in a gasp. Again, he loosened his cruel grip, gently stroking the red marks on her wrists.

  She looked up into his eyes, the deep brown of hers burning into the blueness of his. Tears shimmered on her thick lashes. He wanted the truth and he would hurt her until she told him no matter how bad it made him feel.

  “The truth,” he demanded.

  “Okay, okay. I was filling in. Robert had plans and he asked me to cover for him. I swear, it’s the truth.”

  Peering into her face, Seth searched for what he needed to know. His thoughts underwent a rapid re-adjustment as he considered her words. Perhaps she was just as she appeared, an innocent bystander. Someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Great. Just what he needed. He was going to have to play this carefully or it would all be blown to hell. Looking down at her, he could see the bare, naked truth shining in her eyes. And below it, the torrent of emotions raged within her, painting her face. The pain and anger intermingled enticingly with the remains of desire and fear. Lord, he needed to get away from her before he did something he would really regret.

  Seth pushed her away roughly and grabbed his coat draped over the kitchen counter. “Don’t toy with me, Madison,” he warned. “You won’t like what happens.”

  “I don’t like you using my first name,” she managed to reply in a strangled voice, rubbing absently at the throbbing pain in her wrists, her eyes lowered to conceal the tears that began to streak down her pale cheeks.

  Seth glared at her blackly. “What makes you think I care what you like?” Without waiting for an answer, he let himself out, locking the door behind him, sealing her inside.

  Chapter 9

  Hearing him say her name was far worse than she could have ever imagined. It was so personal, so invading, and so intimate. Madison stood shaking as the volatile mix of emotions swept through her and she blinked back the sting of tears. Anger and fear were at the top, near the surface. This man could hurt her, maybe even kill her. But there was something else. A sick, twisted part of her wanted him to touch her again. It had been a mistake to play that game with him. She knew that now. There was no way she could win and it had been foolish to think that she could. She had to get away from him. He was dangerous in more ways than one. He could kill her. But he could also take her right now if that was what he wanted. And as fucked up as that was, she feared the latter more. She wanted this cruel, beautiful man. Wanted to feel the raw power of his body against hers. Oh Lord, help her, she was losing her mind.

  Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she took a deep breath, trying to control her riotous feelings. The first thing she had to do was find a way out of here. Approaching the door cautiously, she was prepared to run if he suddenly came back. Her hand crept around the handle, twisting it back and forth. She was not surprised that it rattled uselessly in her hand. Strike one. Hadn’t he told her it was locked? Like anything he said could be believed . . . She had no idea what he intended to do with her when he came back but she didn’t plan on waiting around to find out. Just because he’d saved her from Vance’s murderous henchman didn’t mean she was safe with him. She didn’t even know who he was. And the fact that he stirred some long dormant irrational feelings in her was all the more reason to escape. She was perfectly happy without romantic delusions. Especially with someone like him.

  Searching the windowless apartment, she hoped to find a phone. Strike two. There wasn’t even a wall jack. No windows, no phone. He had made damn sure she wasn’t going anywhere or giving her the chance to call for help. But who the hell was he? Definitely not the self-effacing assistant she had taken him for. No, he was someone else. Someone dangerous, someone deadly. And someone she didn’t want or need any part of. Moving toward the bathroom, she didn’t hold out much hope for finding anything useful but that was the only room left to check. The least she could do was doctor up her shredded knee.

  Flipping the light on, she saw an ancient bathtub with a sink and a toilet to match. And right above the toilet was a tiny, rectangular window. Hope flooded her. Home run! She crossed the room to inspect it. The window was blacked out, preventing her from seeing outside. And apparently, preventing anyone from looking in. Estimating, she saw that it was narrow but she just might be able to squeeze through. She climbed carefully on the toilet’s seat. The windowsill was encased with rust but as far as she could see there was nothing keeping it from opening. Knowing her luck, it was probably sealed or locked from the outside but she didn’t have anything to lose by trying.

  Gripping the windowsill, she tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle. Surely after the night she’d had, she deserved one right? Just a small one? Yanking up hard, she tried again. The muscles in her arms strained with the effort and she was rewarded with a loud, drawn-out screech as the window moved up an inch and a half. Pale sunlight crawled through the opening joined by a fresh, cold breeze. Forcing herself not to get too excited by the slight victory, she continued to lift up on the window. Little by little, she managed to force the window up until it stuck firmly, refusing to move any further. It wasn’t open all the way but she thought that it might be just enough for her to slip through.

  She climbed on the porcelain tank and standing precariously, gripped the edges of the windowsill. Pulling herself up, she stuck her head ou
t of the window enjoying the feel of the early morning sun on her face. She never realized how much she took something as simple as sunshine and fresh air for granted. She would never do it again.

  The metal fire escape was just right outside the window. All she had to do was pull herself the rest of the way out and climb down. Simple.

  Easing herself out, she was disgusted how easily her upper body past through the narrow space. There wasn’t much there to get in the way. That had never seemed to be a blessing and even now, when her smaller breast size was working to her advantage, she cursed her genetic makeup.

  Suddenly, as if that weren’t enough, halfway through the window, she got stuck. “Shit!” she swore, yanking herself forward, trying like hell to make herself fit through the window. The rusty base of the window was dug into her back and she felt something sharp ripping through her flesh. She stopped, ridiculously worrying about the possibility of getting tetanus. How ironic would it be if she managed to escape only to die from infection? She couldn’t remember the last time she had a tetanus shot but she was sure it was long overdue. Right now, though, that should be the least of her worries. The idea of hanging half in, half out of the window when Seth returned wasn’t a pleasant one.

  She would be totally humiliated though she doubted Seth would even care about that. He didn’t seem to care about much of anything. Even when he kissed her, there was no emotion, only a strong sense of aggression. She couldn’t tell if he actually felt anything but she sure as hell felt something and it wasn’t anything she needed. Humiliation aside, she remembered the dark look he gave her as he slammed the door. The pain he had caused her before wouldn’t be anything compared to what might happen if she was still here when he got back.

  Cursing her procrastination to exercise, Madison silently vowed that as soon as she got out of this mess, she was joining a gym and getting her ass into shape. If she ever needed motivation to do it, this would be it. Sucking in her stomach until she was sure she would pass out, she wriggled the rest of the way out the window, feeling the rusty teeth from the windowsill sink deep into the flesh of her back. Landing on the fire escape with an ungainly plop, she found herself sitting in a freezing pile of snow. She was free! Now, if she could just get down and catch a cab . . . “Damn it!” In her hurry to escape, she had forgotten everything. The camera bag with her money in it, her jacket, even her shoes. It was too late now and there was no way she was going to crawl back inside and get them. She would just have to make do without them. She would be cold but she would be alive. At least, that was something to be grateful for.

  Gripping the railing, she yanked herself up and peered at the street below. She guessed she was about five or six stories up. With dismay, she saw that the escape ladder was broken and didn’t completely reach the ground. It seemed as if the whole world was against her. Oh well, she could manage. Besides the drop didn’t look that far.

  Most of the buildings surrounding this one looked the same from this height. Twelve, fifteen stories tall in a variety of red and gray brick and dirty windows. The alley between this building and the next, littered with piles of dirty snow and scattered trash, was deserted. This little bit of insight did nothing to help her figure out where she was. But, she reasoned, there were payphones on practically every street corner in New York so all she had to do was find one and call Robert. He would come and get her. At least he better. He owed her big time. In fact, he was going to be owing her for a long time. Maybe she could finally get her camera. And if she ever decided to leave the house again and go on vacation, Milo was going to have one hell of a babysitter. But before she started planning his Robert’s payment methods, she was going to have to get down from here.

  Clenching the frozen rails tightly, Madison placed one bare foot on the corroded ladder rung and started climbing down slowly, hand over hand. She reached the bottom of what was left of the ladder. Looking below, the drop to the alley seemed further than before. She had no choice. She had to get down and if that was the only way, then so be it. Carefully, she stepped off the last rung, holding tightly to the rung above it and let her legs swing free.

  “I can do this, I can do this,” she chanted out loud. Quickly, she removed her right hand from the rung and grabbed the last one, then again with the left hand. Now she hung suspended above the ground with nothing between her and the ground but empty space. Glancing up, she saw the narrow window she had just come from, afraid that Seth would looking down at her. He wasn’t. She was still on her own. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath left her lips in small puffs of white smoke. Gripping the narrow rung tightly, she didn’t want to let go but what other choice did she have? She couldn’t stay here like this. Talking a calming breath, she released her fingers, feeling the cold, rusty metal slip from her fingertips.

  The drop was short, a mere six or seven feet, but the impact as she hit the frozen concrete below shot fresh pain through her sore ankle, taking her breath away. Biting back tears, Madison forced herself up, leaning against the side of the building, using it for support. She tested her weight on her ankle. It hurt but she wasn’t dying. With one hand on the rough brick wall, she limped down the alleyway, her bare feet sinking into the snow. She was freezing but her ankle was on fire. Her back screamed in the cold air and she was sure she could feel the warm trickle of blood but she wasn’t about to give up now. Not this close to the finish line. Slow and sure, she made it to the end and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The December wind nearly knocked her down as she rounded the corner of the building. She wasn’t sure just how long she could make it like this, no shoes, no coat, no money but she thought she could make it far enough.

  Peering out the window, Vance watched the sun play hide and seek with the clouds. A chase of light and dark, good and evil. His thoughts ran accordingly as he considered the last twelve hours. The presence of a witness was unfortunate but nothing he would lose sleep over. Jason’s incompetence had allowed the nosy photographer to escape but that would be taken care of shortly. He’d already made the arrangements for her retrieval. Once she was returned to him, he would make her pay dearly for putting her nose where it didn’t belong. And he would enjoy doing it. The more she fought him, the more exciting it would be for him. He could use a nice distraction right now.

  More final plans had been arranged for his equally meddlesome business partner. It had come to his attention that Jonathan Harrison had stumbled across some very pertinent, very secret, information. Vance considered Jonathan to be a smart man but even the smartest men make stupid mistakes. He’d considered discussing the delicate situation with his partner, possibly even recruiting him but that would never have worked. Jonathan was just too morally motivated to keep the information he’d discovered to himself. Or to see the potential of Vance’s brilliance and join him. That only left one option. A pity. He might have been a valuable asset.

  Watching him closely at last night’s party, Vance had tried to read him, searching for his intentions but the cool bastard had given nothing away. Well, no matter, he would be dealt with appropriately. Characteristically an impatient man, Vance wasn’t prepared to wait until Jonathan started talking to take action, eliminating the problem. The order had been given, putting him at ease, secure in the knowledge that he had complete control of the situation. Nothing else could go wrong because he had a tight hold on the reins.

  The office door opened with a whisper as Seth stepped inside, his gray suit as somber as the weather outside. Pale-brown eyes peered at him from behind wire-rimmed glasses.

  “Mr. Goldston.” His voice was so quiet it barely carried across the room.

  “Ah, Seth,” Vance said, turning from the window and drawing his hands together. “I have an appointment with my masseuse and Ryan should be returning with her any minute. Please make sure everything is ready before she gets here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Seth replied, turning away.


  “You know, Seth,” Vance said, stopping him in mid-stride, “you should give her a try sometime. That woman’s a magician with her hands.” As a matter of fact, Phoenix Griffin was good with every part of her body but that wasn’t information he intended to share. He doubted Seth would enjoy it anyway. Even now, after nearly a year, Vance was unsure of Seth’s sexual orientation. Hell, Vance doubted the man even thought about sex. Not that it mattered much. Straight or gay, Seth was an excellent employee. One of his best.

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll consider that. Is there anything else?”

  “One more thing. I am going to have a special guest this evening and I don’t want to be disturbed. Please cancel all of my commitments for the next few days.”

  “Yes, sir. Shall I arrange for a car?”

  “That won’t be necessary. Andre is taking care of that. Although I will need you to make a few arrangements concerning Ms. Sinclair once she arrives.”

  Nodding stiffly, Seth left the room. Vance stared at the closed door for a moment. Why couldn’t there be more people like his assistant in the world? He was extremely efficient, coming to him with exceptional references. He knew most of Vance’s comings and goings and was sharp enough to keep his mouth shut. On a number of occasions, his skills had been called upon to make a few of Vance’s companions disappear when he was finished with them. Sometimes a messy chore that he didn’t want to deal with or that would have left a lesser man cringing in disgust. Seth had never failed and had never revealed his duties to anyone, resulting in making him an immensely valuable asset. Despite these admirable qualities, his unique stillness was rather disconcerting. Vance knew behind those bland, blank eyes, was an alertness that was downright creepy. And a man like that, well that was a man you definitely wanted to have on your payroll. Effectively dismissing Seth from his mind, Vance sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head, a tight smile on his face. His thoughts centered on the different things he could have Phoenix do for today’s session. He hadn’t lied when he’d said she was good with her hands. She was even better with her mouth. That soft, sweet mouth that did such dirty, little things. Vance’s smile grew wider as he felt the first stirrings of lust and his groin tightened in response. He could hardly wait until she arrived.