“It must be strange to need the attention of other human beings so badly that you resort to things like fake suicide attempts and running off to deserted Mexican villages.” There was no scorn in his words, only a kind of aloof disapproval.
Honor bit back the angry, useless protest that rose to her lips and lapsed into sullen silence for the rest of the walk into town.
Judd bedded down by the door, blocking the only means of escape from the one-room shack. Honor watched him resentfully as he put out the single light and slid between the thin blankets. He didn’t bother to undress and neither did she. As far as she could tell he went to sleep at once, his head pillowed on a rolled-up towel.
Lying tensely on the cot that had served as her bed for the past month Honor felt each minute that passed as if it were an eternity. For her own protection she had to make certain Judd Raven was asleep before she reached for the gun in the drawer beside her. With that swift, gliding way he moved he could be upon her before she could get her hand into the drawer if he realized her intentions in time.
She waited fifteen minutes and then she waited another ten. During that time Raven never moved. How could he sleep so easily on that hard board floor?
At last, when the moonlight outside had shifted a few degrees on the windowsill, Honor told herself that the time had come. It was now or never. She had to get hold of the gun and then wake her captor, letting him know he was no longer the one in charge.
Moving with a slowness that was almost painful, Honor slid her arm out from under the old sheet and groped blindly for the drawer pull. Her heart pounded with the tension of the moment and she wondered briefly how Judd could keep from being awakened by it. It took an effort of will to control her breathing. Thank God she had taken the time to practice with the weapon after she’d bought it off that sleazy street vendor just across the border into Mexico. But she’d never used it on any living thing, Honor reminded herself. It wasn’t going to be easy this first time.
And then her fingers closed on the old wooden knob of the drawer. Holding her breath tightly in her throat, Honor tugged cautiously. The slight scrape of the wood didn’t cause any response form Judd. He really was sound asleep.
With a swallowed sigh Honor touched the cold metal of the gun. It came into her hand like an alien thing, chilled and deadly. For an instant she almost lost her nerve. She had never used it on a living thing. Not even a field mouse!
Gripping the weapon tightly Honor sat up slowly in bed. She used both hands to aim while she slid quietly out of bed. When she was on her feet she tried to find her voice and nearly failed.
“J-Judd,” she managed, aware of the fact that she was trembling from head to foot. “Judd, wake up. We’re going to talk.”
He didn’t stir and for an instant she thought she had failed to waken him. Honor was moistening her lips, about to try again when his voice came floating across the room in a low, sleepy growl.
“Go back to sleep, Honor. I’ve got the bullets in my pocket.”
Honor stilled in sudden shock, knowing somehow, even before she tried to fire the gun, that she’d been outmaneuvered.
“No, damn you! No!” She raised the weapon to a level well above his reclining form and pulled the trigger. There was only a dry click to tell her there was no bullet in the chamber. “Damn you to hell, Judd Raven!” Fury broke free within her, overshadowing all the other emotions she had been experiencing that evening.
Fury and hatred for the man who had so casually foiled her one hope of escape made her draw back her arm and hurl the useless weapon at him with a savagery that surprised even herself.
She heard him swear softly as the small weapon struck his leg. Then in a frustrated rage she followed the gun, throwing herself across the room and down onto his recumbent form.
“Damn you! Damn you Damn you!” With the ferocity of a cornered cat Honor lashed out at her captor, her flailing fingers going for his eyes.
More Books from Jayne Ann Krentz
eBooks
Legacy
Shield’s Lady
Midnight Jewels
Gift of Gold
Gift of Fire
A Coral Kiss
Crystal Flame
Sweet Starfire
Contemporary
Copper Beach
In Too Deep
Fired Up
Running Hot
Sizzle and Burn
White Lies
Historical
Crystal Gardens
Quicksilver
Burning Lamp
The Perfect Poison
The Third Circle
Second Sight
Futuristic
Canyons of Night
Midnight Crystal
Obsidian Prey
Dark Light
Silver Master
Ghost Hunter
After Glow
After Dark
About the Author
Jayne Ann Krentz
The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print. Building on the success of her Arcane Society Series, Jayne is kicking off three new paranormal series in 2012. The Dark Legacy books are set in present day Washington state and delve into the paranormal crystal mining world and the Coppersmith Family. The first book, COPPER BEACH is available now. The Ladies of Lantern Street novels are set in Victorian England and follow the adventures of the Flint and Marsh Agency employees. These ladies are not your average paid companions. The first book, CRYSTAL GARDENS is available now. The Rainshadow novels started, unofficially, with the release of CANYONS OF NIGHT. These stories are set on a small island on the planet Harmony in the not so distant future. The second novel in this series, THE LOST NIGHT, is available now.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dear Reader
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Excerpt from Raven’s Prey
More Books from Jayne Ann Krentz
About the Author
Serpent in Paradise Page 24
