Bodyguard Rescue

by Donna Young

  “You have a better imagination than I do, if you think that.” She threw the towel onto the bed.

  His smile turned icy. “I’m glad you finished your bath.” He straightened but not before his gaze traveled over her. “I have something to show you before you dress for dinner. Outside.”

  Left with no choice, she followed him onto the balcony. The mosaic tile felt cool and solid under her feet, reassuring her until a gust of wind kicked up from the ocean and pushed at her, bringing with it the familiar panic. The rail of the balcony stood ten feet away with Threader leaning against it. To Kate the distance seemed like a mile. She focused on the horizon, now muted with the setting sun, and took another step forward.

  Threader laughed, amused. “It is difficult for you.” He walked toward her. “I thought the guards lied. My report on you never mentioned the phobia.”

  At his mocking tone, she lifted her chin and defiantly stood still.

  Threader’s anger erupted. He roughly grabbed her arm and brought her up to his face. His scar bulged, the purplish tissue pulsing in rage making him appear ghoulish in his anger.

  “Just a few more steps, Katherine.” The words sliced the air between them. “What I have to show you is over here.” He hauled her to the balcony’s edge.

  “Look down.” When she turned her head away, he gripped her hair and forced her face toward the courtyard. “Look down, now!” Tears stung her eyes as his hold tightened. She glanced down to the courtyard, and what she saw sickened her.

  Cain and Roman.

  “No!” She gagged and dropped to her knees, ignoring the sharp tug on her scalp. Logically, she’d known Threader had captured them but until now, she hadn’t truly believed him.

  Threader hauled her up to face him.

  “Your reaction is pleasing. It assures me we’re getting closer to an agreement.”

  Again, he turned her toward the courtyard then nodded at Quamar. With a snap of the giant’s fingers, two guards grabbed Roman, bringing him forward.

  Roman’s eyes, dark and dangerous, pierced the distance between them, until Quamar plowed his fist into Roman’s stomach, sending him to his knees.

  Kate bit her lip hard to keep from crying out. Already the guards had forced Roman back to his feet. When her gaze caught his once more, she clung to it.

  “I’ll do what you ask,” she whispered, intentionally allowing the tears she’d held in check to spill. The man thrived on submissiveness. She’d use it to her advantage. “Just don’t hurt them.”

  He swung her around and saw the tears. Pure satisfaction entered his eyes. “We understand each other then?”

  Kate nodded and lowered her head, afraid if she didn’t, she would claw his face.

  “They’re safe, for now. I’ve ordered Quamar to lock them up. No one will touch them unless I allow it.” He paused, tilting her head up. “I hope you won’t make that necessary.”

  He walked her into the bedroom where the maid had laid out an evening dress of black chiffon. One of many garments that stocked the closet. All in her size.

  “I can trust you?” Kate kept her tone soft, obedient.

  Threader caressed her chin. “Of course. We’re to be married. If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?”

  With that, he walked toward the door, only to hesitate when he reached for the knob. “I’ll wait for you in my study. There is one more thing to show you before we eat.”

  He swung the door wide and stepped into the hall. “You have ten minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  Nine minutes later a guard led her across the third floor to the opposite wing, pausing before two oak doors. When a brisk knock brought the awaited “Enter,” he allowed Kate through.

  “Prompt,” Threader observed. He’d changed into a black evening suit that matched her attire perfectly. He handed her a glass of wine. “A trait I admire in a woman.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” she murmured and forced her fingers to loosen their grip on the wineglass.

  “You’ve done well.” His gaze drifted from her loosely piled hair to the miniscule straps that left her shoulders exposed.

  “Thank you,” Kate said, mentally fighting down her revulsion for the role she was about to play. Slowly she pivoted, feeling the chiffon flare against her legs as she gave Threader the full view of the plunging back.

  “You are stunning, my dear. A prize for any man to envy.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” She flashed him a stiff smile.

  He laughed. “Lying doesn’t become you, Katherine.”

  Startled, she met his eyes.

  “I know how you feel about me.” He raised his glass in a mock salute. “I just haven’t determined if it matters.”

  “Magnificent room,” she commented, groping for a change in subject. A quick glimpse registered the closed circuit TVs.

  “You won’t see them on the monitors.” Interrupting her search for Roman and Cain, Threader came up behind her and took her glass, setting it down with his on a nearby table. “Trust me, your brother and his friend are quite safe. Until I decide otherwise.” His breath skimmed the curve of her neck. “Quamar has escorted them to my yacht, where they won’t be underfoot.” His gaze rested on her profile. “I’ll be seeing them later tonight. Meanwhile, we will work on becoming more acquainted,” he murmured, and teased a strand of her hair.

  Kate moved, causing the hair to pull from his grasp.

  He chuckled. “You are superb.” His fingertips glided across the base of her spine.

  She willed her muscles to function and turned directly into Threader. Finding an inner strength she’d never known she possessed, Kate fingered his lapel.

  When he placed his hand over hers, his palm was surprisingly warm, not chilling as she expected for someone with no soul. “I possess the world’s most exquisite treasures. But the moment I saw your photograph, nothing has compared or captivated me more.”

  Mentally she took a deep breath. “If I became…yours—”

  “You are mine! Understood?” His grip tightened, crushing her hand.

  “Yes,” Kate cried out.

  “Good.” Pleased with her response, Threader released her hand and took her elbow. “It’s time to show you why you’re here,” he said cordially, all traces of rage gone.

  A side door in his study revealed a steel elevator. After entering, she watched as Threader pressed the lower-level button.

  “What you are about to see, my dear, is the future. A future you will be an intrinsic part of.”

  The doors parted, revealing a wide hallway. Artwork lined the walls. One painting in particular the world believed had been destroyed during World War II. Threader’s words floated through her mind. I possess the world’s most exquisite treasures.

  They stopped in front of a massive alloy door. Threader punched in a number sequence, then stepped up to a retina scanner. As they stepped into the observation room, Kate said nothing, immediately drawn to the area beyond a large glass wall.

  The lab was fashioned from a science fiction movie—right down to the white tile and steel. With a chill, Kate recognized the technology. He’d replicated Las Mesas.

  “This isn’t possible,” she murmured, and scrutinized the acres of antimatter equipment.

  “Katherine, you disappoint me. Anything is possible if you have money.” He walked over to a bank of TVs that monitored the entire facility. “Look beyond your own world and see the big picture.” He paused. “My world.”

  She stared, unwilling to comprehend the ramifications of what she saw in the alternating screens. Threader’s technology was more advanced than Las Mesas, including several government prototypes that were only in experimental stages elsewhere.

  “We’re already showing the signs of an energy shortage. In a few decades countries will be desperate for new technology.”

  “Control their energy source. Control the country,” she responded, understanding.

  “With our combined research, people will
turn to me for salvation.” He gestured toward the lab. “Fate brought you to me, Katherine. A woman who possesses not only beauty and breeding but also an intellect to rival my own.” Threader’s expression flickered with thinly veiled insanity. “With you at my side, the possibilities are endless.”

  World domination. With a wave of determination she realized she had to stop Threader. But how?

  One of the monitors displayed a nearby workstation. The data, flashing rapidly across the computer screen, drew Kate’s gaze. She leaned closer, her eyes widening with comprehension.

  “You recognize the program.” The statement drifted over her shoulder with a fiendish delight.

  “It’s the security system at Las Mesas Laboratories.” Roman’s system. A jolt of excitement ran through her.

  “A gift from an associate.” His emphasis on the word gift didn’t escape Kate’s notice. Roman’s program was state-of-the-art. Very few could duplicate the technology.

  “Quite a unique present, wouldn’t you say?” Not waiting for her to agree, he added, “The fact that Cerberus designed the system made receiving it most gratifying.”

  “Why?” she asked, and studied the screen. Threader’s people had added at least three more levels of security. The fact he hadn’t mentioned the backdoor meant it might still exist.

  “Surely you see the irony of Cerberus’s system protecting my research. He and Prometheus are the best at what they do. Legends in their field,” he remarked.

  Prometheus? Cain’s code name, she decided. The champion of mankind. The name fit him just as much as Cerberus fit Roman.

  “Of course, once implemented, I found the program lacking. Which I’m sure you’re aware of, having disabled Las Mesas’s.” He pointed to several men. “My people improved upon the original system, making it impenetrable.”

  Maybe or maybe not, Kate thought.

  “Katherine, I can see your mind working furiously…but needlessly,” he admonished. “Your virus would prove ineffective against the enhancements.”

  With a brief glance back in her direction, he continued. “I take pleasure in using his genius against him, you know. Especially since he is determined to avenge Amanda Salinas’ death.” At Kate’s start, his smile twisted grotesquely.

  “You’re surprised. Why? I’ve known since the beginning, but he hasn’t been able to—bring me down, as it were.”

  “You make it sound like a contest or a game of chess, when what you really want is them dead.”

  “It is a game. An intricate one that requires the strategic elements of chess. But one that doesn’t necessarily have to end in death.” He absently stroked his scar. “Killing them may prove necessary—but it isn’t my first choice. They have connections I would find useful.”

  The words should have reassured her, but his polished tone only increased her unease.

  “My campaign must not fail. Any interference will force me to destroy your brother and his friend.” One tawny brow arched as he spared her a brief glance. “I would prefer otherwise. After all, if I’d wanted them eliminated, arrangements would’ve been made. Hiring an assassin is extremely easy these days.”

  “And you’d expect them to betray their country?” Kate couldn’t stop her skepticism from tainting her voice.

  “You forget, it will be my country soon enough.” Threader actually chuckled as he, too, looked out over the lab. “Having you will guarantee their loyalty.”

  “There are other labs, other scientists developing antimatter possibilities,” Kate stated, more fearful now than ever. “What about them?”

  “They’ll work for me or die.” Threader lifted an indifferent shoulder. “An excellent case of supply and demand.”

  “Like Marcus Boyd?” she asked laconically.

  “Boyd was a fool. He tried to pass your work off as his own, then lost his nerve. When I discovered the duplicity, he ran.” Threader’s voice held a vicious underlying tone. “You might take a lesson from that, my dear.”

  Then, like a chameleon, his demeanor changed. “Enough of this unpleasantness. It’s time for dinner,” he declared, the cultured veneer back in place.

  “I hope you have an appetite, Katherine,” he said, urging her toward the elevator, the touch of his fingers on her skin triggering a queasiness in the pit of her stomach. “My chef has prepared Filets du Lapin à la Sauce à l’Estragin. Filet of rabbit covered in a light tarragon sauce. A favorite of mine.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The gentle flapping of the balcony curtains awoke Kate with a vague sense of apprehension. After spending half the night pacing, she’d fallen asleep in the wing chair, still in her evening dress with her feet tucked up under her. Cautiously, she lowered her toes to the ground, curling them in the thick pile of carpet. Her gaze rested on the doors standing ajar in the moonlight. The same doors she’d locked just hours before. A warning played a quick staccato through her veins.

  Sitting forward slightly, she eased off the chair only to shriek when a hand clamped over her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a guard’s uniform, its rugged lines stark in the stream of moonlight.

  Kate slammed her fist into the rock-hard stomach in front of her, happy when she heard a grunt of pain. Like a cornered alley cat, she scratched and struggled against the arm that encircled her and hauled her off the chair.

  “Damn it, Doc, watch my shoulder.” He flipped her around to one hip like a sack of potatoes. “And stop trying to break my ribs,” he hissed when her elbow caught his side.

  Recognizing the husky tone, she sagged against Roman with relief. With a familiar gentleness he released her mouth and gathered her close, pinning her body against his. He smelled of stale smoke and beer, which led her to believe the uniform had a previous owner. But after the past few days, Kate knew better than to question its origins.

  “I should beat you senseless for what you’ve put me through,” he whispered against her hair. She nodded her agreement, seeing the threat for what it was. Her cheek rubbed against the crisp hair of his chest, exposed beneath the half-unbuttoned shirt. The strong rhythmic tempo of his heart under her ear soothed her own heart’s erratic beating. Roman was safe.

  “If you ever pull a stupid stunt—”

  “You looked so—” she said, swallowing against the unbending muscles in her throat, “and your arm, it was—”

  “Dislocated. Cain popped it back into place, but my shoulder still hurts like a son—”

  “Cain?” Startled, she drew back. “Is he—”

  “He’s fine. Ian, too.”

  “Ian?” Disbelief jabbed at her heart, jarring her to a complete stop. “He’s alive?”

  Without warning, he hugged her, placing her head against his shoulder. “It was a trick, Doc. Ian’s fine, but I don’t have time to tell you everything.”

  Ian and Cain had survived. And Roman, too. She slid her arms around his neck just as a sob escaped. Up until a few minutes ago, she’d thought she’d never be this close to him again.

  “Hell.” The muttered word swept fiercely across her ear and Kate’s breath caught.

  “Don’t, baby.” He kissed her temple first, then slid his lips over her cheek. Finally his mouth gently covered hers in a long, deep reassuring kiss.

  “Time is slipping away, my friend.”

  Kate jerked, breaking contact with Roman at the softly spoken words. The unmistakable Mediterranean accent registered.

  “Roman?” she asked, surprised at his lack of concern. Reluctantly he drew back.

  “Don’t worry, Quamar’s a good guy,” he said, placing his finger over her lips at her unspoken questions. Then with a deep breath, he shifted away, but Kate noted he didn’t go far. He dropped a kiss on her nose. “He’s also right, we don’t have much time.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the stream of moonlight from the balcony. His gaze flickered over her. “Are you okay?”

  “He hasn’t touched me. Yet.” Quickly Kate filled Roman in on T
hreader’s plan. “What scares me, Roman, is that he could pull it off. All of it.”

  “Cain and I will stop him.” The words were low and terse.

  Kate glanced toward the balcony. “Where is Cain?”

  Roman snagged a flashlight from his waistband and thumbed the switch. Suddenly light pierced the surrounding darkness before resting on the closet. He pulled her toward it. “He and Ian are calling reinforcements.”

  His free hand cupped her face. “Right now, we need to get you dressed and to the cove.”

  Kate stepped back as her strength resurged. “Then what? We can’t let Threader get away with his plans.”

  “He won’t. Once you’re safe, I’m coming back.” His light flashed across a pair of dark pants and matching top. He tossed the clothes to her.

  “So your plan is to dump me and go chase the bad guys.” Riled, she stripped off the gown, ignoring the fact she had no bra, then yanked on the clothes.

  He handed her a pair of flat shoes. “No, first I place you out of harm’s way like I promised your brother I would. Then I go chase the bad guys.”

  He’d promised her brother. The words hurt and the hurt fed her frustration. She waved a shoe in his face. “What about the laboratory? He’s duplicated Las Mesas, Roman. You need to get me into that lab. It’s your security system protecting Threader’s computer program. He’s enhanced it with at least three additional levels. Your backdoor can bypass them. Once we’re in, my virus will destroy the research.”

  He’d started shaking his head halfway through her explanation. “Tell me how to reconstruct the virus, and I’ll take care of it once you’re safe.”

  “It’s in my head and too complicated for me to explain off the cuff.” Impatiently Kate slipped on the shoes. “Obviously, Threader hasn’t discovered your escape, so Quamar should still have access to the lab.”

  “No.” The word was blunt enough to make her grimace. “You’re not going anywhere near the lab. Hell, I’ll just blow the damn thing if I have to.”

  “If you do that, you risk killing innocent people. Not everyone is here by choice. I won’t let people die, if I can prevent it. And neither should you.”