They told him she’d run away. No one looked for her. The general consensus had been that she didn’t want to be found. Gavin never believed it. Something happened to her, because she would’ve never gone without him.
The Hypernion Project had been born out of a dream about Theresa, a nightmare really. He’d stood in a darkness so absolute, it could only be created in a dream state, listening to her cry for him. He never wanted anyone else to be lost in the dark.
Shaking off dark thoughts and the ugly fears that came with them, he asked a question he dreaded the answer to, “What next?”
“We go over the wall. There isn’t enough coverage near the gate.”
Crouching low, Gavin followed Ronan along the wall until they reached an area shaded by several tall trees. It would mask their silhouettes as they climbed over.
“Once we clear the wall, we’ll be open. Stay behind me, stay low and if I tell you to run, run.”
Gavin followed Ronan’s lead, scaling the wall easily and quickly taking cover next to a line of overgrown hedges. Along the perimeter of the wall, he could see the stealthy figures of the other members of Ronan’s team. Each one could only be glimpsed for a split second before blending seamlessly into the shadows.
“We’ll make our way to the house through what’s left of the garden.”
Gavin nodded his understanding, and again, followed Ronan. He trusted Ronan to keep him alive, but he wasn’t sure what the cost would be.
~*~*~
Libby trembled and her whole body felt like it was on fire. Her muscles ached from straining against her bonds. She didn’t know how much more she could take.
“You’re very strong willed, Miss Jones.” A grudging respect rang in Trevaython’s tone. “That won’t change the outcome, but it is forcing me to re-evaluate my approach.”
She forced her head up, meeting his gaze. “There’s a special place in hell for people like you.”
“If it exists, you’re probably right. Now, Miss Jones, since oxygen deprivation has been less than effective, we’re going to try pain now.”
Libby couldn’t hold back the scream as his grabbed her upper arm, his thumb digging brutally into the healing bullet wound. She could feel the blood trickling down her arm as the wound reopened.
“Messy, but effective. Now, tell me how close he is to finishing the project.”
“I don’t know,” Libby gasped. She tried breathing deeply to stave off the nausea that swept through her. The pain became intense and she braced herself for the fact that there would be more to come.
“Miss Jones, I hate to point out the obvious here, but I can continue this indefinitely. I’ve barely scratched the surface of things I can do to cause you excruciating pain and fear.”
“I don’t have any information that would help you. Even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you. So, you do whatever it is you need to do to feel like a man.”
She saw him crack just a little. His carefully schooled expression hardened, but only for a split second. The oddly personable smile returned, followed by a soft chuckle. “You can’t make me angry enough to kill you and end this, Miss Jones. This is a job. It’s about money, and that’s all. But you’re continued defiance is quite impressive...Pain only makes you more stubborn, asphyxiation seems to have little or no effect for you.”
Libby refused to engage with him. She simply looked away. For just a second, she felt a flare of hope with the glimpse of darting shadows outside. It fled as quickly as it’d come. Wishful thinking, she decided, afraid to hope it could be anything else.
Trevaython moved behind her and when he cut the ties that bound her feet to the chair, she gasped with agony at the pins and needles situation. He cut the rope which bound her hands to the chair, but not the one that bound them together.
Libby stumbled a bit as he propelled her forward, out the large and mostly darkened room and down a narrow hallway.
He shoved her roughly through an open door into the kitchen. “The house has no electricity, but it does have a gas powered generator that I’ve retrofitted to power the freezer. You’re from the South aren’t you, Miss Jones?”
Libby was beyond even thinking much less comprehending what he meant after everything else she just endured. It wasn’t until he yanked open the door to the walk in freezer that she realized he meant to lock her in the small space—in the cold.
Libby struggled when he grabbed her arms again, but with her hands still bound, she was helpless against him.
He pushed her roughly through the door, sending her sprawling onto the metal floor.
It was so cold against her skin that it felt like a burn. She struggled to her feet just as the door closed, leaving her in total darkness. Her dress still felt damp from being doused with water earlier. She didn’t doubt that he’d planned it that way. It took only seconds for the cold to penetrate the fabric and chill her skin.
How long would he leave her in there? Would Ronan keep his word? Would it be in time?
CHAPTER FIVE
Gavin stared at Ronan and the small device he held out to him. “What are you doing?”
Ronan glanced through the scope one more time.
They were close enough to the house to see the figure of the man standing in the middle of the room, but from this distance, he couldn’t say with certainty, but he was likely armed.
“It’s the tracker…That’s Trevaython.” Ronan passed the scope over. “When you see him engaged, then you can enter the building. The tracker will take you to Miss Jones.”
Gavin turned to ask what Trevaython would be engaged with, but Ronan was gone. He slipped easily into the darkness, moving towards the house with stealthy precision. Gavin stared at the empty space and shook his head. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen something in Ronan that told him the man was more than just ex-military.
Utilizing the binoculars Ronan left behind, he trained them on the window and watched for his signal. It wasn’t hard to spot. The french doors of the room burst open in a hail of gunfire.
Gavin didn’t waste a second. He took off at a run, heading straight for the house and entering through a lower window. The screen flashed momentarily, once he was inside, before laying out a blueprint. It was Hypernion at work, but he’d never imagined he’d be the one to field test it.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he emerged onto the upper floor which held the main living quarters. He ignored the sounds of scuffling down the hall, knowing that Ronan was keeping Trevaython occupied. Following the beacon down the hall, he entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately going to the stainless steel door of the large freezer.
The faint electrical hum made his heart drop. He did something then, something he hadn’t done in decades. He prayed. Opening the door, the sight that greeted him left him both humbled and enraged.
Huddled on the floor, her breath coming out in tiny puffs in front of her, Libby was alive. It didn’t take a genius to know she wouldn’t stay that way for long if he didn’t get her out and get her warm.
“I’m dreaming.”
Gavin smiled at her loopy tone, though it was forced. Her words were slurred, her speech and fine motor skills impacted by hypothermia. “Leave it to you to freeze to death in Monaco. The rest of the world comes here to tan.” Even as he joked with her, he was pulling her up, moving her towards the door.
Once out of the freezer and into the kitchen, he pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the ties at her wrists. Angry bruises marred the skin underneath. “Libby, we’ve got to get you out of here and it has to happen quickly—I know it’s a lot to ask, but when I tell you to run, do it.”
She nodded her understanding.
Gavin tugged her behind him, back towards the stairway and into the lower level of the house. The door he’d used to enter remained open, but no sounds from upstairs could be heard. He didn’t know if Ronan already subdued Trevaython or if Trevaython had somehow bested him.
One look at Libby told him he couldn’t afford to wa
it around to find out. He needed to get her some place warm and dry and it had to happen quickly.
Opening the door, he peered out, but saw no sign of Ronan or the team of men he’d brought with him. He knew better than to think that meant anything. They camouflaged themselves well, blending into shadows with ease. “Once we hit the open area of the lawn, we have to move fast. Libby?”
She nodded, her responses slightly more alert than before. “I understand.”
Gavin moved along the perimeter of the house, sticking to the shadows as much as possible, until they had no choice but to break cover. A shout from behind him caused him to look back.
He could see Trevaython on the balcony, a large rifle in his hands. As he fired, Ronan rose up, tackling him. The bullet went wide, striking the earth several feet from them as they ran across the lawn.
After reaching the safety of the trees, Ronan’s team immediately hoisted Libby over the wall to a waiting car. Gavin climbed up, but took one last look back at the house. A flare of light was followed by a single pop and he recognized it as a muzzle flash.
“Captain is down,” one of the men said. “Alpha Team will enact exit strategy, Beta Team will prepare for retrieval.”
“Is he dead?” Gavin demanded. “Is Ronan dead?”
The man he’d thought of as nothing more than a security guard paused for a moment before answering. “We won’t know until we go in, sir. Captain Ronan ordered us to stay back and cover your six as you made your exit.”
Gavin said nothing else, just climbed over the wall and headed for the waiting SUV. Libby had already been placed in the back, heat blaring and a blanket over her.
“A doctor is waiting at the hotel. Miss Jones refused to go to a hospital.”
Gavin sighed. “Do you really think that’s wise?”
Libby roused for a moment. “I don’t care if it’s wise or not. I’ve been poked and prodded enough already. I just want to go home.”
“Home to the hotel or home to the states?”
Libby fell silent for a moment. “The hotel for now, but home-home as soon as possible.”
Gavin settled back against the seat, pulling her against him. In part, because she needed the warmth, but mostly because he just needed—her.
~*~*~
Libby sat up in bed, a scream dying on her lips. The nightmares were vivid and in some ways—worse than the torture she’d endured. The dreams ended far differently than the reality had.
She covered her face with shaking hands and tried to force the dark thoughts away just as the door to their bedroom opened. Gavin entered. He wore only a pair of dark trousers and his hair looked tousled.
“Were you sleeping on the couch?”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t. I just got a call.”
A heaviness settled in her gut. “Ronan? Is he...?”
“No. I don’t think so. It wasn’t him on the phone. Just an anonymous person, telling me that the Hypernion Project had been safely delivered to the Pentagon. All the security guards that came here with Ronan are gone. A new team has arrived and they look like security guards...not like men in black.”
“Who ordered that?” Libby wondered. If Ronan had made a hasty exit but still called the shots…surely a good sign. It’d been just over two days since Trevaython abducted her, and since the daring rescue. Trevaython’s body had been found the day before in an alley, a bullet in his head. “So, he just disappears into the night—no clue as to where he’s gone or if he’s even still alive?”
Gavin settled on the edge of the bed. “So, it would seem. Apparently, I no longer require the kind of special protection I once did. Big brother has decided I can take care of myself since I’m not making toys for them anymore.”
He’d told her the night everything had gone to hell of how he wanted to sell the company. It still troubled her. “You don’t have to sell the company. You shouldn’t. It’s what you love.”
Gavin took her hands. His touch felt so gentle. He’d been that way with her ever since—Libby stopped at the thought. She didn’t want that intruding between them.
He looked solemn when he spoke. “We need to talk about that actually...I don’t love the company. I haven’t. Not for a very long time. I’ve been going through the motions. It’s time to make some changes in my life.”
The words hung heavily in the air. Libby’s heart stuttered. Was this how it ended? “Like what?”
“Libby, I decided to sell the company before we even left New York. I told Ronan on the flight here, while you were sleeping. I don’t want it to be my life anymore. I want a real life. With you.”
“For how long? Gavin, you’re going to get bored—”
He laughed. “With unemployment? Possibly. With you? Never. You said I loved the company, and you were wrong. There’s only one thing in my life that I love, and that’s you.”
Libby didn’t know what to say. Processing this kind of information took far more mental acuity than she possessed after waking up from a nightmare. Somewhere in her brain, something sparked however, and she picked out the one sticking point in what he just said. “Did you just tell me you loved me?”
Gavin stood. “I’m going to get you some coffee, and then we’ll try this again.”
Libby grabbed his hand as he turned to walk away, pulling him back as she rose to her knees in the bed. “No. No. I’m awake. I promise. I swear. But you might need to repeat that.”
“I love you. Not for now, not for a while...Forever. You’re stuck with me, Liberty Jones, and as soon as possible, we’re going to make it legal.”
“That’s a proposal? You just tell me we’re getting married.”
Gavin shrugged even as his hands came up to rest on her hips, tugging her even closer to him. “It’s not a proposal. Proposals give the proposee the option to say no. You don’t get to say no…and you don’t get to run. Not this time.”
The roughened tone of his voice told her that he wanted her, but even if it hadn’t, she could see it in his eyes. “I wouldn’t say no,” Libby promised.
“Not a chance I’m willing to take.”
Libby leaned against him, savoring the hard press of his chest against hers. “It’s a good thing I love you or I’d never put up with your Neanderthal-like tactics.”
CHAPTER SIX
Gavin slid his hands over the curve of Libby's hips. The pink satin covering her skin was warmed from the heat of her body. He didn't know what the hell the damn thing was called, he only knew that it looked sexy as hell on her—it revealed as much as it concealed. Resting one knee on the bed, he laid her back, until she reclined against the pillows, her red hair fanning out around her. “Have I told you you’re beautiful?”
She smiled up at him. “Once or twice.”
“A day…I hope?”
“I’d rather you showed me.”
Gavin moved fully onto the bed, stretching out beside her, his fingertips skimming over the fabric of the very sexy lingerie until he encountered the naked flesh of her thighs. “Well, in order for me to do that properly, you should be completely naked.”
“No form of the word ‘proper’ should be used to describe what you do to me when I’m naked.”
“Well, if proper’s not what we’re going for—”. Gavin grasped the soft material that stood in his way and pushed it up to her waist, his hand immediately delving between her parted thighs.
She felt slick and hot, eager for his touch. “More.”
He closed his eyes and prayed for some semblance of willpower. He’d been rock hard the second he walked into the room. Libby could’ve worn burlap and looked amazing, but seeing her all sleep mussed, her lush curves only barely contained by a nightie that’s only claim to innocence was the color, pushed him to the breaking point. “You’re always in a hurry.” He punctuated the statement by nipping at her neck, then soothing the small sting with a kiss.
“You’re not exactly encouraging me to slow down.”
Gavin groaned out a breath when he
r hands moved to the waist of his trousers. Every brush of her fingers against his cock—and he didn’t believe for a second, they were all unintentional—became an agony of pleasure. “Tease.”
“Nope. I’d only be a tease if I didn’t plan to follow through.”
Before he could ask what she meant, Libby was once again on her knees, this time pressing her soft, open-mouthed kisses to his chest. When her teeth scored his nipple, he gripped her hair, more firmly than he intended, but the pleasure felt too intense.
“Should I stop?”A coy note vibrated in her voice as she asked the question.
“For fuck’s sake, no. Don’t ever stop.”
She laughed, her breath warm on his skin. He was torn between simply grabbing her or letting the scene play out and see just where she intended to go with it.
He wasn’t disappointed. Her lips and tongue danced over his skin, burning a path over his abs, and then lower. The feel of her hand sliding into his pants, caressing the rigid length of his cock was both heaven and hell. It felt so good, but it only made him want more.
Slowly, each movement designed to enflame him all the more, she parted the fabric until his cock was bared.
The cool air of the room on his skin contrasted with the warmth of her touch.
While she moved between his thighs, he could see the soft mounds of her breasts, framed by pink satin and lace, as she leaned over him. Her hair brushed against his stomach, the soft slide of it over his skin adding a new dimension to the pleasure.
He knew what she was doing her intent written on her face. Watching her soft pink tongue dart over her full lips, moistening them, as she hovered over his cock, had him gritting his teeth.
Anticipation could be a powerful aphrodisiac.
“Libby.” Her name sounded like part curse, part plea, and he didn’t care if she knew it. Tunneling his fingers into the tangled waves of her glorious hair, he tugged her head lower, a silent plea for her to relieve the ache she’d created.
Kept By Casanova (Casanova Series) Page 4
