“Oh, that’s so much better,” Denise said with a haughty laugh. “What are you going to tell people?”
“Why don’t you let me worry about that? You just get her friend downstairs unnoticed.”
He stroked away a tear from Joanna’s cheek with the back of his knuckle and then began to remove the tape from her mouth. “How did you end up here?”
She let out a whimper as the tape came off, taking several tiny hairs and skin along with it.
“Sorry about that.” He gently cupped her face in his hands. “Now, why did you come?”
“Sam. I came to get Sam.” Foreboding, as cold and piercing as sub-zero temperatures, settled into her soul. “Please let her go. I promise I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t hurt Sam.”
“Sam. Of course. I should’ve known you’d be looking for her. But she was about to jeopardize everything.”
The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She licked her raw lips, had trouble swallowing. “Who are you?”
“You’ll know soon enough.” Joanna’s blood iced over as his voice cracked.
She thought hard about her options. In her current position, it wouldn’t be too hard to kick him where it hurt. But knocked out cold, she’d be little help to anyone. Think. Damn it. Think. Alert and walking, she might be able to warn someone without him knowing. Leave some kind of clue behind.
“Do you have all your things together, Denise? We can’t afford another screwup.”
“Everything’s right here.” A waft of Denise’s strong perfume crossed in front of Joanna as the woman picked up something off the bed, the sound of plastic crinkling in front of Joanna’s face. “Almost had me, doll.”
The wine glass. So she’d been the one to lure Sam here—she’d probably seen her give the glass to Sam last night and intercepted her friend before she could get back to Joanna with the results.
The man stood in front of her and gently groomed her hair from her face, moving the longer sections behind her shoulders. “When Frank gets here, let him in. Take care of Sam and then head to the lobby. I’ll meet you at the side entrance and follow you to the airport.”
Worry and disgust shot through Joanna. She didn’t want to leave with this strange man. Didn’t want him to touch her.
“Now, let’s get going.” He shifted beside her, his hand urging her to lift her arm. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
Hesitantly, she slid her arm into his, hating the feel of his body next to hers, but afraid to set him off. He smelled so much like Denise’s perfume, she wondered if he’d sprayed himself with it to keep his identity hidden.
“Very nice.” With a gentle tug, he pulled her forward. “We will be good together. You’ll see.”
Together? The huge swell of alarm in her throat threatened to cut off her air supply. This development changed everything.
Her former employees had both flirted with her over the past year, but she’d never taken their interest seriously. Toby inviting her to his sister’s wedding had been to keep his mother off his case, or so he said. Nothing more. She’d gone along as a friend, and they’d had a nice time. He hadn’t acted weird or tried anything. But who else could it be?
Jerry was in his late forties. He knew how she felt about the age difference between Denise and her father. So that would be all kinds of creepy. And she didn’t have any prior boyfriends carrying a torch for her. At least none she knew of. Shoot, most never called her back after the first date.
The man tugged her forward. “Don’t waste time,” he said as they passed Denise and entered the hallway. “I don’t want to draw too much attention while we wait for you.”
The sound of the door closed behind them, and her thoughts sped to Sam. She didn’t want to leave her friend with this crazy woman. Despite this man’s orders or threats, she wouldn’t put it past Denise to hurt Sam just to spite her.
“Can’t we stay and wait until your friend gets here with the cart? I’m not sure—”
He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked down the hallway and then stopped, waited. “Frank will keep Denise in line. He knows what to do.”
Her heart raced so fast she could barely inhale.
“After you,” he said when the elevator doors opened, guiding her inside with his arm. “Remember, no funny stuff. Or I’ll have to go against my promise.”
She turned toward where she thought he was, confused.
“I’ll have to hurt Sam.” All traces of gentleness faded. “One call. That’s all it’ll take.”
She gritted her teeth, wishing she could cut through his disguised tone and figure out who this was for sure. He sounded almost robotic the way he kept trying to change his voice and keep her in the dark.
Turmoil crowded her chest as the doors slid closed. Toby just didn’t seem capable of something like this. The truth was, she dealt with so many different people during the course of her job, strangers really, it could be anybody. Deep down she wanted it to be someone else. The fact that this man knew about her father’s formula narrowed it down some. Maybe it was someone he’d worked with. Someone not happy about his success and willing to ransom her to get the formula.
The elevator stopped on the next floor down, and several people got in, moving to the back.
“Eye surgery’s a bitch,” her abductor told them, pulling her closer to his side and placing a kiss on her cheek.
Her skin recoiled.
Several mumbles of agreement and she bowed her head, knowing they’d bought into his lie. With an image of the gun plastered in her head as it poked into her ribcage, she fought back the tears. She couldn’t risk it. Say anything. Do anything. No doubt he’d hurt these innocent people in a heartbeat. Fingers in tight fists by her sides, she edged her body into the corner against the cool metal wall away from him and thought about what lay in store for her after they left the building.
Terror consumed every pore.
Chapter Eight
Ryker lay in the back of the van, planning his next move. They’d stopped briefly, and the driver got out, the man who’d pretended to be the hotel clerk taking his place behind the wheel. No words were exchanged, and Ryker went over his options. Not only had these lowlifes relieved him of his weapon, but his cell phone and radio as well.
Minutes later the van pulled to a stop in a darkened area, and the clerk put the vehicle in park. “I’ll be back to deal with you later, asshole.” The man snickered as he exited the vehicle, closing the door behind him. The idiot had no idea Ryker had managed to free one of his hands. Now he just needed to wait. Figure out their next move. If it involved Jo Jo, he needed to play it safe.
Due to the low light streaming in the front windows and the cement walls, they’d probably pulled into a parking garage, but that could be any number of places in downtown Houston.
He waited for the man’s footsteps to fade before he sat straight up, pushing the heavy, smelly bags off his body. With one move, he freed his other hand, tossing the rope to the far end of the van. Then he rolled his shoulder. It hurt like shit but wasn’t dislocated. A point in his favor.
He glanced out the front window. Sure enough, they were in a garage. Several black Lincolns lined one wall with The Ashton Grande marque scrawled across the side. Well, son of a bitch. The hotel Sam called from. Maneuvering to his knees, he searched the area for signs of either of the men.
An elevator chimed off to the right of the vehicle, and he caught a glimpse of the hotel clerk just as he stepped inside, pushing a laundry cart in front of him. Where the hell did that come from? They must have stashed it prior to their arrival. Hurriedly, he exited the van and made his way over to the bank of elevators, watching the numbers at the top of the doors as it ascended.
The number five lit up, and the progression stopped.
Fifth floor. But Sam had said room 618? Shit…what the hell did that mean?
He had a decision to make: wait for them to return or head up after them and try and catch them off guard. He s
earched the parking area for a phone. Damn. Nothing. He needed backup.
The light hovered for several minutes on the floor then started its way down again. Fourth floor, third floor, second floor. Looks like his decision was made for him.
Slipping behind a concrete column, he waited for the doors to open.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as the seconds ticked off on his watch.
Finally, the elevator chimed, signaling its arrival.
He stiffened. Readied to attack.
A man’s voice drifted out of the doors before they fully opened, and Ryker recognized it immediately as the driver’s. Wait for it. Wait for—
“You’ll see. Everything is going to be just fine, sweetheart.”
Ryker blinked back the confusion as a woman exited first, a weird getup on her head. He leaned in closer for a better look.
Jo Jo? What the hell?
His first instinct to react was put on hold the minute he saw the gun in the man’s hand. It wasn’t pointed at her, but her arms were wrapped tight around her, her knuckles white from the pressure of her grip as the man led her forward. One false move on his part and she’d be in danger.
“Where are we going?” Jo Jo asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
The man laughed, and she bowed her head. Ryker had never seen her look so defeated.
So did she know this man? He had the same lanky build as one of the members of her crew he’d questioned back at the station. Damn. He needed a better view. But no matter what he did, Ryker couldn’t see the man’s face from behind the pillar. He didn’t dare shift his position. Instead, he watched and waited for the upper hand.
The pair moved down the rows of cars toward the van, and Ryker worried what the man would do when he discovered he’d escaped.
But the gunman stopped Jo Jo behind a black sports car three cars from the van.
Another getaway car? These guys weren’t messing around. They had a well-thought-out and planned escape route. Clearly not your average scum.
The car’s lights blinked, and a sound signaling the disarming of the alarm followed.
“After you, sweetheart,” the man said to Jo Jo as he opened the passenger side door and helped her inside.
“Don’t call me that.” She sounded angry, but when she glanced over her shoulder in Ryker’s direction, her expression tore at his soul. Even with the blindfold and sunglasses, he saw it. Pure terror. He wanted nothing more than to charge out from his hiding place and rescue her. But the gun in the man’s hand kept him immobile.
“At least tell me why you’re doing this. You owe me that.”
Ryker’s skin prickled.
Had he heard right?
“If it weren’t for you, I’d be locked up somewhere. You gave my life purpose. Knowing we’d be together someday kept me going. I’ve been planning our future together for a long time. Getting things set up so we never have to count on anyone else ever again.”
Their future together? Heat radiated up his chest. Moving as close to the edge of the barrier as he could without being seen, he strained through the dim light to identify the man with Jo Jo.
Her abductor kept the back of his head toward Ryker as he moved around the car. No shitting way. Come on. Give me something.
The man walked to the back of the car where he stopped to check something in the trunk. And that’s when Ryker got a side view of his face.
Ryker studied him, recognition of a different kind tugging at his brain. With this man’s current crew cut and five o’clock shadow, he looked an awful lot like the photo he’d seen of the Senator’s nephew. His earlier suspicions ran wild through his head, but after what happened during his time at HPD, he couldn’t say a word, level an accusation, until he knew for sure.
His gaze drifted back to Jo Jo. Did she know him? If she did, that might be why he’d blindfolded her. To keep his identity hidden.
Ryker felt like he’d bust a gut.
There was little he could do at this point.
Getting himself killed wouldn’t help her or anyone.
He needed time. Damn it. A distraction.
Looking back at the elevators he smiled.
Bingo.
Waiting until the man slipped behind the wheel and closed his door, Ryker leaped forward and pulled the switch for the fire alarm.
The ear piercing sound blasted through the garage, bouncing off his bones and echoing through his brain.
But the threat of fire didn’t have them running from the car for the nearest exit like he’d hoped. Instead, the man revved his engine, pulled out of the parking space, and started the long, winding journey toward the exit on the far side of the garage. An exit to the main street sat not twenty feet from where the car had been parked. Not a smart move if there were a real fire. What the hell was the asshole thinking?
Hovering low behind the rows of cars, he followed along, hoping to get his chance to intervene before they reached the street. There was no way he’d let the man leave with Jo Jo.
Hurry. Damn it. Hurry.
Just before the car made the last turn, several red fire engines pulled up, completely blocking the opening to the garage. The car stopped, backed up as the firefighters made their way into the garage on foot toward him.
A big firefighter, decked out in all his gear, pounded on the driver’s window. “You two need to get outside, sir. Leave the car.”
The man rolled down the window, irritation clear in the weird pitch of his voice. “Come on. I was trying to get out. If you’ll move the fire truck, we’ll be on our way. We’re going to be late for her doctor’s appointment.”
“Call a taxi. The truck stays put. I advise you to park your fancy sports car and exit on foot ASAP.”
Damn. Ryker wondered how he’d explain Jo Jo’s odd appearance. So much for the fireman thinking something was off. Adrenaline in high gear, he moved toward the bank of cars close to where the car idled in the middle of the aisle. He tried to keep out of range of the rearview mirror. The minute Jo Jo exited the vehicle he was getting her to safety.
He had one shot.
At the shrill sound of the alarm, Joanna’s heart leaped to her throat. As if things weren’t bad enough, of course there’d be a fire. She reached for the car’s handle, not caring she couldn’t see what lay behind the door. Once free she’d discard the scarf and run like hell.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Her abductor’s fingers laced around her left wrist.
“He said we have to get out of the car. If there’s a fire, we need to get out of here.”
A raspy sigh followed. “I don’t see or smell smoke. Do you? It’s probably nothing.”
“I don’t care. I’m not sticking around to find out. You can stay in the car, but I’m not.” She yanked her hand free from his, grasped the door handle tight and pulled, praying he didn’t shoot her right there.
As the car door swung back against its hinges, a rough hand closed around her upper arm. Before she knew what had happened, she’d been ripped from the car and yanked off her feet. Strong arms closed around her middle. They hit the ground hard, but the masculine body below hers took most of the impact.
Shaking her head to get her bearings, she rolled off of the man. Where was her abductor? The gun?
“Get down!” the man who’d pulled her from the car ordered, his voice rough.
Nodding like her life depended on it, she did as he instructed.
And then she heard the unnatural pitch of the man who’d tried to kidnap her call, “This isn’t over, Joanna. I’ll be back for you. I promise.” A car door slammed, and heavy footsteps thundered away in the opposite direction.
“No,” she whispered, breathless. Her chest constricted. He was getting away. She couldn’t let him make that phone call.
“Sam!” She pushed against the broad expanse of her rescuer’s solid chest, trying to get her balance. “I have to help Sam.”
“Miss McNamee
. Wait.”
The minute he said her name, she knew his identity. More in control of her actions, she ripped off the sunglasses and blindfold, staring in awe. “It’s you? How did you—?” Her heart fell right to her Jimmy Choo’s. A bloody mess had replaced the handsome face that had been perfectly mind-blowing only hours before. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s get you out of here, and I’ll explain everything.”
“I’m not leaving without Sam. That lunatic has her. He’s going to call Denise. And Denise is planning to marry my father. They’re going to kill Sam! And probably my father, too.”
“Whoa. One thing at a time.” He helped her stand. “Where is she?”
“Room 513. They drugged her. She was passed out on the floor, but a man was coming for her. They’re going to put her in a laundry cart and take her somewhere else. Or dump her body.” Her voice shook.
“Okay, breathe. We can’t have you passing out. This place is covered with law enforcement now. They’d have to be stupid to make any moves now.”
She paused, glanced around, and inhaled deeply, the smell of exhaust and cool concrete reminding her how much she hated garages, with their low ceilings and claustrophobic feel. At least ten firemen searched the area for signs of a fire. And she could still hear the alarm blaring overhead as more law enforcement arrived on the scene. But none of that pacified her fears.
“What about the fire? We need to find her.” Vision almost normal now, she pushed away from him and headed for the nearest exit, but had to stop after several steps to right herself before continuing. Stupid drug. Didn’t he get it? They were wasting precious time.
“It’s a false alarm.” Grabbing the scarf and glasses off the ground, he hurried behind her, stopping when they reached the sidewalk to wipe off the dirt and grime from his dark pants. “We will find your friend. Promise.”
“False alarm?” She eyed him sideways, confused by how he could be so sure. He nodded offering her his arm.
Determined to walk on her own, she shook her head. As they started back toward the front entrance of the hotel, the urge to run and leave his slowpoke hide behind was suppressed only by his claim there was no fire and fear the effects of the drug might have her needing his support whether she liked it or not. The idea that something else might be going on, not to mention she didn’t know where her kidnapper had run off to, kept her glued to his side for protection.
Sinful Secrets Page 8
