by Elle James
He raised his hands. “Oh, no. Thank you. That’s not necessary. I understood this place to only serve breakfast.”
“I made extra. It’s no problem.” She left before he could protest further.
On the one hand, he was glad she’d left. On the other, he knew she’d be back, and he couldn’t let her find the woman in the bed.
Quickly, he threw the pillows into the bathtub and then carried the woman into the ensuite and laid her on them.
Right as Sam pulled the curtain around the bathtub, the landlady sailed into his little apartment carrying a tray filled with a casserole, two plates, a green salad, a teapot and cups.
“I eat with you. No?” She smiled at him. “Plenty food.”
He couldn’t say no, not without offending the older woman.
As she set the tray on the little table in the middle of the room, liquid splashed out of the teapot.
“I clean.” She hurried toward the bathroom.
Damn, damn, damn.
Sam hurried after her, but he wasn’t quick enough to head her off before she made it to the bathroom. For an older woman, she was fast.
The little Greek woman swept in, grabbed a washcloth off the counter, wet it in the sink and started back toward the sitting area.
A soft moan sounded from the bathtub.
Sam’s heart pounded, and he made a matching moaning sound to cover the first one. For good measure, he patted his stomach. “Your moussaka smells good enough to eat.” He smiled, took the woman’s arm and led her back into the main room, shutting the bathroom door behind her.
Once he had her seated at the little table, he didn’t wait for her to serve the food. Instead, he cut out a small portion from the casserole dish and slid it onto one of the empty plates. He set that plate in front of Mrs. D. “Don’t wait on me. Eat,” he encouraged.
The woman gave him a weak smile and looked around with a frown, as if she wasn’t sure what to do if she wasn’t doing the serving.
Sam slapped a scoop of the Greek dish on his plate, grabbed his fork and dug in, his ears pricked for noise from the bathroom
This nightmare of a vacation couldn’t get worse, could it? He hated to ask what next. Instead, he sat on the edge of his seat, waiting for the woman in the bathtub to scream and bring down the wrath of Mrs. D and the Santorini police department on his head.
By the time he’d choked down the moussaka, which actually melted in his mouth in a delightful explosion of flavors, and downed a cup of strong tea, his nerves were stretched so thin he thought he might snap before Mrs. D left the room.
The landlady motioned toward the casserole dish. “I will leave some with you in case you are hungry later.”
“The food was excellent. Thank you,” he said and meant it. He’d been hungry earlier, but the stress of worrying about the woman in the bathtub and Mrs. Demopolis discovering her killed the majority of his appetite.
Mrs. D scooped a portion onto a plate, covered it with a cloth napkin and set it on the table. “Thank you for allowing me to share my food with you.”
“No, ma’am. I should be thanking you.”
She patted his cheek. “Such a handsome man. Wish that I were thirty years younger…” She laughed and carried the tray out of the room. “Kalinychta,” she said. “Goodnight.”
Sam shut the door and leaned his forehead against the wood paneling, listening for the sound of Mrs. D’s disappearing footsteps and the soft click of her door closing.
Immediately, he carried a chair to the door and shoved it beneath the doorknob.
Only then did he run for the bathroom, throw open the door and fling back the curtain.
The bathtub was empty.
3
Kinsey struggled upward as if swimming from the bottom of the deepest, darkest ocean to the surface. When she finally found the energy to lift her eyelids she stared up, not at sunlight but the soft glow of a light fixture overhead.
She glanced around, her arms touching a cool, smooth surface, her body lying on something soft. A curtain surrounded her on one side and white tile on the other three. Unable grasp the significance, she stared up at a curious, shiny fixture. A showerhead?
She was lying in a bathtub, her body barely functioning and her limbs lead weights. What the hell had happened? Then, as slowly as she’d come to understand she was in a bathtub, she remembered the two men on the stairs between the buildings and the fight she’d put up until one had pressed a rag to her mouth and nose.
They drugged me.
Her pulse raced, but she couldn’t react as fast as she wanted. The soft hum of voices sounded from somewhere nearby. Were her captors in the other room, waiting to perform whatever dastardly deed they had planned?
Kinsey made a mental evaluation of her physical condition. She still wore the same dress she’d had on earlier. The garment wasn’t torn or soiled. Her shoes were gone, but that could have happened in the scuffle. As far as she could tell, she hadn’t been undressed or raped. But that didn’t guarantee the dreaded act wouldn’t happen if she didn’t get herself up and out of the bathtub and whatever building they held her in.
Slowly, her ability to govern her own movement returned and she could wiggle her toes. Then her fingers, and finally lift her arms and legs. She pushed to a sitting position and listened.
She could make out the sound of a woman’s voice and that of a man. If she called out, would the woman come to her rescue, or was the female part of this abduction?
Kinsey yanked back the curtain, gripped the side of the bathtub and pulled herself out, slumping onto the floor. She lay for a moment, her face pressed to the smooth tile, willing her muscles to respond.
From the sounds outside the door, someone was leaving. If she wanted to get out of there, she’d have to make a move.
She pushed to her hands and knees, her head spinning and her stomach churning. When the room quit revolving, she crawled to the sink, reached up, grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled herself up to stand.
The gray fog swept in around her vision, threatening to send her back to the black abyss. Kinsey blinked several times and focused on the shiny faucet. Don’t pass out!
She searched the immediate vicinity for anything she could use as a weapon, her gaze landing on a brand new bar of soap. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could get her hands on in a hurry. She quickly closed the shower curtain, grabbed the bar and slid into the corner behind the door as footsteps sounded, moving in her direction.
Kinsey dragged in deep breaths, her heart racing, her legs barely steady enough to hold her upright.
The door swung open, almost slamming into her before she stopped it with one hand.
A man appeared in front of her, swept aside the shower curtain and stared down at the bathtub where she’d been lying moments before.
Now was her moment. If she could hit him hard enough, she might knock him out and have enough time to make a run for it.
She swung her arm as hard as she could, which wasn’t much, considering she could barely stand. The soap bar connected with the man’s temple.
He staggered forward, grabbing air in a desperate attempt to latch onto something to break his fall. His fingers tangled into the shower curtain, and he tumbled into the bathtub, landing on the pillows.
Kinsey pushed away from the wall and staggered out of the bathroom into a room with a queen-sized bed, a small table and an armchair. Her gaze darted left and right, looking for the second man of the two who’d accosted her in the alley.
The room was empty but for the man she’d clobbered in the bathtub.
Her momentum carried her clumsily toward the door. She reached for the knob, but a hand clamped down over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her body, trapping her own arms to her sides. He wasn’t as burly as the first guy who’d grabbed her. This man was lean and muscular, but too strong for Kinsey to break free of.
She tried to scream, the only sound coming out as a pathetic hum that wouldn’t be heard pa
st the wooden panel of the door.
“Don’t scream, and I’ll let you go.”
A deep, resonant voice said against her ear.
“I promise. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Kinsey froze, bunching her muscles in case she got another chance to make a run for it.
“Do you promise not to scream?” he asked.
His breath brushed warm on her neck. She nodded, gathering a deep breath to prepare for the mother of all screams.
“And don’t rush out of the room. The landlady will kick me out, and I don’t relish the idea of finding another place to stay this late at night. Promise you won’t run out of here and make a lot of noise?”
Again, she didn’t have much of a choice. She nodded and waited, her pulse pounding so loud against her eardrums she could barely hear herself think.
Then he released her mouth, dropped his arms from around her and stepped away.
Her pulse leaped and Kinsey grabbed for the doorknob.
“Please. Just be quiet when you leave,” he whispered.
Anger blasted through Kinsey. She might be gullible for believing he would release her so easily, but she wouldn’t let the bastard get away with scaring the crap out of her without getting a piece of her mind. She spun and faced the antagonist. “Why the hell did you drug me, if you’re just letting me go anyway?”
The man took another step backward and held up both hands. “Look, lady, I wasn’t the one who drugged you, or was making off with you into the night. I just happened by and stopped the two guys who had you from taking you to who knows where.”
Kinsey frowned. He sounded American and he was really handsome, but that didn’t make him trustworthy or her friend. “Why should I believe you?”
He laughed. “Don’t believe me. But, please, leave. I’ve had enough drama for one day.”
She turned and placed her hand on the doorknob again. “You’re not stopping me?”
“No.” He waved at the small room. “I didn’t want to bring you here in the first place.”
“Then why did you?” she asked, her back to him, her body braced and ready to yank open the door and run, if he attacked.
“I couldn’t leave you lying on the steps. Those goons might have come back and collected you after I left. I didn’t get this bruised cheek just to let them pick up where they left off.”
She glanced over her shoulder and studied him. Though she didn’t want to trust him, his words and voice sounded sincere.
He touched a hand to the side of his face where a purple smudge was just beginning to show.
The man had hair the color of glossy coal and eyes as blue as the Mediterranean Sea. He was ruggedly handsome, with the shadow of a beard darkening his chin. “They hit you?”
He shrugged. “One of them got in a couple of punches, but I left them both hurting.”
“Why would they attack me?”
The man rolled his eyes. “Really? A lone female walking around at night? Are you that dumb?”
Kinsey glared at the man. She felt stupid for going out at night alone, but this man had no right to call her dumb. “I was late to meet my employers at a restaurant.” Her eyes widened. “What time is it?”
“After ten thirty.”
“I was supposed to be there at eight. I was out for that long?” She wondered if the Martins were looking for her.
“Yeah. The landlady invited herself to share her dinner with me while you were sleeping it off in the bathroom.”
“In the bathtub. What’s with that? Why did you ditch me in a tub?”
He snorted. “How was I supposed to explain an unconscious woman in my bed to the lady renting me this room?”
Kinsey crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you take me to a hospital?”
He shook his head and planted his hands on his hips. “Again, how was I supposed to explain to the authorities why I was carrying around an unconscious woman?”
She flung her hands in the air. “I could have been dying, and you refused to take me to seek medical attention?”
“Calm down. You weren’t in any physical distress. I checked for a pulse. You were breathing fine. I figured those men must have drugged you.”
Kinsey pressed a hand to her mouth and her stomach roiled. “They shoved a sweet-smelling cloth in my face, and I blacked out.”
“There you go. You were unconscious. I fought them off and then I was stuck with you until you came to.” He walked toward her.
Kinsey gasped and shrank against the door. “What are you doing?”
“I’m opening the door so you can leave. I didn’t want you here in the first place.”
Her back stiffened. “Well, you don’t have to be so rude about it. I didn’t ask to be abducted.”
“Then we agree, the sooner you and I part, the better.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Just keep it quiet leaving. I don’t want Mrs. Demopolis to get the idea I have a woman in my room.”
“Do you do that often?” Kinsey asked, lowering her voice.
“I got here today. Since then, I’ve barely had two minutes to myself.”
“Let me remedy the situation.” She raised her eyebrows. “If you’ll open the door, and tell me exactly where I am, I’ll be on my way.” She tried to sound confident, even though she had no idea which side of the island she was on. Or if she was even on the same island.
He nodded toward her feet. “Are you okay with going back to your room barefoot?”
“I’ll be fine. Most of the steps around here are stone. I haven’t seen too much gravel.”
“Then by all means…” The man opened the door and waved an arm toward the corridor. “Hasta la vista.”
Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. “You’re in Greece, not Spain or Mexico.”
“Since we’re both American, does it matter?”
She laughed. “Not really.” Kinsey touched a finger to her temple in a mock salute. “Thank you for rescuing me.” But she didn’t step out of the door. Her feet wouldn’t budge from where they were on the room side of the threshold.
Her knees wobbled then her entire body shook.
“The door’s open,” the man said and waved her toward the exit again.
“I know. I’m going.” She tried to lift her foot, but she couldn’t. The thought of stepping out into the night paralyzed her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “You haven’t told me where I am, and…I can’t seem to move past the door.”
The man drew in a deep breath and let it out. “I guess I can’t blame you. After being attacked in the dark, I’d be afraid of venturing out on my own. Come on.” He hooked her elbow in his hand. “I’ll walk you back to wherever you’re staying.”
This time, her feet left the floor and she was able to step over the threshold into the corridor on the other side.
Her rescuer pressed a finger to his lips, tiptoed past the next door down the hallway and pushed through another door to the outside.
Once out in the open, Kinsey glanced around, her stomach knotting. She didn’t recognize any of the buildings. But then, they were tightly packed against the hillside and all looked the same in the darkness—white with blue-tiled roofs.
“I don’t know why I should trust you,” she said as she walked alongside him. “I don’t even know your name. All I know is that you’re American. But I’ve met a lot of American men I wouldn’t trust with my best friend, or worst enemy.”
He laughed. “My name is Sam. You have no reason to trust me, other than I saved you from two men who seemed bent on taking you somewhere against your will.”
Kinsey stumbled on the next step. She was glad Sam still had his hand on her elbow to steady her. Her legs weren’t quite as trustworthy as she needed them to be on the hills. “I wonder where they were taking me?”
Sam’s grip on her arm tightened. “I don’t know.”
“And I don’t want to find out.” She glanced up a
t him. “By the way, my name is Kinsey Phillips.”
She shivered in the cool night air, realizing for the first time that she’d lost her light shawl in her fight with the two men. “I’m not sure where we are.”
“Do you remember the name of your hotel?”
“Porto Takisi.”
“I passed that coming in today. It shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“Easy for you to say. You arrived here with your eyes open.” When she thought about it, the evening could have ended on a much worse note.
“You have a point. You’re in luck. I’m pretty good at land navigation.”
She glanced sideways. He carried himself with the pride and bearing of someone who’d known military service. “Were you in the Army?”
He smiled. “Why do you ask?”
She shrugged then focused on the path ahead and avoiding small pebbles. “Just the way you talk and the way you carry yourself.”
He didn’t say anything for a few more steps. “Yes, I was in the Army.”
She nodded. “Infantry?”
“Aviation.”
A pebble dug into the tender area of her instep, and she dipped low, taking the weight off that foot.
“Find a rock?” he asked.
“Yes, a little one.” She straightened and forced a smile to her lips. “I’m fine.”
“Like hell, you are.”
Before she could utter a protest, Sam lifted her into his arms.
“You can’t carry me all the way to my hotel. That’s just crazy.” She slung an arm around his neck to ease the burden on his arms. She would never admit it aloud, but she liked that he lifted her so easily. And his hard body felt good against her softer one. Her attraction to him shocked her. “Put me down.”
“I will,” he said, but belied his words by continuing along his way. “When we get there.”
“You’ll hurt your back.”
“Will you talk my ear off?”
“Maybe,” she said, holding her dress close to her thigh. “If you don’t let me walk on my own two feet.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” He set her on her feet. “We’re here.” He turned her around and pointed toward the hotel.
