Shelby picked up her glass of iced tea. “If he was wrapped around my little finger, he wouldn’t have gone on this last trip.”
“How dare the man!” her friend drawled. “To think he would fly off on business when he could be home catering to your every whim! The man should be shot!” she declared, with her usual dramatic flair.
Shelby sat up and swung her legs around so she could better see her friend. “Not cute, Mer.” She used the nickname she’d given her the first day they’d met, back in kindergarten. “Ever since I can remember, my father has had to travel for his business. It seems owning an import/export firm means you’re not allowed to stay home a lot. He cut back on his traveling for a while after Mom’s death, but soon he was gone more than he was home.” She frowned as she thought about those empty years. “I’m officially over thirty. I’m finding out I need more.”
“Aren’t we all?” Meredith said. When Shelby shot her a quelling glare, she quickly raised her hands in surrender. “All right, I’ll behave, but do you see me complaining about my biological clock ticking? Still, it might have something to do with my always hitting the snooze button on that little bugger.”
“That’s because you’re always having to make up your mind between two or three men. I want just one.”
“Meaning you want Jed Hawkins’s ring on your third finger, left hand?” Meredith gave her friend a look filled with sympathy. “Oh, honey, from that first meeting you should have known he was not the commitment type. The sparks striking off the two of you might have been able to start a major forest fire, but that didn’t mean he’d stay around to keep it going. That’s why he enjoys all that travel. Didn’t you tell me his apartment looks more like a hotel suite than a home? That alone says a lot about his personality.” She reached across the space separating the two lounges and placed her hand on Shelby’s arm. “I have an idea. The last thing we need is to sit here and turn maudlin with all this talk about men. Why don’t we think about flying down to Cancun? Or even New York for some serious shopping. The best way to mend a broken heart is to spend lots of money. New clothes to go with that new look of yours.” She stared at her friend. “You know, I still can’t get used to your hair.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Since high school you’ve only had trims.”
Shelby appeared uncertain as she reached up and touched the tousled strands. Hair that had been a shimmering, fiery waterfall down her back now barely touched her neck. Today, it was pulled up into a short ponytail. She didn’t want to think it was shorter than Jed’s. Nor remember how he loved to comb his fingers through her hair as he made love to her. Just the thought of how it felt when he possessed her was enough to send shivers through her body.
“I decided it was time to get it cut short. Besides, it’s easier to take care of,” she argued.
“I have to admit the style is cute on you. It’ll just take getting used to,” Meredith continued. “That settles it. You need a new wardrobe to go with the new hair! Wouldn’t a marathon shopping spree in the big city be fun? We could even take in a few shows.”
“But I like the solitude here…” Shelby protested. Her words drifted off as she peered past Meredith’s shoulder, her forehead furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” Meredith twisted around, but saw only rows of trees and a boathouse down by the small lake. Since her father enjoyed fishing, a motorboat was kept in the boathouse year-round.
Shelby shook her head. “Nothing, I guess. Maybe it was just a reflection from the water. For a moment I could have sworn I saw someone among the trees on the other side of the lake.”
“We see the occasional hikers, since there’s a good trail not far from here, but they’ve never come too close,” Meredith replied. “We’ve been lucky that no one’s ever broken into the cabin in all these years. All right, if you want to stay here and vegetate, we’ll turn into literal porch potatoes. I just hope when we get back you’ll remember to withstand Jed’s lethal charm when he comes after you. And he will. I can’t imagine he’s going to let you go that easily.”
“I made Daddy promise not to tell him where I was, and one thing he does is keep his promises. Besides, he knows what would happen to him if he did tell Jed. As for Jed, why would he bother to waste his time coming after a woman who basically dumped him?” Shelby hitched up her shorts to gain maximum tanning rays on her legs. “He has too much pride for that. He’ll just go on and find someone new.” She ignored the pang deep in her stomach at the idea of Jed with another woman.
Meredith’s eyes widened as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh, Shel, you’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Unfortunately.”
Her friend shook her head. “If love makes a body that miserable, I’m better off falling in and out of love at the drop of a hat. At least I’m not risking anything.”
“Yes, but you don’t feel you’re truly alive until you’ve experienced the real thing,” Shelby whispered.
“Now I know I’ll pass on that experience, thank you very much. No offense, Shel, but the man is so controlled it’s as if he doesn’t have a nerve in his body. Although, there must be one good nerve or you wouldn’t still be hung up on him.” She shot her friend a sly look, then continued, “But no matter how much heat he generates with a single glance, it’s as if he holds something back.”
Shelby nodded. “He holds back a good part of himself. And yes, he keeps himself very controlled. Yet sometimes I would get this very brief glimpse of something deep down and I’d always hope and pray I’d see more of that hidden part of him.” She looked thoughtful. “I don’t feel I was being greedy in wanting all of him.”
“True. Not when you’re talking about someone who looks like him.” Meredith affected a delicious shudder. “Those gorgeous eyes of his seem to look at a woman and know all her secrets.”
“While making sure not to give away any of his own,” Shelby murmured, feeling a familiar pain in the region of her heart. She suddenly straightened. “You know what I would like, Mer?” She didn’t bother waiting for a reply. “I would like to see Jed lose that icy control just once. I want him to turn into a wild man. You know the kind I mean—a primitive who throws me over his shoulder and carries me off to his cave to have his way with me.”
Meredith chuckled. “Oh, right, the ice man will lose all that iron control of his and turn into the ultimate barbarian. You know very well that if Jed tried anything like that you’d fillet him with words.”
Shelby dropped back against the chaise. “Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn’t,” she said softly. “I’d sure like the chance to find out.”
When they went inside the cabin an hour later, Shelby couldn’t stop herself from glancing over her shoulder toward the stand of trees near the lake. For a moment, she thought she saw something silver wink at her. She knew if she said anything to Meredith her friend would just scoff and say it was a gum wrapper on the ground. Shelby wasn’t as certain it could be dismissed so easily.
She was just feeling paranoid, she told herself. After all, why would anyone want to watch them?
The ear-splitting sound of the alarm blared overhead as the front door of the cabin exploded inward. Shelby scrambled out of bed in time to see a figure rush along the dark hallway. Harsh orders were issued, strict commands that they stay quiet and not give any trouble if they wanted to stay alive.
“Who the hell are you?” Meredith shrieked just as Shelby ran out of her room. Shelby looked down the hall to see her friend struggling with a man. The sound of a hand striking skin was followed by Meredith’s pain-filled cry. A thud was the last sound Shelby heard her make.
“Meredith!” she screamed, as the figure turned on her. “You son of a bitch!” She lashed out, punching and kicking with every ounce of energy in her body. Judging from his curses, she connected a few times. “Let me go!” When he covered her mouth with his hand, she wrenched her head back and let loose an ear-splitting scream.
Before Shelby could fight anymo
re, she found her hands painfully wrenched behind her back and tied with a piece of rough rope that chafed her wrists.
“Hey, girlie, you’re a real pretty one. Not like that other broad,” a raspy male voice breathed in her ear. “You got class. I can tell. Always wanted me a woman with class. I hear you classy ones are real hot in the sack. I can’t wait to find out.”
Shelby fought down the panic that desperately tried to claw its way free as she visualized her fate with this man. Along with the panic came nausea as foul breath coupled with even worse body odor attacked her senses. She thanked her stars she didn’t vomit when a smelly cloth was jammed in her mouth and tied behind her head. When her legs collapsed and she fell to the floor, she was roughly dragged to her feet and pushed down the hallway. Shelby silently prayed that he wouldn’t drag her back into her bedroom. Shelby’s imagination ran wild with worst case scenarios as she stumbled when he pushed her again. As she was pulled past the open doorway to Meredith’s room, where a bedside lamp glowed, she saw her friend lying on the floor. Shelby almost screamed when she saw blood forming a dark pool around her head.
Spots danced before Shelby’s eyes as she felt her own body start to shut down.
“Now don’t you think about passing out, cuz I sure don’t intend to carry you,” the man rasped in her ear. Suddenly, he shouted, “Andy, are you back downstairs yet to see what they got?”
“Yeah. And I found a coupla high-powered rifles, plenty of ammo and lots of food in the kitchen! I found a bunch of other stuff we can use. Uncle Eric’s gonna be real happy with what we got here, Chris.”
Shelby didn’t want to hear names. She didn’t want to know what the men looked like. She only wanted them to take whatever they wanted and leave her alone. The image of Meredith lying helpless in her bedroom filled Shelby with dread. She didn’t want to think the worst about her friend’s condition.
“Yeah, well, look what I found.” The man called Chris pushed her so hard, she stumbled down the stairs.
Shelby was grateful she was wearing shorty pajamas instead of a revealing nightgown.
“Wow! She’s really pretty!” The other man stood at the foot of the stairs and looked up.
Shelby’s spirits sank even further as, in the light of the small lamp near the front door, she got a good look at the two men.
They could have been twins. Both had dark hair, greasy and dirty, hanging to their shoulders, and beards that looked moth-eaten. The ragged overalls they wore without shirts were as dirty as they themselves were, although their hiking boots looked expensive. She wondered where they had stolen them from.
“Uncle Eric’s gonna be real happy we found someone pretty like her. The last one wasn’t near as sexy as she is,” her captor said as he pushed her toward the door. “Here, gorgeous, you better put these on, cuz we got a lotta walking to do and we wouldn’t want you to hurt your feet, would we?” He pushed her against the wall and jammed a pair of leather loafers on her feet, then slid his callused fingers up her legs in a leisurely caress.
It wasn’t until then that Shelby realized they intended to take her with them. She almost didn’t notice they’d given her a pair of Meredith’s shoes, which were a half size too small. Shelby fought the urge to kick him where it counted for daring to touch her this way.
She was so angry she started to tell them just what she thought of them, but with the gag in her mouth, her words were garbled. In a fit of temper, she kicked out at the man nearest her, but his leg must have been fashioned of pure oak. All she managed to do was hurt her toes and make him mad.
“Bitch!” he snarled, swinging back his hand.
Shelby was positive she saw stars when it connected with her cheek. She felt herself sliding down the wall as her legs collapsed under her. She thought her ears were ringing, too, until she realized it was the alarm still blaring away. So much for security systems keeping burglars out and bringing help immediately.
“Dammit, Chris, don’t damage her or Uncle Eric’ ll have our hides!” the other man scolded, grabbing hold of Shelby’s arm and pulling her upright. “C’mon. We gotta get out of here ’fore the cops show up.”
Shelby was so dazed she was out the door and halfway across the yard before she realized it. As they alternately dragged and pushed her toward the woods, movies ran through her head—pictures of women kidnapped by mountain men who performed unspeakable acts on them. Tears pricked her eyelids and streamed down her cheeks, to gather in the stiff fabric bunched around her mouth. She barely managed to stay upright as she struggled up the hill.
“Don’t worry, pretty girl,” her captor whispered in her ear, pinching her breast. “If Uncle Eric don’t want you, I do. I won’t let you feel too lonely.”
Shelby gritted her teeth against the obscene touch. She only wished her hands were free so she could show him what she thought of his suggestion. Her saner side told her it was just as well she couldn’t.
The strong pull in her calves would have told her they were moving uphill even if she hadn’t seen the faint outline of the mountain ahead as dawn approached. The men moved swiftly, with no regard for the fact that she had to take three steps to their one. As she forced her feet to move, she ordered herself to not even think about their destination.
If I get out of this in one piece I promise to tell Jed I want to be with him on whatever terms he sets, she prayed, already wincing with each step she took. If he’ll take me back, I’ll do anything he wants. I’ll go to the airport and smile and wave goodbye when he goes on his damn trips. Smile when he comes back. I won’t even mention the words relationship or commitment to him. And please, please let someone find Meredith and let her be all right. Shelby was so afraid to think her friend might be dead. If she believed that, she would collapse in a pile of tears and never get up again. And last of all, please let someone find me!
Jed hadn’t expected the mission to run over as long as it had. By rights, he should have been back a week ago. He blamed it on his thoughts of Shelby. Damn her for throwing a tantrum right before he left! Damn her for not responding to his flowers. Just plain damn her.
Feeling tired and out of sorts, he descended from the private jet. With the late hour, all he could think of was a long hot shower and a double whiskey. He hadn’t shaved in the past three days, and while the jet offered a bedroom and bathroom with all the amenities, he had settled in one of the chairs and begun writing up his report. He wanted to hand it to Warren first thing in the morning. He also wanted to talk to the man about the rumors he had heard while over there. Rumors that one of their men was working for both sides.
A traitor in their midst could prove dangerous for the entire overseas operation. And that kind of danger meant people’s lives were at stake. Jed wished he could have tracked the man down while he was over there. But he would talk to Warren, make plans and go back. He doubted Shelby would be too eager to see him, but he’d give it his damnedest before he left.
When he reached the gate, he was surprised to find his superior standing there. He hadn’t expected to see Warren until the next morning. What first struck him was the look of anguish on his face and the grayish tint to his skin. The older man’s pained expression sent warning bells clanging in Jed’s brain.
“What’s wrong, Warren?” he demanded, grasping his boss’s arm. The man looked ready to collapse, and Jed hated to think what trauma had brought him to this condition. “What’s happened?”
“It’s Shelby,” Warren said tightly.
Jed stiffened. “Has she been ill? In an accident? Dammit, what?” His grip tightened.
Warren winced. Jed relaxed his fingers but didn’t step back.
“She’s…” Warren took a deep breath. When he lifted his face, his eyes were shining with tears. This show of emotion scared Jed more than the man’s ill appearance. In all the years he’d known Warren Carlisle he had never seen him close to tears. But it was when the older man continued in a broken voice that Jed’s heart turned cold. “She’s been kidnapped.�
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Before Jed could utter a word, Warren’s face turned a sickly gray and he started to fall to the ground.
“We need some help over here!” Jed shouted, as he grasped Warren’s shoulders and tried to keep him on his feet. A second later, as he listened to his boss’s gasping, he gently lowered him to the ground. He looked up at one of the employees running toward them. “Call an ambulance!”
“Don’t worry about me,” Warren rasped. “You have to find Shelby for me. She’s all that matters.” He suddenly gasped again and grabbed his chest.
The doctor who came out to inform Jed of Warren’s condition looked at him warily. “He’s had a heart attack,” the man said bluntly. “From what I’ve heard, he’s been under a lot of pressure the past few hours, since he learned of his daughter’s disappearance. He wants to see you, but you must keep him as calm as possible. He’s very fragile right now and prime material for another attack. He can’t afford any stress.”
Jed nodded jerkily as he quickly advanced to the cardiac critical-care unit. Seeing a man he’d always thought of as invincible hooked up to machines was a shock.
When Jed entered the tiny room, Warren opened his eyes. His skin was still gray, his eyes bloodshot. “She’s somewhere in the Angeles National Forest,” he mumbled without preamble. “There’s a sheriff’s deputy up there you can contact—Rick Howard. He’ll fill you in on what they know, but I can tell you that it’s damned little.”
“How did it happen?”
Warren slowly shook his head. “Shelby had gone up with Meredith to her parents’ cabin. It has an excellent security system and they’ve never had any problems, so I had no reason to worry about her. The alarm is hooked up to the sheriffs station, but by the time they got out to the cabin they found Shelby gone and the place trashed. All the weapons were taken, along with food and small items that could be easily fenced.”
No More Mister Nice Guy Page 3
