RunningWildAmazon

by Reece, Christy

  Memories had slammed into her, and she had lost it. Elena Ruiz Garcia had committed an incredible act of cruelty, and people had died. However, what had happened to her was horrific. The image of Elena’s head exploding and the feel of blood splashing on Anna’s skin wasn’t something she would ever forget. Elena had been a young, impressionable girl who had followed her father’s orders. Anna didn’t know if that made her evil or just another victim.

  Pulling herself away from the images, Anna quickly braided her damp hair and left the bathroom. As she passed the bed, she resisted the urge to fall onto it and let slumber take over. First, a meal, she promised herself, and then at least twelve solid hours of sleep.

  She entered the gigantic kitchen and almost swooned to see a barefoot, bare-chested Aidan at the stove. This image had never been in one of her fantasies, but it was definitely something she would remember forever.

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  Sliding an omelet onto a plate with the expertise of a short-order cook, he said, “There’s juice and milk in the fridge. Glasses are in the cabinet beside the fridge. If you’ll pour me a glass of orange juice and get whatever you want, we’ll be set.”

  She followed his instructions and a minute later was sitting at the kitchen table biting into a mouthwatering omelet. She told herself to eat slowly and savor, but she was too hungry. Besides, her eyelids were almost at half-mast. If she didn’t eat fast, she feared she’d end up with her face in her plate.

  “I talked to McCall. Angela and Jake arrived safely with Carrie. They’ll stay with her until this is over.”

  “How soon do you think that’ll be?”

  “Hard to say. McCall said that Garcia is now looking only to the Ruiz family for revenge. Ruiz is looking for vengeance any way he can get it. We helped foil his plan, plus his daughter is dead.”

  “And he’s responsible for both.”

  “The desire for vengeance isn’t always rational. Blaming others for your own failings is as old as mankind.”

  “That’s true.” She blinked at her empty plate, noting that it was decidedly blurry.

  “Time to get some shut-eye.”

  “Sounds heavenly.”

  Surprising her, he stood and held out his hand. When she placed her hand in his, he pulled her to her feet and scooped her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

  He walked toward the door. “You’re about a minute from passing out.” He went back to the bedroom she’d been in earlier. As large as the room was, Anna assumed it was the master bedroom. He set her on the bed, went around to the other side, and pulled the bed covers back. “Hop in.”

  It took amazing effort for her to swing her legs onto the bed. The instant she did, she almost cried at the comfort. She was so tired, she figured she could be lying on a bed of nails and not really notice. But this was no bed of nails. She sank into the mattress with a grateful sigh and looked up at Aidan. “Where are you sleeping?”

  “With you.”

  He pulled the covers back on his side of the bed, lay down, and pulled her into his arms. Feeling more safe and secure than she could ever remember, Anna snuggled against his chest and one second later was asleep.

  ***

  Bogota, Colombia

  “What do you mean they disappeared?”

  “That’s what my men have reported. Thorne and the girl left her hotel in Cali. We tailed them to a small takeout restaurant. They pulled over into a parking lot and ate. About fifteen minutes later, they got back on the road and—” Patrick hesitated.

  “What?”

  “My man saw him exit the parking lot, but then said it was like Thorne knew he was being followed. He said he just disappeared.”

  The news both disgusted and infuriated him. The incompetence of people no longer surprised him, but it didn’t make him any less angry either. “Dispose of this imbecile in Cali. If he can’t keep track of one man and woman, he doesn’t belong in my employ.”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  “What else do you have for me?”

  “We’ve done the background check on Anna Bradford. She was an easy subject to research.”

  Cook settled into his chair, readying himself to hear a long, boring story. Most people’s lives were day-to-day drudgery, and though it was often necessary to know the most minute detail, it could often be as dry as hell.

  “She grew up in Halo, Arizona. An only child. Parents are divorced. Has a bachelor’s degree in both criminal justice and child psychology. A master’s in child psychology, specializing in trauma. She’s pursuing her doctorate.”

  Okay, he could see a small light at the end of this boring and staid tunnel. And he could see that Thorne would be attracted to someone in that kind of profession.

  “There’s one anomaly. In her second year of college, she was abducted.”

  He sat up in his chair. Now that was different.

  “By whom?”

  “A cult leader named Alden Pike.”

  “Tranquility.”

  Patrick looked up from his notes, surprise on his face. “You know about it?”

  “Yes. I believe you were in prison at the time, so you probably missed the news. This cult leader had been abducting young women for a decade or so.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “Mates for his followers.”

  What passed as a smile twitched at Patrick’s lips. “A matchmaker.”

  He barked out a dry laugh. “Indeed.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Authorities swarmed the compound, killed the cult leader, and rescued the women.”

  Patrick looked down at his notes again. “Bradford went back to school a few months later. Nothing on the radar since then. She works for the Timothy Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona, a children’s advocacy organization. She’s well-thought-of and, for her age, has an impressive résumé. Has even met with Congress and lawmakers in DC.

  “Her main job seems to be traveling around the world treating traumatized children.”

  “Which explains why she was in Cali, but still doesn’t explain how Thorne knows her.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “But you say he seemed to know her well?”

  “Yes, sir. My sources say he carried her out of a bar, and they disappeared briefly into a market. Came out about half an hour later and took off on a motorcycle to the hotel she was staying in. They were there for a little more than an hour. My sources say he seemed extremely protective of her.”

  “Thank you, Patrick. That will be all.”

  As soon as his man walked out, a small smile cracked the hard surface of Cook’s face. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. After the last incident, Thorne had virtually disappeared. He did, on occasion, see his parents, usually on holidays.

  Cook had a man watching Eric and Susan Thorne, but for observational purposes only. They were in no danger from him. Even though he knew he could do irreparable damage to Thorne by hurting his parents, that wasn’t the kind of justice he sought. While seeing Aidan Thorne broken, bleeding, and destroyed was his ultimate goal, there was only one avenue of vengeance he would allow himself. An eye for an eye, one might say.

  He had been close to giving up. Time was running out, and he had been prepared to modify his plan. But now, if he wasn’t mistaken, Miss Anna Bradford of Phoenix, Arizona, was going to give him the opportunity he had been waiting so very long to carry out.

  But first he had to find her.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The Caribbean

  Always a light sleeper, Aidan heard a low moan beside him and was awake in an instant. He turned to see Anna gripped in some sort of nightmare. He said her name softly, hoping to wake her without startling her. Her skin was still milky white, and the shadows beneath her eyes only slightly less prominent. They’d been asleep for only a few hours.

  She moaned again and began thrashing around, her entire body jerking as if she were in restraints, trying to escape.
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  “Anna,” Aidan said in a firm voice, “wake up.”

  When that didn’t wake her, he shook her gently and said again, this time in the hard, commanding voice he’d perfected in the Army, “Anna Bradford. Wake. Up.”

  She woke screaming his name. Her eyes were wild and unfocused, the terror in them real.

  Softening his voice, Aidan said, “You had a nightmare, sweetheart. You’re fine.”

  Breath shuddered through her, and with a soft gasp, she threw herself into Aidan’s arms.

  Closing his eyes, he held her, savoring the feel of her soft, warm body, her special scent that reminded him of peaches and cinnamon.

  In a muffled voice, she spoke against his chest. “I was so scared.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “I haven’t had a nightmare like that in a long time.”

  “After what you’ve endured the last three days, it’s no wonder.”

  “It wasn’t just about that. I was back in Tranquility. Alden Pike was torturing me. I kept begging him, pleading with him to let me go. Then all of a sudden, Elena Garcia was there. Pike was holding a gun to her head and telling me she would die unless I gave in to him. Before I could answer…” She stopped and shuddered again.

  “He shot her?”

  “Yes. No.” She burrowed into his chest as if to get as close as possible. “Suddenly, it was you he was holding a gun on. I screamed yes, that I would do whatever he said. But he didn’t listen.” Her voice thick with emotion, she added, “He shot you, Aidan. Right in front of me.”

  Cradling her in his arms, he shushed and soothed her the way he had his nieces and nephews when they were babies. He said some of the same nonsensical things, reassuring her that all was well, that she was safe.

  A final shudder went through her body, and then she relaxed in his arms. He felt her warm lips kiss his chest, and it was all he could do not to roll her onto her back and ease the unrelenting ache he had for this woman.

  Forcing himself to do the right thing had never been so difficult. “You think you can sleep some more? You only got about four hours.”

  “Yes. I need to visit the restroom first.”

  “While you do that, I’ll just do a quick perimeter check. Make sure all is well.”

  She raised her head and gave him a sunny smile. He could become addicted to them.

  “Meet you back here in ten?”

  “Deal.”

  She bounded off the bed as if she had energy to spare. Aidan was glad to see that. One of the things he liked best about Anna Bradford was her incredible ability to rebound.

  He headed toward the third floor. Unless one was looking carefully, you couldn’t see that the house had an additional floor. The house had been built as a hideaway for Stuart Ritter, one of the most wanted criminals of the twentieth century. The third floor was a small room surrounded by windows that gave a three-sixty-degree view of the island. A giant high-powered telescope sat in the center of the room. With one sweep, any threat within a two-mile radius could be detected.

  Aidan adjusted the lens and took in a slow comprehensive view of the entire area. He didn’t expect problems. He had covered their tracks. And other than McCall, no one knew they were here.

  Satisfied that all was well, Aidan headed back downstairs. He made his own visit to the bathroom, and after snagging a couple of bottles of water from the fridge, he returned to the bedroom. Anna was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. She’d released her hair from its braid and had brushed it to a dark, silken sheen. It flowed over her shoulders like a dark, shiny waterfall. Her eyes were slumberous, her smile sweetly sensual.

  Swallowing hard, he gave her what he hoped looked like an impersonal smile and not the predatory look of a hungry wolf. Twisting off the cap of one of the bottles, he handed it to her. “Thought you might be thirsty.”

  “Thanks.” She took the bottle, swallowed half of it down. “Cool, clean water is something I’ll never take for granted.”

  During her captivity in Tranquility, she had been denied both food and water in an effort to break her. Thank God it hadn’t worked.

  Aidan downed his own bottle and tossed it into the wastebasket. She sipped hers a little more and then placed it on the bedside table. Then, as if they’d been together for years, she scooted over on the bed and patted the mattress in invitation.

  Instantly hard, Aidan scrambled onto the bed, knowing the shorts he wore couldn’t hide his reaction. He had brought her here to protect her, not to entertain himself. She would leave soon, and the last thing he wanted was to lead her on and hurt her.

  Settling beside her, he gave her another impersonal smile and closed his eyes. “Sleep tight.”

  She didn’t move for several seconds. He knew she was looking at him, and as tempted as he was to open his eyes and find out what she was thinking, he wouldn’t. If he did, he’d give in to temptation.

  Finally, she slid down beside him and snuggled against him. Unable to stop himself, his arms went around her, and he held her as he had before. If this was all he could ever have, then he would take it.

  He was just drifting off when her heard her whisper, “Aidan?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Would you make love to me?”

  Aidan’s eyes shot open. Rolling on his side to face her, he found himself speechless for the first time in his life.

  Anna swallowed nervously. The gorgeous man beside her was staring at her as if she’d just recited the Gettysburg Address backward and in Chinese. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Aidan so astonished. Or more panicked. He had saved her from a raging river, almost fallen down a mountainside, and had disarmed two heavily armed thugs as if he were Jason Bourne, and not once had he appeared the least bit alarmed.

  But this, evidently, was a different matter.

  Asking him to make love to her was a giant step for her. She might be assertive and outspoken in other areas of her life, but when it came to intimacy, she was quite timid. A lot of that had to do with trust. It took a tremendous amount of faith in another person to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Would Aidan be surprised to know that she trusted him implicitly?

  “I know I’m not like the other women you’ve been with.”

  “What other women?”

  Feeling completely out of her depth, she gave a vague gesture with her hand. “I know there are other women.”

  “But how do you know you’re not like them? Have you seen me with another woman?”

  “Well…no.” She swallowed past the giant lump of nervousness that had grown even larger in the last minute and a half. This wasn’t going nearly as well as she had hoped. Aidan Thorne had a reputation for being a ladies’ man. She had many friends at LCR, and more than a few had told her the rumors of all the women Aidan had dated.

  “Then how do you know there are other women?”

  “Come on, Aidan. You’re no angel. I know you date.”

  “Rumors aren’t always true, Anna. You should know that.”

  Now she felt like the town busybody who had nothing better to do than gossip about the local hunk.

  Anna settled back against her pillow. “Never mind.”

  Yes, she knew she sounded like a sulky teenager who hadn’t gotten her way, but she couldn’t hide her disappointment. She had thought he wanted her. She might not be super experienced, but she recognized arousal when she saw it. When Aidan had gotten into bed, his erection had been impossible to miss.

  She rolled over on her side, away from his searching eyes. So what if he didn’t want her? She had known for years that there was something about her that irritated Aidan. Whenever she was around, he went out of his way to either be rude to her or avoid her. Just because she was crazy about him meant nothing.

  “Anna.”

  “What?” She winced. She hated sounding like a snotty bitch.

  “Turn around. We need to talk.”

  Okay, here it comes, she thought. The talk. The one where he told her she was a nice g
irl and he liked her as a friend, but there could be nothing between them. She’d never had that talk with anyone before, but she’d heard about it.

  Willing herself to act like a mature woman who could take rejection without turning into a shrew, Anna rolled onto her back.

  “You are without a doubt the most infuriating, irritating, maddening woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Hey!” She had expected a gentle letdown, not insults. “You know, you’re no Prince Charming yourself, Aidan Thorne.”

  “Let me finish. You’re opinionated. Bossy. Reckless, without a care for your own safety. And you’re a cover hog.”

  Infuriated, she sat up in bed. “All you have to do is say ‘no, thanks,’ Aidan. You don’t have to be so hateful.”

  “I’m not finished.”

  “Yeah, well, I am.” She swung her legs over the side and was about to push herself out of bed, away from him. A hand grasped her arm, preventing her.

  “Let me go.”

  “No. I said I’m not finished. You’re also the most adorable, sexiest, sweetest, most unselfish, spirited, and beautiful woman I’ve ever known. In a word, you’re perfect.”

  It was her turn to stare. “Huh?”

  “Come here.”

  Her entire body suddenly the consistency of an overcooked noodle, she didn’t bother to resist as Aidan pulled her into his arms.

  Burying his face in her neck, he breathed in her special scent. “Anna. Anna. Anna. What am I going to do with you?”

  She didn’t answer, and Aidan couldn’t blame her. He had been prepared to give her a simple no and an explanation of how he couldn’t take advantage of her vulnerability. When she’d started spouting the ridiculous notion that she wasn’t like his other women, as if she were flawed in some way, he hadn’t been able to stop himself.

  “For the record, there are no other women. I do date on rare occasions, but no one on a regular basis.” For Aidan, dating involved getting to know a person and enjoying their company. With the past always on his ass, he couldn’t take that risk.