Dark And Dangerous (27 page)

Nathan's jaw clenched, but
he didn't say anything. Joe was right. It was his fault for leaving Kayley
behind. He should have kept her close, never letting her out of his sight. But
it was too late now.

Chapter 29

 
Kayley
walked around the small room she was captured in, and scanned it for anything
she could use to get out. But it was futile. There were no windows and only the
one door. She studied the door, thinking she might be able to pick the lock, or
at least give it a try. But a small slim metal box had been screwed firmly into
place over the lock, covering it completely. There was no way she would be able
to get it off and even attempt to pick open the door.

 
Damn it, she thought.

 
She ran a frustrated hand through her hair,
and told herself that she wasn't going to cry again. Crying was futile, and if
she wanted to have even the slightest chance of getting out, she couldn't
indulge herself like that. She scanned the room for any items she might be able
to use as a weapon, but the room was empty except for the bed in the center of
it. She had to grab onto the wall to regain her balance as the boat was rocked
by a large wave.

 
They must be getting out onto deeper water,
Kayley thought. She could feel the waves get bigger by each minute that passed.
And that also meant that her chance of escape got smaller and smaller by the
minute. Even if she somehow managed to get out of this room, she wouldn't have
anywhere to run. Her only escape would be the water, and she knew very well
that she had never been a strong swimmer. If the sharks or
Schnyder
didn't get her, the waves probably would.

 
So she would have to wait, biding her time.
Not that there was anything else to do at the moment, she thought ironically.
She lowered herself onto the bed and tried not to think about what would happen
to her, while she listened to water slap against the hull of the boat.

 
She tensed suddenly and listened carefully.
She thought she had heard footsteps, but she couldn't be sure. It might just be
the unusual sounds of being out on the water. But when she heard the lock
turning, she knew she hadn't been mistaken. She froze where she sat as the door
opened and
Schnyder
entered. This time he wasn't
alone. One of his ham-fisted men were with him.

 
Schnyder
walked to
her bed and sat down on the edge. "I do apologize for my rash behavior
earlier. But you didn't leave me any choice."

 
Kayley watched him smile charmingly at her,
as if it was the most natural thing and she must understand that she had really
brought it on herself. Cold fear ran down her spine. He was insane. She was
sure of it.

 
"I've brought you something to
eat." He gestured to the other man and she noticed for the first time that
he was carrying a tray.

 
"I'm not hungry." She could barely
recognize her own voice. It sounded cold and distant.

 
"You need to eat." He took the tray
and set it on the bed in front of her. "I do enjoy cooking, especially if
it's for a beautiful woman."

 
She said nothing, simply watched him out of
wary eyes. She knew it would only take one small misstep to make him snap
again.

 
"Cooking always helps me think," he
went on while cutting meat into neat slices. "It made me realize that I
might have acted a bit hastily where you're concerned. So I'm willing to give
you another chance." He forked up a bite of meat and lifted it to her
mouth. His eyes cooled and his lips thinned with anger when she drew back.
"
I advice
you to take it. I'm not known as a
generous man, and this is your last chance. Despite your previous behavior I
have decided to forgive you." His voice was soft as silk, a big contrast
to the cold light in his eyes. "You are a strong woman. Capable and
independent, with a fierce temper. I like that. And I admire it. Which is why
I'm giving you a second chance." He smiled, a pleasant smile that made
warning tingles run down her skin.

 
"I believe you might be worthy of being
the mother of my children," he continued. "But I'm warning you. I
will not tolerate that kind of attitude again. You will obey my orders and do
as I tell you."

 
For a moment she simply stared at him in
shock. Surely she must have heard wrong. He couldn't possibly be sitting there
and calmly suggesting that she should bear his children. Under normal
circumstances she would have laughed in his face. But there were nothing normal
about this.

 
"I would rather die than have you so
much as lay a finger on me." This time she was prepared for his blow, and
evaded it swiftly. "Bastard. I would sooner give birth to the devils child
than to yours."

 
Kayley tumbled sideways on the bed as his
hard slap caught her across her cheek. Before she had a chance to react, he was
over her, grabbing her throat and squeezing. She clawed at his hands, trying to
free herself, but to no use. Looking up into his eyes she saw murder. She gasped
for breath and on a spurt of panic went for his eyes, poking and scratching.

 
Schnyder
screamed
with pain and stumbled back, falling off the bed and into the other man, as he
clutched his hands to his eyes.

 
Coughing, Kayley twisted and scrambled off the
bed, keeping it between her and
Schnyder
and his man.
She had to braze herself against the wall, while she gulped air into her
burning lungs.

Schnyder
swore viciously.

 
"Kill the bitch," he screamed,
still covering his eyes.

 
She backed up when the other man came towards
her with a cruel smile on his face, and found her back pressed against a wall.
She was backed into a corner.

 
"I'm no good to you if I'm dead."
She felt panic claw at her already raw throat. "You'll never get the
evidence against you if I'm dead." She watched with a mixture of relief
and satisfaction as her words made
Schnyder
stop dead
in his tracks, and effectively wiped the smile off his face. "That's
right. You need me."

 
He glared at her through his fingers and
swore again, while his man waited for his orders.

 
"Thank your lucky stars that I need you.
If I didn't you would be shark bait by now." He took a threatening step
towards her, before managing to reign in his temper. "When my use for you
is done, I'm going to enjoy taking my time torturing you slowly, before I feed
you to the sharks. A little at a time," his smile made her stomach turn
over, "while you're still alive. I think I'll start with your legs. You
have such nice legs." He left the room, followed closely by the other man.

The door closed behind
them and the lock clicked.

 
Weak and shaking with relief, Kayley sank to
the floor, hugging her knees against her chest.

.....

 
Nathan sat in a cramped surveillance van and
watched the water intently, like he had done for the past two hours. The van
was hot and crowded, despite only being occupied by Nathan, Damian and Brown.
Screens lined the insides of it, showing images from different cameras set up
all over the harbor. Impatiently, he kept his eyes trained on the screen that
gave him a clear view of the water, scanning for anything that resembled a
boat.

 
He knew it wouldn't make any difference when
the boat showed up, because he still wouldn't be able to save Kayley yet. But
at least he would know exactly where she was and what was happening. And if he
saw her get hurt in any way, he didn't give a damn about Brown's carefully
planned scheme to catch
Schnyder
. He would get her out
of there before they had any chance to object. He was beyond caring.

 
A small spot on the screen caught his full
attention, making him straighten and lean closer.

 
"What's that?"

Brown zoomed in on the
spot Nathan was pointing at. It was definitely a boat. They watched it in
silence as it sailed closer.

 
"There's no doubt it's a yacht,"
Nathan said without taking his eyes off the screen. Adrenaline rushed through
him.

 
"Fits the description," Brown
commented.

 
"I can't quite make out the name."
Damian's eyes narrowed as he watched the screen.

 
"It starts with a C," Nathan half
murmured. "I'm sure it's
Schnyder's
Conquest."

The yacht approached the
harbor at a slow and graceful speed.

 
"Yeah, that's the one," Brown
muttered and punched a button to call up Klein and spoke into his head-set,
"He's here."

 
They watched closely, while the boat docked
and two men jumped off, tying it securely to the dock.

 
"Ham and fist," Damian commented
dryly. "Fits them."

The men climbed back onto
the boat, and disappeared.

.....

 
Kayley felt as much as heard the boat slow
down and knew they had to be getting closer to shore. The waves weren't as big
now either, she noted. She listened while they sailed slowly, and felt the boat
turn. Her pulse skipped and started to beat frantically, making her cracked lip
throb with pain. She heard footsteps on the deck above her, followed by a
couple of muffled bumps.

 
She could hear lots of activity, men walking
back and forth, and waited nervously for what would happen next. She was very
much afraid that
Schnyder
might pay her another
visit. She wasn't so sure that she would be able to convince him that she was
worth more to him alive then dead again. It was just a matter of time before he
couldn't control his temper with her. She had seen it written clearly in his
eyes.

 
But he didn't come this time. Instead the
boat fell silent, and she realized that she was alone.

 
They had left her, she thought with a strange
mixture of relief and fear. She had no way of getting out. No chance of escape.
And until
Schnyder
needed her, she was a prisoner.
And what if he didn't come back?

 
Panic made her stomach turn over and was
fought back ruthlessly. She couldn't afford that kind of thoughts, she told
herself.

Schnyder
was coming back. He needed her, or at least he
thought he did. Which was precisely why he had taken her hostage in the first
place, she reminded herself. And until she had fulfilled her purpose for him,
she would be safe. It was what came after that she had to worry about.

 
Closing her eyes, she willed herself not to
think about it, and forced herself to focus on the sound of water lapping
gently against the hull.

.....

 
Nathan watched as
Schnyder
appeared on the boat followed by one of his men, and walked towards the parking
lot, just as a limousine pulled up. The driver held the door open when
Schnyder
and his man approached, and
Schnyder
slid into the car.

 
"Exactly as planned," Brown
commented in a satisfied voice.

As the car drove off,
Schnyder's
man walked back towards the yacht, and
disappeared again.

 
Brown punched a button and spoke into a slim
receiver, "Team B, target is on the move. Get ready to pursuit." He
punched another button. "Everything is going according to plan." He
disconnected and leaned back in his chair. "Might as well make yourselves
comfortable. It's going to be a long sweaty wait."

 
Nathan took a deep breath and prepared
himself to do the very thing he hated most. Waiting.

Chapter 30

 
Nathan
thought he might lose his mind if he had to wait much longer. It was just past
ten in the evening and he was ready to tear a strip off of anyone that crossed
his path. He spared Brown a look and thought he knew where he would like to
start. Brown had dozed off barely more than ten minutes after
Schnyder
had left. And had only stirred about once an hour
since then, to check in with Klein.

 
Damian wasn't sleeping, but unlike Nathan he
had been able to utilize his innate patience and had made a couple of calls to
the resort, making sure that everything was back to normal. Or as normal as
something could be after the fear of fire. Now, he was sitting with his eyes
closed, leaned back in one of the uncomfortable chairs that Nathan had
entertained many thoughts about destroying all day.

 
He turned his attention back to the screens
and watched light filter through the windows of the yacht. He couldn't see ham
or fist anywhere at the moment, but he had caught a glimpse of their shadows as
they passed the windows a couple of times. His attention turned back to one of
the other screens as light suddenly flooded the parking lot. His gaze narrowed
as he recognized the limousine.

 
"We have company."

Damian and Brown snapped
upright.

 
"Good nap?" Nathan asked
sarcastically.

 
"What the hell?" Brown murmured,
ignoring him when the limo parked at the edge of the lot, as close to the water
as possible. They watched
Schnyder
climb out of the
car and walk towards the yacht.

 
"Something's wrong." A lamp blinked
just as Brown was about to push the button to call Klein. He pressed the income
button. "Something's wrong," he repeated into it.

 
"We know." Klein's voice flowed out
of the ear-piece Brown was wearing, loud enough for Nathan and Damian to overhear.
"I just got the call. They've followed
Schnyder
back to the harbor."

 
"Yeah, he's just walked back onto the
boat," Brown answered.

 
"Don't do anything yet. We can't risk
jeopardizing the operation."

 
"You can damn well risk your little operation
if it means saving Kayley's life," Nathan said leaning close enough to the
receiver so Klein could hear.

 
"Just keep your cool.
Schnyder
may simply have decided to check up on her one
last time. We want to catch him for both offenses, not just kidnapping."

Nathan shut out their
talking and turned his attention back to the screens.
 

.....

 
Kayley's heart jumped into her throat at the
sound of footsteps on the deck above her. They had come back, she thought. Fear
squeezed her throat as she heard someone coming towards her door. She scrambled
off the bed and prepared herself for yet another showdown.

 
The lock clicked and the door swung open. She
recognized the two men from before, and took an involuntary step back when they
came towards her.

 
"You're coming with us," the
smallest of them told her. "You can do it the easy or the hard way. It
doesn't matter to us. In fact Tom's looking forward to it."

In response Tom smiled the
same cruel smile she had seen earlier.

 
"Where are we going?" she asked
already planning her escape.

 
"For a little ride." Tom grabbed
her by the arm with a bruising force. "If you try to scream it will be
worst for yourself."

 
She let them lead her through the boat and
outside without a struggle. She knew she had to bide her time before she tried
for it. If there were just some other people, they might be able to help her.
Or at least call the police.
Schnyder
stood on the
deck waiting. His eyes were still red from her attack, and surrounded by
scratches. He grabbed her chin and smiled wolfishly when she tried to jerk
away.

 
"If you try anything, anything at all,
you're as good as dead." He rubbed his thumb over the crack in her lower
lip and smiled wickedly when she flinched. Blood welled again.

"Do you understand?"

 
She had to bite back her temper and simply
said, "Yes."

 
"Good." He released her and turned
away. "Keep her under control," he commanded and led the way down a
small ramp to the dock.

 
Kayley followed as Tom pulled her along the
dock towards a parking lot. She spotted a limousine waiting for them and
glanced around, looking for help.

 
But the dimly lit harbor was empty.

 
She waited until their attention wavered from
her for just a second, when
Schnyder
started to get
into the car. And didn't hesitate to ram her elbow into Tom's side. She twisted
out of his grip, breaking free, and sprinted across the parking lot, back
towards the boats. If she could just reach the water, she thought while her
legs pumped, she might have a chance. She would be able to hide under the
docks, or climb onto one of the boats and hide.

 
She heard
Schnyder
screaming with rage at his men, and fought to keep panic at bay as she heard
footsteps pounding closer behind her. For every running step she took, she
could hear them gaining on her.

 
She leaped down onto a dock, and screamed as
a hand clamped over her arm, yanking her around. She stumbled, and was lucky as
that motion saved her from the full impact of a blow. It just grazed her cheek
as she twisted and lashed out after him. Tom barely grunted when she plowed her
fist into his stomach and felt the impact ring up through her arm. He was a
solid mountain of flesh.

 
She saw his ugly grin as she struggled
desperately and lost. He countered her moves easily and had her arms secured
behind her back in under two seconds, tied with something she couldn't see that
cut into her flesh. Her world spun, as he threw her over his shoulder, like she
was a bag of potatoes, and carried her back to the limo.

 
Kayley tried desperately to kick, but he had
her legs securely immobilized by one of his ham sized arms.

 
Without ceremony he dumped her in the back of
the car, beside
Schnyder
, and shut the door before
climbing in the front.

 
"You're testing my patience,"
Schnyder
said in a cold tone. "The next time you do, I
won't take it so well."

 
Kayley gave him a hot look and kept quiet. It
wouldn't be wise for her to speak at the moment, with fear squeezing her throat
and anger hazing her vision red.

 
"Drive,"
Schnyder
commanded and threw up his hands. "Do I have to tell you everything?"
he asked of no one in particular. "Imbeciles. I'm surrounded by
imbeciles."

He turned his gaze to her
again. "You should thank your lucky stars that I find your spirit
intriguing. I've decided I'm not going to give you up anyway. After tonight I'm
moving my business out of the country, and you're going with me."

 
"You're crazy." Kayley felt chills
run down her spine. His eyes shone cold and ugly with insanity.

 
"You're going to have my children."
He laid his hand on her thigh, making her flinch.

 
"Get your hands off me, now." She
had to swallow hard to keep her voice cool and steady. She couldn't let him
know that he frightened her, so she looked him dead in the eye. The mere sight
of him made her skin crawl.

 
"You will be singing a different tune
once I'm done with you." He smiled cruelly. "But I'll save that for
later. Right now I don't have time for you."

 
To her relief, he removed his hand and turned
his attention back to his men. She took a careful breath and turned her eyes to
the windows, watching the surroundings closely, and tried to figure out where
they were going. If it was only to the warehouse, she knew that Klein and his
men would be watching. She might still have a chance.

.....

 
Nathan saw her the second she appeared in the
doorway of the yacht led by the two men he knew only as ham and fist. Rage
rushed through him, when he watched
Schnyder
bend
towards her until their faces were only inches apart. His fists clenched with
fury, and it took all of his control not to storm out of the van.

 
He breathed deeply and felt some of his anger
ease slightly, when
Schnyder
stepped back and they
walked towards the waiting limo.

 
Then her face came into focus on the screens
and he felt it like a blow to his gut. Her lip was cracked and she had bruises,
dark and swelling, on both of her cheeks.

 
He was out of his chair and halfway towards
the doors before Brown and Damian realized what he intended. They caught him
just as he reached the doors. He fought their grip, nearly knocking Brown into
the side of the van.

 
"Damn it, Nathan. You're going to break
our cover." Brown had to use his special tactical fight training to
wrestle Nathan to the floor. It took every ounce of the skill and technique he
had acquired, and still he barely managed to restrain him.

 
"Get the hell off me." Nathan
struggled, nearly throwing Brown off. "She's hurt, damn it."

 
"That is nothing compared to what
Schnyder
will do if you blow our cover and turn this into a
hostage situation," Brown said coldly. "You'll get her killed."
He waited a beat until Nathan nodded his understanding curtly.

 
Brown released Nathan cautiously, an inch at
a time, making sure that Nathan hadn't simply agreed so he would let him go.

Nathan sprang to his feet,
but didn't try for the door.

 
"It's for the best," Damian said
and received a furious glare. "Brown is right. You'll just get all of us
killed, or he'll use her to get away and then kill her. Either way he won't get
punished."

 
Nathan send him another blistering stare, and
turned his attention back to the screens, saying nothing.

 
And that's when he saw Kayley try to bolt
from the mountain disguised as a
man, that
was
dragging her along with him. Nathan's heart jumped into his throat when she ran
back towards the water, closely followed by the grizzly of a
man,
that
moved with surprising speed. She wasn't going to make it, he could
see that clearly.

 
And he wasn't about to wait until she was
caught again.

But this time Brown
anticipated his reaction, and caught him before Nathan could do more than turn.
Nathan struck out, not willing to be held back again, and caught Brown hard on
the chin.

 
Somewhere in the distance, he heard Damian's
voice and Brown's curses, as he struck out again. And found himself cuffed to a
sturdy steel handle attached to the inside of the van. He swore viciously at
them as Brown gasped for air and gripped his chin.

 
"Damn it. Do you want to ruin this whole
operation?" Brown wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and grimaced
when it glinted with blood. "Shit. I could get you arrested for punching a
federal agent."

 
"My lawyers would chew you up and spit
you out," Nathan snarled. "We'd see who ended up in prison when I
explained that you had the power and opportunity to rescue a hostage and
prevent her from being mistreated, and did nothing."

 
"I don't have a choice, and you would
know that if you weren't so dumb-struck in love, and could think rationally
with that pea brain of yours." Brown didn't waste any time waiting for an
answer, and punched a button. "
Schnyder
has just
left the boat yard. Team B, stand by to follow." He punched another button
that connected him directly to Klein.

 
"There's been a change in plans.
Schnyder
took Kayley with him."

Nathan strained to hear
Klein's voice at the other end of the line. It was a bare thread of sound over
his pumping blood, but he caught most of it.

"
—
Need to wait and see. He might just be moving
her to another location that we don't know about."