Run to Me (8 page)

“Let’s get you to a place where you can relieve yourself, then back inside.”

He helped her across the small clearing, then stopped at a bush. “You okay to do this by yourself?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

He backed away from her. She noticed that not only had he moved several feet off, he’d turned his back to give her privacy. Why would he do this when he knew she could try to run? Did he think she was too weak to escape? He couldn’t trust her—didn’t he know this?

Unable to come up with a viable answer, she unzipped her pants and relieved the pressure on her bladder. She had just zipped them back up when the first rustle of sound reached her ears. Something or someone headed their way. She twisted her head to look at Ethan. He stood silent and still, his eyes filled with a question. Would she give them away? He appeared to be waiting.

Male voices came closer and closer. Though the language was Spanish, she easily understood the words. “We have to find her. Can’t return until we bring her back … and kill the man who took her.”

Frozen with indecision, her mouth trembled with the need to say something. Any sound or movement would catch their attention. The men were now only a few feet away from her. She could see them through the dark green vegetation.

One word and she would be rescued.

One word and Ethan would be killed.

She didn’t move.

Several breath-holding minutes later, the men moved on, never knowing that the object of their hunt had been inches from them.

Confusion and fear swamped her as the world swirled around her. Turning to the man who claimed to have rescued her, she whispered, “Ethan, I’m scared.”

Everything went black.

Shea’s eyelids flickered, alerting Ethan that she was finally waking. He kissed the hand he’d been holding and let it go. An interminable fear that’d been pressing in on him eased up, but only slightly. For almost twenty-four hours, she’d been in some sort of deep unconscious state, literally scaring the hell out of him.

Seconds after Rosemount’s men had passed by, she’d fainted. Thinking it would be like the other time and she would immediately awaken, he’d carried her inside. When he couldn’t wake her, he’d come as close to panic as he ever had. Calling her name repeatedly, he’d thought she had gone into some sort of a coma and he would never get her back.

“What happened?” Her voice sounded fragile and worn, but to Ethan, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

His throat raw from pleading with her to wake up, he sounded like a sick frog. “You passed out. Been unconscious for nearly a day.” Turning away, he grabbed the canteen sitting beside his backpack. “You’re probably thirsty.”

“A little.”

Cradling her head in his hand, he lifted her, allowing her to sip the water. After several small gulps, she touched his hand, telling him she was finished. Ethan lowered her head and watched as she tried to assimilate and focus. He had no idea if, after being out of it for so long, she’d remember what had happened before she passed out.

“Those men were looking for us.”

So she did remember. A good sign … finally. “Yes. You didn’t give me away. Why?”

Her smooth forehead furrowed. “I don’t know.”

“I do. You may not think you remember me, Shea, but something inside you does.”

For several long seconds her gaze roamed over his face. Ethan held still, willing her to remember. Finally, unable to wait for her verdict, he urged, “Tell me you remember me, Shea.”

“Your face is familiar … I often saw it in my nightmares.”

Ethan turned away before she could see the crushing impact of her words. The knowledge that she saw him only in her nightmares didn’t surprise him, since he’d hurt this woman over and over again. Regret, born of a thousand mistakes, ate at him daily. If he could go back and make right everything he had done in his life, he’d have to start at a much younger age. At the tender age of nineteen, when with stupidity and arrogance, he’d taken a young girl’s life.

“We’ll go as slow as you need to. The village we’re headed to is only a couple of miles away.”

Forcing her stiff lips into a small smile, she allowed him to help her over a fallen tree. This Ethan person believed she trusted him. That she accepted the ridiculous lies he’d spouted. Fooling him gave her an odd sense of satisfaction. He’d apparently been told to continue the fabrications until they reached their destination. He wasn’t going to kill her yet.

She’d woken this morning feeling weak and worn, her mind muddled and fractured. Yesterday, she had almost allowed herself to believe him. Something
had
kept her from calling out to the men searching for her. Was she protecting Ethan? Or had it been mere indecision on her part?

Ethan continued to insist that somewhere inside, she did remember him. If so, why did his face appear only in her nightmares? When her subconscious was at its weakest, why would he be involved in her most horrific moments if he really meant her no harm? There was only one conclusion to make: Ethan was indeed her enemy.

Escape would have to wait until she had recovered more of her strength. He claimed that they were headed to a village. Once there, with proper food and rest, she would find a way to escape. Until then, she would pretend to be this subservient woman he seemed to think she was.

Out of the wild growth, at the top of a hill, she stopped. Increasing her breath slightly, as if she needed to rest, she surveyed their location. Small houses and a church steeple indicated that a village lay only a short distance below them. Blue cloudless sky, fresh air, and sunshine surrounded them. After the darkness of their cave, the world seemed bright and new.

An unusual sense of optimism hit her. Just a little while longer and she would find a way to break free. Perhaps she could ask Ethan to get her some food. He seemed intent on pretending to care for her and would most likely continue that act until they reached his intended destination. She would make sure that didn’t happen.

After a couple of minutes of allowing her rest, he took her hand and pulled her with him down the hill. She noticed that he kept a close watch on her, as if concerned with her well-being. Another act, of course.

Determined to trap him in a lie, she continued to question him. “How did we meet?”

“We were both in training in Florida. LCR’s headquartered in Paris, France, but there are branches throughout the world. We did some training in France too. That’s where Noah lives.”

“Noah?” Did she know the name?

“Noah McCall. He’s the head of LCR.” He gave her a sharp look. “His name sound familiar?”

She shook her head. There had been another small blip inside her head, but that didn’t mean she remembered the name.

“What kind of training?”

“You name it, we did it. Languages, self-defense, history, geography, tactical planning. LCR people are well versed in a lot of different areas.”

“I excel in languages.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you never minded bragging about that. Modesty was never your strong suit.”

Shoulders straight, a familiar mantra sprang to her lips. “Modesty is a lie to myself and others. I am proud of what I accomplish for the master. Regardless of my infirmities, imperfections, and doubts, I go forward with my duties. My master’s intelligence is superior, and his will always wins out.”

“Your master?”

To avoid his penetrating eyes, she looked toward their destination. The master would have her beaten if he knew she’d talked about him in this manner. The excuse of being weak and disoriented would not be tolerated. She’d been trained to never speak of him, never reveal his existence. How could she be so careless?

She pressed fingers to her temples, hoping the little-girl act would work again. “My head hurts.”

He pulled her to face him, and held her head in his hands. “Look at me.”

The disappointment on his face tugged at something inside her, as if his opinion mattered. “What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, he took the ties he’d shoved into his pocket when they’d left the cave and bound her wrists. “You’ve been playing me the entire time. And I fell for it.” He shook his head. “I’m an idiot.”

“I don’t know—”

“Save it,” he barked. Pulling her behind him, he began to walk faster. His shoulders and back were so tense, she could almost feel the anger bouncing from them.

Despair and panic mingled. She used to be so much better than this. He must have drugged the water to disorient her. Also, her inability to attain her daily vitamin shot weakened her.

Since it would do no good to protest her innocence, she instead looked around. She had to escape. Now that he’d realized she’d been acting, he would give her no opportunity. If he took her to the United States, she might never be able to come back here. She had to get away from him before they reached the village.

“I can feel your mind working.” He turned and glared. “Understand this: you
are
going back with me. I don’t give a damn if you think you’re Cleopatra, Attila the Hun, or Bluebeard’s Ghost. You are Shea Monroe, and you will fucking be Shea Monroe again. Do you fucking hear me?”

“I’d say the entire world fucking heard you.”

They both jerked around. A tall, dark-haired man stood on a small rise, only a few feet away from them.

Ethan blew out a long sigh. “Damn, Gabe. How the hell did you find us?”

“Tracked your cellphone signal.”

“Sure hope that means you’ve got transportation.”

“Got a bird a few yards down that way.” He nodded toward what looked to be a clearing beyond a copse of trees.

“Good.”

The woman beside him tugged on her bindings, evidently realizing that her hope for escape had just become impossible. Ethan pulled her closer. “Shea, this is Gabe Maddox. Gabe, you remember Shea. Unfortunately, Shea won’t remember you.”

“What do you mean?”

Holding tight to Shea’s bound hands, he headed toward his friend. “I’ll tell you on the way. The sooner we get in the air, the sooner I can relax.”

Behind him, Shea made small whimpers as she continued to twist and jerk, no doubt looking for an escape route. Forcing himself to ignore her sounds of desperation, he brought Gabe up-to-date on what he knew and what he suspected.

Gabe shot a glance back at Shea. “So you’re telling me she doesn’t remember who she is and what she’s done?”

“Doesn’t remember a thing. We need to get her some medical care. I don’t know what they’ve been giving her.”

“Noah wants her in Florida.”

Ethan couldn’t argue. Having Shea at his home, where he could keep an eye on her and help her, was one thing. Having a woman who had no idea who she was and thought he was the enemy was something altogether different.

They came within sight of the helicopter, and Ethan knew he’d never seen a more welcome sight. Tightening his grip on Shea, he headed to it.

Using his arm as leverage, Shea kicked her feet out, knocking Gabe to the ground. She then whirled and shoved her knee toward Ethan’s groin.

Ethan swerved just in time. “Dammit, Shea. Last time you did that you almost killed me.”

Her eyes hard with determination and panic, a long, lethal leg shot toward him. Ethan jumped out of the way of a gut kick. Just when he knew he was going to have to do something drastic to restrain her, Gabe came up behind her and put a choke hold around her neck.

“Settle down or I’ll choke you for real,” Gabe said.

Shea clawed at his arms, shifting her body to throw him off. Gabe tightened his forearm against her throat.

“You’re hurting her, Gabe.”

“All she has to do is stop struggling.”

Shea’s face was red from exertion and lack of oxygen. “Shea, he’s not kidding.”

She went still, and Gabe loosened his hold. Shea immediately swung her foot back, kicking Gabe in the shin.

Not bothering with another warning, Gabe thumped her on the side of her head. Ethan caught her before she fell to the ground.

Gabe frowned down at the unconscious woman in Ethan’s arms. “Doesn’t seem like she’s changed that much to me. If I’m not mistaken, last time she saw you, she knocked the hell out of you.”

Ethan carried Shea to the helicopter and placed her on a mat on the floor. “She had good reason to be pissed at me then.”

Gabe jumped into the chopper. He waited until Ethan had settled in against Shea, then said, “Cole acted on his own, whether either of you agree or not. He’s the one who got himself killed.”

As their ride rose in the sky, Ethan pulled Shea closer. No matter what Gabe or Noah told him, he knew the truth. And somewhere in her damaged mind, so did Shea.

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Donald stood at the giant arched window of his new residence and observed the gardeners working frantically to bring order and beauty to the grounds. This was the least favorite of his many houses, but hidden as it was within the densely treed mountains, it was the most secluded. No one could find him here. Unfortunately, he hadn’t kept an eye on the place and it had become overgrown with weeds and wild vegetation. The fury he’d displayed on seeing its condition had provided incentive to improve his home’s appearance. People were working night and day to remedy the situation. Disorder was chaos. He hated it.

His sigh heavy with sadness, he turned from the window. The big, empty room was a stark, painful reminder of his loss. The pristine white comforter called out for a beautiful creature to lie on it, eager to please. The white sofa across the room cried for his beauty to curl up beside him and give him the attention he craved. He missed his
gatita …
his kitten … much more than he’d thought possible. His men had been unable to find her and would soon be punished. Then not only would he have to extend his search beyond Mexico, he’d have to find at least ten more men to replace the ones destroyed.

Business would suffer until he could get things back in order. Though his fortune was secure and the people he paid would continue to be highly compensated, ensuring their cooperation and loyalty, the interruption of business would cut into his profits. One more thing LCR would answer for when he took them down.