The Firefighter's Cinderella (16 page)

“No,” he answered raggedly. “Why?”

“Because every time I touch your body, you…react.” It worried her.

C.J. drew her even tighter and gazed into her eyes. “I'm restraining myself. My body is shaking from desire, and this contact with you is driving me to the breaking point. I don't know if I can resist you.”

“Why are you trying?” Tasha felt hurt.

“Because you
are
hurt physically, and you're on medication. The last thing I'm going to do is take advantage of you in this state.”

If she thought she couldn't love him more, she was wrong. All the ideas and thoughts she had about C. J. Powell the playboy had no basis in reality. “I feel fine right now.”

“I love you, Natasha. I can't wait to marry you one day soon.”

“I love you, too.”

Then all resistance was gone and C.J. took over. He reached for her, sliding his hand up her back to her neck, to tilt her head in a way that made their kissing more intimate and passionate somehow.

He was moving his palm under her shirt, beginning to inch it upward, when the cabin door opened with a bang.

“That was easy.” A woman's voice rang through the cabin.

C.J. grabbed his flannel shirt and sat up, clutching the rifle he'd placed by the bed earlier.

Tasha recognized the man who walked into the room—one of the scarier boyfriends Daphne strung along. He was tall and burly, with a pale complexion set off by multiple tattoos and piercings.

“Dale!” she cried. “What are you doing here?”

“I can answer that for you,
boss.
” In walked Daphne. “As soon as I heard you didn't die in the bombing, I about lost my mind.” Her eyes were wild with fury. “You have to understand. The White Is Right supremacists who are supporting my undercover life are very unhappy with me that you've escaped death
twice
now.”

C.J. cocked his rifle. “I guess we'll have to make them unhappy a third time.”

Dale held up a sawed-off rifle in one hand and a grenade in the other. “Captain Powell? I suggest you put that gun down or we'll blow up this cabin now, like we did the office and her condo.” His evil expression told Tasha he meant what he said.

She nudged C.J. in the shoulder. “Put the gun down.”

“Now that's a good little Tasha.” Daphne, dressed in rain slicks and boots, walked over to her side. She obviously had a plan and was dressed for the Alaskan weather.

Tasha kept her voice calm. “How did you fly up here during this terrible storm?”

“That's the beauty of being so ensconced in your world. I have friends in the D.A.'s office, if you know what I mean.”

“What kind of friends?” Tasha was shaking and tried to press herself against every inch of C.J.'s body she could feel.

“Well, let's just say the D.A. you work with has an assistant who has a very big crush on me. I was able to get him to sneak me into her office. Once inside, I was able to find out all about your plans the FBI approved the other day.”

“That assistant will be in very big trouble when it gets out.”

Daphne looked as if she was going to laugh. “Honey, you actually think this is going to end well?” She came over and pinched Tasha's cheek. “Anthony was a liability. I don't think he'll be speaking to anyone again.”

Tasha gasped.

“Don't worry. It wasn't too painful for him.”

“That doesn't explain how you managed to get here in this storm,” Tasha said.

“Easy. Dale and I, and our friend Nick, who's a pilot, jumped on the next plane to Ketchikan. From there we rented a float plane and set up camp here early this morning. We camouflaged the plane with a tarp. Since
I had the information of your flight plans, all we had to do was wait for the right time to strike.”

“Let me get this right, Daph. You and your White Is Right group have been trying to kill me to stop IAs from coming into the country?” She took a deep breath. “So it's all been a lie?”

Tasha refused to show this insane woman any emotion. She had to control all tears.

Daphne clapped her hands. “Bingo, boss.”

C.J. rested the gun on his lap. “I want to know what's going to happen to Tasha when I put the gun down.”

“Oh, so you really
do
care.” Daphne's maniacal laughter filled the tiny space. “This is precious. Tasha finally gets her Prince Charming and she's going to lose everything. I couldn't have planned this better.”

“What's going to happen, Daphne?” C.J. pressed.

“None of your damn business,” she called over her shoulder as she began to walk out the door. It was then that the hood of her jacket fell to her shoulders. At once Tasha noticed some tattoos she'd never seen before on Daphne's neck. One was a swastika. How had she missed them?

“Wait, Daph. When did you get the new tattoos?”

“New?” She looked delighted to finally be revealing herself. She pulled out a knife from a side strap of her boot. “Oh, it's been so fun to fool you. They've just been covered with makeup. Like you said—it's amazing what it can do.” Touching her neck, she said in a brittle tone, “See? This tattoo is for the Aryan race. And this one is for my brother.” The latter was a bloody cross with tears dripping from each side.

“What happened to your brother?”

Dale looked agitated, standing at the door wearing a vest full of weapons. “Come on, Daphne. We need to kill them and get out of here.”

She walked over to her boyfriend. “You don't call the orders.
I
do. Is that understood?”

Tasha's tactics were working. She had to keep Daphne talking while C.J. devised a plan. If not, she could at least go with them and let C.J. live. Negotiation usually calmed down an intruder. Since Tasha came from such a rich family, she'd had to learn about kidnapping. Thank heavens her father had insisted on her learning a few techniques.

Dale hung his head, apparently embarrassed by her chastisement. “Yes, Daphne.”

“So,” Tasha said, “you were telling me about your brother. What happened?”

Daphne swung around the room like a tiny bee with a sharp stinger. In her case, it was a sharp knife pointed at Tasha. “Why would you care about some poor little white girl growing up in the border town of San Ysidro, California? You only care about the immigrants.”

“I care about everyone.”

“Liar!” Daphne yelled. “Where were you when the Mexican Mafia got into a fight on my street?”

“I don't know. You're going to have to tell me.” Tasha kept her voice level.

“I'll tell you where you were. You were living in your house on Nob Hill while my brother got caught in the crossfire coming home from a friend's house. He was only sixteen!”

“I'm so sorry, Daph.”

Daphne brought the knife up to Tasha's cheek. C.J.
froze. He wanted to protect Tasha, but this wasn't the time to push a crazy woman.

“You don't have the right to be sorry!” Daphne backed up and started to bellow in pain. She grabbed her sides, but her eyes never left the two of them. “I was fifteen and heard the gunfire, but then my mom started screaming and I knew something terrible had happened.

“After the cars drove by the neighbor's house, we saw our mom run out to our front yard. They'd emptied multiple rounds of gunfire into the house next door. My brother had cut across their yard at exactly the wrong time.”

Her face was a picture of agony. “Mom was screaming, ‘It's not fair, it's not fair!' The next week I joined the white supremacists in our town and made their mission my own. I knew I could never get my brother back, but at least I could
fight
back.” Her blue eyes rested on Tasha and she smiled evilly.

“So here we are. I was gonna try to kidnap you and take you to Sturgis, South Dakota, where the annual biker convention is every year. At the time we thought we would hold you for ransom in the Black Hills. A girl like you would bring in a lot of money for our group. But you were out of town, not available for kidnapping, so I had to try a new ploy.”

Tasha gulped. “Are you the one who sent the threatening letters to my father?” Her mind was reeling. Because of the letters sent to her dad's office, telling him to close down her law firm, he'd hired secret service agents to protect her. The fact that he had tried his
hardest to protect her from people like Daphne made her love him even more.

Daphne started to clap. “The valedictorian is finally putting the pieces together now?” She cocked her head and sighed. “Yes. The fools would never think to look at your silly little paralegal, a girl who'd become your best, best buddy!”

The woman standing before Tasha was utterly insane. How had Tasha been so duped? Had she been so desperate for friendship she'd allowed a lunatic into her life?

“It infuriated me no end that you didn't die in your house fire. Let me tell you, the girl who jerry-rigged your condo paid the price.”

Tasha stifled her appalled reaction.

“Where is she?”

“Out to sea somewhere. Probably a shark ate her remains. I don't want to talk about her anymore.”

Daphne was a cold-blooded killer. Tasha's determination only increased. Somehow she had to get out of here without C.J. being harmed. “All right. What
do
you want to talk about?”

“I don't want to
talk.
I want you to come with us
now.
”

“Fine, but C.J. stays here, safe. I'll transfer as much money as you two want into Swiss bank accounts. If you let him live, you and your group will be wealthier than you could ever imagine.”

C.J. sat up straighter and began to move his gun.

“You'd transfer all your savings into an account just to let
him
live?” Daphne demanded.

“Yes, but you have to
let
him live.”

“Tasha, I'm not letting you go anywhere!” C.J. declared.

“Hey, sexy, you're not in charge.” Daphne walked over and held her knife to his jugular. “Dale? Get my back.” Dale moved closer. There was no way C.J. could do anything.

Tasha needed C.J. to stay calm until she got out the door. She had a GPS. The authorities could find her. They
had
to.

“Get moving, Tasha.”

“It's going to be a bit difficult. I have a broken foot,” she said angrily.

“And you think I care? I see crutches by the bed. Use 'em.”

Tasha eyed her crutches and began to scoot over to them.

Daphne stared at C.J. “I should just kill you now. It would make things so much easier. If it wasn't for you, Tasha would be dead and her little pro bono law firm to help IAs would be shut down. But no, Mr. Fireman had to come and save the day.”

Tasha looked at the man she loved and knew she had to do something. “But everything works out for a reason, Daph. Now you'll be richer than you ever dreamed. You can have all my money and travel the world in luxury.”

Daphne continued to stare at C.J. “The only reason you're breathing is because your precious Tasha is buying your life. Don't forget that!”

C.J's eyes looked cold as steel. “I won't.”

“Get moving.” Daphne grabbed Tasha by the arm, making her fall to the floor. Excruciating pain radiated
up her leg and throughout her body. But there was no way she was going to let Daphne know how much it hurt.

As she backed away, Tasha grabbed the boot lying on the floor to put on her good foot. With all the strength she had, she reached for her crutches and began to pull herself up.

“You really are a loser, aren't you, Tasha. Look at you. So pathetic. All you have is money. I made you into what you are now. The look, the makeup, the hair and the clothes. Where would you be without me?”

Tasha knew she had to play along. “I'd be nothing without you.”

“Now that's what I wanna hear.”

Pain caused Tasha to break out in a cold sweat.

Daphne grabbed a gun from Dale's vest and pointed it directly at C.J.'s head. “Dale, she's obviously crippled. That will come into use later, but for now you'll need to carry her out. We'll get back in the plane with her.”

C.J. called out, “How can you take off in weather like this?”

“Captain,
think!
We have a float plane. We're going to float to our camp till the weather clears.”

Dale moved closer to Tasha. She was afraid she was going to collapse. For C.J.'s sake she needed to hold on.

When Dale picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, the odor of cigarettes and alcohol was so repugnant she nearly gagged. When he adjusted her body, he made sure he hit her cast against the frame of the door. Tasha was sure he'd broken her foot again. The pain almost made her pass out.

“She'll need a coat in this weather or she'll die!” C.J. shouted.

Daphne backed out of the room with the gun. “We don't need her alive long. Or for that matter, alive in the best of conditions. She just needs the ability to use her mind and fingers to transfer funds.” Daphne paused. “We could also use her for ransom. Either way, let the games begin,” she said with a menacing grin.

Tasha sought C.J.'s eyes one last time. She pointed to her watch and he nodded. She could see him mouth,
“I'll find you.”
Dale took her out into the freezing rain. The last thing she saw was Daphne slamming the door shut.

 

C.J.
WAS CONSUMED WITH
rage.

He'd let down the woman he loved. She'd gone like a lamb to the slaughter, all for him. He didn't deserve it. She needed him and what was he doing?

Satellite phone.

C.J. charged through the cabin to get it. He had to let somebody know what had just happened.

C.J. punched in number after number, but all he got was static. “Damn weather!”

There was only one thing to do. He had to go and rescue her before the plane took off. Daphne said they'd camped somewhere around the lake. He'd find it.

He tried the phone again, but now wasn't getting any signal at all. What a fool he'd been to think he could hide her in the mountains of Alaska!

When he found the camp, the first thing he'd need to do was immobilize the plane before they knew he was even there. He'd worked with Jake a few times on his
Cessna when there'd been a mechanical problem. Jake knew that C.J. was a master at rebuilding motors. C.J. loved working on the engines at the station and had had to fix his Mustang more times than he liked to admit.

His plan now was to disable the plane's engine, then move on to the next step. Which was to position himself high, then pick off the bastards quickly before they knew where the shots were coming from.

Being a firefighter, he preferred saving lives to taking them. He'd always been happy to let the police do the shooting at a crime scene. Tonight his respect for them doubled.

C.J. layered his clothes to go out in the cold. He had to block out his fear for Tasha; it wouldn't do her any good right now. He dug into his bag, grabbed his bowie knife and strapped it to his upper thigh.