You Only Love Twice (48 page)

Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear each terrified beat. “I keep my money in the clothes press,” she choked out.

“Shut your mouth and listen,” he snarled. “We want the book Colette passed to you in Paris. Where is it?”

“Colette?” Her thoughts spun off in every direction. “Who is Colette?”

He slapped her so hard that her lip split and her teeth jarred. Tears of pain and terror welled in her eyes.

“Don’t make this hard on yourself, Miss Vayle,” said that hateful voice. “We know you have the book. We know you want to sell it to the highest bidder. So here’s our offer. Your brother’s life for the book Colette gave you.”

She was horribly afraid of what he would do to her if she denied knowing Colette again. There was a cold brutality about him that warned her he enjoyed inflicting pain. She swallowed the blood in her mouth as her mind groped frantically to make sense of what was happening.

She didn’t know any Colette, but she’d been in Paris with George and Olivia. And she had bought books, a whole trunk of books for the little business she had set up. But those books were not in Bath. They were locked up at the customs house in Dover.

She felt rather than saw the movement as he raised his hand to strike her again, and she blurted out, “The book isn’t here. If you kill me, you’ll never find it.” Then the full horror of his words cut through her panic. “What have you done to my brother?” she cried out.

His hand instantly covered her mouth, mashing her lips against her teeth. “Keep your voice down!” His lips were so close to her ear that she felt his warm breath fan across her cheek, and her stomach heaved. “I won’t hesitate to kill your companion if she comes to investigate. Do you understand?”

She nodded and once again found herself released. She was still mortally afraid, but her mind was working like quicksilver, adding things up, making connections. One thing stood out clearly. The truth would not
save her or George. They would be safe only as long as her assailant thought she had Colette’s book to trade.

“A book for your brother’s life,” he whispered. “Most people would think that was a bargain. Where is the book, Miss Vayle?”

Though she was beginning to believe that George really had been abducted by this man and his accomplices, she said, playing for time, “How can I be sure that you have George? Last time I saw him, he was in Paris.”

“When you give me the book, I’ll take you to him.”

“And murder us both the minute you have the book in your hands?” She was alarmed at her own temerity, and even more alarmed at the thought of what he would do if she didn’t get a grip on herself. “Oh, no. That’s not how we’ll play this out.”

There was a long silence, then he said, “Go on.”

She couldn’t go on because she didn’t know how to extricate herself and George from this horrible nightmare. If only she had more time. “It will take me some time to get hold of the book,” she said. “As I told you, it’s not here. It’s … it’s in my bank vault in London.”

“London?”

“And I’m the only one who can get it.” That ought to buy her a reprieve of several days. Then she would have time to get help or come up with a plan to save George. “And when I have the book, we’ll make the exchange on neutral ground. But first, you have to prove to me that you have my brother.”

He laughed softly. “You’re such a suspicious character, Miss Vayle. What do you want me to do, cut off his little finger and send it to you?”

Fear for George’s safety made her reckless. “Two can play at threats.”

Her words had a profound effect. She could sense it
in the way he tensed and sucked in a breath. His voice was dangerously quiet when he spoke. “If you go to our competitors, I promise you, Miss Vayle, we’ll cut up your brother and send him to you in pieces.”

Her words were bold but her voice shook. “If you harm a hair of George’s head, your competitors will have the book Colette gave me before you can turn around. Do I make myself clear?”

“Very clear, Miss Vayle.”

“Good. Then you’ll bring me a letter in George’s hand to prove that he’s unharmed, and after that we’ll work out the details of the exchange.”

Genuine admiration colored his voice. “You are a very clever operator, Miss Vayle, very clever indeed, for a woman. Just a word of warning. Remember what we did to Jerome and Colette when they crossed us.”

She had to ask. “What did you do to them?”

He answered pleasantly. “We skinned Jerome alive, but we were more merciful with Colette. We merely put a bullet in her brain.”

Now she knew she was going to be sick.

“Don’t take anyone into your confidence,” he said. “We’ll be watching you, Miss Vayle, and at the first hint of trouble, we’ll cut our losses.”

She believed him. A wave of despair washed through her. If she didn’t have the book he wanted, how could she hope to save her brother? One false step on her part and it would be all over for George.

“I—” she said and got no further. Pain exploded through her head, and she sank back onto the pillows as blackness engulfed her.