Page 69 of Captured

Her snort was adorable enough to push the bad man inside of me closer to the surface. “Hell, no. My father forbade anything he considered riskier than having a hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day.”

“I hate your father. That’s easy to say and feel.”

“That makes two of us.”

The fact she’d admitted it a second time allowed me to know she was keeping family secrets of her own, the darkness difficult for her. So much so her eyes were suddenly haunted by memories of actions the man had taken. I wanted to crush his skull between my fingers for hurting someone so amazing.

She carefully placed her partially consumed wine on the blanket, standing and stretching. “Time for a swim.”

I watched as she ran toward the water, acting as if our adventurous moment was something she’d agreed to instead of being forced on her.

As she waded into the tumbled waves, I eased my bent knees to my chest, allowing another admittance that the way she’d affected me wasn’t anything like what I’d anticipated.

And in truth, for a brutal man such as myself, I found that as debilitating as if I had the barrel of a weapon pointed at my head.

It was entirely possible I’d underestimated my little sparrow.

In doing so, perhaps she truly had become my weakness.

CHAPTER 19

Emily

Honesty.

I hadn’t expected Styx Saint to be honest in any way. Why did he need to be? He could have continued lying to me, acting as if I should be grateful he’d saved my life. Which of course still sounded insane. Who would put out a contract on a girl like me?

Who was the woman who’d died? More important, how? The compulsive way he was acting, the obsession he had with me made more sense now. That didn’t give him a pass for kidnapping me, but it did help me realize that there was much more underneath the surface than I’d believed even a few hours before. A healer? Did that mean he’d been a doctor? I couldn’t imagine someone taking that kind of oath then abandoning it. But… If he’d been born and raised in a criminal family, then after such a horrific loss, he’d return to his roots for safety. Maybe even comfort. That I knew too well.

Why did it seem like I was giving him a pass after all? Or that I was caring. Because he was right and that you’re more alike than you care to admit. Ugh. I hated my inner voice.

As I trotted toward the water, I drank in the salty air, feeling alive and tingling all over. I’d run away from the feast because his truthful words were far too touching. His candid remarks had not only surprised me, they’d allowed me to see more of his pain as well as what drove him. I couldn’t handle the fact I’d almost fallen into another web with the man, becoming not just physically attracted to him but almost feeling sorry for him.

If that’s what my emotional shift was really all about. Under different circumstances, I could almost like him, be eager to go out on a date with him. He might be older by at least twelve to fifteen years, but he was full of life and energy, the dangerous element to him as attractive as his chiseled body.

I turned around, staring at him for a few seconds, the gentle wave rocking me as I walked backward. There was so much hatred inside of me, mostly for my father. I should be putting all my energy into loathing Styx. The Saint name. I’d heard of it. In the years of discourse with my father, I’d paid attention, finding all the various people he considered an enemy.

They were a powerful family. How powerful was what I didn’t remember.

My father even had a little black book like people kept in the past with names scribbled in it. The Saint family had been underlined in red. It had to be the same people. That was likely how I’d come to Styx’s attention in the first place. But why take me other than hatred of my father or as a method of dragging the man to his knees?

That didn’t seem like Styx at all. Not in his business life or personal one. I dove into the water, still wondering if what he told me about the underwater grenades was true. Knowing him, I’d have to say yes. I’d stick close to shore.

The water was soothing, warmer than I would have anticipated, the day beautiful. Even the picnic, while unexpected, allowed my guard to drop a little. I hadn’t considered he’d ply me with food to keep me drugged and docile. That also didn’t seem like him. He had me where he wanted me. I turned around, throwing my arms into the air, marveling at the beautiful sight.

There was another cover, a boat attached to a dock. It was one of the ways to get off the island. Knowing him, getting to the location would be treacherous. Whether or not the horrible things he’d told me about the booby-traps were true, I wasn’t going to test them. Yes, I still wanted to escape but not to the tune of being eaten by lions or bears or whatever lived in the jungles. I giggled, uncertain of all of it.

As I thought about what I knew about Styx’s family, I did remember seeing a news report maybe two or three years before, an arms deal made to the Marines. It had been touted as revolutionary, without giving details of the various types of equipment sold.

I had a feeling Styx and his two brothers also had the world’s best security equipment and gadgets for people like… oh, say assassins. I grinned from the thought, the tingling sensations continuing. I couldn’t like him. I couldn’t. It was silly, goofy of me.

Then why was I warming up to him?

I held my breath, waiting for a full thirty seconds before I surfaced. I jumped up out of the water, splashing it all around me, raking my hands through my wet hair. The sun was perfect, high in the sky and tingling my skin. After wiping my face, I turned my attention back to the shore, expecting to see my captor standing near the water.

He was nowhere to be seen.

For the briefest of seconds, I was concerned, which was as ridiculous as it was hysterical. But after scanning the horizon, shielding my eyes, I couldn’t see him anywhere. There was no sign of trouble but I had no doubt given what he’d told me that he and his family had serious enemies. Heck. I loved watching Iron Man. He was a weapons dealer.