“Oh, an undercover slimebag who kidnaps women. Very cosmopolitan.”
He frowns, “Ya need to drink that water. I have some painkillers too. That night-night juice packs quite a punch.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have held me down and stabbed me with that needle.” I’m looking at the water bottle, beads of condensation on the sides. I’ll bet it’s cold. It would taste so good… “Did you drug the water,Michael?”
“I would’na tell ya if I did, but I dinna drug it. It’s clean. I had to get ya out of there as quickly and quietly as possible, and ya were not interested in playing along.” He picks up a little bottle off the bar and shakes out two white pills, handing them to me.
“Do you blame me?” I ask sullenly.
He gives me a half grin that’s too attractive for a kidnapping lying bastard. “I suppose not. Still, I dinna want ya to suffer. Take the pills.”
Taking the tablets and opening the bottle, I’m relieved that I hear the crack of the plastic seal as the lid twists off. Not that he still couldn’t have drugged it, but it being sealed makes me feel better.
Oh, my god nothing has ever tasted better than this water, blissfully cold and clear. I gulp down half the bottle before I force myself to stop.
“So, who are you really,Michael?”
“Since I’m taking ya home with me, I’ll tell ya. Ethan MacTavish, at your service.”
He has the audacity to lean over, offering me his hand like we’ve just met at a garden party or something. In return, I wiggle my fingers on the hand still cuffed to the chair. “What do you mean, you’re taking me home?”
“When your father- ah, stepfather contacted my clan to track ya down, his instructions were disturbing. My Chieftain wants to speak with ya.”
“What were his instructions?” I clutch the water bottle to my chest, like that’s going to protect me.
“He said, “If you canna extract her, kill her.”
I’m instantly light-headed. I knew the evil prick wanted me dead, but to send someone after me to do it…
“Put your head between your knees, you’re gonna pass out.”
“I am not,” I still let him push my head down, taking some deep breaths.
“I will not, as he requested, be killing ya. The MacTavishes dinna kill women,” he says, lightly stroking my hair until I sit up, pushing his hand away.
“Then let me go!” I plead, “If you send me back, hewillkill me. He was probably just too much of a pussy to do it himself and hoped you’d take care of it.”
“What do ya have lass, that he wants badly enough to put out a kill order?”
Shrugging, I take another careful sip of water. “How do I know? He hates me. Now that my mother’s gone, I guess he wants me wiped off the face of the earth, too.”
It’s amazing what the man can convey with a single raise of his eyebrow. Surprise. Amusement. Disbelief. “I canna help ya if you’re not honest with me.”
“Yes, you’ve been a huge help. You buy me, kidnap me-”
“Dinna forget making ya come hard enough to pass out,” he interrupts.
“It was forgettable,” I lie, and now I can add incredulity to his raised eyebrow gamut of emotion. “My point is, there’s nothingyou can do, Ethan. Please just…” To my horror, tears well up in my eyes. “Let me go.”
He leans forward, his black eyes intent on mine. “How long do ya think ya can run from him?”
“Until he gives up,” I said, angrily wiping my wet cheeks. “I kept away from him for a year and a half. I’ll keep running.”
“Sorry darlin’ but he’s not giving up. He may have tried searching for ya quietly, but if he’s desperate enough to contact my clan to extract ya, the next call he’ll make will be to someone with no scruples about killing a woman…afterextracting the information he wants.”
I’m lightheaded again. “Th- that’s not your problem. Please, just let me go. Tell him it was a false sighting in Italy.”
His eyes sharpen, intent, as he leans over the table to cup my face in his palm. “I never miss a target. Masters knows this. We’ll be landing soon. Try to relax.” He rises gracefully, heading toward the cockpit.
