Kitabı oku: «The Enemy's Kiss», sayfa 3

They heard muffled voices but no one was within sight. They slipped past the threshold and into a long, wide hall lit by several dangling bulbs. They moved cautiously toward an archway that was aglow with a light from a lower floor.

Daniela matched Nicholas’s pace, staying close, but never advancing ahead. Oddly, she didn’t feel any fear. There was just something about the man that gave her a sense of reassurance. She wasn’t sure if it was the confidence in his stride, the way he held his crossbow at his side—subtly poised for anything—or his tall and powerful frame. Whatever the reason, it was certainly an odd feeling for her. Never had she met a man who made her feel anything remotely close to security.

They passed through the archway and found themselves on the second floor of the main hall. The upper level was lined with a banister while the foyer below was crowded with wooden crates and barrels. Five men moved about, stacking the crates and rolling the barrels to one side.

Nicholas assumed an immediate crouching position and Daniela followed suit. Concealed within the shadows and behind the wooden posts of the banister, they observed the scene below. The men spoke with British accents and Daniela recognized one of them immediately. Tall and with a gangly frame, she knew him only by his nickname, Cradle. She’d done business with him a few times, actually delivering the first rune to him a few days ago. And it was to him that she was expected to deliver the second.

“That’s him,” she told Nicholas. “He’s the one I gave the rune to.”

He fixed the man with a lethal look. “So it is possible that the rune is here?”

Daniela didn’t like the look on his face. It seemed he contemplated a confrontation. Between him with his antique weapon and her with her butter knife, the chances of victory were positively slim.

“No,” she tried to dissuade. “I told you before that these guys are just middlemen. I doubt they hold on to the items for very long.”

“He was given the rune. If it is not in his possession he will know where it is.” With that he slid forward a few feet.

Daniela watched him incredulously. There was no way he could confront Cradle without alerting the others. And doing that would only lead to his death—or worse.

She cast a glance over her shoulder. It was time for her to make an exit. Nicholas had her cell phone and could possibly use it to learn her identity, but if she managed to get out of there she could contact Mai and have her cancel her cellular account. Attempting an escape was better than remaining here to face a certain death. Even if Nicholas didn’t make it out of there, her life was still at risk because her cell phone remained in his pocket, which she was sure Cradle and his comrades would search.

She briefly considered returning the way they’d come, but realized that it would take too long to reach a safe distance. What she needed was a fast and easy escape route. Her gaze flitted across the upper level of the room, scanning the shadows as she sought an alternative exit. It seemed luck was on her side for on the opposite end of the room a small glass window beckoned to her. It was slightly ajar and just wide enough for her to pass through. The only problem was that she’d never be able to make her way to it before she got caught. But then she’d always been innovative.

Again she scanned the room. Overhead the ancient ceiling had been left open and she could see the heavy maze of rafters. She was certain she could reach them, and the beams looked sturdy enough to support her weight.

She shot a glance at the men below, then to Nicholas. She would have only a few seconds before he realized that she’d left his side. Her plan would have to be executed without flaw. In the next second, she stood, climbed onto the banister and made a jump for the nearest beam of the rafter. She caught it and gracefully swung her legs up and around it, finally pulling her entire body onto it.

Slipping into a feline crouch, her gaze swept over the occupants of the room a second time. The men below went about their duties, but Nicholas’s very disapproving attention was pinned to her. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth and she shrugged. There was no way he could follow her and he knew it.

She turned and began her careful journey toward the window. She’d only gotten midway when the beam beneath her began to creak. She froze. The sound had been very quiet, barely audible beneath the laughter of the men below, but she’d heard it. And oddly, so had Nicholas. She looked at him just in time to see his eyes dip to the beam. A quick assessment revealed that, although the beam itself was sturdy, the joints that connected it were worn with decay.

The wood creaked again and she weighed her options; going back was definitely not among them. Besides, she was halfway to the other side. She only needed to be quick, she told herself, to make it there.

One, she began counting, two, three …

She made a dash for it, got only another few feet before a loud creak resounded across the room and the termite-riddled joints that held the beam up surrendered to the added weight. Daniela gripped a smaller beam over her head, but that too gave way and she found herself falling to the ground.

She landed gracefully amidst the lengths of rotten wood. Dust hung about her and as she stood she looked up to find the five men, including Cradle, watching her. She slowly backed toward a stack of crates as they advanced. Her heart began drumming wildly when one of them pulled out a gun.

“Well, well. What have we got here?” he said.

“Looks like a little spy,” said another.

“Or the police,” Cradle piped in.

Daniela made an effort to keep her eyes averted from him. He’d never seen her face as she’d always worn her mask during drop-offs, but she didn’t want to take any chances. If by some twist of fate she did make it out of there alive, she didn’t want Cradle tracking down her friends and family.

She eased back another few steps, but was halted when the gunman raised his weapon.

“Stop right there,” he barked. “Who sent you here?” When she didn’t respond he cocked the gun. “I asked you a question.”

Before Daniela could provide a response, an arrow zipped through the air and penetrated the gunman’s right shoulder. He cried out in agony and the gun toppled to the floor. All eyes turned toward the top of the stairway just in time to see Nicholas leap over the banister. He landed effortlessly on his feet then brought the hind end of his crossbow square in the face of the man nearest him. With a cry the man stumbled backward and into a stack of crates.

It took the others only a few seconds to assess this new threat and one of the men snatched up the gun, aiming for Nicholas’s chest. Daniela intercepted his attack with a kick to the midsection that knocked the wind out of him. The gun went off and a sharp pain shot through her left thigh.

The fight that transpired after that could only be described as chaos. The three men who remained on their feet charged at them, wielding anything they could get their hands on. Daniela quickly put her martial arts training into use while Nicholas fired off two more arrows, disabling another opponent. He discarded his weapon then and went at it fist to fist with his next attacker.

Despite their present predicament, Daniela couldn’t help but admire the speed and agility with which Nicholas fought. He moved as a man who’d been well trained in the art of combat. His opponent was easily defeated and Nicholas snatched up his crossbow again, turning to watch as she finished her attacker with a blinding blow to the head.

Their eyes met as she remained kneeled over the motionless figure, forcing her breathing to assume a steady rhythm. He stared at her for a few seconds longer, his gaze hard and indiscernible. It was all Daniela could do not to flinch. She didn’t fear him and wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of thinking she did.

He didn’t bark orders at her as she’d expected. Instead, he turned and marched toward Cradle who was holding his wounded arm.

With his boot, Nicholas rolled Cradle over onto his back. “The Rune of Moloch, where is it?”

Cradle spat, sending a tooth bouncing to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said as he tried to sit up.

Nicholas reached down and slipped an arrow from the quiver strapped to his leg. “It was given to you. Now where is it? This is your final opportunity to respond.” He positioned the arrow into the bow.

Daniela looked at her left thigh. She’d been shot. A small hole had been ripped into her leather pants and blood seeped through. She looked around quickly and spotted a large canvas drape that was piled on the floor. She crawled toward it and used Nicholas’s knife to cut a length of it which she then fastened tightly around her thigh, grimacing as the pain intensified.

She pushed herself to her feet and briefly considered another escape, but decided against it. Nicholas was clearly very skilled with the weapon he held. And with her injured leg she wasn’t likely to get very far. As for how a man of the twenty-first century had acquired such precision with an antique weapon, she couldn’t imagine. Nevertheless, his disposition was hardly one to be tested.

Cradle had managed to drag himself a few inches toward a stack of crates. His brow was furrowed in suspicion and his eyes darted to her and back. Daniela quickly averted her gaze, silently cursing Nicholas’s tactless interrogation. Few people knew that Cradle had collected the rune and she only hoped that the number was large enough to exempt her from suspicion.

Nicholas aimed his weapon and his finger eased on the trigger. A flash of lightning from outside illuminated the room and the lazy rumble of thunder quickly ensued. A storm approached.

Cradle eyed the man above him warily and a lump forced its way down his throat. “Hey, I only collected the item. I don’t know where it is now.”

“Who did you give it to?”

“I took it to a campsite about ten miles on the outskirts of Bucharest. I’d never been there before and never seen the two women I gave it to,” he admitted.

“Two women?” Nicholas questioned.

“Yeah,” Cradle continued as he repositioned himself, supporting his obviously deformed wrist with his uninjured hand. “Two broads. Twins by the look of them—real stiff-lipped Addams Family rejects.”

“And what were you given in exchange for the rune?”

“Money. That’s all these jobs are to me—a paycheck. I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told.”

Nicholas remained poised over the man for a few seconds then grunted in response as he stepped back. “Get up,” he ordered.

Cradle crawled to his feet. Without a word Nicholas jerked his head toward a large crate that sat open on the floor. Cradle understood and although a look of reluctance crossed his face, he complied without question. With much difficulty he climbed into the crate and fell back into the packing grass.

Nicholas set his crossbow aside and swung the heavy wooden lid up. “Your associates should be awake by sunrise. I am sure they will discover you here,” he told Cradle before setting the lid into place.

He marched toward another crate and picked it up, putting it firmly onto the lid of the first, securing Cradle inside. Daniela exhaled softly. At least no one had been killed. She wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from Nicholas Drakon. Her relief was shortlived when he snatched up his crossbow and turned his attention to her.

Propping the weapon up onto his shoulder, he sauntered toward her, pausing a few feet away. He stood there watching her, his eyes narrowed as they trailed the length of her. Daniela tried to still the racing of her heart, but couldn’t. The man simply looked dangerous with his long mane of dark hair spilling over his back and shoulders. With as much bravado as she could muster, she waited for his next move.

His eyes dipped over her again “You have been wounded,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s nothing,” she lied even as another sharp pain shot down her leg.

“There are medications at the estate. We can treat it there,” he told her as he pulled the bow from his shoulder and began to disable it.

Daniela blinked. What the hell was he talking about? He’d gotten what he wanted and it didn’t seem as if he intended to turn her in to the police. There was absolutely no reason for her to remain with him.

“I’ve shown you what you wanted to see. I’d like to go now,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Oh, and I need my phone back.”

Nicholas’s hand paused on the crossbow and he looked up at her. Emerald eyes flashed. “Dawn is nearly upon us,” he said. “I intend to be back at the estate before the sun rises. I do not have the patience or the time to spare.” He motioned toward the main entry door with his crossbow.

As she’d done so many times that night, Daniela swallowed her comment. She hated to admit it, but there was something about Nicholas Drakon that made her insides quiver. It was like a sordid mixture of anger and intense attraction. She’d never been immediately drawn to anyone before, most especially someone of the opposite sex. It was a pity he was such a nuisance to be around. And it seemed she would have to endure even more of his less-than-winning disposition.

Trying to ignore the pain in her leg, she headed toward the main exit. Nicholas extended a hand to assist her, but she shoved it away. She didn’t need his help.

Chapter 4

Nicholas shoved through the door of the estate’s kitchen. He was in a foul mood. Not only had Daniela nearly gotten them both killed, but for the price of learning very little about the location of the missing rune. And to top it all off, they’d not managed to escape a sudden storm and were presently soaking wet.

Daniela’s knees buckled just as they entered the room and he caught her before she touched the floor. She was no doubt weakened by the fair amount of blood she’d lost.

“Sit,” he instructed as he guided her into the room.

Daniela complied, seating herself at the polished mahogany table that sat in the center of the kitchen. Matching countertops and cupboards lined one side of the room and a small couch sat near the rear wall.

Nicholas headed for a cupboard and returned with a wooden box and a bottle of brandy. He looked at the blood-soaked rag that she’d used as a makeshift tourniquet. The bleeding had stopped. Carefully, she released the knot that secured it into place and bit down on her bottom lip, but remained silent. Nicholas could tell that although she hid it well she was in much pain.

He placed the box on the table and opened the lid. It contained medicinal items from a modern first aid kit and a few that were similar to those used in the 1900s. He went to the sink and returned with a bowl of water.

“I will need to clean your wound and the bullet must be extracted. Remove your pants,” he told her.

Her attention snapped to him. “I don’t think so,” she told him flatly.

His eyes narrowed on her. The wound was bound to become infected if it wasn’t tended to, and he needed her alive and well. He was sure that she would be contacted the following night once she didn’t show up with the second rune. His plan was simple. He would have her admit to encountering trouble, but state that she’d managed to steal the rune anyway. As the monastery would no longer be deemed a safe haven and the delivery of the item would already be late, he would have her offer to deliver the stone to the source itself. “Remove your pants or I will remove them for you,” he warned.

Their eyes locked, hers relaying a fierce defiance. He could see her weighing her options. It was futile to defy him for it was he who determined her fate. Her jaw hardened and he knew that she’d come to this very conclusion.

With a dark scowl that made her sleek brows pucker, she used the table for support and pushed to her feet. She stared up at him, her head barely level with his chin. When he remained as he was she let out an exasperated sigh that made her ample chest rise temptingly.

“Can you at least give me some privacy?” she asked.

Nicholas pondered the humor of her request. She could certainly be amusing in all her tartness. To think that he would turn his back on her a second time was foolish.

“I assure you, you have nothing I have not seen before.” He brought his arms up to cross over his chest. “Proceed.”

If possible, her eyes grew even more venomous. “You arrogant son of a bitch,” she gritted out as she jerked the single button at her waistband open.

“Spoken like a true criminal deviant,” he countered.

He watched as she yanked the zipper down, revealing a surprisingly lacy thong. What he’d originally thought was white turned out to be a soft pink. There was even a little bow fastened to the band. His gaze trailed to her face as she pushed the left leg carefully over her injury. It seemed there lay some softness beneath her calloused exterior after all.

With her pants rolled to her knees she eased back into the chair. Nicholas assumed it was her pride that prevented her from trying to conceal the beautiful curve of her hips and thighs. She sat still even as he kneeled before her and removed a packet of gauze from the kit then began swabbing at the blood that had dried about the point of entry.

“You would do well to take a drink of that brandy,” he suggested.

Daniela shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll need all my wits about me in case you try something.”

His gaze slid to her face. “If it was my intent to try something, no measure of wit would save you, be assured.”

She was silent, no doubt absorbing his words. “Funny,” she said at last. “For someone with so much money you certainly weren’t taught very many manners.”

He snorted. “Scolded by a woman who makes her living stealing from others. How I have fallen,” he scoffed.

His humor wasn’t taken well and her eyes narrowed on him. “Why are you holding me here? To torture me with your sarcasm?” she asked.

He studied her for a moment, noting the way her damp hair had curled about her face and shoulders. “You have not served your full purpose yet,” he told her. “You are my only hope of finding the rune and the one who hired you to steal it. Until I do, you will remain here.”

“I believe that’s called kidnapping.”

He nodded in agreement. “Perhaps it is, but you are hardly in the position to alert the authorities, are you?” Without waiting for her response, he dipped a fresh wad of gauze into the bowl and moved lower on her thigh. He noted another small bullet hole. It could’ve been an exit wound, but it was curiously small. He would have to be certain. He removed a small pair of forceps from the kit.

“This will hurt, but I will be done with it as quickly as I can.”

“Just get it over with,” she snapped.

Nicholas watched her curiously. He’d been thoroughly impressed by her fighting skill and her courage. She had a hard strength about her that wasn’t ordinarily seen in women of the modern era. This, coupled with her beautiful face and form made her quite desirable. But this was business. His family’s future was at stake and he would have no dealings with the one who was partially responsible for bringing it down upon them. Not that she would permit it anyway. The woman was a shrew.

Taking the forceps he began to gently fish around the anterior wound. Her grip tightened on the edge of the chair and she looked away, but refrained from crying out. Having done this sort of thing many times before over the centuries, Nicholas quickly discerned that the bullet had indeed exited her body.

“You were quite fortunate,” he told her.

He wiped the area a second time then removed a small pouch from the box. He opened it and the aroma of dried leaves poured out.

“What’s that?” Daniela asked suspiciously.

“It’s called kava,” he informed. “The plant is dried and has been used as a topical anesthetic for centuries.”

Pinching a small portion out of the bag, he applied it to her wound then proceeded to place a bandage about her thigh. His fingers grazed her skin a few times and he was hard-pressed to ignore how extremely soft she felt. Her body was perfect; ripe and smooth. He found himself wishing that they’d met under different circumstances. He would’ve had her splayed naked on his bed without a second thought.

Standing, he quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind. There was much at hand he had yet to deal with. His father would be arriving at the estate shortly. The matter of the missing rune would be discussed and he would have to somehow reveal to him the activities of the night and his failure to learn more.

He marched toward the stainless-steel faucet and washed his hands. Then he moved to a cupboard and pulled a woven quilt from it and tossed it onto the back of the sofa in the corner. “You would be wise to rest. You will need your strength for we have another long night ahead.”

He stood there for a few more seconds, his eyes draping her once again. She said nothing, only sat there watching him as if he’d brought the plague himself. He didn’t consider his actions wrong, far from it. He was loyal to his family and would do whatever it took to reinstate the peace that they’d fought so long to obtain. And if that meant holding a deviant and sharp-tongued vixen against her will, then so be it. In fact, the experience might just be good for her. There were a few lessons she needed to learn in obedience. Quietly, he stalked toward the door and left the room, turning the lock in the keyhole.

Daniela waited until the sound of Nicholas’s footsteps disappeared down the hall. She pushed herself up quickly and carefully slipped her pants back up, wincing slightly at the subsiding pain in her leg. The dried leaves he’d added to her dressing were certainly working quickly. She hadn’t been too keen on having him help her, but now she was glad that she had. If she intended to escape she would need every bit of her speed and agility working for her. She snatched up the pouch of leaves from the first aid kit and stuffed it into her pocket. There was no telling how long the anesthesia would be effective. And if she intended to find the second rune before the day ended, the last thing she could afford was the distraction of pain.

Reaching into her shirt, she found the cold metal that was pressed against her left breast. It was the key to Nicholas’s motorcycle. Upon entering the kitchen she’d deliberately stumbled against him and had deftly picked his pocket. And when he’d reached into the cupboard for the first aid kit, she’d quickly hidden it. She hadn’t been bold enough to attempt retrieving her phone from his back pocket for he would’ve surely guessed her intentions.

She limped toward the door and slipped two hairpins from her hair. If there was one thing Nicholas had forgotten it was that she was a thief. He’d stripped her of her gadgets and retrieved his pocket knife, but she was innovative. A mere door couldn’t confine her. Straightening the pins, she stuck them into the old-fashioned lock system. She’d never picked a lock quite this antique before, and it proved to be more than a challenge. Nevertheless, after several tries she heard a soft click.

Slowly, she turned the handle and peered out into the hall. She was free! She eased into the hall, listening for any sounds beneath the abated rainfall and was met with silence. She closed the door of the kitchen and made her way down the hallway, hoping to encounter a rear exit. She noted the wet boot prints on the tiled floor and knew that this was the way Nicholas had come.

Halfway down the hall another passage branched off to the right and so did the wet boot prints. She could see a set of double doors that were closed, but light seeped from beneath and the distinct sound of voices could be heard. Daniela paused. She was torn between the desire to leave and to learn more about the man who’d disrupted her life in only a few short hours. In the end her curiosity got the better of her and she moved forward.