by Delta James
“No. What I’m trying to impress on you is that I know you have no legal jurisdiction to take me anywhere I don’t want to go and that you need to honor my request to let me out of this vehicle. Now, Mr. Taylor.”
“Not a chance, Ms. Hughes. Finn involved our firm in whatever mess her brother, Christian, stumbled into, and our team is still figuring out how all the pieces fit. The assault on your home this morning should prove that whoever is pulling the strings is more than willing to kill to achieve their goal. Until we know what that is, there’s nothing we can share with the authorities. In most situations like this, if we get them involved too early, they just get in the way. But since Ms. Reid involved us, we feel an obligation to protect those of you who are in danger. That means, until further notice, you’re with me and will do what I tell you.”
“The bloody hell I will. Like you said, Finn hired you…not me. I don’t know anything more than you do. But I’m an investigative journalist, and I think this could be a big story. I mean to see it through to the end.”
“In case you missed it, your end was supposed to be this morning at your place.”
“Let me out!” Zara said angrily.
“No.”
Noah watched Zara take a deep breath, trying to rein in her famous temper.
“You do realize you’re headed west, right?” she asked in a snippy tone.
“Your point being?”
“Europe is east of London. You told Croft we were headed to your European safe house.”
He chuckled. “You’re a reporter. Let me give you a little inside tip. Often, when a field operative thinks there is a possibility a conversation will be overheard, said field operative gives out bad information. We aren’t headed to Europe; we’re headed to a place that we keep in the middle of nowhere.”
“Where, pray tell, is that?”
“It’s a secret,” he said in a teasing tone.
Noah found it was quite amusing to irritate Zara Hughes.
“God damn it, Taylor! Just let me out of the damn car. I have things to do.”
“You have one thing, and one thing only, to do…that’s stay alive. And my job is to make sure you do. That means you stay with me until we get this figured out and neutralize the threat.”
“Excuse me? I don’t think so. I had nothing to do with you getting involved and want even less to do with having you act like some overzealous bodyguard. I am quite capable of taking care of myself.”
Noah was glad the traffic around them was beginning to thin out. He’d feel better once he reached the open highway.
Noah drove, waiting for Zara to make some kind of comment or response.
“Well?” she asked. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Arguing with you is a waste of time. You’re hell-bent on doing what you want, and I’m not going to let you. No bitching and moaning on your part is going to influence me in any way, and you’re too pigheaded to listen to reason.”
“Pigheaded? I’m pigheaded? Let me out.”
He sighed. “No.”
“You cannot tell me no!”
“I just did. You’d better get used to it. I suspect you’ll be hearing it a lot from me.”
“The instant, and I mean the instant, you stop this vehicle, I’m going to get out and scream bloody murder.”
“Good thing I have a full tank of petrol and that there’s a full auxiliary tank as well. When we get where we’re going, you can yell, shout, and curse at the top of your lungs if you want. It won’t do any good and won’t change anything.”
“You are a bastard of the first order.”
“Yes ma’am…I most certainly am,” he said agreeably.
***
Zara shrieked in frustration. The man was infuriating. Sexy as all get-out, but infuriating.
They drove for hours. Zara felt the weight of what had happened as well as the steady monotone of the engine to be soothing and found she was fighting sleep.
“I meant what I said, Zara. I’m not stopping until we get where we’re going. You may as well get some rest.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Too bad. I’ll figure out something when we get there.”
“Can’t you just stop to get us something to eat?”
“And have you scream your fool head off? Thanks, but no thanks.”
“What if I promise not to?” Zara said, trying to sound reasonable.
He laughed. “No.”
Zara finally dozed off. When she woke, it was late afternoon, and they were on a deserted road in a desolate area. Taylor was pulling onto the shoulder of the road.
“We’ve got a couple more hours to go. If you need to relieve yourself or want to stretch your legs, go ahead.”
Noah tossed her some wipes.
“Not worried I’ll run off?” she challenged.
What was it about the man that set her on edge? She should be trying to be nice and win him over, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from taking verbal jabs at him…not that they seemed to make much difference.
“Not particularly. If you want to give it a try, knock yourself out. I’m going to give you a little privacy while I do the same.”
“What? Run off? My luck hasn’t been that good.”
Not knowing how much longer they would be, Zara left him on one side of the Range Rover while she found a small group of shrubs and crouched down. When she was finished, she folded up the wipe and put it back into the individual packet and placed it in her pocket. As Noah hadn’t come around to her side of the vehicle, she nonchalantly headed off in the opposite direction, careful not to attract his attention.
She never heard a sound behind her, but when she glanced over her shoulder, she could see him loading a handgun. The bastard meant to kill her. He was a part of whatever Christian and Finn had stumbled upon. Zara’s instincts took over, and she began to run in a zigzag pattern to make it more difficult for him to get off an accurate shot. She had to get away and let Finn know she, too, was in danger.
Zara didn’t hear the shot but felt something hit her in the butt. It wasn’t nearly as painful as she thought a bullet might be. She reached around and found the reason for that. He hadn’t shot her at all…he’d darted her. She could hear him running toward her but couldn’t get her body to respond the way she wanted. It seemed as though there was a dense fog gathering around her; it made it impossible for her to move in anything other than slow motion. Gradually, it robbed her of consciousness.
As Zara crumpled, Noah’s strong arms went around her.
“No.” She feebly pushed at him.
“Easy, Zara, I’ve got you,” he said as the blackness descended over her completely.
***
Noah smiled; even though she was unconscious, he liked the feel of her in his arms. He carried her back to the vehicle. Hoisting her over his shoulder, he arranged the back area of the Range Rover so it was padded and she wouldn’t wake up too stiff or sore. As he glanced at her upturned derriere over his shoulder, he had a passing thought there were a lot of ways he wouldn’t mind making Zara ache, but folded into the back of the vehicle wasn’t one of them. He placed her head on a pillow and laid a lightweight blanket over her, completely covering her up. He closed and locked the back and checked to make sure no one passing the parked vehicle would see her. He got back behind the wheel and pulled off the shoulder.
Before heading out for the final stretch to the safe house, Noah stopped at the last market and picked up pantry items, food, and equipment they would need for the time they spent there. He put the bags on the passenger seat and floorboard then headed toward the property the firm maintained as a bolt-hole.
Noah arrived at the shepherd’s cottage located on a large parcel of land on the coast of Wales with acres of lush rolling hills behind it. The firm allowed two local shepherds to graze their herds on the pasture so that anyone passing by would see they were in use. Both shepherds were ex British special forces who several of the men at the firm,
including Noah, had known for years. The property was also strategically placed and landscaped to allow Avery to be able to land the company jet or one of its helicopters close to the cottage in case it was needed.
The cottage faced a small fenced front yard which bordered on the ocean with a private cove and sandy beaches. All in all, thought Noah, not the worst place to hole up with a beautiful woman. He shook his head and then put their things away. Not something he needed to be thinking. He needed to remind himself this was business not pleasure. Besides which, he had no need of a woman like Zara in his life.
The last thing he brought into the dwelling was Zara herself. He had turned back the bedcovers of the only bed in the only bedroom. The couch had been chosen for its ability to let someone sleep comfortably, and there was an air mattress stowed away on the top shelf in the closet. Noah laid her down and thought about removing at least her outer clothes to perhaps make her more comfortable. He realized the sports bra she was wearing as a top was the only thing covering her naked breasts. As his cock began to harden, Noah decided she could just sleep in what she had on.
He managed to get the communications system out from its hiding place, get it set up, and called to check in.
“Noah?” came Avery’s soothing voice.
“Hey, beautiful. How goes it?”
“We’re just dandy, but none of us had a party with a bunch of global thugs this morning.”
“What can I say? Y’all aren’t as popular as I am.”
Avery snorted. “Right. Whatever went down at Zara’s has not made any kind of ripple anywhere. We’ve alerted the police, and they’ll keep an eye on the place just in case. We assured them we were undertaking the protection of Ms. Hughes, and when we knew something specific, we would let them know.”
“I told her the same thing.”
“How did she react to the being-under-our-protection portion of that statement?”
“Not particularly well.”
“I wouldn’t imagine. Finn indicated Zara was not likely to just go along.”
“And how is the future Mrs. Crofton?”
“Concerned for her friend and brother but seems to be very happy to be back with Croft. Of course, Mandy has already starting to talk to her about planning the wedding.”
“Mandy’s a good girl. John is lucky to have her.”
Avery laughed. “I’m not sure Mandy is exactly what the rest of you think she is, but I’ll let you have your little fantasies. Fact is, you especially are more inclined to go for a Finn or Willa than a me or Mandy.”
“You?” laughed Croft. “Avery, darlin’, you have a lot of wonderful qualities, but quiet and sweet ain’t among them.”
“Yes, they are,” she protested.
“You keep telling yourself that. When is Mac due back?”
“He should be rolling in tonight. John has assured him everything can wait until tomorrow, but we’re going to want an update from you and a conference to set up a game plan for going forward.”
“How’s Abdal?”
“I think he’s feeling like he’s pretty safe with us and doesn’t seem inclined to make trouble.”
“So, he’s just abdicating to Springer? That’s not good. I think we should include Zara in our call tomorrow. I think she may know some things that will help.”
“Take care, Noah. Let us know what we can do to assist.”
“Don’t worry about us. No one knows we’re here, and I’ve got Zara safe as a bug in a rug.”
“Keep in mind there are those who say that particular bug has fangs and claws.”
Noah shook his head. There was no way he would share with Avery that he wouldn’t mind if she sank those fangs into him or raked his back with her claws as long as he was plowing her slit when she did it.
“Take care, Avery. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Noah used the sophisticated security system to check their location and found nothing of interest. He got up from the desk and walked into the bedroom, expecting to see Zara still asleep in the bed. His first inkling something was wrong was the feel of the ocean breeze coming through the open window. A quick glance at the bed confirmed his worst fear…Zara had flown the coop!
Chapter 4
Noah went back into the main room and grabbed both the dart gun and a regular handgun. The latter was equipped with a silencer…the dart gun didn’t need one. He tried to remember which butt cheek he’d darted the first time. Then he realized he didn’t much care, and, if she wasn’t careful, Ms. Hughes would find he had other ways to make sitting down very uncomfortable for her.
Tucking the tranquilizer gun into his belt, he ran out the door. He glanced at the Range Rover; its driver’s side door was open. He grinned. He’d give her points for having thought to try to get it started without a key. She didn’t know there was a high-powered motorcycle equipped for rough terrain hidden in one of the outbuildings. Noah was glad he’d thought to remove the starter relay on the Rover to ensure she couldn’t steal it. It was easily replaced when they needed to go, and, in an emergency, the motorcycle would be better and more maneuverable.
As he headed toward the Rover, he glanced at the outbuilding where the bike was hidden. It did not appear to be disturbed. Noah figured she’d still be too groggy to get far so he set an easy running pace past the vehicle heading to the top of the closest hill to see if he could spot her. When they’d found this place, one of the things they’d liked about it was that there were enough hills to keep them inconspicuous but still give them an open field of fire, making it difficult for someone to sneak up on them. He wasn’t sure how she’d avoided the surveillance cameras, but he meant to find out. Hopefully, it was just because she was up and moving before he had a chance to get them turned on.
***
Zara watched Noah from her hiding place behind the pump house. He moved like a large, predatory cat. His movements were graceful but had tremendous power behind them. There was no question the man had a sexual magnetism that spoke to her and made the places below her belly flutter at the possibilities. But she neither wanted nor needed a man like that in her life. Damian’s dominant streak had been difficult enough to yield to, and Noah’s was enormous in comparison.
She wanted him to get far enough away she could make her way to the outbuilding he’d glanced at. Why had he looked it? What was in there? Another means of escape? That would make sense. As he ran, Zara eased toward it. As Noah stood scanning the surrounding area and looking away from the cottage, she slipped inside the outbuilding.
At first glance, there was nothing to see, but as she started to poke around, she realized this building was a kind of last-stand holdout. There were numerous large caliber guns and other weaponry hidden within it. And then, as she examined what seemed to be a hay pile, she realized the hay had been carefully affixed to a tarp.
She pulled back the tarp to reveal what appeared to be an off-road motorcycle on steroids hooked up to a generator, indicating the bike was fully charged and ready to go. She grinned when she saw the electric starter—no key needed. And if this was an emergency getaway vehicle, she’d bet it hadn’t been sabotaged to keep it from starting. Take that, Mr. Sexier Than Anyone Has a Right to Be!
Zara bent over the motorcycle to unhook it from the generator so she could remove it from its hiding place. She never heard him enter the building. The first thing that let her know he’d found her was when his large, hard hand connected with her butt cheek, sending pain radiating out from it and causing her to fold over the seat of the bike.
Before she could protest, he pinned her down then the other hand landed three stinging blows to her posterior.
“You sonofabitch! That hurts!”
“Really? I’d have thought you liked pain seeing as how you seem to be in quite a hurry to get yourself killed.”
Zara struggled, but Noah had her trapped facedown, ass up over the motorcycle seat.
“Since you and I are going to be spending some time together, I think we nee
d to get a few rules straight,” he continued, landing harsh strikes to what was quickly becoming a very painful bottom.
The worst part, aside from how much his spanking hurt, was the fact she could feel the faint beginnings of excitement awaken and bloom. Her nipples stiffened, and there was no way he’d miss that when he let her up. She could also feel the dew gathering between her legs and feared if he pulled her sweatpants down, he’d see it glistening as further proof of her arousal at his treatment.
Noah’s hand crashed down again on her bottom, causing her to inhale sharply. He said nothing but landed repeated swats that covered her entire backside. The spanking was intensely painful, especially for someone who hadn’t received one in several years—and one meant to establish dominance, not inflame lust. As much as it hurt, it was also setting her libido free to indulge the idea of what she really wanted from him.
Zara kicked her legs and tried to squirm away, but failed. Noah peppered her backside until she was quite certain it would be as red as a fire engine when he finished. She’d forgotten how much it hurt to be spanked by a man who knew how. Since Damian, she’d tried getting different lovers to spank her erotically, but the results had been disappointing in the extreme and had left her feeling empty. Noah’s hand seemed not only to be able to inflict pain but fan the flames of her desire which were threatening to burn out of control.
He didn’t seem particularly angry but rather kept her pinned while he punished her backside. She bit her lip in a desperate attempt to keep from pleading with him to stop or worse…pleading with him to assuage the need his treatment of her was creating. Knowing how much she wanted him to do so was humiliating.
“Get it through your head that you are stuck with me and you will obey me. If I give you an order, you do it. You don’t question me. You don’t bitch at me. You don’t call me names. You just do it,” Noah said as he ratcheted up the searing pain his continued discipline was causing her.
“You can’t do this to me,” she cried.
“Apparently, I’m not doing it hard enough so you can tell I already am. Perhaps I ought to pull these sweatpants down and spank your bare bottom.”