In Enemy Hands

by Michelle Perry

  He clutched her hips, pushing himself deeper, urging her faster. Faster. Nadia rode him hard as sheets of warm, gray rain beat against her back.

  Lightning streaked the sky and thunder shook the ground, but Nadia scarcely noticed. Their coupling was as wild and passionate as the storm that swirled around them.

  Nadia screamed when the climax rocked through her body. Spots danced before her eyes and she was sure she was going to pass out. Her muscles tightened helplessly around him and Dante roared. His fingers dug into her hips, and he gave one last powerful thrust.

  Neither moved. Neither tried to talk. Suddenly, everything was quiet around them except for the rain pounding on the hoist roof and the sound of their own breathing.

  A little shocked by her ragged gasps, Nadia stared down at Dante. He looked as shell-shocked as she felt. Pushing a handful of dripping hair out of her face, she laughed.

  Dante smiled and cupped her face in his hand. She pressed her mouth against his palm.

  “That was …” Nadia shook her head, unable to find a word that seemed adequate. “That was …”

  “Not bad,” Dante said blandly, then held up his hands to ward off Nadia’s blows. He caught her wrists and pulled her face to his.

  “That was …” He paused, kissing her. “… the most amazing experience …” Another kiss. “… of my entire life.”

  There was so much she wanted to say to him—I love you, I need you-but somehow the words wouldn’t come. She’d never said them to anyone. Had never felt them before now. It scared her to death.

  Laughing, the lovers stood and tried to clean the mud from their bodies before they ran for the shelter of the hoist house. Dante removed a thin blanket from his backpack and spread it out in the narrow space. They made love again while the rain beat against the aging tin roof.

  “We’d better put on our clothes,” Dante said reluctantly. “Your old man could be here any time, and he’ll shoot me for sure if he catches us like this.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Nadia sat up and reached for her shirt. “And he carries a .44.”

  “I know. I’ve already been on the business end of his .44.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  He told her about the climb out of the river and what he’d found waiting for him at the top.

  Nadia laughed and covered her face in her hands.

  “Sorry,” she said. “They’re a little … protective.”

  “Hey, I deserved it. But they did give me a chance to explain. Ronnie even fixed up my shoulder for me.”

  She fingered the rolling tape on his shoulder. “Speaking of which, I have to fix your bandage again, and I’d better check out that side too. You’re covered in scratches. You look like you’ve been tangling with a wildcat.”

  “I have.” Dante grinned at her and gently slapped her behind when she reached over him for the backpack.

  Nadia doctored his scrapes, then rubbed the dark stubble on his head.

  “I like that. Stubble on your head, stubble on your face. You look downright dangerous.”

  “Baby, I am dangerous.”

  She giggled when he pushed her back on the blanket. He raked his face against her bare stomach.

  “Ow, ow! Stop it! That hurts.”

  Dante took the antibiotic salve from her hand and began dotting it on her various injuries. “Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll let you shave my head when we get back home.”

  Nadia snorted. “Ha! Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll let you shave my legs.”

  He smoothed his big palm down her bare thigh, making her shiver. “I think I can handle it.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Quit looking at me like that,” he admonished, his brown eyes wary.

  “Like what?” Nadia took his hand and pulled it to her mouth. Dante groaned when she traced his finger over her bottom lip and started sucking on it.

  “You insatiable brat. You’ve nearly killed me already. I’m just a fragile shell of the man I was before I met you,” Dante said, closing his eyes. He leaned his head back and Nadia crawled into his lap.

  “I bet Superman would be up for it,” she whispered, then caught his earlobe between her teeth. He groaned again.

  “Superman wears his underwear on the outside of his pants. Besides, he never had to deal with the likes of you.”

  It was nearly an hour before they got back into their clothes. Nadia rested her head on Dante’s chest and drifted into a deep, dreamless slumber.

  Whup-whup-whup The sound invaded her sleep. What was that?

  Nadia stirred against Dante. Even in sleep, his arm tightened around her and pulled her up close. Whup-whup-whup Nadia blinked and tried to make her bleary eyes focus. It was dark outside. Really dark. Nighttime. How long had they been asleep?

  Whup-whup-whup “Dante!”

  He sat up immediately, his eyes wild in the moonlight. He didn’t have the same trouble she did shaking off his sleep. His revolver was already in his hand.

  “You’ve got to hide. You see that ore bin over there?” He pointed at the boxy wooden structure across from them. “Get over there when I tell you and don’t come out until I come get you.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “You have to. I’m hiding too, but there’s not room in that thing for the both of us.”

  “Dante-”

  “Please.” He kissed her forehead. “Trust me.”

  “But-”

  “Please.”

  “Okay.” She crouched at the edge of the shelter and waited on his signal.

  “Go!” He slapped her bottom and she took off, scrambling into the tiny wooden box, praying the whole thing didn’t collapse with her.

  Praying she wouldn’t disturb any resting creatures.

  The whup-whup-whup sound was getting louder. The helicopter was close now. A spotlight danced across the ground in front of her, illuminating the motorcycle they’d had no way to conceal.

  A sick feeling rolled through her stomach as she scanned for Dante. He had nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

  Peering through the cracks in the weathered old boards, Nadia watched the helicopter land. Three men emptied out of it. She recognized one of them.

  Peterson.

  Then she saw the cold blue eyes of the devil himself. Vandergriff had come out to settle this one personally.

  Watching in horror, she saw the men storm toward the hoist house. Dante walked out, holding his hands high.

  The helicopter blades stopped turning and Nadia could hear Vandergriff’s voice raised in anger.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s gone!” Dante shouted. “She’s probably halfway out of the state by now. I’m a decoy and you were stupid enough to fall for it.”

  She winced when Vandergriff struck Dante across the face with the butt of his gun. Dante sank to his knees.

  “Check it out!” Vandergriff yelled to his men. “Find that girl.”

  “I’ll check over here,” Peterson said, and Nadia ducked back, afraid he would see her in the darkness. She wondered if she could reason with him. If—

  Peterson stuck his head in the opening and stared at her.

  “Your father’s on his way,” he whispered, then yanked his head back outside.

  “Nothing in there,” he called out, and proceeded to walk around the ore bin, making a show of checking underneath it.

  Nadia sat in stunned silence.

  Vandergriff screamed, an incoherent cry of rage.

  He jerked his rifle up and pressed the barrel against Dante’s forehead. Nadia squeezed her eyes shut, terrified she was about to witness her lover’s execution.

  “Wait!”

  Dante jerked his gaze to Vandergriff’s hit man.

  “Mr. Vandergriff … if I might say something.”

  “Go ahead, Peterson.”

  “Sir, the Andreakos girl is in love with this guy. She told me herself. I think we can use him, maybe get another shot at her.”

  W
hat was this? And where was Nadia?

  Dante had to force his gaze back to the ground, not wanting to tip them off. When the man had checked the ore bin, he had been holding his breath.

  Stay back, babe, he thought fervently. Stay hidden.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “I think we should take him back to Tennessee. Get word to Andreakos that we have his daughter’s boyfriend. We can set them up. They come after him, we attack the home front while they’re chasing their tails. If we’re lucky, you might score more than one Andreakos from the deal.”

  Vandergriff was silent for a long moment, then he lowered the barrel of the gun.

  “I like it.” He grinned and slapped Peterson on the back. “But I say we just kill him now. They’ll never know the difference.”

  Peterson shook his head. “Andreakos is too smart for that. He’ll demand proof. What harm is there in carrying this guy back to Tennessee? Once the plan is in motion, you can kill him then.”

  “Okay, Peterson. You continue to impress. I like a man who can think quickly on his feet.” Vandergriff grinned at Dante. “Secure his hands and load him on the helicopter.”

  “Hands behind your back,” the other man commanded.

  Dante complied. When the plastic tie tightened around his wrist, he remembered the GPS.

  The man yanked him to his feet and Dante fumbled at the bracelet on his wrist. He couldn’t get the snap open. His pulse thudded in his ears. He had to get it off. The only thought more horrifying than Vandergriff getting his hands on Nadia was the thought of his leaving her in the desert to starve to death.

  At least if she had the bracelet, her father could still track her. He snagged the snap and surreptitiously shook it loose, letting it fall to the ground. Dante hurriedly stepped away from it, toward the helicopter. He hoped Nadia would find it and not wander off on her own.

  Dante glanced back at the ghost town as the aircraft lifted off, searching for some sign of her. He saw no movement, no evidence of life. Squeezing his eyes shut, he silently began reciting his mother’s prayer.

  Praying Nadia home.

  Nadia waited until she could no longer hear the helicopter before she stepped out of her hiding place. Hugging herself, she walked back to the hoist house and stared up at the inky sky.

  She had never felt so completely, utterly alone.

  Peterson was a mystery. He had saved her and had saved Dante too. At least for the time being.

  Your father’s coming.

  Had he really said that?

  Nadia could no longer be sure. All her brain could process was the fact that Gary Vandergriff had Dante. She sank to her knees in the dirt next to the spot where they’d made love and tried not to cry.

  Stop it, she commanded herself.

  It could be worse. It could be much worse. And Peterson got him to take Dante to Tennessee. That was better than California.

  It was home turf.

  Her father would find her. Her father would know what to do.

  A bolt of pure, blind panic shot through her.

  How would her father find her? They were miles from the landing spot, miles from anything. She didn’t even know if Vandergriff had left the backpack.

  A coyote howled in the distance, its forlorn cry sounding as bleak as she felt. Nadia scrambled to her feet and was running toward the hoist house when she saw it. The moonlight glinted off the piece of silver.

  The tracking device.

  She choked back the sob rising in her throat. Even when his own life was being decided, Dante had been thinking of her.

  “I’ll get you back,” she said aloud, turning her face up to the sky. “I won’t let you die, I swear it.”

  She crawled back into the shelter. The blanket was still there, but Dante’s backpack was not. Nadia lay on the blanket and pressed her face to it, trying to catch a hint of Dante’s scent.

  “Hurry, Daddy,” she whispered. “Find me. We have to save him. I can’t let Vandergriff kill him.”

  Somehow she must’ve dozed off, although she didn’t know how. Nadia jerked upright, her heart thumping wildly in her chest until she figured out what had jarred her from her sleep.

  Four-wheelers. She heard four-wheelers.

  Her father!

  Her father had come for her.

  Nadia started out of the shelter, then hesitated.

  What if it was a trick? What if it was more of Vandergriff’s men?

  “Nadia! Nadia, are you here?” Nick Branson’s voice shattered the silence around her.

  Scrambling out of the shelter, Nadia waved her arms as the bright headlights approached. She saw her father. She saw Ronnie and Waynie. Their faces lit when they saw her running toward them.

  “Daddy! Daddy, I’m here.”

  Her father bounded off the four-wheeler and seized her in his arms. “Nadia, my darling. I was so afraid I’d never see you again. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  Nadia was so relieved to see him that she couldn’t say anything. She clutched him tighter.

  There was still time. Time to find Dante.

  “Daddy, they have him. We’ve got to get back to Tennessee. Vandergriff took Dante with him, but he didn’t find me.”

  Nadia knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. She was nearly weak with relief at seeing her father and Ronnie. There was still time. “We’ve got time to figure out a plan, go in there and get him—”

  “Nadia-”

  “One of his men helped me. Peterson. Maybe he’ll help us again.”

  “Honey-”

  Nadia turned away from him, already formulating her plan. Ronnie and Waynie stood beside their four-wheelers, strangely silent.

  “Ronnie, do you still have those surveillance scramblers? We can knock out his cameras—”

  “Nadia!”

  Her father’s voice was sharp this time and Nadia spun to look at him. His handsome face was grim.

  “What?”

  “We’re not going after him. This time, there will be no rescue.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Monday, August 8

  1:55 a.m.

  What? What are you saying?” Nadia asked, rubbing her forehead. Her father reached for her, but she backed away from him, confused by the resignation she saw on his face.

  “We can’t go after Dante. Vandergriff will be waiting on us. He’ll slaughter us all.”

  “No! I won’t accept that. Dante saved my life. Doesn’t that count for something?”

  “Dante’s also the one who put your life in jeopardy in the first place. Let’s not forget that.”

  “It was a mistake. He thought he was protecting me.”

  “Nadia, I can’t risk anyone else’s life.” Nick paused. “Eddie Franks is dead. So is Hal Jacobi.”

  “What?” Nadia blanched, then hugged her arms across her chest. Eddie Franks wasn’t that much older than her. He’d been employed by her father two or three months before Dante arrived on the scene. Hal Jacobi had been there almost a year. He was a quiet, friendly bear of a man with two small children.

  “That’s what took us so long to get to you. We had a spy in our midst. Dan Underwood. He sabotaged our vehicles, stole supplies, then he led us into an ambush.”

  “Dan Underwood … are you sure?” Although Nadia didn’t know him as well as some of the other guards, she had never seen anything that would make her suspicious of the man. Then she recalled Vandergriff saying that name back at the house. She’d been too shaken to notice at the time.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Nick Branson’s voice was bitter. He glanced at his watch. “Come on. If we leave now, we can make it back to the plane before daybreak. Your mother is in hiding, but I won’t rest until I’m sure the both of you safe again. Maybe we’ll leave the country, go back to Greece—”

  “No! Can’t you see? If you let Vandergriff kill Dante, he wins again. We’ll never be free of him. We’ll never be able to stop looking over our shoulders.”

  “We’ll talk
about it on the plane.”

  She planted her feet and glared at him. “We’ll talk about it now.”

  “Nadia, we really need to get moving.”

  “He’s right,” Ronnie said softly.

  “Fine,” she said, clenching her teeth.

  Nick climbed on his four-wheeler and scooted up to give her room on the back. Nadia ignored him, climbing on back of Ronnie’s instead. Not another word was said until they reached the plane.

  With a smirk, Vandergriff leaned back in his seat and studied Dante while the plane lifted off the runway.

  “I thought you were a professional, Giovanni. Don’t tell me you let yourself get distracted over a piece of tail.”

  Dante said nothing. He sat still, mentally gauging the distance between them.

  “She’s a hot little thing, don’t get me wrong. I just can’t see risking your life for a girl like that. Especially when you aren’t even sleeping with her.”

  Vandergriff watched Dante’s face for a reaction, then he smiled.

  “You are sleeping with her! Wow, our little Miss Andreakos moves fast. A whore like her mother. Probably puts out for all her bodyguards, though. What’s that dark-haired fellow’s name? Reggie, Ronnie?” He waved his hand dismissively. “I always had a notion about those two. Tell me, Dante, is she good in the sack? Her mother sure was. Wait—” He held up a hand as if to ward off Dante’s comment and grinned. “Never mind, don’t spoil my surprise. I can hardly wait to find out for myself.”

  Even though his hands were tied, Dante lunged at him. Vandergriff wasn’t expecting the attack. Apparently, neither were his bodyguards because they made no move to block it.

  Dante heard a satisfying crack when the top of his skull met Vandergriff’s nose. While Vandergriff howled and clutched at his spurting nose, Dante smiled and sat back in his seat.

  Vandergriff grabbed Peterson’s gun and rammed it under Dante’s chin.

  “I should blow your brains all over this cabin,” he raged.

  “Go ahead. Then I won’t have to listen to any more of this adolescent bull—”

  “Hey!” Peterson interjected, handing Vandergriff a wad of paper towels. “Don’t let him get to you, Mr. Vandergriff. Stay focused on the big picture. Don’t let some two-bit bounty hunter mess up your plans.”