Another time and he would have been amused at how badly the gun was shaking in her small hand. It appeared heavy and awkward, and he suspected she’d never handled one before. That could be dangerous, if the safety wasn’t on. Their stares met, and clung. Fear churned in her pretty eyes, yet not enough to cause her to drop the gun. She pointed it at Brent as though she had experience handling it.
“For a man with a gun pointed at him you don’t look very concerned.” She had the guts to say.
Brent could tell his grin unnerved her. “What are you going to do with that?”
Her expression revealed his lack of response wasn’t exactly what she’d been hoping for. She was more frightened than he was and she was the one with the gun. Testing her, Brent took a step in her direction; she took a step back in reaction. She gasped when the back of her thighs came up against the edge of the bed. It shouldn’t have, but the look in her calculating eyes set his blood on fire. He never could back down from a challenge.
She wet her lips before saying, “Please, don’t make me shoot you.” Her stare clung to his. Brent took another step forward, knowing there was nowhere for her to retreat. Nowhere to go except back on the bed, and he doubted she’d do that willingly. “All I want to do is leave.”
Brent shook his head slowly. “Sorry, princess, no can do.” He halted within a foot of her, taking in the fact her hand was already weakening from the unaccustomed weight of the gun. “I guess you’ll just have to shoot me.” He held his arms out as if offering her an easy target.
Instincts warned Brent she’d never shoot him, even if she could. He probably stood a better chance of having the gun thrown at him. As the silence stretched between them, he saw tears of frustration slip from her eyes and that sexy bottom lip tremble slightly. He swore beneath his breath and clenched his teeth, unprepared for the feeling her vulnerability had on him. A poised, spirited Sophie he could deal with.
“Damn you!” she sobbed huskily, surprising them both by the passion in her tone.
Brent reached forward and took the gun from her hand. “You couldn’t have shot me anyway. The safety is still on.” In spite of the tears slipping down her face, she held her ground. Reacting to her softness, Brent surprised himself by gently wiping her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He felt compelled to promise.
“I don’t believe you.”
The mistrust in her eyes said it all. Brent didn’t blame Sophie for not believing him. Why should she when everything I’ve done so far led her to presume I’m a villain? A sucker for redhead, blue-eyed females in distress, he knew if he didn’t force himself to walk away from her, it was just a matter of time before he took her into his arms to comfort her. And what kind of a kidnapper would that make him? Not a very credible one, that was for sure.
“I can’t help that.” He tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants, opening the closet door and reaching for a shirt. He slipped it on, buttoning it as he faced her again. “Just remember, I could have hurt you at any time and didn’t.” To prove how ruthless he could be Brent’s gaze raked over her, visually stripping her naked. “I could have forced myself on you when we were putting on that little show.”
“You practically did.”
“Oh no, princess.” He let his gaze slowly drop over her. “I clearly remember how responsive you were. And I bet my fingers would have found you wet and hot down there. Be glad I didn’t take you up on it.”
“Thank you for restraining yourself; that was gentlemanly of you.”
That haughty little tone rubbed him the wrong way and he clenched his teeth to keep from telling her to go to hell. It was apparent she wasn’t going to give him credit for anything. He decided to do the gentlemanly thing and ignore her statement. “This will be your castle for a few days. There’s a bathroom through that door.” He indicated the direction with a nod. “The TV…”
“What about a phone? I’d like to call my father and let him know I’m all right.”
She was kidding, right? Brent didn’t have time for her smart mouth, which was only going to land her in trouble. “I’ll be in touch with daddy,” he said with cool authority. “But what about Lord?” She didn’t seem to care about his feelings.
A knock at the door saved her from having to respond. Tom’s voice came through loud and clear. “You have a phone call to make.”
Brent’s eyes darted to the clock on the dresser. It was almost twelve. “My cue to leave, princess.” He stared at her long and hard, trying to decide if he should tie her to the bed and forget about anything else. “You could probably scream your head off and no one would hear you, but I’m not willing to take that chance. I’ll take your word you’ll behave and won’t make any noise. What’s it going to be?”
“Why should you believe me?”
“Because you’re proud and like to think your morals are better than anyone else’s.” And because he knew if she was anything like her father, he couldn’t expect anything less than the truth from her. The tightening of her mouth revealed she wanted to defy him, call him a liar, but she was a smart lady.
“I give you my word I won’t make any noise.”
Brent quickly picked up on the fact that Sophie eliminated the first half of his condition, wondering what kind of mischief she could really get into. She’d be locked in the room and there was no reason for Tom to open the door while he was gone. “You might want to use that bed and get some sleep.”
“Don’t hurry back.”
The sugar in her voice sent up a warning flag but Brent didn’t have time to figure out what she was stewing in that pretty head of hers. The senator was waiting for his call.
Chapter 6
“Senator…”
“What the hell is going on? I thought we’d decided not to contact Jonathan. This was supposed to look like Sophie getting cold feet about the wedding and taking off on her own!” the senator barked, interrupting Brent before he could fill him in. “Jonathan phoned me ten minutes ago with news he thinks she’s been kidnapped.”
Brent released a deep sigh. “An unforeseen change in plans, Senator. The best I can guess is that someone called security with a complaint they heard something. When the guards came to investigate, they must have grown suspicious when they found Sophie’s apartment empty. Being that Lord owns the building and his relationship with her, they apparently didn’t waste any time contacting him.”
“What a mess, Brent. Knowing Jonathan, this will be on the news before daybreak. You know what this means, don’t you? Law enforcement will be involved, the FBI if they suspect a kidnapping. This puts you in a terrible situation.”
“Won’t be the first time I’ve been in trouble,” Brent pointed out.
“No doubt. Hell, Brent, for the first time in my life I’m not sure which direction to take. Everything seemed so easy when we discussed it, but now…”
“Maybe we should release her and call the whole thing off,” Brent advised, noticing the defeat in the senator’s tone. Turning Sophie loose was just fine with him. She’d been nothing but trouble from the get-go.
After a long pause Senator Adams replied, “No. It’s done now. You might as well keep her for a couple days. Hopefully that will give me enough time to complete my investigation.”
“It’s your call,” Brent retorted in a neutral tone.
“How’s she holding up?”
The senator should be asking Brent how he was holding up. “She’s fine for the time being,” he responded, his gaze shooting to the bedroom door. All was quiet. With a little luck, she was sleeping now, or close to it.
“I know having her kidnapped was a bit extreme but it was completely necessary in my book,” the senator said in a tone that sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. “Be careful with her, Brent, she’s a delicate flower and needs to be handled with kid gloves. Much too sweet for the likes of Lord.”
Delicate flower, are we talking about the same woman? Sophie was resourceful and u
npredictable, the marks on his chest proof of that. She wasn’t afraid to fend for herself. No, the senator obviously didn’t have a clue that behind those round innocent eyes his sweet, delicate flower was a she-cat in lamb’s clothing.
“By the way, where are you keeping her?” The senator’s deep voice cut into Brent’s silent thoughts. “Somewhere close?”
“You know I won’t tell you that, Senator, especially now. A slip-up would be easy. The less you know about her whereabouts or anything else, the better.” Secondly, it was the only way he could control the situation, which was what he was being paid to do. He heard the senator expel an exasperated sigh, clearly struggling between common sense and paternal instincts. “You focus on your end and let me do my job.”
“You’re right, of course. Until I find out what Lord is holding over her…” He clearly couldn’t go on, incensed into uncharacteristic silence, and obviously consumed with the thought Sophie was being forced into something against her will.
The senator had told Brent his suspicions a week earlier during their first meeting. He was convinced Sophie would never be attracted to a power-hungry, unscrupulous bastard like Lord. Brent only hoped his temporary solution paid off, because if it didn’t the senator was going to lose his daughter, and he’d probably end up in jail for the next twenty-five years.
“Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do next?” Senator Adams asked gruffly. “When are you going to officially contact Jonathan?”
It was only natural he wanted things to move along at a fast pace, considering he was known as the senator without a watch. Patience was definitely not one of his virtues. Brent started to smile before digesting the meaning in his comment. “You want me to contact him?” he inquired with disbelief.
“Why not?” Brent could hear the shrug of indifference in his brisk reply. “Maybe the truth will come out if it hits him in the wallet.”
Brent frowned. “Sounds like you want me to ask for a ransom.” He didn’t mind helping out an old friend but there was such a thing as going too far. Holding Sophie against her will for a couple days could be overlooked with the senator’s help.
“I really don’t care what you do as long as you keep Sophie from him until I learn the truth,” he said with hatred in his voice.
Brent didn’t like the sound of that, deciding not to ask the obvious. If holding Sophie lasted more than a few days, he’d be forced to take matters into his own hands. “I’ll contact Lord in a couple days, then.” After he had time to figure out what to say.
“What? Why the delay? You’ve always been a man of action, taking charge as soon as the situation warranted it. That’s why I asked you to help me.” In addition to the fact, they were cut from the same cloth. The senator had a vicious reputation for backing up his mouth.
“Control,” Brent said simply. “Lord is a control freak. Let him worry about what might be happening to his lovely fiancée. Once I contact him it will drive him insane knowing she’s with another man.”
“Jonathan doesn’t care for anyone but himself!” the senator snapped. “He wants Sophie as a trophy wife and to get to me. He thinks he’ll have me under his thumb once he’s my son-in-law. He has the reputation of a shark. I can’t prove anything but I’m almost certain he’s the reason Phil Brody stepped down from running for governor last year.”
Brent had heard the same rumors about Brody. “That may be true, Senator, but he’s still a man with more than his share of pride. Believe me when I say he won’t welcome the thought that another man might be touching Sophie. Those kinds of doubts have a way of acting like acid in a man’s gut.”
The smile was evident in the senator’s tone. “Yes…” he said, drawing out his response as though visualizing what they were talking about. “Good plan, son. I like the idea of planting those images in his arrogant head. That will definitely drive him mad. From what I’ve observed these last few weeks he’s been overly possessive of my daughter.”
Brent could almost understand that. She was the kind of woman men coveted while they feared at the same time. Wealthy, intelligent, beautiful, the kind who’d never held any special appeal to him. Nevertheless, in spite of the trouble she caused him and his peace of mind he couldn’t deny he liked her spirit.
“Has it occurred to you that maybe Sophie wants this union?” Brent had to ask, although his instincts, coupled with what he’d observed between her and Jonathan so far, indicated otherwise. He’d known a few women who’d married for convenience, and money was a powerful incentive.
The senator didn’t hesitate with a sharp response, his mind clearly made up. “No! Never! He’s blackmailing her; I’d bet my life on it. There was no way I would just stand by and let her marry him tomorrow.”
The conversation they’d had the week before came back to Brent. The senator had explained that kidnapping Sophie had been a last resort and not something he took lightly. Brent didn’t take kidnapping lightly either, especially when he was the one doing it. His services usually bordered on protecting people from this sort of thing.
Still, when the senator had first phoned Brent, detailing his plan, the distraught father wouldn’t take no for an answer. Brent had tried to reason with the senator but the desperation he’d detected in his old friend’s tone had finally worn Brent down. Convincing Brent that maybe the senator was on to something.
At that point, Brent had never met Jonathan Lord, but he’d heard enough about Lord to know he was bad news and not someone he’d like as a human being. He hadn’t met Sophie either. For some reasons their paths had never crossed in the years he and the senator had known each other.
“I’ll stop by your office tomorrow at the scheduled time to see what your progress is,” Brent informed him before hanging up. It was late and he was tired. Tom was in the spare bedroom and that left him with the sofa.
He glanced at it skeptically. The shape of it resembled a square box with a throw tossed over it, looking about as comfortable as a bed of nails. They hadn’t made a sofa yet that could accommodate his tall frame, comfortably anyway. He glanced at the bedroom door wondering how much squealing Sophie would do if he joined her. The bed was big enough for the two of them. In the end he decided against it. Everything is peaceful now, why stir things up and risk having security return?
Besides, he was sure Sophie would make enough noise to wake the dead if she woke to find him in bed with her. Checking to make sure her door was locked, he headed back to the couch, ready for a very uncomfortable night.
* * * *
Sophie waited until she was sure everyone was asleep before carefully trying the connecting bathroom door that led into the spare bedroom. Her heart was in her throat as she turned the doorknob and it actually opened. Someone didn’t do their homework. With silent elation, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room before continuing.
She made out the dark outline of a dresser in one corner and a bed in the center of the room, squinting until she recognized the outline of someone sleeping on it. Instincts warned her it was Tom. Sliding her feet along the plush carpet she quickly made her way to the door, holding her breath as she opened it and praying it wouldn’t make a noise. The hinges squeaked slightly but to Sophie they sounded as loud as a gunshot blast in the room, causing her to freeze in fear. Tom moaned and rolled into a sitting position, galvanizing her into action. She was in the hallway heading toward the living room when she heard his voice question groggily, “What? Who’s there?”
As soon as her gaze landed on the sofa, Sophie made out Brent’s tall form, realizing he’d been roused by Tom’s voice. He jumped off the couch just as she dashed by. With a cry of distress, she ducked beneath his outstretched arm, racing for the front door. Her fingers fumbled with the various locks. If only she could make it into the hallway.
The next noise she heard was his low curse when his leg hit the corner of the coffee table, causing the items on top of it to topple over and fall to the floor noisily.
/> There was nothing like a good dose of fear to get the adrenaline pumping but instead of aiding her escape, it crippled her fingers, slowing her down. They were trembling so badly they were useless. Swearing softly, her lips quivered with frustration and tears filled her eyes. Why is this happening to me?
Chapter 7
Brent saved his breath, knowing if he called out it would fall on deaf ears. He could hear Sophie’s frantic gasps as she turned the locks one by one, deciding to pick up speed before she escaped into the hallway. Tom was supposed to check the apartment out and make sure all the necessary steps were taken to prevent something like this from happening. He caught up to her just as she turned the doorknob and opened the door, slamming it shut again just as fast. She spun around with a muffled cry of alarm.
Brent leaned in close, sucking in a harsh breath. “You lied to me, lady,” he accused. Whether her hands fell to his bare chest automatically or on purpose, he wasn’t taking any chances. Knowing what those lethal nails were capable of, he pulled her hands down to her sides, holding them firmly against the door.
“I promised I wouldn’t make any noise,” she defended herself in a breathless little voice. “And I don’t lie.”
“Purposely omitting the truth is the same thing,” he grated with irritation. She made a half-hearted effort to break away and Brent let his body relax fully against her, ignoring her sharp gasp of protest.
“Just where did you think you were going?”
“For a walk,” she said without missing a beat. “Sometimes it helps me sleep.”
Even in the gloom, Brent could make out the defiant glitter in her eyes. “Cute,” he said with disgust, trying not to notice how soft she was, or how sweet she smelled. “You get an A for being resourceful.” He yawned loudly, giving his head a rough shake to clear the cobwebs.
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