Maddy Lawrence's Big Adventure

by Linda Turner

  “Woke you up, Sleeping Beauty,” he said promptly, winking at her as he pulled her away from the window. “Whenever you want to thank me, honey, I’m ready, willing and able.”

  What he was was outrageous. His eyes laughed down at her, daring her. Just days ago, she would have blushed and stuttered and never had the nerve to call his bluff. But just days ago, she hadn’t known what it was like to love him. It was so…so…exhilarating! So freeing. He made her feel as if she could do anything. Because with him she could.

  Giving into the mischief he always seemed to bring out in her, she captured his face in her hands and brought his mouth down to hers. She didn’t kiss him, though, not yet, not until she gave him back a little of his own teasing. Lowering her eyes to hide the laughter she knew was shining there, she dropped baby kisses on his chin, the deep slash of a wicked dimple, the corner—just the corner—of his mouth, and gloried in the groan that seemed to rumble up from his very soul.

  With a muttered curse, his arms came around her with gratifying swiftness. “Dammit, Maddy—”

  She laughed and lifted her gaze to his. “Something wrong, Ace?”

  “If you’re going to kiss me, woman, get on with it!”

  “I thought that’s what I was doing,” she began playfully, but that was as far as she got. His hands tangled in her hair, and then he was kissing her like a man who had been pushed to the limits.

  His mouth hot and hungry on hers, need tearing at him, Ace couldn’t get enough of her. God, had there ever been a time he hadn’t wanted this woman? If there was, he couldn’t remember it. She was all he thought of, all he dreamed of. And the bed was just steps away. It was like something out of a fairy tale—a huge monstrosity of a bed complete with a feather mattress, mounds of pillows and a canopy. The moment he’d laid eyes on it before dinner, he’d known it was just the type of thing Maddy would love, and all too easily he could picture himself making love to her there, taking his time, gently teaching her, slowly awakening her to the pleasure they could find together.

  With every passing hour, his need for her seemed to grow more intense. She’d come to mean so damn much to him, and he didn’t even know how it had happened. Like a thief in the night, she’d slipped into his heart without him being aware of it until it was too late. She’d taken up residence there, and he could no longer imagine his life without her in it.

  Dragging her closer, he felt her thighs against his, her hips cradling his hardness, and very nearly lost it. But as much as he burned for her, he hadn’t forgotten for a second where they were.

  Wrenching his mouth from hers, he buried his face in her hair, his breathing ragged as he held her close and waited for his blood to cool. “We’ve got to get out of here, honey.”

  “I know,” she murmured huskily, and tightened her arms around him. “In a second.”

  Chuckling, he pressed a kiss to the delicate shell of her ear. “Does that mean you’re going up the gutter with me?”

  His tone was teasing, but when she drew back just enough to lift her eyes to his, she was dead serious. “If we stay here, Barrera’s probably going to kill us, anyway. I’d rather take my chances with you than just sit here like a coward and meekly accept whatever he has in store for us.”

  The softly spoken admission came straight from her heart, a fact she made no attempt to hide. Staring down at her, Ace felt something tighten in his chest. Something that he should have been running like hell from instead of standing there like a man struck dumb. But the time for running was long gone and he didn’t even know when it had happened.

  Lifting a hand to her face, he traced a path of faint freckles across her cheek. “When we get out of here, honey,” he said thickly, “I’m going to show you just what putting that kind of trust in a man does to him. You ready?”

  “No,” she said with a shaky laugh, nuzzling against his hand. “But I’m willing, and right now, that’s about the most you can hope for. You’d better get me out of here while you can.”

  “Then let’s do it. One word of advice, sweetheart. Don’t look down.”

  That seemed a simple enough edict, but Maddy soon discovered that following it was easier said than done. Standing at the window with Ace behind her whispering instructions in her ear, she had to fight the need to look down and check the position of the guards below. Then it came time to actually climb out on the stone window ledge and step across to one of the brackets supporting the gutter, and all she could think about was how far down the ground was. If she slipped, it would be the last mistake she ever made.

  “Don’t think about falling,” Ace growled in her ear, reading her mind. “You hear me? If I thought there was a possibility of that, we’d stay right here and take our chances with Barrera. You can do this, Maddy. Just pretend you’re climbing up the ladder at the newsstand to get something off the top shelf.”

  It wasn’t the actual climbing that worried her. It was taking that first big step. Her eyes locked on the metal pipe that seemed a thousand miles away, she knew she could reach it if she just leaned toward it the slightest bit. But her rigid body refused to cooperate. And every second that she stood out on the ledge, the greater the chance that someone would spot her.

  Behind her, she felt Ace tense, then his voice came to her like a caress, a murmur that was no louder than a sigh on the wind.

  “You’re doing fine, honey. Just fine. Don’t move until you’re sure. That gutter’s not going anywhere, and neither are we until you’re ready. Just take your time and visualize that first step. You wait until the first frantic rush of your heart eases and your breathing is steady. That’s it,” he said with quiet approval. “The pipe is right there, closer than your favorite Ace MacKenzie book on your bedside table at home. You reach out—slowly—close your fingers around it, and take a step over to the first bracket as easily as if you’re stepping into my arms.”

  Her heart knocking out a crazy rhythm, she never knew how long she stared at that gutter. True to his word, Ace didn’t rush her.

  Then, with no conscious decision on her part, she moved. Suddenly she was balanced precariously on a bracket that was hardly as big as her foot and clinging to the gutter with a grip Superman would have had trouble breaking.

  “Look up, honey,” Ace said firmly. “Focus on the next bracket and start climbing. Thatta girl! Keep going. I’m right behind you.”

  Hand over hand, she moved at a snail’s pace, half expecting to get shot at any moment. But the guards, as Ace had promised, were too busy staring out at the jungle to notice the two of them making their way up the side of the building. Ace made no move to touch her, but she could feel his presence right beneath her feet. He was so close that if she bobbled the slightest bit, she knew he would steady her in a heartbeat. Reassured, her gaze focused unblinkingly on the dark shadows where the side of the building gave way to the roof, she climbed steadily upward.

  The top, when she reached it, was a surprise. She didn’t know what she had expected, but it wasn’t a foot-high ledge, then a flat expanse of tar paper that didn’t have so much as a guardrail or a light for the unwary. One moment she was reaching for the gutter’s next brace, and the next, she was rolling over the ledge into dark, concealing shadows.

  Stunned, she landed on her back, her arms spread-eagle, and stared up at the magnificence of the night sky while laughter bubbled up in her like water from a spring. A million stars winked down at her, and with no effort at all, she could imagine herself back in New York, stargazing on the rooftop of her building. She’d done it. By God, she’d done it!

  Ace pulled himself over the edge and landed with a nearly soundless thud beside her, his grin flashing in the dark as he suddenly leaned over her, his face only inches from hers. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he drawled in a soft, teasing murmur, “but are you sure you’re the same lady who screamed over a little snake only a couple of days ago? I think somebody switched women on me.”

  “I did it,” she whispered, her eyes as bright as the conste
llations as she looped her arms around his neck. “I didn’t think I could.”

  Tenderly, his hands brushed her hair back from her face. “Honey, don’t you know yet that you can do damn well anything if you set your mind to it? I’ve known that for days now.”

  He kissed her then because he couldn’t help himself, because the adrenaline was still pumping and the need that was always just under his skin whenever she was this close was too damn powerful to resist. And for a precious moment in time, when she tightened her arms around his neck and met his descending mouth with a quiet sigh of pleasure, they could have been the only two people for miles.

  But it couldn’t last, not when their empty room below could be discovered any second. Reluctantly lifting his head, he grinned down at her in the darkness. “How do you feel about helicopters?”

  Confused, she blinked. “What?”

  He nodded to his left and the hulking shadows in the darkness. “There’s our ticket out of here, sweetheart.”

  Maddy followed his gaze to where the helicopter was nearly lost in the darkness that engulfed the roof. Its long blades still and quiet, it was all black glass and sleek lines and appeared to be one of those new, high-dollar models that looked like something out of Star Wars.

  “Do you know how to fly it?”

  “Piece of cake,” he assured her as he helped her up. “Let’s see if the keys are in it.”

  Not surprisingly, they weren’t, but Ace didn’t bat an eye at that. “I can hot-wire it and we’ll be out of here in a matter of seconds. Go ahead and get in, sweetheart. I’ll be right back.”

  “Back? Where are you going?” she demanded. But even as she asked, she knew. “You’re going after that ring!”

  “You’re damn right I’m going after it. That’s what we came for. And since Barrera was stupid enough to show me where he keeps it, there’s no reason to leave it behind.”

  Maddy couldn’t believe he was serious, but one look at the hard set of his jaw and she knew he had no intention of letting anyone or anything come between him and that ring. Still, she had to try. “Are you crazy? What do you call a dozen or more armed guards roaming the downstairs like ants? They’ll blow you away the second they see you.”

  “Then I’ll just have to make sure they don’t see me,” he said simply. “After all, it’s not like they’ll be looking for me. As far as Barrera and his men are concerned, we’re still locked in our room. By the time they realize their mistake, we’ll be long gone.”

  “But it’s not that simple,” she argued. “Barrera’s not an idiot. He’s not going to leave that ring just lying around in that fancy jewelry box for anyone to pick up. By now, he’s probably got it locked away in a safe somewhere and you’ll never find it.”

  “That’s what I would do,” Ace agreed, “but we’re talking about Barrera, sweetheart. Haven’t you noticed how arrogant he is? He doesn’t even have a guard posted at the damn helicopter because he thinks we’re no threat to him. He likes to flaunt what he’s got, and putting that ring away in a safe place would be an admission on his part that this whole setup isn’t quite as secure as he likes to think it is. Trust me, that ring is right where he left it on the sideboard.”

  “And if it’s not? Then what?”

  “Then we cut our losses and get the hell out of here.”

  He made it sound so easy, but just the thought of running into one of the guards when escape was right there at their fingertips chilled her blood. All for a stupid ring that was, as far as she was concerned, incredibly ugly and not worth anyone’s life. Ignoring the helicopter’s door he held open for her, she warned, “If this blows up in our faces, I’m never going to let you hear the end of it. You realize that, of course?”

  He started to tell her that if that was the case, he wouldn’t be around for her to nag, but then her words registered. “What do you mean…our faces? I’m the one who’s going after the ring. You’re staying here.”

  “And let you go back down there by yourself? No way. Who’ll watch your back?”

  He had to laugh at that. “Honey, I’ve been doing this sort of thing by myself for a long time. I don’t need anyone to cover for me.”

  “Maybe not, but I’m going, anyway. You don’t even know how many goons Barrera has wandering around down there. And you can’t look for the ring and watch for them at the same time.”

  She had that stubborn set to her chin, the one that warned him nothing short of a bulldozer was going to move her. And he didn’t have time to argue with her. “Stubborn woman,” he muttered when she turned and started for the door that led downstairs. “Just hold on a minute! Damn, I wish I had my gun!”

  Scowling at the dark interior of the helicopter, he leaned into the cockpit and started feeling blindly under the seats. “Barrera wouldn’t go off in this thing without some fire-power—he’s got too many enemies. Half the world’s major law enforcement agencies are after him—”

  He broke off suddenly as his fingers encountered cold, hard steel. “Well, what have we here?” He drew out a 9mm automatic and grinned. “Bingo. Just what I was hoping for.”

  “Is it loaded?”

  He checked and grinned. “Somebody upstairs is looking out for us, honey.” Shoving it into his waistband, he urged her toward the rooftop entrance to the castle. “Stay behind me and be ready for anything,” he said in a murmur that barely reached her ears as he cautiously pulled open the door. “This could get hot real quick.”

  The stairwell was as dark as pitch, but they didn’t dare switch on a light. Down below, the place was quiet as a tomb, but Ace didn’t believe for a moment that Barrera and his staff had retired for the night. It was too early, not even ten yet, and the drug lord had struck him as the night-owl type. He—and his men—were around there somewhere and could stumble across them any second.

  Feeling his way in the dark, testing every step to make sure it didn’t squeak before he put his full weight on it, Ace led Maddy down the single flight from the roof to the third floor where it abruptly ended at a closed door. In order to get to the first floor, they’d have to take the main staircase in the center of the building.

  “Damn,” he swore softly. “I was hoping this thing went all the way to ground level. I’m not looking forward to going down those main stairs.”

  “There might be a back way,” Maddy said quietly. “This place is so big, it’s bound to have more than one set of stairs.”

  “True, but even if we had the time to look for them— which we don’t—it’d be just our luck that they’d take us right to Barrera’s command center or something. At least we know where the main ones go.” Leaning down suddenly, he started tugging off his boots. “Take your shoes off, princess. From here on out, we can’t make a sound.”

  Images of the two of them sneaking down the hall in their stocking feet like a couple of cat burglars flashing before her eyes, Maddy reached for the ties to her boots with fingers that openly trembled. Unconsciously holding her breath as Ace slowly eased open the door, she braced for trouble, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Thank God! she thought with a sigh, and wilted in relief.

  A single naked bulb glowed eerily at the far end of the hall, hardly piercing the darkness, but giving off enough light to reveal the ancient tables and heavily carved chairs that lined the walls like patients at a doctor’s office. A storage area, she thought with a shaky laugh. They were using the whole floor for storage. The only time anyone probably came up here was to add another piece to the discarded furniture or to get to the roof. Even the air was musty and still and spoke of little use.

  Obviously coming to the same conclusion, Ace relaxed slightly at her side. “Looks like it’s all clear up here. Now comes the fun part.”

  Maddy could have thought of a hundred words to describe the possible nightmare they were on the verge of walking into, but fun wasn’t one of them. Silently skirting the dusty furniture that littered the hall, they made their way to the main staircase, where they stopped in the near
darkness at the top of the stairs and stared down at the second floor, which was better lit than where they stood but still bathed in muted light. Somewhere outside, a dog barked, then quieted, but that was the only sound from below. If anyone was milling about the stairs, they were being awfully quiet about it.

  His face grim, Ace pulled out the 9mm. Leaning close so that he could speak directly in her ear, he said in a hushed whisper, “Once we start down, we’re going all the way to the bottom unless someone is coming. If we run into someone other than Barrera or Bubba, act as if we’ve got every right to be there—the rest of his men may not know that we’ve been confined to our room yet. Do you remember where the dining room is?”

  “Yes, but-”

  “The kitchen’s got to be just off that. If someone starts shooting, I want you to run like hell in that direction and slip out the back way. If you’re lucky, the guards will come in from the front. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”

  He was telling her to leave him. To turn her back on him and whatever trouble he was in and save her own neck while he faced certain death for her. Shooting him a wounded look, she asked, “Do you really think I would do something like that?”

  “You’re damn right you’ll do it,” he growled. “You’ll do it because you love your mother and you know it’ll kill her if you die down here at the hand of some lousy drug lord she didn’t even know you knew. You’ll do it so she won’t have to hear the news from some poker-faced, tight-assed government official with ice water in his veins and a computer chip for a heart. You’ll do it, all right. Or else.”

  Or else he’d call the whole escape plan off right now and give them both up to Barrera before she had a chance to get hurt. He didn’t exactly make the threat, but she knew him now, knew just how far he would go to do the responsible thing. Dear God, how could she have ever thought that he was just as crooked as Cement Johnny and her boss?