by Cynthia Eden
“Get away from the door!” A bellow.
She looked up. The window. She should get her ass out of the window—
The door flew open. Wood splintered because her attacker had kicked in the door.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she could make out three forms crowding in her bathroom doorway. They closed in on her.
Harper got ready to fight like hell. They might be saying they didn’t want to hurt her, but she was more than willing to hurt them.
***
Roman straightened his shoulders. He clutched the box of chocolates in one hand, and he lifted his other fist to pound against Harper’s door.
He’d waited until noon before coming over. Noon on a Saturday. She should be up, right?
Except…
He didn’t hear a sound from inside her house. He shifted a little to the left as he tried to peek through the curtains near the door. Her neighborhood was quiet. A kid rode his bike on the sidewalk. A lady was checking her mail. And Harper…
Wasn’t home?
Well, shit. He probably should have called first. Roman knocked once more—
Just as his phone rang. It was a ring tone he’d assigned to her. A light, happy ring that he’d made hers because it had seemed to fit her and—screw it. He almost dropped the chocolates as he yanked out his phone. “Harper, look, I’m actually at your—”
“You’re at her house, and you have chocolates,” a distorted voice said. “That’s really fucking sweet.”
Roman’s body went ice cold. He checked the phone’s screen. Definitely Harper’s number. He swallowed. No emotion was in his voice as he demanded, “Who the hell is this?”
“I’m the man who has your girlfriend. So that means I’m the man who has you by the balls. You’ll do what I say. When I say it. Or I’ll have to hurt the pretty Harper. Such a shame. She’s got a gorgeous smile, don’t you think?”
“I think…” He swallowed again. “I think if you touch her, I will kill you.”
“Promises, promises.” The line went dead.
A chill skated over Roman’s body. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and kicked in Harper’s front door. “Harper!” he roared.
Part of him was afraid—very, very afraid—that he would find her dead inside. The bastard on the phone had never let him hear Harper’s voice. There had been no proof of life and that could mean…
She’s already gone.
“Harper!” Roman shouted. He raced through the house. The den was undisturbed. The kitchen dark. But her bedroom. God, her bedroom…
He flipped on the lights and fully saw the chaos. The overturned furniture. The smashed lamp. And to the right, her bathroom door—splintered wood. It hung drunkenly on the hinges, as if someone had kicked it open, too. He ran into the bathroom. The window over the sink had been smashed, and, oh, no, that was blood. Blood on the glass. Blood on the sink. Spattered on the tiled floor.
His frantic gaze swung to the left. To the right. He hurried back into her bedroom. Yanked open her closet. Searched under her bed. He kept calling for her and—
He heard the creak of the floorboard behind him. Roman whirled and lifted his hands to attack.
“I want you to freeze.” A young guy stood there, wearing jogging shorts and a loose hoodie. He had a gun clutched in his hands. “I’m a cop. Harper’s next-door neighbor.”
The red-haired fellow was shaking. His nervous gaze darted from Roman to the wreckage of the room.
This scene had to look bad. “I didn’t do this.” Roman kept his hands up.
“Where’s Harper?”
“I don’t know.” But I will find her.
“I saw you kick in her door.” The cop licked his lips. “I called for backup.”
Roman took a step forward.
“Don’t! Don’t you move! You stand right there until backup arrives.”
“Harper is missing. I need to find her.” Before it was too late. Before that bastard on the phone hurt her.
But the cop shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere.”
***
The box of chocolates had been smashed in the den. Roman didn’t even remember dropping them when he’d rushed inside. Her house had turned into a crime scene. The “backup” had arrived all too quickly.
“Tell me again why you kicked in the door,” a detective said to Roman.
Roman’s jaw clenched and he gritted out, “For the third time, I thought I heard her calling for help.” That was his story. He didn’t mention the phone call.
“And you have no idea where Harper might be? No idea—”
“You have no fucking idea what’s at play here,” Roman snarled back as he lost what was left of his control. “I’m wasting damn time. Get out of my way and let me find her, now.” His voice was a lethal snarl.
The balding detective swallowed. “Uh…”
Eric Wilde appeared behind the fellow. He leaned in close, whispered something, and the detective suddenly told Roman, “You’re free to go. If we have more questions, we’ll follow-up with you.”
Roman’s nostrils flared. He jerked his head toward the front door, indicating that he wanted Eric to follow him. Then he hurried for the exit. Tension and fury filled every part of his body. Outside, the neighbors were gawking. Staring at the scene with wide eyes. He ignored them and went straight to his car.
Eric’s hand closed around his shoulder. “What didn’t you tell the cops?” His voice was low.
Roman spun to face him. “She was taken because of me.”
Eric’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I got a fucking call. Bastard said if I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d hurt her.” Darkness was closing in on Roman. So much fury. “Knew this was a bad idea. What the hell was I thinking? I can’t erase my past. Dex tried to warn me. He…” His voice trailed away.
Dex. Roman shook his head. Should have thought about that jerk first.
Eric still gripped his shoulder. Eric’s hold tightened. “Talk to me. I can’t help if I don’t have all the facts.”
“Dex was at my house last night. He saw her.” Fuck. Fuck. “Said he was going to run a check on her.”
“I’ve run plenty of background checks on Harper. She’s clean. She’s good.”
Good.
“Dex said…” Roman’s heart raced, and he wanted to wrap his hands around a certain CIA mastermind’s neck. “He said that she’d vanish. If she was a threat, he’d make her vanish.”
Eric’s lips parted. He didn’t speak.
“He doesn’t make idle threats.” They both knew that about Dex. Eric had been pulled into Dex’s web more than a few times, and he understood how the guy operated, too. Maybe the phone call had been part of some elaborate plan Dex was working. Maybe Dex was screwing with his head. The guy loved mind games. “If he took her…” Roman already had his phone out. He was one of the few people in the world who had Dex’s private number.
The line rang once, twice.
“Well…happy Saturday to you,” Dex answered. “We just spoke last night. Are you missing me already? That is so sweet.”
“Where is she?” Roman snapped.
“Uh, your sister? You want to talk to her? You could have called her line, you know, not—”
“Harper. Where in the hell is Harper?”
Silence.
The kind of silence that made Roman tense even more. “You don’t have her,” he said.
“No.” Dex’s voice sharpened. “Is she missing?”
He looked back at the house. A yellow line of police tape flapped in the wind. “Yes.”
“Since when?”
“I don’t know. I’m at her house now. Got here at noon. She was gone. Bedroom and bathroom are trashed.”
“I’m on it. I’ll tap into every security camera on her block. We’ll figure out where she is. Tell Eric I’ll coordinate with him. We will find her.”
“This isn’t a game,” Roman fired back. “Swear to me that you don
’t have her. Swear—”
“Roman, I don’t have your partner, but I’ll help you find her. That I swear.”
***
When the door opened, she was going to attack.
Harper glanced around her surroundings. The room was nice—actually, more than nice. Giant bed. Huge tray of food. Fancy bottled water. An equally nice bathroom snaked to the left, attaching to her room—correction, her prison.
No windows, of course. Or, rather, the windows had been boarded up.
She’d woken in the room. Her last memory had been of three goons charging at her in her home—in her bathroom?—then she’d woken…here.
Still wearing her pajamas. Minus her phone. And alone.
But the door was going to open. Sooner or later, it had to open. And when it did…
She clutched the broken, wood post that she’d taken from the bed. When that door finally opened, she would attack.
When she’d woken up, her first order of business had been to escape. Unfortunately, she’d quickly determined she was locked in. Tight.
The second order of business? Get a weapon.
So she’d eyed the four poster bed. Turned it into a three poster.
Her hands gripped the post. Her gaze darted to the bedroom’s doorknob just as she heard a faint rattle.
Showtime.
She flattened her back against the wall. Held her breath. Gripped her post tightly.
The door swung open. A man rushed inside on silent footsteps. Big, strong, wearing a black ski cap and a hulking, black coat.
She kept her mouth closed as she sprang forward and brought her weapon down toward his back.
But then he spun. As if he’d sensed her. His hand flew up. He curled his fingers around the post, stopping its attack, and, with his hold on the post, he yanked her forward. She stumbled against him and her eyes widened in stunned surprise as she realized that she was staring straight at— “Roman?”
She saw relief flash in his gaze. And then—then he was kissing her. His mouth locked on hers, and his tongue thrust into her mouth.
Chapter Five
She was safe. She was alive. And he was kissing her. Roman knew this was probably—definitely—not the right time or the right place, but the last ten hours had been a nightmare. He’d been so desperate to find her. He’d chased down lead after lead that had turned up jackshit. He’d been worried that he wouldn’t locate Harper. And to see her, now…
He pulled her even closer. God, she tasted fantastic. Her body was soft and warm, and her lips were open and parted for him. He tasted and tasted and she gave a little moan in the back of her throat that drove him insane and then she—
Shoved him away. Her eyes were wide. Stark. Her lips swollen and red. “Did you…did you do this?”
This? He… “What?” His breath sawed in and out.
“You…” She shook her head. “Did you have me brought here?” She backed away from him. “What is happening?”
Wait. Harper thought he’d kidnapped her? “I’m not the bad guy.” This time. “I’m the one who came to save you.” His voice was gruff. Rough. Because her accusation had just been insulting. He’d rushed to the rescue and she’d—
She’d tried to attack him with a bed post. He’d tossed the post to the floor when he’d kissed her, and now he frowned down at it. “Nice weapon.”
“What is happening, Roman?”
His gaze lifted to meet hers. “Are you hurt? Baby, did they hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, but I tried my best to hurt them.”
His chest warmed. Of course, she had. This was his Harper, after all. “We’re getting out of here.” The sooner he got her out of that place, the better. “Come on.” He offered his hand to her.
She didn’t take it. “I am not moving until I know what the hell is going on.”
“You were kidnapped. I’m rescuing you. That’s what’s going on. The bastards who took you were going to hurt you unless I…” But his words trailed away because he was fully taking in the scene around him.
The bottled water. The…wine? Expensive wine. Chocolates. Breads. Pastries. Silken sheets. Comfortable covers. A wide selection of books on a cozy shelf. “What in the hell? What is happening?” Roman demanded.
“That was my question! My repeated question.”
His attention flew back to her. “Tell me you didn’t eat anything here.”
“What is this? My first kidnapping? Actually, yes, it is the first time I’ve been kidnapped.” Her tongue swiped over her lower lip. “But I know you don’t just greedily gobble up the food that your abductor provides to you. I didn’t touch the food. I did drink some of the water. But I made sure the bottle hadn’t been opened. It’s a glass bottle, factory sealed, or at least, it looked that way.”
There were plenty of ways around seals. “We’ll get the bottle checked. We’ll get the whole place checked. The rest of the cavalry will be here soon, but for now, we’re getting out of here.” He didn’t wait for her to take his hand. He took hers.
She was in her pajamas. Cute, silky red pajamas, and her feet were bare.
“They broke in while I was sleeping,” she murmured.
I am going to destroy them.
“How did you find me?”
“I had some help.” A lot of help. Help courtesy of Dex, and Roman would have to pay that debt back in blood. “They left you alone in the cabin. Or, at least, you were alone when I arrived. We need to get out of here before they come back.”
She nodded. A quick, jerky motion. “As soon as it’s safe, you’ll explain everything?”
Ah…some things. He couldn’t exactly reveal all the dark, deep details of his life to her.
“Promise?” Harper pushed.
“I’ll explain what I can,” he replied carefully.
“Good enough for now.” Her head turned toward the doorway. “Let’s go.” With her free hand, she scooped up the bed post that had rolled across the floor.
They crept through the old cabin together. Located in the mountains along the Alabama/Georgia border, the cabin had taken some time to find. Back at the scene of the abduction, Dex had pulled up all the street cam footage that he could get his clever hands on. Then it had been a matter of tracking the mystery van they’d discovered parked suspiciously near Harper’s house in the middle of the night. They’d tracked and followed the van’s progress, and eventually, they’d discovered it had come to this little dot of a town. After he’d found the town, Roman had started thinking like the kidnappers.
If I took her, I’d need a remote spot to keep her. If I was going to keep her and not kill her—
Harper glanced back at him. She shivered. “Why do you look that way?”
Roman immediately schooled his features. For a moment, savage fury had burned through him when he thought of what those bastards could have done to Harper. And…
I still don’t know what they did.
“Never mind.” She shook her head. Focused forward again. They were almost to the front door. “There’s no other furniture in this place. Just in my room?”
Yes, the furniture had only been in the room used for her. The rest of the place seemed abandoned.
When they reached the main door, he went out first. Roman had his weapon ready. Snow fell lightly onto the ground. Only his vehicle was there, the rented SUV that he’d hauled ass in so that he could reach her. The other Wilde agents were checking different cabins. Dex had a crew helping in the search, too. They’d all fanned out to search possible locations.
I found her first.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered.
“Really? Because I was hoping to run in front of you and make myself a big, giant target.”
He stilled. Glanced back. After being abducted, she was still joking?
A shiver shook her body as he stared at her and tried to figure her—
Shit. A shiver.
Pajamas.
No shoes.
I am such an asshol
e.
Once more, he did a quick visual of the scene. No other vehicle. No tracks in the snow. Looked as if they were alone. Time to get the hell out of there.
He grabbed her. Scooped her up against him and cradled her against his chest.
“Roman! What are you doing?” Her question was low, barely a breath.
He was protecting her cute little feet and sharing his body warmth. He ran to the SUV. Tucked her into the passenger seat then raced around to the driver’s side. Moments later, he had the engine growling to life, and he was racing away with her.
***
When something mattered to you, you didn’t let it go. You fought for it. You took any risk.
You got back what had been taken.
He watched the SUV hurtle away through the night vision goggles. He’d known better than to get too close to the cabin. Roman would have spotted him.
The woman hadn’t been hurt. Not so much as bruised.
But Roman had still carried her out of the cabin. Cradled her as if she was some precious, broken doll. He hadn’t sent others to retrieve her. He’d come himself, even knowing he could be walking straight into a trap.
Such a mistake, Roman. You know better than to reveal what matters to your enemies.
Because when an enemy knew how to destroy you, the battle was already won.
***
Roman shouldered out of his coat as he drove and pushed it toward her. “Here. Put this on so you can warm up.”
He already had the heat blasting out of the vents for her, but she eagerly took the coat. When they’d left the cabin, her veins had seemed to immediately ice. Good thing he’d carried her to the car. Otherwise, her poor toes would have been icicles. “Th-thanks.” She was still shivering.
He grunted a reply.
Her eyes narrowed on him. A grunt. Seriously? Her lips parted as she prepared to tell him—
He’d dialed a number and the ringing of a phone filled the interior of the vehicle. The rings didn’t last long, though, before Eric’s deep voice boomed, “Tell me you found her.”
She hunched deeper into the coat. It was thick and huge and she felt as if she were wearing some kind of armor with it around her. I’m safe now. Everything is okay.
“I’ve got her with me.” Roman rattled off an address. “Get a team searching up there. I want tests run on the food and the drinks in the cabin. She had some of the water, and we have to make sure nothing was poisoned.”