I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but a tropical paradise wasn’t at all where I thought Trent would stash me.

He’d taken me from the boat bound hand and foot depositing me inside a sea plane as I wavered in and out of consciousness. Once secured in my seat, the pilot was executed and tossed out the door, a plea lodged somewhere deep in my throat and stuck there as the last image I had of Josh surfaced.

Trent wasn’t leaving any witnesses behind.

Struggling to stay conscious, I leaned forward, sending a searing pain through my skull. Bile raced up my throat, but I swallowed hard, forcing it back down and did my best to steady my breathing. I had to remain calm and alert. If I could do that, then the panic I felt looming in the back of my thoughts wouldn’t be able to slip through and get its hooks into me.

Looking out my window, I watched as the plane lifted into the air, nose pointed in the direction of the clouds. The sun was somewhere behind us. If I gauged it right, we were headed southwest.

Think, Ella… what’s southwest of where we’d been anchored just off the shore of Parrot Cay. Central America? South America? Was he heading for an island? Into the jungle? And why? Why take me unless it was to get back at Cole? What had happened? He’d lived… remembered, so why hadn’t he come back to us?

None of the answers came to me as we flew further and further away from any hope of being found.

It was midafternoon of the following day by the time Trent brought the plane down with a shuddering bounce and I couldn’t help but wonder where the wheels stayed hidden when the plane was used for water take offs and landings.

The sun had worked its way across the sky, and become a golden dot on the horizon. The small strip we’d landed on looked more like a dirt road than a runway, which meant it probably was. Once Trent had the plane stashed under a thick canvas of greenery, he unloaded me like the cargo I was and carried me to a shack where he then deposited me inside the cab of a small truck.

It was hot and stunk like old sweat and garbage. My eyes watered furiously; even with the windows down there was no reprieve from the smell, or the heat. We traveled dirt paths that looked more like hiking trails and never saw a single person for the entire ride. When the trail ended it dumped us out behind a sprawling bungalow. Once ushered inside, he untied me and left me standing in the middle of the sparsely furnished living room area.

There was no point in trying to run. I wouldn’t even make it out of the house before he caught me. So, instead, I walked over to the window, pretending to look at the view, but was really checking the glass. I knew Trent, or at least I thought I had. I never would have thought he’d be capable of being who he turned out to be. But there were other things that would remain the same. His training wouldn’t have gone away. He’d be on full alert. He’d have high-tech security and surveillance. He’d have bulletproof glass and God only knows what kind of explosives around the property.

I was, for the most part, screwed.

My eyes pinched shut and I leaned my head against the glass, willing myself to stay calm. To think clearly. It was the only way to outsmart Trent.

“Your room is down the hall on the left,” he said from behind me, startling me.

I set my shoulders and turned around. “My room…” I repeated with a shake of my head and then asked, “Where are we?”

He ignored my question. “The kitchen is stocked. There’s a washer and dryer along with anything else you need,” he said, pointing down a dimly lit hallway.

I looked at him. Really looked at him for the first time since he hauled me overboard. He was the same, yet different. A new scar rode over his eyebrow. It wasn’t there the last time I saw him. His eyes were harder, more lifeless, if that were even possible. And he held himself as if expecting an attack at any moment. Which was probably because I was wound tight enough to spring at him. I wouldn’t win a fight against him. I knew that. Had always known that. We’d sparred on many occasions, and I’d always ended up on the ground. My head throbbed, reminding me I wasn’t running at one hundred percent and to even think about taking him on made my stomach roll.

I crossed my arms and leaned my shoulder against the window. Physically attacking him wouldn’t get me anywhere. Words would be my weapon. He’d never liked arguing with me, because I could, and usually did, get my point across. Once he realized I wasn’t going to shut up, he’d actually listen. He didn’t look like he’d listen anymore, but I still had to try.

“Why?” I demanded.

His gaze skimmed over me from head to toe. “Go rest—you look like hell.”

“Why?” I asked again.

He blinked and his eyes changed. It was like watching a wall come up the way they dulled. He turned away and left me standing alone in the living room.

A hiss of air whistled through my teeth. I wasn’t dealing with the man I’d known. What had I expected? His time away from Cole Enterprise was a complete mystery. His reasons locked away to a part of him I couldn’t get to unless I started playing by his rules.

Did it matter? Could I sacrifice who I was to delve into who he’d become? I should be looking for a way out before his real reason emerged.

A flash of heat rolled through me. Sweat broke out along the hairline of my neck and washed down over me like hot wax. I caught my salt-encrusted, tangled hair up in my fist and winced as it pulled against the tenderness of my scalp.

My dress was ripped up the hem on one side and scratchy against my skin. Sand was jammed under my nails and chafing in all sorts of uncomfortable places I hadn’t noticed until that was all that was left to think about.

A hot shower and a change of clothes would be about the only thing I had control over for the moment. And that was only if there were clothes for me to change into. Trent might have stocked the house with food, but for some reason, I couldn’t imagine him shopping for clothes for me. 

It took forever to get the sand out of my hair, and then to get the knots out. The shower, however, had rejuvenated me, making me feel a little more human instead of a crusty relic hauled up from the ocean floor. The small gash on my head had me seeing double when I accidentally raked my fingernails over the egg-shaped bump I sported, and I had to hang on to the countertop until my vision cleared. There wasn’t anything I could do about it except clean it up and let it heal.

The bedroom Trent said was mine was done up with bright colors. Oranges and reds with splashes of green, and comically enough, the comforter on the bed was a very large Toucan. What surprised me most was the clothes I found hanging in the closet and stacked neatly in a chest of drawers.

All the essentials were there, plus an array of nightgowns. There were a few pairs of sandals and flip-flops. There was even a swimsuit, which meant there had to be a pool. He’d given me everything to cover myself up with, but not a single T-shirt or pair of shorts. No boots, or socks.

A conversation we’d had in the past came back to me. It was the only time we’d talked of anything other than the next job. And it had surprised me, that particular conversation, because it was Trent who’d come up with the plan of leaving Cole Enterprise to start a new life for us. I’d been giddy with excitement, telling him that once we left, I’d have a closet full of dresses and never look at a pair of jeans again. That I’d give up my combat boots for shoes that showed off my toes. He’d listened to me babble on and on before shutting me up by rolling me over onto my stomach and grabbing a fist full of my hair as he pushed my knees apart with one of his own.

My feelings scattered, pinging off one another until I was forced to sit down and collect myself. I’d never felt so out of control in all my life. On one hand, he’d remembered, but on the other, he’d turned into a monster. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d killed the pilot of the plane, possibly Josh as well, and then plunked me down inside the hideaway he’d planned for us, and gave me the wardrobe I’d spoken of only the once. What did that mean?

And worse? No one would find me. I knew that deep down. If Trent had kept himself off the grid for as long as he had, there was no chance that would change.

And Josh? Was he alive? He had to be. I refused to believe anything else, but I’d never know for sure unless I escaped. And if I managed to escape, what were the chances Trent would find me and imprison me again?

I slapped my hand against my towel-covered thigh and pushed everything away. Trent. Josh. Everything.

First, I needed to figure out where I was. Once I knew that, I could plan how to get away and back to Chicago. I had to get one step ahead of my capturer, and the only way to do that was to keep my wits about me. Play his game if need be. I wasn’t going to allow myself to fall to pieces. And I damn sure wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life stuck in a tropical cage.

I dressed and left my designated room with purpose as Oliver’s voice, nagging as it was, rang in my ears. “Get the layout. Know everything you can about where you are and build a mental picture. Know strengths and weaknesses. Gather what you can about your surroundings. Listen. Watch. And then make a plan. There’s no place on this earth I can’t find you if you can give me a full picture. Understand?”

That had been years ago, but I could remember it as if it were yesterday.

I’d been in some sticky situations before, but nothing like what I was faced with. Surely, they’d prepared me enough that I could face any challenge, or at least I could only hope they had.