CHAPTER NINETEEN

Etienne’s hands were secured behind his back with zip ties, though they’d left hers free, and marched back to several jeeps parked around Dylan Roberts’ house.  The guard she’d coldcocked earlier gave her a hate-filled glare that she tried to ignore, as they were hustled into separate jeeps, and she was forced to ride beside Gareth. 

“How’d you find us?” 

“I’ve told you before, money talks.  One of Mr. Roberts’ associates was more than happy to break ranks for some cold, hard cash.” 

Which meant Bas was up the creek right along with Dylan Roberts, a man she’d yet to meet, though he’d helped in the botched rescue attempt. 

“It was fairly simple to figure out your friend,” his lip curled in disgust at the word, “would head for someplace familiar and safe—meaning Roberts’ house.  I arrived as you and he made your mad dash into the rainforest.” 

Reaching over, he grabbed her hand, squeezing hard enough she winced, though she refused to make a sound.  She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction—he liked it when she screamed. 

“Not to sound like an overused cliché, but you’re not going to get away with kidnapping Tabby or me.  Too many people know about it.”

“Tabitha’s father has already agreed to provide funds and transportation to a nice nonextradition country, in exchange for his precious daughter.”  His eyes roamed over her body, and she felt soiled and used.  “You, my darling, on the other hand, have nobody but a couple of two-bit ex-military has-beens riding to your rescue.”

Did he not realize she had friends with deeper pockets and connections than even the Prescott family?  Gareth hadn’t done his homework quite as well as he should have, if he didn’t know about Samuel Carpenter and the C.S.S. team.

“Will you let Tabby go once you’ve gotten to wherever the hell you’re headed?”  Tabby wasn’t Gareth’s usual type.  The girl didn’t have an ounce of guile about her, and she was a bit too exuberant for Gareth’s tastes, but he might have changed in the years since she’d known him—before she’d helped put him behind bars. 

“Once she’s served her purpose, I’ll have no further use for her.”  Stephanie immediately noted the evasiveness of his answer. 

“Not good enough.  Let’s make a deal, Gareth.  You let Tabby leave, and I’ll go with you without a fight.”  Nausea roiled in her stomach at the words, but what choice did she have—it was the lives of innocent people or her own.  She’d gladly fly away with Gareth if it meant Etienne was safe. 

“An intriguing offer, my darling.  I’ll think about it.” 

He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, caressing each knuckle.  The vile touch made her skin crawl, especially after the tenderness Etienne had shown her.  The way he’d caressed her skin, worshiping her like she was a goddess.  Would the one night they’d shared together be the only one they’d ever have?

The drive seemed interminable, but they finally arrived back at the villa.  Mercenaries patrolled the grounds, and everything seemed eerily quiet.  Gareth stretched out his hand to help her from the jeep, and she ignored it, climbing out and glancing toward the other jeep behind theirs, the one where Etienne sat, a somber expression on his handsome face.  She blamed herself for him being dragged into the mess.  Right now, he should be sitting at home, fishing and swimming, and relaxing in the sunshine.  Instead, he was trussed up like a Christmas goose with guns pointed at his head. 

Walking through the front door, she noted several men seated on the marble floor, all secured with zip ties or ropes.  They must be part of Dylan Roberts' team.  Her eyes scanned the group, looking for Bas, but she didn’t spot him, which worried her.  What had Gareth done with Etienne’s brother? 

“Let’s go into the study.”  Gareth’s not-so-gentle nudge had her moving forward again.  The double doors were opened by one of the guards, and she strode through, determined not to allow Gareth to see how truly terrified she was. 

“What’s going to happen now?”  Stephanie was proud that her voice didn’t crack at the words.  Her throat felt tight and she was surprised she could speak at all. 

“That depends on you, my darling.”

“Me?” 

“Of course.  You can end everything—your friends’ captivity, the entire hostage situation, which I will admit has escalated quicker than I anticipated.  I didn’t think anybody would realize we were here for at least another twenty-four hours.” 

That’s because he had no way of knowing she had friends who cared about her, or that she’d be on the phone at the exact time his mercenaries stormed the villa.  But she’d play along, and try to stall.  The longer they stayed put, the better the chance that Samuel Carpenter could get more people here.  Surely if he didn’t hear from Etienne or Bas he’d mount a bigger rescue effort.  He wouldn’t leave the Boudreau brothers hanging in the wind.  No, Samuel Carpenter would move heaven and earth to help his friends, and those men were like brothers to him.

“How did you miscalculate?  You’ve always been so good at making and implementing plans, Gareth.”  She kept her tone pleasant and mildly interested, though she hated stroking his ego.  Better to keep him talking and off guard a bit, because that kept him from doing something stupid.  And Gareth tended to act out impulsively when things didn’t go according to his carefully wrought plans.

A frown marred his face, and she took a small step back.  She didn’t want to be in the line of fire if he lost his temper.  Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. 

“I’m not sure how word spread, but it doesn’t matter.  Adjustments have been made, and having sweet Tabitha as an additional bargaining chip worked in my favor.” 

Wait, he’d known Tabby was going to be here.  She was the one who’d arranged the entire trip, so of course she’d be at the villa.  The three of them—son of a...

“It was Marie, wasn’t it?  Marie and Tabby were supposed to go into town, while I stayed behind.  That bitch even talked me into staying here, while they visited her cousin.” 

Gareth nodded once.  “Marie—who is actually Maria—was supposed to have everyone gone.  But, apparently, she can’t be counted on to keep to a timetable.  You were supposed to be here alone.” 

“But you didn’t get here until the following day.  Were you going to leave me in the hands of mercenaries?” 

Gareth walked over and lifted her chin with one finger.  “They would not have touched you, not if they valued their lives and wanted to collect their money.  You were supposed to be moved to a secure location, where I planned to meet you.  Have a charming reunion celebration.” 

“Things got screwed up, because the others were here.” 

“Sit down, my darling.  We need to go over a few things, because we’ll be leaving as soon as I hear from Albert Donnelly, and we need to be ready.” 

Slumping in the chair across from the massive desk, she crossed her legs and tapped her fingertips along the arm of the chair.  There had to be a way out of this mess.  She couldn’t just sit back and let Gareth whisk her away to another country, where she’d be at his mercy.  No, never again. 

“How do you plan on getting out of the country?  Private plane seems the most likely scenario.  Does Albert Donnelly have one?  Because if he doesn’t, I know somebody who does, and he probably won’t mind lending it to me.”

Gareth wheeled around at her words, and she reared back in her seat, pressing against the chairback at the look of fury on his face. 

“Who the hell do you know with those kinds of resources?  Are you screwing him?” 

“No!  He’s the fiancé of a friend.  Gareth, I’m trying to help you—us.  You wanted to make plans.  I can help.  Don’t you remember what a good helper I was before?” 

He visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering and his hands unclenching.  That had been close.  She hadn’t expected that reaction, though she should have.  But, in the time apart, she’d forgotten what a hair trigger he possessed. 

“You always were an excellent partner, my darling.” 

She tried not to wince when he called her by the endearment.  Hearing those words on his lips made her want to throw up—if she had anything in her stomach. 

“Gareth, I’m starving.  Can I get something to eat?”  Another delaying tactic, but she’d use whatever means necessary to gain a few extra minutes.

“How thoughtless of me.”  Striding across the room, he opened the door and gestured to one of the guards.  He whispered a few sentences and closed the door again.  Her brow rose when she realized he’d spoken fluent Spanish to the other man.  His time behind bars had obviously been put to good use, because he couldn’t speak anything but English before being incarcerated. 

“They’ll bring you something in a moment.  In the meantime, what you’ve been doing since the last time I saw you.” 

His eyes swept along her body, and a shiver of revulsion spread through her.  The last thing she wanted was him getting any ideas, especially carnal ones.  Not after she’d found out what making love with the man she loved felt like.  The thought of Gareth touching her, tainting what she had with Etienne—it turned her stomach. 

“You have to realize, I was in a really bad place.  The government, the Feds, they forced me to testify against you, Gareth.  It wasn’t my choice.”

He skimmed his fingertips lightly against her forearm, the touch barely there, but it made her skin crawl.  Stop it, she screamed inside her head.  Don’t touch me. 

“I wanted—no, I needed to get away from everything in my old life.  I changed my name, my appearance, and started over.  Took low level, menial jobs to make ends meet.  Nothing like when I was with you.”

Every word was a lie.  She loved her new life.  She even liked her new appearance.  Gone was the spoiled princess with a silver spoon, the one Gareth wooed and won.  No, she’d become her own person as Stephanie Barnes.  It might not be her real name, but she was damned proud of who she was, and there was no going back to her old life.  She wouldn’t even if she could. 

The door opened after a soft knock, and a guard entered carrying a loaded tray, and he set it on the edge of the desk and walked out without a word.  Stephanie’s mouth watered at the scent of fresh coffee and fruit.  Though she really wished she had some of Sophia’s fresh bread.  She’d gotten spoiled, having it every morning, slathered it with fresh butter and cinnamon sugar.  She’d become addicted to it from the first day here. 

“Dig in, my darling girl. You’re going to need your strength.” 

And didn’t that have an ominous sound?

Picking up a piece of mango, she took a bite, resisting the urge to shove the whole thing in her mouth.  She was starving. 

“Tell me more about your new life.”

“It’s pretty boring.  I work as a receptionist, but I’m sure you know that already.  Marie probably told you everything about me.”  Marie was going to get a swift kick in her lady bits the next time Stephanie saw her, for being a lousy rat fink traitor. 

Gareth smiled, and gestured with one hand.  “Indulge me.  I can’t picture you working behind a desk, taking orders from others.  Somehow, I always imagined you by my side, acting as my hostess, and reigning over our kingdom.”

Trust Gareth to think of himself as a king.  Nothing small about his ego.  He’d always had ambitions and aspirations above reality.  Looked like nothing had changed. 

“Maybe as Jasmine DuBois I could have fulfilled that role.  But as little Stephanie Barnes, trying to stay under the Feds’ radar?  I took jobs where I’d go unnoticed.  And it worked, until I came to Costa Rica.”  The coffee cup in her hands shook so much she was afraid the hot liquid would spill over and burn her, so she set it down on the tray, and picked up another piece of fruit. 

“What you did before doesn’t matter, my darling.  Now you’re back by my side, and I’ll make sure you get everything you deserve.” 

The bite she’d taken lodged in her throat at the underlying threat in Gareth’s words.  She noted his word choice, innocuous to any other listener, but the threat was clear—that she’d get what she deserved.  And she knew precisely what he meant—at his trial he said she deserved to die. 

This had to be why he was here—to fulfill his promise.  But first, he’d make sure she suffered for her betrayal.  No one came away unscathed from Gareth Prescott’s wrath. 

“Gareth, I—”

“Hush, my darling.  We will talk later.  Now that I’ve found you again, we have all the time in the world—just the two of us.  I look forward to everything becoming what it was meant to be.” 

The thought chilled Stephanie to her very core, because she’d barely escaped Gareth’s reach before, and almost died in the process.  She might not be so lucky this time. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but a slight movement outside the window caught her attention, and she paused, poised on the edge of her chair.  What was that?

A fissure of light glinted off the large windows at the back of the study.  Her chair faced the mammoth desk dominating the room, and she had a clear view of the gently sloping yard outside.

There it was again.  A dark shadow crossing beneath the window, so fast it was almost a blur, and hope began rising deep in her chest.  Because, if she wasn’t mistaken, she recognized that blur.  A tall, blond-haired, gray-eyed superhero, one she owed her life to. 

Because if she wasn’t mistaken, Samuel Carpenter, her boss, had just winked at her from outside the study window.