One of the worst things about Jaya’s plan was tricking Ndari. She’d spent almost a full week in Ndari’s company and she absolutely adored the psycho Malaysian woman. She was full of funny anecdotes, great advice and she loved Haty almost as much as Jaya did. And that was the second part of Jaya’s plan that nearly tore a hole through her heart. She wouldn’t be able to take Haty without causing suspicion. If she left without the kitten then Ivan would believe she legitimately planned to come back.

“What has your panties in a twist?” Ndari said from her upside-down position on the floor. She was laying on her back with her legs straight up against the side of the bed, her bare feet in the air. She was tossing Haty up above her head and catching her like she was a human toddler. The weird thing was every time the kitten landed or Ndari let her go, Haty came scrambling back for more.

Jaya turned on her toes and paced back across the room, glancing down at the strange pair as she passed. “Nothing, I just hate being cooped up like this all day, every day,” she said, carefully controlled impatience leaking into her voice. “She’s going to claw you in the face one of these times.”

“I always wanted a nose piercing,” Ndari said, tossing the kitten straight up. Haty twisted in the air, stretching her paws out in all four directions like she could fly, before allowing the woman underneath to catch her.

Jaya shook her head at the weirdness. “I don’t think you’d get to choose where she puts the hole.”

“And I don’t think you’re telling me the truth about your restlessness,” Ndari grouched, throwing Haty up on the bed and rolling over onto her stomach. Haty leapt off the bed, jumped on Ndari’s back and began kneading and purring. “For days you have paced this room, back and forth, too annoyed to stand still, yet unable to settle into a game or a decent conversation.”

Jaya lifted an eyebrow at the other woman. “Are you complaining about my lack of companionship? Because last I checked, you were hired to keep me occupied, not the other way around.”

Ndari snorted and tugged the playful kitten from its nest in her hair. “And last I checked I wasn’t getting paid for this shit show of a job. I was just given to you as a happy alternative to jail time. But I can work harder at keeping you pleased if that’s your desire.” She pushed herself off the floor and made a show of dusting off her jeans and top. “Yeah, I heard what happened to your last companion. I have no interest in disembowelment so let us try to keep you happier than she did, oh depressive one.”

Jaya’s mouth fell open for a second and then she started laughing. “Yeah, you aren’t sadistic like she was. And holy crap, I was kidnapped! I’m allowed to be annoyed about my circumstances.”

Ndari shrugged and began pacing opposite of Jaya. “Meh, I think you should get over it and start enjoying life.”

“And how exactly do you suggest I do that?” Jaya asked sceptically.

“Well, the man that holds you and has become enamored of you is also very rich, correct?” Ndari pointed out. “Start spending his money. I guarantee, there is happiness in spending. I very much enjoyed spending my brother’s money before he sent me here.”

“I have plenty of my own money,” Jaya grumbled. “I was a world class hacker before he took me. I have bank accounts in countries all over the planet.”

“Uh huh, well save it for a rainy day and start spending his dough. I bet it would make him happier too. He might see it as a sign that you’re finally settling down and accepting all that he has to offer.”

Jaya tipped her head to the side and thought about it for a moment. “Good point. Alright, Ndari, how do you suggest I spend his money? Usually I would shop online, but there’s no chance that Ivan will let me near a laptop. And I doubt he’s willing to let us go shopping the old-fashioned way. So, how else?”

Ndari grinned. “Don’t be so pessimistic. I bet he’ll let us go out with the proper escort of bodyguards with rippling muscles and a penchant towards protectiveness. You need a healthy excursion and he needs to see that he can trust you.”

Jaya chewed on her bottom lip and then nodded slowly. “Alright, I think I agree with you. It’s time I get out of this penthouse and into Jakarta.”

“Perfect!” Ndari exclaimed brightly and gave Jaya a shove toward the door. “Now go convince Ivan we want to go shopping. I’m bored out of my mind and this companion needs a new pair of shoes.”

“Why do I have to ask him? Isn’t he more likely to say yes to you?” Jaya balked.

Ndari shook her head. “My goodness no! I prefer my guts to stay exactly where they are. Off you go now love of Ivan’s life.”

Jaya blinked as she reached for the door and exited into the hallway. She gave the guard a half smile and explained her need to see Ivan. Since there were standing orders that she be allowed to see the boss whenever she wanted, he simply nodded and waved her ahead of him. As she and the guard walked away from the safety of her suite toward Ivan’s office Jaya wondered if she had just been royally played by her royal highness, Princess Ndari instead of the other way around. The woman came across as both intensely flighty and uncannily intelligent.

Jaya was more than a little surprised when Ivan agreed to her request with very little argument. He seemed to believe that she could use a change in scenery and he was happy to indulge her sudden need to spend money in the bustling city. His only stipulation was that she and Ndari be escorted by his five most skilled men, including himself and Keane. Jaya was stunned that Ivan was willing to take her out on something so trivial as a shopping trip and waste such precious resources as his top men. But that was his choice and she wasn’t about to argue. She virtually flew back to the room to tell Ndari about her success.

Ndari’s jaw dropped. “You have got to be shitting me!” she said in shock.

Jaya narrowed her eyes. “You thought he’d say no?”

“I thought he’d lock your ass up tighter than the crown jewels I once paid a cat burglar to steal from my brother,” Ndari replied and then threw a scarf at Jaya’s face. “Here wrap this around your head. He’s not going to want your face seen in public. I can’t believe we’re actually going out!”

“So you sent me into Ivan’s office believing he would reject our plan and possibly freak out at me for suggesting a trip into the city? What the fuck, Ndari, you are seriously the worst friend!” Jaya grabbed the scarf and pulled it over her hair. She let it hang down and rest on her shoulders. She would pull it over the bottom half of her face later.

Ndari made a pssshhh sound and waved her hand through the air. “Pretty sure I’m your only friend, hacker chick.”

“I have friends!” Jaya protested.

Ndari took her arm and pulled her from the room where half of their escort waited for them in the hall. “Uh huh,” she said sceptically. “Friends don’t let friends get kidnapped. Where were these so-called friends when you got your ass captured and caged?”

Jaya could feel the curious eyes of their escort all over the two women as they walked. Any conversation with Ndari was usually bizarre, plus they made a striking pair. Jaya wore a deep pink Sari edged in silver lace with a silver scarf while Ndari wore a pair of ripped up skinny jeans, red stilettos and a Sons of Anarchy T-shirt. Her beautiful black hair was covered with a patterned head scarf and she wore a pair of chic sunglasses.

“My friends have no idea what’s happened to me. And I don’t see you trying to bust my ass out of the gilded cage,” Jaya pointed out.

Ndari goggled at her as they rounded the last of the stairs and stepped out into the bright sunlight. “I like you a lot, girl, I really do. But your ass is not worth getting my ass dismembered and mailed back to my brother in pieces over. Nope, let us just stick to the companionship part of our arrangement and forget about flying the coop. Oh look, the males are going to go shopping while armed with some very interesting weapons. Oh my, is that grenade on the Irishman’s belt?”

Jaya stepped up to Ivan and Keane who were waiting by the penthouse elevators. They were indeed well-armed for their excursion. Ivan was wearing a suit without a jacket, his shoulder holster clearly visible. Keane had at least three guns and a massive knife attached to his body armour as well as at least one grenade on his utility belt. The other guards were wearing similar amounts of weaponry. She was beginning to feel as though she were being escorted by a small army.

As they stepped onto the elevator she turned to Ivan and asked quietly, “Don’t you think the bodyguards and weapons will draw attention to us?”

He glanced down at her and lifted one thick eyebrow. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. That one look told her that he didn’t care. His men were going with them and they were going armed to the teeth, no negotiation. She had no idea if the precaution was for her safety or to prevent her escape. She really hoped it was the former. She decided to just ignore the weapons overkill and try to enjoy her day. Though she didn’t know how Ivan was planning on taking her shopping without drawing a whole lot of notice.

She soon discovered that it wouldn’t be a problem. Ivan had no intention of frequenting the type of places where an armed escort of five men would draw notice. Instead he took Jaya and Ndari to only the most upscale stores in the high-end sections of Jakarta. While Ndari had a blast, spending Ivan’s money like it was water, Jaya was disappointed. She wanted to see more of Jakarta. Not just the rich-rinsed, sanitised parts of the city. Store after store happily paraded their wares in front of Jaya, Ndari and their bodyguards.

It became quickly apparent that Jaya’s plan to cause a scene and get herself lost in a crowd of marketplace shoppers wasn’t going to happen. But she was highly intelligent and resourceful, she assessed the situation and came up with a new plan.

“I’d like to go to that jewelry store over there,” she said, pressing her finger against the tinted window of the car they were in. They’d just finished shopping in a clothing store a street over. She would have liked the chance to wander the streets, looking at the different shops, but Ivan flat out refused to allow their party to do anything but drive from store to store.

“Ohmygodyes!” Ndari squealed as she leaned over Jaya to get a better look at the Tiffany and Co. jewellery store. “I definitely need a replacement tiara for the one that got stolen that time the cat burglar didn’t listen to instructions correctly.”

“And what do you need, Jaya?”

She swivelled her head to look at Ivan who was sitting across from her. His eyes were intent on her face and the tone of his voice was speculative. She lowered her lashes and glanced at his jacket and the bulge beneath where his gun was. He’d put his suit jacket on, covering his broad shoulders and the holster and weapon beneath while patiently escorting the women on their shopping spree. He looked relaxed, at ease, in the back of the car, but she knew he was ready for anything, including any move she might make to flee.

“I like to look at pretty things,” she told him, trying not to betray the excitement in her voice. “I rarely went out when I lived on my own. I would shop online and almost never spent money on frivolous items. I upgraded my computer systems, shopped for necessary items like clothes and food, and I bought state-of-the-art tech equipment, but almost never found the time to shop for girly stuff. I find… I like to look at pretty and expensive things. Who knows, maybe I’ll find something absurdly overpriced to spend your fortune on. Perhaps you’ll decide I’m not worth the effort of keeping around.”

“Hmm, I doubt it,” he said, his eyes lingering on her face. He turned to address the driver. “Pull over up here, we’re going to Tiffany’s.”

Ndari breezed into the store as though she’d been born and raised in a Tiffany’s. She snapped her fingers at one of the sales assistants and asked where they kept the tiaras. Keane found the security officer, had a brief chat and shortly thereafter helped the man clear the store of any other customers. Ivan took Jaya by the arm and steered her toward a case. She took one look, shook her head and backed up, completely forgetting her plan for a moment. She hadn’t been trying to get him into a jewellery store so they could peruse engagement rings together. He gave her another gentle tug forward.

“Just have a look,” he murmured for her ears alone.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she took a step toward the counter, glancing around them to make sure the exchange wasn’t witnessed. A salesperson hovered nearby but the icy persona Ivan projected stopped him from approaching. Smart decision.

“What part of our relationship makes you think we’re ready for engagement rings?” Jaya hissed sarcastically tugging on her arm. “The part where you lock me up in cages or dungeons on a regular basis, put electrocution bracelets on my wrists and tracking chips in my back?” She glanced around again to make sure no one was looking at them. “Oh, I know! It must be the part where you keep threatening me and calling it love or whatever twisted emotion your hideous brain thinks this is.”

His already cold grey gaze turned glacial and she shivered in his hold, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. But Jaya had never been one to keep her mouth shut. Mostly because she lived a solitary life and hadn’t learned the value of keeping silent around dangerous international arms dealers. And this one was beginning to look seriously pissed off. Well, if he didn’t like this part of the Jaya show, he was definitely not going to like act two.

He leaned closer, until his lips brushed the tip of her ear. She noticed he did that when he was mad and really wanted her to hear the terrible thing he was about to say. She flinched, but his grip on her arm became tighter and he pulled her closer into his chest. “Perhaps, it is the part of our relationship where I refuse to let you go.” He turned her in his arms until she was standing directly in front of the counter gazing down at row after row of indecently expensive sparkly diamond rings. “Ever.” He tapped the glass hard with his left index finger. “Pick something, Jaya.”

Jaya began sweating almost as soon as the rings came out. Not because of the symbolism, she could pretend the ring meant nothing to her. And since she was going to be long gone before it ever touched her hand, choosing one didn’t really matter. Not because of the price tags on most of the beautiful solitaire diamonds; she could afford any one or all the rings herself if she wanted them. Hell, she should choose them all just to spite Ivan and his evil plans. No, she was freaking out because she was about to throw her plan into action and she was completely terrified. She was losing focus, constantly glancing at Ivan while he was encouraging the salesperson to bring out more rings for her to try on.

The salesman made the mistake of mentioning that it was store policy to bring out only one ring at a time. Ivan lifted an eyebrow and said in an arrogant drawl, “Change the policy. I want to see all the rings. If you have a problem with that then I’d be happy to speak to the owner. Though I promise you, if Miguel is forced to speak to me at this time of night in Brazil, he’ll have your head.”

The man swallowed audibly and stammered something unintelligible while reaching hesitantly for another tray of rings. Ivan reached for the ring on the counter and pulled Jaya’s hand forward, pushing it gently on the third finger of her left hand. She glanced down at it. A shudder rippled through her frame as she stared at the huge gaudy diamond, set in a gold band and surrounded by two rows of tiny diamonds. She didn’t even have a chance to reject it before Ivan was pulling it from her finger and tossing it back on the counter.

“Next,” he said coldly.

“Jaya!”

She twisted around and glanced toward the back of the store where Ndari was trying on tiaras. Despite the anxiety flooding her system she couldn’t help but laugh at the woman. She’d shoved her head scarf back onto her shoulders and was now wearing a ridiculous amount of diamonds perched on her shiny sable head. It looked pretty funny with her rocker T-shirt and jeans.

“Gorgeous,” Jaya announced.

“Get your depressive ass over here and try on some crowns,” Ndari shouted turning back to the alarmed looking salesperson. “I think we will require a matching set. Or perhaps a best friend set. You know, like those friend bracelets where each friend gets half a heart and then we’re friends forever. Only with tiaras instead of bracelets. And not half a tiara, because I’m not willing to compromise and give up half my crown since I am, in fact, a real-life princess.”

Jaya burst out laughing and tugged at the hand that Ivan still had firmly in his grasp. He’d pushed another ring onto her finger. She didn’t even glance at him. Instead she said pleadingly, “Just for a minute, Ivan. I really think I want an indecently expensive best friend tiara.”

Something about the happiness shining in her gaze and her spontaneous smile must have swayed him. As though he knew he’d finally done something right in engaging a companion of an appropriate age and temperament. He nodded indulgently and released her hand, allowing her to cross the store. She held her breath half expecting him to follow her, the possessiveness he felt over her and his wariness of taking her out in public urging him to keep close, but he continued to linger over the engagement rings only his eyes following her as she crossed to stand at Ndari’s side.

She let out a slow breath and barely noticed as the other woman perched a jewel encrusted tiara on her head, chattering away while fluffing Jaya’s hair around her shoulders. “Absolutely perfect! Just look at you.” She spun Jaya around, nearly knocking her into the glass case until she was facing a long-suffering salesman who was helpfully holding up a mirror. “It’s not exactly the same as my tiara, but I think the sapphires in this one really bring out your skin tone.”

Ordinarily, Jaya would be enjoying herself while choosing outrageously priced, useless jewellery and sparring with Ndari but she had other things on her mind. Like calculating the exact distances between the security gates when she brought them down. She was nervous and unhappy and torn about the decision she felt she had to make. A part of her didn’t want to leave Ivan. Okay, a big part of her. But she knew she had to. She’d been trained for half her life to believe he was an evil villain and he’d done very little to prove otherwise. She believed he was becoming attached to her, and his attachment was intoxicating, but she owed her loyalty to someone else. With that last thought, she set her plan into motion.

She yanked the tiara from her head and said to the salesman, “I don’t like it, show me another.” When he reached for it she tossed it just out of his reach. His eyes popped wide in horror as the precious item sailed past his outstretched hand and hit the floor. Jaya barely stopped an eye roll from slowing her down. The jewelry was hardier than the glass cases they were showcased in. Which she fully intended to utilize to her benefit. The second he bent over she grabbed Ndari and yanked her around the counter with her, shoving her down. Then, before anyone could stop her, as all eyes in the store were now on her, she grabbed one of the smaller earring cases, picked it up and slammed it into the big display case, shattering the glass.

“Holy mother of all that is not good!” Ndari gasped, jumping back from the flying glass and covering her face.

Jaya let go of Ndari’s wrist, her eyes glued to Ivan as he lunged toward her, his face twisted in fury. He was too late. Security gates all around the store fell into place cutting them off. He was locked in the front of the store with a salesman and a security guard while Keane was locked in a separate section with another security guard. Jaya, Ndari and the other salesperson was at the back of the store behind the heaviest gate, locked in with the computer system, exactly where she’d been hoping to be.

The rest of Ivan’s security team were locked outside the store. She had to work fast if she wanted to escape before he managed to organize them. Men shouted all around her, but she ignored them, put her head down and worked, her fingers flying across the computer’s keyboard. She quickly and easily hacked into the Tiffany’s security system and made sure all access to the building was denied to Ivan’s men while checking on her own escape routes, then catalogued a plan B and C just in case she was cut off. She was in the process of hacking into the security systems for the other shops in the building when she was wrenched away from the computer. She lost her balance and fell hard against the counter, cutting her arm when she reached out, touching the jagged glass.

She looked up in surprise. She’d completely forgotten about the salesman. He’d jumped out of the way so quickly, she hadn’t thought him brave enough to step in when she began reigning chaos. He was frowning and wringing his hands at the mess she’d made, his wire-rimmed glasses askew on his long nose, his suit somewhat ruffled. She was about to slap him silly and get back to her hack job when a shot rang out. She shrieked and jumped back, slamming into a stunned Ndari as the salesman went down in a spray of blood.

Jaya whipped around to stare at Ivan whose gun was now aimed at the store security guard. The guard’s face was leached of all colour and he was holding his hands up, no weapons visible. Though the gates separated them, they didn’t stop bullets from flying around the store.

“No one touches her,” Ivan growled, his furious gaze still glued to Jaya. “Are we clear?”

No one answered for a moment as stunned silence continued to hold everyone immobile. Then Keane said, “Yes, boss.” He reached toward the shaking store security guard, who he was locked in with and took the gun from his holster. “I’ll just be taking this so you ain’t tempted.”

Ndari continued to clutch Jaya’s arm, her fingernails digging into the skin, her breathing harsh in Jaya’s ear. Jaya could feel blood dripping freely down her arm from where she was cut but she couldn’t seem to move. Couldn’t tear her eyes from Ivan’s cool, angry gaze. In one rash act she’d changed everything. Now there was nowhere to go but forward, because if he got his hands on her he was going to lock her up tighter than ever. Tracking chips, electrocution bracelets and armed guards would be the least of her problems.

“What next, Jaya,” he said coldly, setting his hands on the counter next to the engagement rings. The gun clicked as it hit the glass. She could almost see the vibration go up his arm as fury ripped through him, but he held it in check, knowing there was nothing he could do to her now while they were separated by the gates and he was unwilling to put a bullet in her. “It’s your move.”