Kinsey struggled upward as if swimming from the bottom of the deepest, darkest ocean to the surface. When she finally found the energy to lift her eyelids she stared up, not at sunlight but the soft glow of a light fixture overhead.

She glanced around, her arms touching a cool, smooth surface, her body lying on something soft. A curtain surrounded her on one side and white tile on the other three. Unable grasp the significance, she stared up at a curious, shiny fixture. A showerhead?

She was lying in a bathtub, her body barely functioning and her limbs lead weights. What the hell had happened? Then, as slowly as she’d come to understand she was in a bathtub, she remembered the two men on the stairs between the buildings and the fight she’d put up until one had pressed a rag to her mouth and nose.

They drugged me.

Her pulse raced, but she couldn’t react as fast as she wanted. The soft hum of voices sounded from somewhere nearby. Were her captors in the other room, waiting to perform whatever dastardly deed they had planned?

Kinsey made a mental evaluation of her physical condition. She still wore the same dress she’d had on earlier. The garment wasn’t torn or soiled. Her shoes were gone, but that could have happened in the scuffle. As far as she could tell, she hadn’t been undressed or raped. But that didn’t guarantee the dreaded act wouldn’t happen if she didn’t get herself up and out of the bathtub and whatever building they held her in.

Slowly, her ability to govern her own movement returned and she could wiggle her toes. Then her fingers, and finally lift her arms and legs. She pushed to a sitting position and listened.

She could make out the sound of a woman’s voice and that of a man. If she called out, would the woman come to her rescue, or was the female part of this abduction?

Kinsey yanked back the curtain, gripped the side of the bathtub and pulled herself out, slumping onto the floor. She lay for a moment, her face pressed to the smooth tile, willing her muscles to respond.

From the sounds outside the door, someone was leaving. If she wanted to get out of there, she’d have to make a move.

She pushed to her hands and knees, her head spinning and her stomach churning. When the room quit revolving, she crawled to the sink, reached up, grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled herself up to stand.

The gray fog swept in around her vision, threatening to send her back to the black abyss. Kinsey blinked several times and focused on the shiny faucet. Don’t pass out!

She searched the immediate vicinity for anything she could use as a weapon, her gaze landing on a brand new bar of soap. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could get her hands on in a hurry. She quickly closed the shower curtain, grabbed the bar and slid into the corner behind the door as footsteps sounded, moving in her direction.

Kinsey dragged in deep breaths, her heart racing, her legs barely steady enough to hold her upright.

The door swung open, almost slamming into her before she stopped it with one hand.

A man appeared in front of her, swept aside the shower curtain and stared down at the bathtub where she’d been lying moments before.

Now was her moment. If she could hit him hard enough, she might knock him out and have enough time to make a run for it.

She swung her arm as hard as she could, which wasn’t much, considering she could barely stand. The soap bar connected with the man’s temple.

He staggered forward, grabbing air in a desperate attempt to latch onto something to break his fall. His fingers tangled into the shower curtain, and he tumbled into the bathtub, landing on the pillows.

Kinsey pushed away from the wall and staggered out of the bathroom into a room with a queen-sized bed, a small table and an armchair. Her gaze darted left and right, looking for the second man of the two who’d accosted her in the alley.

The room was empty but for the man she’d clobbered in the bathtub.

Her momentum carried her clumsily toward the door. She reached for the knob, but a hand clamped down over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her body, trapping her own arms to her sides. He wasn’t as burly as the first guy who’d grabbed her. This man was lean and muscular, but too strong for Kinsey to break free of.

She tried to scream, the only sound coming out as a pathetic hum that wouldn’t be heard past the wooden panel of the door.

“Don’t scream, and I’ll let you go.”

A deep, resonant voice said against her ear.

“I promise. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Kinsey froze, bunching her muscles in case she got another chance to make a run for it.

“Do you promise not to scream?” he asked.

His breath brushed warm on her neck. She nodded, gathering a deep breath to prepare for the mother of all screams.

“And don’t rush out of the room. The landlady will kick me out, and I don’t relish the idea of finding another place to stay this late at night. Promise you won’t run out of here and make a lot of noise?”

Again, she didn’t have much of a choice. She nodded and waited, her pulse pounding so loud against her eardrums she could barely hear herself think.

Then he released her mouth, dropped his arms from around her and stepped away.

Her pulse leaped and Kinsey grabbed for the doorknob.

“Please. Just be quiet when you leave,” he whispered.

Anger blasted through Kinsey. She might be gullible for believing he would release her so easily, but she wouldn’t let the bastard get away with scaring the crap out of her without getting a piece of her mind. She spun and faced the antagonist. “Why the hell did you drug me, if you’re just letting me go anyway?”

The man took another step backward and held up both hands. “Look, lady, I wasn’t the one who drugged you, or was making off with you into the night. I just happened by and stopped the two guys who had you from taking you to who knows where.”

Kinsey frowned. He sounded American and he was really handsome, but that didn’t make him trustworthy or her friend. “Why should I believe you?”

He laughed. “Don’t believe me. But, please, leave. I’ve had enough drama for one day.”

She turned and placed her hand on the doorknob again. “You’re not stopping me?”

“No.” He waved at the small room. “I didn’t want to bring you here in the first place.”

“Then why did you?” she asked, her back to him, her body braced and ready to yank open the door and run, if he attacked.

“I couldn’t leave you lying on the steps. Those goons might have come back and collected you after I left. I didn’t get this bruised cheek just to let them pick up where they left off.”

She glanced over her shoulder and studied him. Though she didn’t want to trust him, his words and voice sounded sincere.

He touched a hand to the side of his face where a purple smudge was just beginning to show.

The man had hair the color of glossy coal and eyes as blue as the Mediterranean Sea. He was ruggedly handsome, with the shadow of a beard darkening his chin. “They hit you?”

He shrugged. “One of them got in a couple of punches, but I left them both hurting.”

“Why would they attack me?”

The man rolled his eyes. “Really? A lone female walking around at night? Are you that dumb?”

Kinsey glared at the man. She felt stupid for going out at night alone, but this man had no right to call her dumb. “I was late to meet my employers at a restaurant.” Her eyes widened. “What time is it?”

“After ten thirty.”

“I was supposed to be there at eight. I was out for that long?” She wondered if the Martins were looking for her.

“Yeah. The landlady invited herself to share her dinner with me while you were sleeping it off in the bathroom.”

“In the bathtub. What’s with that? Why did you ditch me in a tub?”

He snorted. “How was I supposed to explain an unconscious woman in my bed to the lady renting me this room?”

Kinsey crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you take me to a hospital?”

He shook his head and planted his hands on his hips. “Again, how was I supposed to explain to the authorities why I was carrying around an unconscious woman?”

She flung her hands in the air. “I could have been dying, and you refused to take me to seek medical attention?”

“Calm down. You weren’t in any physical distress. I checked for a pulse. You were breathing fine. I figured those men must have drugged you.”

Kinsey pressed a hand to her mouth and her stomach roiled. “They shoved a sweet-smelling cloth in my face, and I blacked out.”

“There you go. You were unconscious. I fought them off and then I was stuck with you until you came to.” He walked toward her.

Kinsey gasped and shrank against the door. “What are you doing?”

“I’m opening the door so you can leave. I didn’t want you here in the first place.”

Her back stiffened. “Well, you don’t have to be so rude about it. I didn’t ask to be abducted.”

“Then we agree, the sooner you and I part, the better.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Just keep it quiet leaving. I don’t want Mrs. Demopolis to get the idea I have a woman in my room.”

“Do you do that often?” Kinsey asked, lowering her voice.

“I got here today. Since then, I’ve barely had two minutes to myself.”

“Let me remedy the situation.” She raised her eyebrows. “If you’ll open the door, and tell me exactly where I am, I’ll be on my way.” She tried to sound confident, even though she had no idea which side of the island she was on. Or if she was even on the same island.

He nodded toward her feet. “Are you okay with going back to your room barefoot?”

“I’ll be fine. Most of the steps around here are stone. I haven’t seen too much gravel.”

“Then by all means…” The man opened the door and waved an arm toward the corridor. “Hasta la vista.”

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. “You’re in Greece, not Spain or Mexico.”

“Since we’re both American, does it matter?”

She laughed. “Not really.” Kinsey touched a finger to her temple in a mock salute. “Thank you for rescuing me.” But she didn’t step out of the door. Her feet wouldn’t budge from where they were on the room side of the threshold.

Her knees wobbled then her entire body shook.

“The door’s open,” the man said and waved her toward the exit again.

“I know. I’m going.” She tried to lift her foot, but she couldn’t. The thought of stepping out into the night paralyzed her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “You haven’t told me where I am, and…I can’t seem to move past the door.”

The man drew in a deep breath and let it out. “I guess I can’t blame you. After being attacked in the dark, I’d be afraid of venturing out on my own. Come on.” He hooked her elbow in his hand. “I’ll walk you back to wherever you’re staying.”

This time, her feet left the floor and she was able to step over the threshold into the corridor on the other side.

Her rescuer pressed a finger to his lips, tiptoed past the next door down the hallway and pushed through another door to the outside.

Once out in the open, Kinsey glanced around, her stomach knotting. She didn’t recognize any of the buildings. But then, they were tightly packed against the hillside and all looked the same in the darkness—white with blue-tiled roofs.

“I don’t know why I should trust you,” she said as she walked alongside him. “I don’t even know your name. All I know is that you’re American. But I’ve met a lot of American men I wouldn’t trust with my best friend, or worst enemy.”

He laughed. “My name is Sam. You have no reason to trust me, other than I saved you from two men who seemed bent on taking you somewhere against your will.”

Kinsey stumbled on the next step. She was glad Sam still had his hand on her elbow to steady her. Her legs weren’t quite as trustworthy as she needed them to be on the hills. “I wonder where they were taking me?”

Sam’s grip on her arm tightened. “I don’t know.”

“And I don’t want to find out.” She glanced up at him. “By the way, my name is Kinsey Phillips.”

She shivered in the cool night air, realizing for the first time that she’d lost her light shawl in her fight with the two men. “I’m not sure where we are.”

“Do you remember the name of your hotel?”

“Porto Takisi.”

“I passed that coming in today. It shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

“Easy for you to say. You arrived here with your eyes open.” When she thought about it, the evening could have ended on a much worse note.

“You have a point. You’re in luck. I’m pretty good at land navigation.”

She glanced sideways. He carried himself with the pride and bearing of someone who’d known military service. “Were you in the Army?”

He smiled. “Why do you ask?”

She shrugged then focused on the path ahead and avoiding small pebbles. “Just the way you talk and the way you carry yourself.”

He didn’t say anything for a few more steps. “Yes, I was in the Army.”

She nodded. “Infantry?”

“Aviation.”

A pebble dug into the tender area of her instep, and she dipped low, taking the weight off that foot.

“Find a rock?” he asked.

“Yes, a little one.” She straightened and forced a smile to her lips. “I’m fine.”

“Like hell, you are.”

Before she could utter a protest, Sam lifted her into his arms.

“You can’t carry me all the way to my hotel. That’s just crazy.” She slung an arm around his neck to ease the burden on his arms. She would never admit it aloud, but she liked that he lifted her so easily. And his hard body felt good against her softer one. Her attraction to him shocked her. “Put me down.”

“I will,” he said, but belied his words by continuing along his way. “When we get there.”

“You’ll hurt your back.”

“Will you talk my ear off?”

“Maybe,” she said, holding her dress close to her thigh. “If you don’t let me walk on my own two feet.”

“Fine. Have it your way.” He set her on her feet. “We’re here.” He turned her around and pointed toward the hotel.

Thankful to see the familiar building, Kinsey hurried forward and then stopped, remembering the man who’d been key in her ability to return to her hotel. “Thank you for saving my life and making sure I made it back to my hotel safely. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“Forget about it. Just don’t run around the streets at night alone.”

She stood at attention and saluted him. “I won’t.” Now that she was back on familiar territory, she didn’t need him anymore. But she was hesitant to walk away. “I’m sure you need to head back to your room. Thank you again.”

He stood straight, unbending. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see you to your door. I’ve come this far, I might as well make certain you make it the rest of the way.”

“You don’t have to,” she said. “I’ve been at this hotel for a week with no problems.”

“Other than nearly being kidnapped.”

“I wasn’t at the hotel when that happened,” she argued.

He shrugged. “Still, I feel like it’s my duty.”

Kinsey bristled. “You’re not responsible for me, or anything. I really can manage on my own.” She sighed and nodded. “I know. I know. Barring thugs in the streets at night.”

“I’m already here. Humor me.” When she still hesitated, he touched her arm. “If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it before you were conscious so that you wouldn’t talk my ear off. I won’t hurt you. I just want to see you to your door. If you want the concierge to come along as a chaperone, I’m all for it.”

Not wanting to appear churlish, and feeling a little foolish, Kinsey pressed her lips together in a tight smile. “Fine. You can walk me to my room.” She was halfway across the lobby before he stopped her with a touch on her elbow.

“Do you have a key tucked into your bra or something?”

“What kind of question is that?” Then she realized he had a point. “Damn. You’re right, and I forgot. When they attacked me, I must have dropped my purse.” Mrs. Martin gave her one of her old purses when she’d hired on with the family. Now it was as gone as the purse she’d had stolen in Athens. Her chest tightened. She couldn’t catch a break, lately. But, she refused to dwell on what she couldn’t change. Instead, she marched to the desk and asked for a replacement key for her room number.

The clerk, a dark-haired woman she hadn’t met, glanced down at the computer screen and tapped keys. “Kinsey Phillips, you say?” she asked.

“Yes. I’ve been here for the past week with the Martins as their au pair.”

The woman’s fingers flew over the keys, a frown denting her smooth brow. “Are you sure you’re at the right hotel, miss?”

“This is the Porto Takisi?” Kinsey looked left and then right. She recognized the lobby as the same décor she’d been walking past all week.

“Yes, this is the Porto Takisi,” the clerk said. “But I have no record of a Kinsey Phillips staying here now or for the past seven days.”

Kinsey’s stomach clenched. “What do you mean?” Kinsey leaned over the counter and tried to see what was on the screen in front of the woman.

“I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t have you as a guest here.”

“What about the Martins? I’m in the connecting room to theirs on the third floor.”

“The Martins checked out this morning at ten o’clock. They only reserved the one room.”

“And I had the connecting room.” Kinsey’s voice rose. “Go see for yourself. My clothes, everything I own, is in that room.”

“I’m sorry miss, but registered guests are in the room the Martins occupied and in the rooms on either side.”

She planted her hands on the counter, anger and panic building in her chest. “Then what the hell did you do with my clothes and suitcase?”

The clerk looked around nervously. “Miss, if you would like to step into our conference room, I’ll have a manager come speak with you.”

“Damn right, you’ll get the manager.” Kinsey pinched the bridge of her nose and turned toward the conference room. “This situation cannot be happening, again.”

Sam slipped an arm around her waist and walked with her. “What do you mean, again?”

She leaned into the strength of his body, thankful he had insisted on staying with her. “I was mugged in Athens. The bastard stole my purse with every cent I own. I didn’t have a passport, money, credit cards, or anything. All I had was my suitcase with the few clothes I brought with me.” She flung her arm out to the side. “And now they’re telling me I don’t even have those?”

“Just wait and hear what the manager has to say.” He led her into the room and pulled out a chair, urging her to sit. “This has to be a misunderstanding.”

“It better be. I’m still waiting for my replacement passport from the U.S. Embassy in Athens.” She tipped back her head, remembering Giorgio’s words of earlier that evening. He’d asked if she’d be leaving soon, as well. Bile rose up her throat. She swallowed hard. “Holy hell, what did the clerk mean by the Martins checked out this morning? I work for them. They owe me a week’s pay. How the hell am I supposed to live without money?” She was halfway out of the chair when a man wearing a dark suit with Milonas printed on the name tag pinned to his lapel entered the room.

“Miss Phillips?” the manager said.

Again, this man was not one Kinsey recognized. “Where is Mr. Petras, the regular manager?”

“Miss, I’m Alexia Milonas, the manager. I’ve been here all week. And we do not have a Mr. Petras working here.”

“What?” Kinsey’s head spun. “I spoke to him several times. Maybe he wasn’t the manager, but he worked here. I’ve never seen you before now.”

Milonas stood with his hands clasped together. “And I don’t recall seeing you. I take pride in introducing myself to all of the hotel’s guests.”

“Then you will have met my employers, Lois and Timothy Martin and their children.”

He nodded. “I had the pleasure of meeting them and wished them a safe journey today as they checked out of their room.”

She leaned forward, her pulse quickening. “Then you would know they had another room reserved beside theirs. The one adjoining their room. The one on the left when you’re facing their door.”

“Miss, that room has been reserved by a man from Istanbul for the past week.”

Her heart sank into the pit of her belly, and her head spun. She assumed her reaction had a little to do with whatever the thugs had used to knock her out, but she couldn’t still be so strung out that she misunderstood what had occurred over the past seven days. “I stayed in that room for the past week. My things are in that room. Take me up there, and I’ll show you.”

Milonas shook his head, his lips thinning. “Miss, I can’t do that. There are guests in that room.”

She pounded her fist on the counter. “You take me up there now, or I’ll go to the third floor by myself. My belongings are in that room.”

The manager’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll take you, but I ask that you don’t cause a disturbance with the guests now occupying the room.”

Kinsey drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep calm when her world was crashing all around her. Again. “Just take me.”