Do not go there, he ordered his brain. But it went there anyhow—to all the amazing things Mindy could do with her tongue. Not the least of which was cut him down to size with a well-chosen word.
“I’m—okay,” she rasped, then coughed again.
He knew how she felt. Her throat sounded as dry and sore as his. “What the hell happened? How’d they kidnap you?”
“I got a call about some—something addressed to me that had been delivered to the wrong place.” Her voice gained a bit of strength as she talked. “When I went to pick it up, they grabbed me.”
“Damn it, how many times have I told you—don’t go to strange places alone. You know how dangerous it can be.”
“Right,” she croaked. “Because of your dangerous profession. Well, silly me. Since we’ve been divorced for two years I was kind of hoping your danger wouldn’t rub off on me anymore.” Her hand went to her throat.
“Besides, this was a young woman. She told me she was also pr—” She stopped.
“Also what?”
After a split-second pause and a brief shake of her head, she continued: “She said a store had delivered some things to her by mistake. They were addressed to me. She asked if I could pick them up because she was—ill.”
“Damn it, Min. That’s an obvious scam. I can’t believe you fell for it.”
“Would you listen to me?” she snapped. “She said the sender’s name was Irina.”
Deke’s scalp prickled. More proof that Novus had deliberately targeted Mindy. He’d expected it, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
“The girl said that?”
She nodded. “I should have been suspicious, because Irina wouldn’t know—I mean, there’s no reason she’d send me a b—a gift out of the blue.”
“What’s the matter with you? Did they drug you, too? You sound strange.”
“As soon as the door opened, somebody dragged me inside and stuck something in my neck. The next thing I knew, I woke up here.”
“Did you get a look at them?”
“No. I was blindfolded until they brought you in this morning. He took my blindfold off right before he left. I never saw him.”
“But it was a man? What did he tell you? Anything? What made you think it had anything to do with me?”
Mindy made a small, impatient noise. He knew the look she was wearing, as well as if she were standing in a spotlight. He’d seen it too many times before. It was her do not treat me like an idiot scowl.
“What made me—? Maybe because I’ve never done anything that would cause anyone to kidnap me. You, on the other hand—”
“Me what?” His evasion was automatic. He’d practiced evading the truth from the time he could talk. It was ingrained in him—part of his survival tactic.
But he knew she was right. He’d done plenty in his lifetime that might make him the target of revenge. Not the least of which had been just two years ago.
A lot of people, including Mindy, would want his head on a pike if they knew what he’d done—for and to his best friend. His only friend.
However, what a lot of people thought meant nothing. He’d do it again. That and more, for the one man who’d always believed in him—who’d trusted his life to him.
His life and his death.
I just hope your sacrifice wasn’t in vain, Rook. Because here they were battling Novus Ordo again. And this time he wasn’t going to give up.
“Okay, fine,” he snapped at Mindy. “Supposing for the moment that I’ve screwed up your life yet again. I can’t change that. But I can do my best to get us out of here. I promise, as soon as I can manage it, I’ll get you back to the normal, safe life you like so much.”
If her mouth didn’t hurt so much, she’d smile at Deke’s words, Mindy thought. The normal, safe life you like so much.
She’d give anything for normal and safe right now.
But as usual when Deke was around, normal and safe had left the building.
His words were on target. She’d loved him most of her life, and loving Deke wasn’t exactly a recipe for normal. Certainly not for safe.
Loving Deke was a recipe for disaster. Not that her heart cared. Nor her body. He’d always been the sexiest thing on the planet. From his sun-streaked brown hair to his startling sea-blue eyes. From the hard line of his jaw to his broad, leanly muscled shoulders. Even his battered shearling jacket couldn’t hide the power and grace of his six-feet-plus body.
A wave of nausea reminded her that this was no time to be ogling her ex-husband. She swallowed against the queasiness that was fast overtaking her. It had plagued her ever since the moment yesterday morning when she’d rapped on the apartment door. Even before the door opened, she knew she’d made a mistake.
Deke had warned her often enough not to wander around strange places by herself. But the message had been so simple, so innocent sounding.
Hi. Mindy Cunningham? I just received a delivery from Babies First that belongs to you. It’s from an Irene or Irina Castle. I’d bring it to you, but I’m on bed rest for the last month of my pregnancy. Can you pick it up?
When she got to the address, the person who opened the door wasn’t a pregnant woman. Wasn’t even a woman. It was a man. Something about him—the expression on his face or the gleam in his eyes—confirmed that she’d screwed up.
Before she could react, he’d grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her. Then he’d shoved her up against a wall and stuck something into the back of her neck.
He’d drugged her
She was terrified that whatever he’d given her might hurt the baby. It was her worst fear—that something might happen to her little Sprout.
As if he knew what she was thinking, Sprout kicked. She rubbed her tummy and smiled sadly.
Until she’d acquired this tiny passenger that depended on her for his very life, she’d have said her worst fear was that she’d never be able to get over the man sitting next to her.
Deke Cunningham, air force veteran, sharpshooter, alcoholic, adventurer and ex-husband.
Once their divorce was final, her plan had been to never see him again. But the best-laid plans…
Just over eight months ago, he’d come to her mother’s funeral. One of about three times in his life she’d seen him in a suit. He’d been handsome as a GQ model, and more gentle, sweet and protective than he’d ever been before.
For that one night, he was the man she’d always known he could be.
At the end of the evening he was still there, at her house. Just to make sure she was okay, he’d said.
When he got up to leave, somehow she’d asked him to stay. They’d somehow ended up in the bed, and she’d somehow ended up pregnant.
So much for getting over him.
“Mindy, you’re not okay. They hurt you, didn’t they?”
His voice was controlled—barely, but that was all about him that was. His intensity and anger washed over her like scalding hot water. Anger, not at her, but on her behalf.