Dangerous Liaisons: Stealing Secrets Read online

Chapter 5

  Melanie got it all right, as she stared him down, and she didn't like it much. He was her only hope. She stood there, her toes digging into the wet turf as she stared down her snarky kidnapper, knowing he was right. She wouldn't make it through the night dressed as she was. The thought of being some jaguar's midnight snack made her tremble. And then there was this kidnapper's assertion that Jeb was trying to kill her. That was crazy, wasn't it? Of course it was. This silver-eyed ghost was so bossy he probably made enemies wherever he went. No doubt, lots of people wanted to do him in. But she resented the half-amused look on his rugged face. “I can take care of myself."

  He closed the distance between them in a flash, grabbing her bra and tugging her to him, until they were nose to nose. “I'm sorry we weren't formally introduced, Ms. Melanie, you can call me Ace."

  His manhandling of her made a mockery of his gallantry, but it contrasted with the warm look in his eyes, and the honeyed tone of his voice. All in all, it was a potent combination and she weakened, melting against him, her nipples budding. “Ace,” she parroted back, not bothering to hide the doubt in her voice. The macho hulk didn't even give her his real name, but at least she had something to call him.

  "Get in,” he said, stiffening and letting go of her bra.

  Melanie didn't waste any time clambering into the battered old mud spattered jeep. She was better off taking her chances with Ace ... for now at least. As her bottom hit the wet seat, still soaked from the afternoon's deluge, she let out a yelp. Of course he would have to keep an open top jeep for their escape, idiot. She slanted him a resentful scowl as he jumped into the driver's soaked seat without a sound. Hard assed bastard didn't seem to notice.

  Ace turned to smile at her. “Good girl."

  Fuck you, she wanted to say, but settled for slanting him a furious look that said it all. Meanwhile, she did her best to tug her stretched out bra back into place. She wasn't a child, she was a woman, and Ace would find that out after she used him as an escape tool. She'd kick his macho ass at the first opportunity. She wondered what good old Uncle Harry would charge for a hit ... not that she'd ever ask him for a favor. But first, she was going to let Ace get them the hell out of there. As far as he was concerned, he was calling the shots and she'd let him think that for now. “Let's get moving already,” she said, getting tense when he just looked at her.

  He grinned and put the jeep in gear without starting it up. “Your wish is my command, Sugar,” he said, as the jeep rolled down the hill with its lights off, picking up speed.

  Melanie bit back a cry and hung on tight as the jeep coasted down the mountainside blind. Was he nuts? Their attackers were behind them, probably combing the rubble. Maybe Ace wasn't such a sure bet after all. All she could make out in front of them in the steamy dark jungle were gloomy shapes. A vine smacked her in the face, making her sputter. She pushed it away and glared at him. “Are you nuts? Driving like this is sheer lunacy. Turn the fucking lights on, for Pete's sake."

  "Pipe down, voices carry out here in the jungle."

  If only she could see his expression, but it, like everything else was shadowed. Maybe she could reason with him, she decided, sliding closer to him on the cracked bench seat. When her leg pressed against his, she felt a sizzle right down to her toes, and tried not to pull away. She aimed for a low coaxing tone. “We got away clean, Ace. Turn on the headlights, pretty please.” The smile her turned to her was all sex, and she felt a warm shiver go up her spine.

  "I like the pillow talk, Sugar, but save it for the next time we fuck."

  She sucked in a shocked breath at his deliberately crude words, but saw the need in his eyes didn't correspond with them. This man was complicated, dangerous to her life and her virtue, and a smart woman would pull away, she told herself, feeling the burn. As the jungle whizzed by her at warp speed she bit out, “Turn on the headlights. And we didn't fuck, that's not going to happen, so keep it in your pants, Ghost."

  His startled chuckle surprised her. She'd bet he didn't laugh much, but then she didn't really know him.

  "Hang on,” he said, executing a sharp turn.

  She held back a scream when they careened around a sharp bend in the goat path they were blazing a trail across, and slid across the wet seat. Ace snagged her wrist before she fell out of the open cab, and jerked her back inside. Sitting panting beside him as her racing pulse slowed, she slanted him a look. Damn she'd almost been killed twice thanks to him, and he looked cool as a cucumber, looking like James Bond in his tux. Her very own man in black, like the one she'd always professed not to want, even if he was a cheap knock off version.

  Ace slanted her a quick masterful look. “Don't even think about escaping, Sugar. I'll hog tie you if I have to, and I'm damned good with ropes if I do say so myself. I used to ride the rodeo circuit."

  Hell, she'd fallen out because of his reckless driving, not because she was trying to escape. But judging from the intense look in his eyes, he wouldn't like to hear that. Instead, she focused on his mention of tying her up. The rodeo reference went with the slight Texas twang she'd noticed when he was rattled. “So you tie women up, do you?” His smile told her that he found her words amusing.

  "I've been known to."

  Heat flared through her, darned near potent enough to dry the seats. “Jerk,” she murmured. “Is that before or after you spank them?” The sultry look he gave her made her toes curl and her breath catch in her throat.

  "During,” he said with a wink.

  Her breath caught in her throat. Heck-fire, she had a whole row of erotica in her bookshelf back home that dealt with BDSM, but she'd never met anyone who actually did it. Her dates were most definitely vanilla, although she hadn't had any for a long time. Whoa ... she lectured herself, he was not a date. This was not the time to get distracted by sex or succumb to Stockholm syndrome.

  Ace looked in the rearview mirror. “Fuck.” He dragged the jeep's steering wheel to the left.

  Caught off guard, Melanie cried out and smacked into him when jeep careened around another bend in the trail, damned near skidding on two wheels. Tight against Ace's hard body she shuddered as her breasts pressed against his muscular arm and her hand came down on his groin. She heard him groan as if in pain and felt his manhood throbbing under her hand. He was hard for her. Before she could even glance back for confirmation they were being chased, a bullet whizzed by her head shattering the windshield, showering them with little round balls of glass.

  She whimpered, looking back at the SUV tailing them. A man she didn't recognize leaned out of the passenger seat with a gun in his hand. “They're after us!” she shouted.

  "Hell, yes, they're back!” Ace wondered what kind of price she had on her head. Because whoever had put out a hit on her meant business. “It seems like they don't like me running off with you,” he said, starting the jeep as it was rolling. When Melanie turned her shocked gaze on him, his gut tightened.

  "Me?” she said with a squeak.

  Ace eyed her, cautiously gauging her shock as genuine. Would she tell him her secrets now? The driver's side mirror shattered with a bang, pelting him with more glass, and he winced. They sure couldn't shoot straight. Beside him, Melanie sucked in a shocked breath, but didn't scream. He had to admire her for that.

  "Get down,” he shouted, shoving her head down into his lap, regretting it a heartbeat when her warm cheek brushed against his straining cock. Hell of a time to get a hard-on, but some things were impossible to control, like his heat for her. Her quick intake of breath told him she noticed. Good, it would give her something to concentrate on besides the danger they were in.

  Knowing a turn off was near, he floored his second hand jeep, hearing the engine whine. The damned thing was ancient, but he'd tuned it up so it should make it. Delta would have paid for better wheels, had as a matter of fact, thinking of the panel van following them at a distance behind the SUV. For what, to haul their bodies back in? No way in hell would he let them get her.

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nbsp; The turn-off appeared in a blink and he cranked the wheel hard left, relying on reflexes he'd picked up the hard way. The jeep spun in a donut before it straightened out, fishtailing down a dirt track. As expected, the SUV behind them wasn't so lucky. It tipped like an ungainly elephant, skidding on its side until it slammed into a tree, the panel van crashing into it. The deafening crash made Melanie spring up out of his lap and turn around to gape.

  "Yes! Chalk up one for the good guys,” she cheered.

  He grinned beside her, for a moment feeling like the gung ho recruit he'd once been. Looking through the rear view mirror, he saw men sprawled outside the disabled vehicle—one of them lying lifelessly in an unnatural angle on the ground. He tried to push her head back down so she couldn't see, but wasn't fast enough.

  "Is he dead?” she asked, appalled.

  The throb in her voice got to him. Would she care as much if he'd been killed? “I hope the hell so,” he muttered, earning another shocked look from her. A volley of shots hit the jeep's rear as they drove out of range. They couldn't afford to stop until he got them to Valdez's little hole in the wall retreat. Hopefully other members of his cartel wouldn't be holed up there. He wasn't stupid enough to believe this would be the end of it. Whoever was chasing them wouldn't give up that easy. He kept his foot on the accelerator.

  "They crashed,” she said scathingly, adding, “Slow down now, before you kill us, and for heaven's sake put on the headlights."

  Keeping a tight grip on the shuddering steering wheel, he kept going over the ruts. “I give the orders around here, Sugar."

  "Asshole."

  Hearing her mutter the nasty name under her breath, he stifled a grin. It seemed too funny coming out of her angelic mouth. Slowing down, he cruised alongside a field looking for the right spot. Seeing it, he cut the wheel to the right and bumped down the ditch to a goat path heading for the casa.

  Screeching in disbelief, she cried out, “Hey, what are you doing? Get back on the road right now."

  Ignoring her demand, he kept going. Hearing her gasp as the night closed in around them, he plowed through the jungle, dusky vines snapping off, blanketing the jeep. Good, more camouflage.

  "Are you nuts?” She edged away from him, her hands braced against the dash. “We're driving in the dark here. Are you trying to kill us?"

  "Shut it,” he ordered, scowling at her in the dark as the whoop, whoop, whoop of a helicopter above them became audible. Shit, whoever was behind this had pulled out all the stops.

  Melanie sat up and took notice. He felt her stiffen beside him. If she thought she'd be able to ditch him, the chick thought wrong. “Just sit tight or I'll leave you to their not so tender mercies!"

  At the warning, she sagged back in her seat, but looked up at the almost black sky through the thick branches

  Ace was afraid she'd bolt, even now. Didn't she have the sense to know she was safer with him? He wouldn't put two in her brain if she crossed him.

  Searchlights played across the field fifty yards ahead of them. He turned in the opposite direction. Blanketed with greenery, he prayed they weren't visible from the air.

  Melanie bit back a frustrated string of choice words while Ace veered away from the searchlights. Whoever was after him was relentless. It might be Jeb above them, but she didn't really believe it. Besides, she couldn't take the risk. No matter who flew up above, she couldn't let her kidnapper drive away with her into the night. She was the pawn they were fighting over and if she took herself out of the equation, everyone would be safe.

  Ace, her maddening, sexy kidnapper, wouldn't die. She glanced at him, feeling more connected to him than she wanted to be. She couldn't be responsible for his destruction even if he'd brought it on himself. He drove with a singular intensity, ignoring her, his big hands wrestling with the steering wheel as they bucked over rough terrain. Good, he underestimated her again and she'd use it to her advantage.

  The copter made another swoop, its light changing direction, skimming by them. Ace jerked the wheel to the left, evading detection, but for how long? Keeping a wary eye on Ace, she reached for her door handle with her right hand. He wasn't paying her the least attention, his focus tuned to the searchlight on his left. Knowing she'd never get a better opportunity, Melanie opened her door.

  "Goddamn it,” he muttered, spinning the wheel back to the right. With his free hand, he snagged her wrist.

  A shot from up above deafened her and Melanie stifled a scream, as Ace hauled her back into the vehicle.

  "Oh no, you don't. We're in this together, Sugar."

  "You idiot, don't you see if I'm not here, you'll be in the clear? I'm not worth dying over.” She noticed his shocked look as he stared at her.

  "Don't worry about me, Melanie,” he said after a moment. “I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself."

  "You couldn't prove it by me,” she said scathingly. She clamped her mouth shut when he did a one-eighty and drove them into the trees. The thought of smacking into one blindly, made her bite her lip in fear, but she was damned if she'd scream. Turning left, he gunned the motor up onto the road. The car went up a slope, airborne for an instant. Melanie gasped as they bounced down on the other side of a culvert, between groves of mango trees. It was a plantation, she realized.

  Two green mangos dropped into her lap. This was like something out of a bad dream. An erotic bad dream, she decided, gazing at her hunky captor. Stop making this a romantic fantasy, it isn't. He was no doubt going to ransom her off and the sooner he did, the quicker she'd get back to her real life. “Why haven't you demanded a ransom yet?” The startled look he gave her was surprising. What was he hiding? And then he gave her that half smile that made her want to kill him or kiss him.

  "Maybe I haven't decided on a price yet.” His sultry gaze roved over her body. “How much do you think they'd give?"

  His grin told her he was playing with her, pissing her off. “Jerk,” she grumbled and then sat up straight when he turned into what appeared to be an old abandoned farmhouse. Where the heck were they? And why had he stopped here? Melanie peered at him in the darkness. He had her where he wanted her. Now what? She knew her strength was no match for his, so she'd have to outsmart him.

  He parked under a lean-to shed and cut the engine. “We're here. Get out,” he said.

  When he opened his door, the inside lights came on. She stared at him. He looked grimly determined, and he was bleeding ... a lot. Glass had cut him. He hadn't even cried out. Maybe hardened criminals like him didn't feel pain. She watched him get out and moved with him, knowing she had no choice. She was at his mercy and he was, no doubt, fresh out.

  She didn't want to go anywhere with him. She especially didn't want to shut her door because it would plummet them back into darkness. She preferred to read the expression in his harsh eyes. “Where are we?"

  "Get moving,” he ordered.

  As she stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air, she glanced up at the starlit sky and didn't see any sign of the helicopter, one thing to be grateful for on this horrible night.

  "Hold it.” Ace grabbed her arm, rocking her back on her heels, as he brought her to a halt.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him seeing that he looked wobbly, a bit less coordinated now, probably from heavy blood loss. It was the chance to strike she'd been waiting for. She flowed into a karate stance and kicked him, landing a solid blow to his midsection that made him oof. She moaned, his abs were hard as steel against her bare heel. He instantly countered her move, taking her down. She lay on the ground glaring up at him. How the hell had he moved that fast? A heartbeat later, he jerked her to her feet, proving he wasn't as weak as she'd thought.

  "March,” he said, pointing toward the house.

  She was sore, tired, and pissed off at men in general, especially bossy ones like him. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, refusing to budge. “Make me.” She had the pleasure of watching his silver eyes widen with surprise. Apparently, he wasn't
used to defiance from his victims.

  His mouth twitched. “Don't test me, Sugar. You won't win."

  "Oh, won't I?” she said, furious he was laughing at her. Before he could move, she stomped on his instep, before bringing her knee up into his groin. He blocked her move in an instant, one of his thighs sliding between hers, making her go on tiptoes as his leg pressed intimately against her sex. Well, hell that hadn't worked very well. She knew the blush heating her face had to be neon red and was glad he couldn't see it in the dark. Breathing hard, she met his determined stare, while her pussy throbbed against him and she quivered inside. Damn it all, he fought dirty. Her nipples hardened against him, sending a rush of heat through her that had nothing to do with the tropical climate.

  "Is it hot out here, or what?” he teased, a heartbreaker's smile curving his lips.

  She frowned back at him, equally determined not to show him how flustered she was. “I hadn't noticed. Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” she mocked, feeling his hard-on growing against her hip. Damn, they could bottle the pheromones he was giving off and sell them as Viagra.

  "More like happy to feel you,” he said, with an arch of his brow as he pressed against her.

  Sexual stalemate ... Melanie clammed up, refusing to rise to his bait anymore. Everyone knew an adrenaline rush could lead to an inappropriate sexual impulse. It had been mentioned in the crash course she'd received before shipping out on this mission. How was she supposed to deal with that?

  Instead of pushing the issue, he backed off and her body wept at his departure. Next thing she knew she'd be knocking him to the ground and doing him. That couldn't happen; she'd have to control herself. Then before she could move, he threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. “Stop that,” she shrieked in protest.

  "Shut it,” he said, smacking her bottom hard with his big hand.

  Melanie yelped as his palm print warmed her bottom. Ey up mi ducks. She'd never been spanked. “Beast,” she yelled, gasping when he landed another resolute smack. She sucked in a shocked breath as her sex quivered and wet. Who knew getting spanked would make her hot and bothered. Well, she'd kind of wondered. It was like the erotica's she read, but she'd never expected to experience.