to this fortress, it’s just a plain old building. We have floodlights in the parking lot, and the halls are well lit. But we don’t have any hired guards or anything.”
“Is the front door kept locked?”
“Well … no.”
Chris shared a look with Dare. Most people were never forced to face danger in daily living. But as Dare’s personal assistant, he knew only too well the peril that could invade a person’s life, especially a woman.
It made him ill to think of Molly alone and susceptible to danger.
“It’s not that bad,” she told both men, recognizing their expressions of concern. “The locks on each apartment are sturdy, and we all have dead bolts, too.”
Only a small part of Dare’s attention was on the food. “You said the building is old. Do the windows lock?”
“I guess most of them do.”
When Dare turned toward her in exasperation, she rushed to explain.
“I’m on the upper floor, so I never worried about it as much as the people on the ground floor might.”
“It’s two stories? Do you have a fire escape?”
“Yes and yes.”
Chris always enjoyed seeing Dare in analytical mode. You could almost hear the gears turning as he figured things out in his mind.
“You need windows with secure locks.”
“Trust me, when I finally get my life back together, I’m going to be the most lock-happy woman you’ve ever met.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she shuddered. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to feel totally safe again.”
Dismissing that, probably because he was intent on ensuring her safety, Dare asked, “Busy area? Much traffic out front?”
“Not really, no. In fact, it’s really quiet. That’s … that’s how those men were able to grab me without anyone noticing. It’s a neighborhood of older people.” She breathed a little faster, a little more shallowly. “And it’s not that I’m oblivious to my surroundings, honest. I … I saw the old, rusty white van when I went out to the mailbox. But it just never occurred to me … I mean, why would I think that anyone wanted to grab me? It wasn’t the middle of the night, and I don’t live in the slums.”
Dare and Chris waited as she sorted the details out in her mind.
“I did wonder why it was just sitting there. Then, when I dropped my mail into the box, and I was ready to head back in, suddenly …” She faded off, staring at nothing in particular, sort of vacant and lost.
“Molly.”
Face pale, she lifted her gaze to Dare.
“They’re gone now, remember?”
Slowly, by small degrees, she gathered herself and nodded. “You killed them.”
“Yeah.”
Chris listened to the exchange in amazement. Dare had admitted that to her? He’d told her that he killed them?
Un-fucking-believable.
Letting out a shuddering breath, she relaxed again. “Where I live, older cars aren’t uncommon, but usually they’re sedans or compacts, not vans.” She shook her head. “Other than early evening, when the old folks sit on their porches, there aren’t a lot of people outside to pay much attention to what’s going on.”
Molly was about the most fragile woman Chris had ever met, but she also put up one hell of a good front. And she had a very likable disposition that excluded any self-pity at all.
She was shaken, but she wasn’t damaged. Hoping his curiosity wouldn’t upset her, Chris asked, “How’d they get you all the way to Mexico?”
“I don’t really know. They … someone held me down, and another guy gave me a shot of something. I fought to stay alert, but there wasn’t anything I could do. I passed out. I came to a few times, but before I could get my bearings, they’d stick me with another needle, keeping me drugged. When I finally came around, we were driving again, but in a different car. Everything was different. It was so hot, and I felt sick. Then they dragged me into that awful little shack.” She swallowed hard. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was in Mexico. But I never found out why.”
Deliberately removing Molly from those memories, Dare went back to cooking and told Chris, “Get her address and find the easiest way to travel there.”
Chris heard the edge in Dare’s tone and knew he was affected by Molly’s unrelenting manner, too. “Right.”
“I’d prefer to drive if I can go up and back in one day, overnight at the most. If that’s not possible, then charter another flight.”
Anxious to help her in any way that he could, Chris went straight to the computer area. “Nothing commercial, right?”
“Not until I know what’s going on.”
“Another private flight? Is that much precaution really necessary?”
“Yes.” Dare left no room for argument. “It is.”
Molly fretted. “But we have to finish discussing our—” she glanced at Chris “—terms.” And then, in a lower voice, and with a frown, “Dare, I’m not sure I want to pay for two chartered flights.”
Chris choked on a laugh, saw her face and sucked it up. “Why don’t you give me the address while you and Dare hash that out?”
Begrudgingly, she shared her address but then turned on Dare. “We need to talk about this.”
“You already hired me, and you already agreed to do things my way.” He turned the chicken as if he didn’t have a single concern. “It’s too late to change your mind now.”
She tucked in her chin. “Dare, I do not have unlimited funds. The way an author is paid … Well, it’s sometimes feast or famine. I’m not saying I’m poor, because I’m not. I’m very comfortable financially. But I need to check my accounts and see when my next big check is due.”
“Don’t worry about it right now.” And then to Chris, “What’s taking you so long?”
Never before had Chris seen Dare disconcerted by a woman. Usually his word was law, period. Intriguing stuff—not that he’d dare say so.
Chris turned his attention to the computer and typed in the address Molly had given him. “Hmm. It’s not far at all.” He skipped past Dare and glanced back at Molly. “Are you up for a four-hour drive?”
Looking mulish, voice low, she said, “Whatever Dare wants is fine by me.”
Such a loaded statement, full of possible sexual innuendo.
Knowing Dare was already poised to verbally shut him down, Chris quickly held up a hand. He wasn’t about to say anything that might make
