Jumping out of her chair to face him, she was stopped in her tracks as two of the goons took hold of her once again.
Thornton breathed fire as he inspected his hands. “You bitch! I’m bleeding!”
“Ha, what about my scalp? You nearly pulled my hair out. No one messes with my hair!”
His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
Oh shit
. She didn’t like the look of his expression. Her temper seems to have gotten her into more trouble once again.
“You think this is funny? Perhaps a short spell with my men will change your mind. Let’s see if they can convince you to give me the information I need.”
He nodded at the one of the thugs, then turned around and left the tent. Just like that. No goodbyes. No nothing.
Shit.
She shivered as a cold sweat trickled down her forehead as they dragged her outside the tent and lashed her arms and ankles to the trunk of a tree at the far side of the clearing. One of the men avoided eye contact with her as he pulled the rope tightly around her ankles, but it was the other one who had her worried. He leered at her, staring at her breasts with a heated expression in his eyes. She felt sick at the thought of his filthy hands touching her body.
Oh God, why didn’t she take up the girls’ offer of help while she had the chance?
The quiet one moved away and sat cross-legged facing her, about fifteen feet away. The flame from a fiery torch did little to illuminate his face except to cast more shadows over his already dark skin. All she knew was that he appeared to be the spectator, not the participant at this stage. She moved her gaze to the other man. He grinned at her, showing a gaping hole where his front teeth should have been and the remaining teeth showed blackened holes.
Oh joy.
Breathe.
Just keep breathing
.
There is always a solution.
Stuffed if I know what it is
. The storyline of many of her nightmares lingered in front of her in the form of this disgusting looking man in her face, breathing fetid breath and holding a dangerous looking knife.
Holding herself stiffly, she stood on her tiptoes in an effort to move her nose away from his breath so she could think more clearly.
“Not talking now, woman? You like man touch you? Look at you? Sluts like you want this…I know!”
“Don’t touch me,” she said through gritted teeth. She knew what the natives thought of western women. That they flaunted their bodies instead of hiding them for the eyes of their husbands only, so it would be impossible to convince this man she was anything other than a slut, leading her case would do no good at all.
The man laughed, his hot breath sweeping over her face. “You tied up. I do what I like. You like it, slut!”
He raised his hand and pulled on the front of her shirt, placing the knife under the edge next to the valley between her breasts. The steel was cold against her and she pulled in her stomach muscles, moving slightly away from the sharp point. He didn’t seem to notice as he created a cut in the fabric. The knife landed on the ground as his hot hands gripped both sides of the material, and in one movement, he ripped her tank top apart, baring her breasts to the night.
“No!” she protested, wriggling desperately to try and get the material to cover herself. “Let me go!”
“Stop moving, woman, so that my friend and I can see what you share with so many other men.”
“Go to hell, you fucking bastards!”
A shower of cool moisture covered her and her tormentor, making her nipples elongate at the sudden cold. “What the fuck was that?” she shrieked.
As she shook the water from her face, she opened her eyes to see the man moving away to the edge of the clearing to sit beside his buddy. Thornton had returned, and it seemed he was responsible for the cool shower. He now stood in front of her, his eyes moving from her bare breasts to her face, showing no emotion whatsoever.
“My man was enjoying himself just a little too much, my dear, but I cannot keep him from you forever, so tell me now. Where is the relic?”
Bloody hell, this guy was one cool character, but she could be just as cool.
“I already told you. I have no idea.”
“I don’t believe you. Perhaps I should let Rani continue to play with you?”
She felt the bile rise in her throat, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. “Believe what you want. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
Thornton stared at her face for a couple of minutes, a small muscle flickering at the side of his mouth. When he spoke again, his voice was almost a whisper. “You are very brave, Magda, and for that, I will give you a temporary reprieve. Perhaps after a cold and hungry night in the pit you will be more amenable to my requests tomorrow.” He turned to the two men crouched on the ground behind him. “Take her back to the pit. No more games for tonight.”
Both men raced to do his bidding, untying her ropes and dragging her along the track to the pit where the one who had cut her clothes pushed her forward and into the pit without the aid of the ladder.
She prepared herself to drop and roll on landing, but found herself pulled against a firm body on the way down, both of them falling together with Vince cushioning her fall.
Rolling off him, she stood quickly.
“Are you okay?” asked Vincent, as he continued to lie on the damp soil floor.
“What the fuck are you doing? You’re injured, you idiot!”
Chapter Six
Vince had never felt more relieved in his life than when Magda landed on him in the pit. He’d been going crazy for the last hour wondering what the fuck that Thornton arsehole would do to her. Wincing at his own injuries while he pulled himself upright reminded him that they might have done similarly to her so he ignored the fact that she was swearing at him and zeroed in on her body, checking to see what Thornton’s men had done to her. His temper flared as he took in the damage to her shirt. She stood quietly, shaking and looking uncharacteristically vulnerable, holding the ragged edges of what was left of her shirt together to cover her breasts in the dim light of the torches above the pit.
“That fucking bastard touched you!”
He ignored the pain and stood, using his arm to brace against the rock wall for balance. He moved closer, wanting to reach for her, but knowing it wasn’t what she needed just at this minute.
Defiance flared in her eyes. “I’m more worried about you, Vince. I bloody well hope you didn’t do more damage to your ribs with that stunt. I could have handled it. I was all primed to do a duck and roll.”
He could feel her need to stay in control, so he backed off a bit, giving her space. “I’m fine. I wasn’t the one thrown into a pit after being violated by a crazy sadist.” Taking his shirt off, he handed it to Magda. She took it with a nod and immediately put it on.
“It’s okay, Vince,” she said with a shaky smile. “No one violated me. Thornton stopped them before they got a chance.”
“But they still got their rocks off cutting up your clothes and copping an eyeful of what they have no business looking at.”
She reached over and gently touched his forearm, her warmth seeping through the cold of his skin. “Why, Stone, I never thought of you as a defender of a lady’s honor. I’m gratified, but you know I am quite capable of defending my own.”
Covering her hand with his, he drew her closer, pulling her to his chest so he could wrap his arms around her. The pain in his ribs flared, but he didn’t care. He was just so bloody relieved she was okay. “I know you can look after yourself,” he whispered into her hair. “They don’t. Let’s let them think you’re helpless and they’ll underestimate us.”
She shifted her head and looked up into his face. “You have a plan,” she whispered.
He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, his hand stroking her back, more for his own benefit, but also to continue the illusion that he was comforting a weak woman. “There are some footholds in the rock wall. If we wait until they are asleep, we should be able to climb up.”
“But how…?”
“I found a piece of sharp rock on the floor and I used it to dig them out. We need to act like we’re settling down for the night. When they quiet down, we can get the fuck out of here.”
She nodded, pushed gently out of his arms then started speaking a little more loudly than was necessary. “I’m so tired, Stone, and with your injuries, you need your rest. We should get some sleep.”
“Good idea,” he mouthed silently as he took her hand and led her to a place on the floor. Carefully he sat, leaning back against the cold rock. Magda sat beside him and took his hand in hers, gently squeezing it. Her touch sent sensations to certain parts of his body that should not have even been awake in this situation, but that was okay. It took the pain in his ribs away for a few minutes. “I’ll take the first watch while you get a bit of kip. I’ll swap with you in an hour. I can’t see them going to sleep anytime soon so we might as well get some rest.”
Magda started to protest, but he stopped her, placing his finger over her lips. “No, don’t argue. You’re having a post-adrenaline rush hangover, and I’ve been resting for hours. Go to sleep.”
“Okay then, but you have to promise me you’ll wake me when the time comes?”
“Absolutely. Would I lie to you?”
She shook her head, the sides of her mouth kicking up in a half smile. “You don’t really want me to answer that, do you?”
“Um…maybe not,” he laughed. “But we’re in this together, Mags. There is no way either of us will be left behind, so have no doubt that I will wake you when the time comes.”
“I know. I meant don’t do all the work yourself. You need your rest too.”
God, she’s a stubborn bitch
. “Go to sleep!”
“Fine!” She glared at him one last time before shuffling in her spot and leaning her head back on the wall.
Vincent wasn’t surprised when a few minutes later he heard her breathing even out and change to the soft sounds of sleep. Only then did he allow himself to let out a long breath of relief. Sitting awkwardly against the pit wall hurt like hell against his sore ribs, but staying awake gave him a degree of relief from his fears for their safety. He would be damned if he was going to let Magda watch over him while he slept. Not after what they’d done to her. He swore under his breath just thinking about what could have happened to her if Thornton hadn’t intervened. From the mess they’d made of her shirt, he could tell Mags had been minutes away from being raped. Thanks to Thornton, she was safe, but he was puzzled as to why he’d stopped them—but then Vince really shouldn’t be too surprised. Magda was a beautiful woman. Thornton probably wanted to keep her for himself, the bastard!
Magda shifted again, whimpering softly in her sleep. Vincent placed his good arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side and she snuggled closer, placing her head on his shoulder before settling back into a calm slumber. It took all his control not to rest his head on top of hers, as he knew he could fall asleep at any minute.
It was going to be a long night.
* * * *
Magda woke to someone squeezing her shoulder. She tried in vain to push the hand away, but it persisted.
“Mags,” a voice whispered. Hot breath tickled her ear as the voice got closer. “Mags, it’s time.”
Time? Huh?
She opened her eyes, looking around her with fuzzy vision. Where was she again?
“Mags, we have to get moving. They’ve been quiet for about an hour now and we don’t have much time. Are you okay to stand?”
Oh shit
. She remembered now. The pit. They had to climb out of the pit. “Sure, I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
Reaching above her head, she stretched her arms, before circling her head for a couple of neck stretches to work out the incredibly stiff kinks she felt. Vincent was doing the same, although she noticed he was still seriously favoring his injured side. It must hurt like hell, but he was being a big man and not complaining. She had to give him that. He was no whiner.
Holding on to the wall for balance, she stood. She rubbed her arms vigorously to counter the fact that the temperature had dropped considerably since she’d fallen asleep. She held her hand out to Vince to offer assistance, but he wasn’t having any of it, shaking his head as he struggled to get up.
“It’s easier if I do it myself, Mags. I know which bits hurt.”
Fine, if that’s the way he wants to play it, let him!
Listening to his muffled curses, she walked to the other side of the pit where Vince had made the rough steps in the rock. She hitched her breath when she realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d first thought. The angle of the wall was almost completely vertical, and some parts of it angled in toward the pit, so gravity was not going to help her here.
The knot in her stomach grew tighter as she thought about the alternatives of not trying. She’d managed to piss off Thornton and his guards, so they would be out for revenge first chance they got. She shuddered as she remembered the lascivious sneer of the one guard who’d gotten great enjoyment out of cutting her shirt off her and leering at her breasts.
She jumped when a pair of hands closed over her shoulders and a firm body leaned into her back. Her head slipped back to listen as Vincent’s warm breath whispered in her ear.
“Are you going to be okay with this?”
No.
“Yes. It’s a piece of cake.”
Cool lips touched her neck and she shivered again, although this time not from the cold.
“You are braver than any woman I know, Mags,” he said as he smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Never doubt that you can do it. I don’t.”
Aw shit
. Why did he have to be so sweet when she was trying to get him out of her system? She turned to face him and cupped his face with her hands. “For an arrogant bastard, you say the sweetest things, Stone.”
Then she kissed him softly, pouring out all her feelings into that brief touch of soft skin to soft skin. Even though she knew he would never fully be hers, for this poignant moment in time, they were the only man and woman on the planet. When she pulled away, Vincent was as breathless as she was, and his sexy smile gave her strength.