Whatever It Takes (19 page)

Nate grimaced. Ty was the only person, besides his sisters, who knew why Nate hated to fly. It wasn’t that he was thousands of feet above the ground. It was the belly-­of-­the-­whale ambiance, with no way out, that got him every time. Obviously, Ty would understand how hard it was for him to navigate this dark underground passage.

“Seriously, man. Let me get one of the other guys.” Concern, rather than judgment, clouded Ty’s face.

Nate would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted to take the offer, but if he didn’t do this, he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up, especially if something happened to Alex. Anyway, how bad could it be? It was a mile, give or take. They’d be moving fast. If everything went as planned, they’d be out of here in less than thirty minutes. He could do that.

Nate shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine in a second.”

Ty scratched his head, then easy laughter broke free and drifted from wall to wall.

“What’s so funny?” Nate pushed to his feet and twisted around to study his friend.

“I see what’s going on.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Nate tried to keep the irritation from his voice.

“You . . . and Alex. You got a little thing going?” A huge smile animated Ty’s face.

Nate blew out a breath he hoped sounded just scornful enough. “A little
thing
? What? Are we in high school? Alex and I might be a little less combative than we used to be, but don’t suggest that to her. I might even go so far as to say we’re friends. If you’re thinking there’s anything else going on, you’ve got shit for brains.” Nate didn’t have time to analyze why he was lying to his former partner. For the last several minutes, fear had clamped its icy grip on his heart, and giving voice to his current emotions wouldn’t help anyone, least of all him.

Ty simply stared while amusement sparkled in his eyes. Finally, he threw his head back and laughed. “You’re
so
full of it, Nate.”

Aw, hell.
Nate turned and set a quick pace down the dimly lit corridor, which seemed to be chiseled from solid rock and closed in around him as he walked. He never could put anything over on his friend. That’s why they’d worked so well together and why he’d been so pissed when Ty had suddenly left the force and went to work for Joe.

Ty caught up and fell in behind him, single-­file. “I snagged a ­couple flashlights from Walker’s backpack.” He fished in his pocket and passed one of the lights to Nate.

Nate could tell he was still smirking without even looking. “I suppose you’d think I was nuts if I did . . . have a
thing
for her, right?”

“Not at all, buddy. I’d be happy for you both.” Ty sounded serious, but Nate didn’t turn around to make sure.

They walked for several minutes in silence. Nate strained to catch a glimpse of movement in his field of vision. It was surprisingly cool in the tunnel, and fresh air was evidently funneled in from somewhere. In spite of that, perspiration beaded on his face and ran down his back as he pushed on.

He stopped suddenly, eliciting a four-­letter word from Ty that he barely heard.

“A little advance notice would be good,” Ty said.

“There’s a body up ahead.”

Ty peered around him. “How can you tell in this light? It could be a pile of dirt.”

Nate hastened forward. “I can recognize a body when I see one.”
God, don’t let it be Alex.

A
LEX
’
S DRE
AMLIKE FREEFALL
ended abruptly when her body slammed into something cold and unyielding. Her forehead bounced once and pain shot through her head and neck. A warm trickle rolled toward her eye, and she groaned with the effort to locate her hand and figure out why she couldn’t raise it to wipe the blood away.

Her hands were tied behind her back, numb from lack of circulation. She’d been in the hacienda . . . with Marco. Where was he? The stinging in her neck . . . had been some kind of a dart. She hadn’t been able to get her legs to cooperate, but she’d told the boy to run. Was he safe? She groaned again as her memory flooded back, amplifying the throbbing in her head.

“Get up. I’m tired of carrying you.” Diego stood over her, his face twisted into a scowl. “We’ve got a ways to go yet. You cost me the boy, but don’t worry. You’ll make it up to me.” He grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet.

Alex swayed dangerously and probably would have toppled over if Diego hadn’t steadied her. She bit her lower lip and resisted the urge to twist away from his grip. She’d have to give the appearance of cooperation if she was going to get out of this alive. There was no way to tell if she still had her knife, and with her hands so numb, she wouldn’t be able to wield it effectively anyway. She had to convince him to untie her.

“Move—­that way.” He gestured behind her.

Alex turned and stumbled down the tunnel ahead of him. She walked for what seemed like several minutes, moving her hands as best she could within their bindings. Gradually, the feeling began to come back.

Thank God Marco had gotten away. He’d be safe with Nate and the rest now . . . and she only had to concentrate on getting herself out of here.

She continued to put one foot in front of the other, forcing herself to move, for a few more minutes before she stopped abruptly. “Please take the ropes off. I can’t feel my hands.” Alex turned and met his gaze, but then dropped hers, instinctively recognizing what he wanted—­her submission. She would give him what he seemed to need in order to feel like a man—­up to a point.

He stepped closer and rubbed his fingers along her jaw. “Why should I trust you? It’s true you are only a woman, and there’s nowhere for you to run. But perhaps I prefer my women bound and helpless.” Diego laughed.

Scorn curled her lip before she could stop herself. “I’ll just bet you do. That’s probably the only way you can get laid. You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman who was free and able to make her own choices. A woman like that would scare you to death.” She’d let her anger get the best of her, and now she couldn’t take back what she’d said. Oh well. She wasn’t about to anyway.

His eyes narrowed in a murderous glare. For a few seconds, it was so quiet in the tunnel, she could hear the timbers creaking. The next instant he laughed—­a head-­thrown-­back, loud, you-­got-­me kind of a laugh. He pulled a knife from a sheath on his belt and held it to her throat.

She stood still, her gaze fixed on his. If he wanted to kill her, he could bring it on. The steel of his knife would be preferable to any other way he might touch her.

Diego drew the blade back and forth along the base of her throat. Suddenly, he whipped her around and sliced through the ropes binding her wrists.

Alex shook out her arms, rubbed her hands together, and clenched her fingers as though the feeling hadn’t already returned. Diego didn’t need to know that just yet.

“You’re wrong about me, Alex. I have broken stronger women than you. You may be free for a short time, but know that I will kill you if you try anything. Now let’s go.”

She moved out, gradually picking up the pace. Taking stock of her surroundings was easy. Obviously, they were in a tunnel. Was it the one Ty guarded? She wouldn’t learn the answer to that question unless they ran into him, but she would be ready just in case. Until then, she might as well assume she was on her own. She could wait for a chance to get the jump on Diego, but it would be difficult to pull off in this underground passageway with no place to hide.

“Where are we going?” Engaging him in conversation might get him to let his guard down further. If she could convince him she was cooperating—­play to his ego—­perhaps she could change the odds. His obvious belief that women were incapable of intelligent thought would make this child’s play if the right opportunity presented itself.

“We’ll find a place close by until the heat is off. Then we’ll take a trip to Mexico City. I can get top dollar for you there.”

Alex stopped, barely able to breathe as her stomach churned in revulsion and an icy chill sent an involuntary tremor through her. No way would she become the property of someone else again.

Diego moved up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. “Don’t worry,
mi querida
. We’ll have time to get to know each other first.” His breath teased the hair on her neck just before he bit her. A small cry of surprise and pain escaped, and she twisted to free herself. He tightened his hold cruelly and pulled her against him, grinding his erection into her lower back.

His lips sucked at her neck as he brought one hand up to squeeze and fondle her breasts. His thumb was close enough for her to bite . . . and bite she did, drawing blood and a long screech from Diego.

She jerked away, but she hadn’t even taken a step when he grabbed her hair and yanked her off balance. She fell, her hip taking the brunt of the impact, and she inhaled sharply at the scalding pain that numbed her leg. The next instant, he was on her, rolling her to her back and pinning her beneath him. He slapped her hard, snapping her head to the side, then captured her wrists and stretched them over her head while he leered down at her.

“Don’t fight me, Alex. It will be less painful for you if you cooperate. If you please me, I might even keep you for a while.”

Over my dead body!
Alex clamped her lips closed as his mouth descended on hers. He ground his open lips against hers, using his tongue in an effort to pry hers apart. She bucked and thrashed her lower body, trying to unseat him, but he only gripped her tighter between his legs.

Suddenly, Diego let up trying to open her mouth, licking her lips almost gently instead, then took her lower lip between his teeth and bit down. Even though he wasn’t hurting her yet, Alex cried out, and allowed her lips to part just enough. The instant his tongue pushed into her mouth, she bit down on the tip as hard as she could and hung on.

Diego growled and wrenched back. A mere inch from her face, he glowered at her. “You bitch!”

Alex swung her head forward, slamming her forehead into the bridge of his nose, eliciting a gruesome crunching sound. Diego reared back and rolled off her. With one hand, he held his bloodied nose while his other arm flailed to grab her and hold her down.

She rolled away from him and bounded to her feet. A steady stream of epitaphs came from Diego as he fought to stand, muffled by the hand that cradled his nose. Alex backed away until she came up against the tunnel wall. Bending slightly, she raised her right leg and breathed a sigh of relief as her fingers met the cold steel in her boot.

She turned to face him. “How does that saying go? When pigs fly?” Her dagger now comfortingly in her hand and pressed against her thigh, she smiled tauntingly.

Dropping his hand, he tried to smile, and then winced, apparently not recognizing the danger. “You’re a spirited little thing, aren’t you?” He took a step toward her. “I’ll have to tame you a bit before you go on the auction block.”

Alex raised her arm, deftly flipping the dagger over in her hand until she held the blade between her thumb and forefinger. “Yeah? Good luck with that.” With a flick of her wrist, she sent the eight-­inch stiletto into Diego’s chest.

Surprise and pain widened his eyes as his hand went to the knife suddenly protruding from his sternum. He staggered toward her, his other hand outstretched, and blood dripped from his mouth.

She backed away, waiting for him to collapse, but, as he hugged the wall and moved closer, her confidence wavered. No way was he touching her again, and she wasn’t going to stay and watch him die. She hated the thought of leaving her dagger, but not even that was going to get her to walk up to Diego while he was still alive and yank the blade from his chest. She’d find another weapon if the need arose.

Their morbid dance came to an end a second later when he slid down against the wall of the tunnel. It was clear he wouldn’t be going any farther. Nor would she be approaching him, with his eyes still open and staring at her.

Which way should she go? She looked down the tunnel both ways. Each direction was identical to the other, the smooth walls sectioned off and braced with huge timbers every thirty feet or so. No clue presented itself to help her decide which way would lead her out of here quicker. The hacienda, Nate, and Jimmy were at the end of the tunnel to her left. It made sense to return where they’d no doubt be looking for her.

She turned her head to study the right-­hand tunnel. Was it her imagination, or was the air fresher, wafting through this side? Maybe the end of this nightmare was only beyond the next patch of light up ahead.

What if she chose wrong and never got out?

Eerie laughter flowed from the man on the floor, and when she glanced toward him, his face slowly morphed into one that was all too familiar—­Hu Sun. Alex blinked and shook her head, but the terrifying visage remained and continued to cackle. Her heart raced as she backed away. It couldn’t be him. It wasn’t possible. She’d finally tumbled over the edge into the loony bin.

She ran, blindly tripping over the uneven floor. Picking herself up whenever she fell, she ran on. Barely noticing the second passageway that veered to the left, she followed the wall on her right and kept moving. When she could no longer hear the hideous laughter, she slowed to a walk and finally dropped to her knees, burying her head in her hands.

Her worst fears had finally become reality. She’d gone friggin’ crazy.

She’d been right to push Nate away. He didn’t deserve to be saddled with her lunacy. Now if she could just get his blue eyes and impossibly sexy smile out of her head. If he were there, she’d crawl right into his arms and let him take care of her. If that wasn’t a perfect example of her impaired mental state, she didn’t know what was.

He wasn’t there, yet it was effortless to imagine his hands on her body, to relive his passionate lovemaking that had moved her so deeply. Lost in a world of her own creation, she was aware of the earth’s rumbling, but it all blended with her wildly beating heart.

When she finally lifted her head, it was obvious she was in trouble. The vibration was all around her. Dust and rocks pelted the tunnel floor. The walls groaned and the ceiling shuddered. Was it a cave-­in or an earthquake?