Kidnapped For Her Secret Son

She had no idea how that crib had got there. She couldn’t imagine it being the sort of thing Jaco would have had stashed away for the convenience of his guests, but miraculously it had been there when they had arrived last night, along with disposable nappies and other essential baby equipment.

‘I obviously care enough to be asking you now.’ A muscle twitched beneath his eye. ‘Do you have everything that you need?’

‘Oh, yes, everything.’ She flashed him a combative stare. ‘Everything apart from my freedom, of course.’

‘You will have your freedom.’ Jaco matched her glare. ‘All in good time.’

‘And when might that be?’

‘A couple of weeks.’

‘A couple of weeks?’ Leah advanced towards him like an impending storm. ‘You really think you can keep me and Gabriel hidden away here for two whole weeks?’

‘I don’t think—I know. I can keep you here as long as I like.’

‘And you believe that’s acceptable behaviour, do you?’ Leah inhaled a furious breath. ‘Gloating over the way you can hold us prisoner?’

Jaco shrugged. ‘I believe the bounds of acceptable behaviour have already been crossed. Not bothering to tell me I am a father, for example.’ His eyes held hers.

Leah scowled. ‘You are not fit to be called a father—not in the true sense of the word.’

A couple of angry steps brought her right in front of him, but her bare feet gave Jaco even more height advantage than usual.

She threw back her head to look up at him. ‘You try to make out that being a father is so important to you, and yet you haven’t even looked at Gabriel. Not once.’

Jaco ground down on his jaw. ‘I will make my son’s acquaintance when I feel the time is right.’

‘Make his acquaintance?’ Leah openly mocked him. ‘You don’t make your baby son’s acquaintance, Jaco, you pick him up, hold him—love him.’ Her voice quavered with unwanted emotion. ‘Something you know nothing about.’

‘Is that right?’

His fingers curled possessively under her chin, holding it firmly so she had no choice but to look into his eyes.

‘And what leads you to that conclusion?’

‘I...I just know.’ Caught in the spell of his gaze, Leah couldn’t think straight. All she knew was that no matter how badly Jaco behaved, how much she despised him, her heart still performed a crazy little dance whenever he touched her. ‘Call it instinct.’

‘Instinct be damned.’ Jaco dropped her chin in disgust, moving a step away. ‘You and I both know the real reason I am not at ease with my child is because up until a week ago I didn’t even know of his existence.’

‘And you still wouldn’t if I had any say in it.’

‘Esatto.’ Jaco’s voice fell to a deadly low tone. ‘Which is why you no longer have any say in it, mia cara. From now on I make the rules, and I call the shots. What I say goes.’

‘And I’m supposed to accept that, am I?’ She glared at him incredulously.

‘You have no choice.’ He was chillingly calm. ‘You can try and fight this all you like—kick and scream to your heart’s content. But the outcome will be the same. You will not be leaving this island until I say so.’

An island. They were on an island. Amid the bubbling rage Leah stored away that piece of information, though she had no idea what good it would do her.

She tried to steady the anger that was coursing its fiery path through her veins. No mean feat, given the outrageous barbaric behaviour of the man in front of her. Hot-headed by nature, her instinct was to do all the things that Jaco had just described so dismissively. Kick and scream and beat her fists against this heinous man’s chest. But she was also clever. And she was a fighter. If it was clear that raging against Jaco was going to get her nowhere she would have to try another tactic.

Squaring her shoulders, Leah met his gaze full-on, cursing the kick of desire that he still triggered in her, that refused to die, no matter how much she tried to kill it.

‘Well, at least you could do me the courtesy of telling me why you have kidnapped us—what we are doing here. You owe me that.’

‘I owe you nothing, Leah McDonald.’

Leah bit down hard on her tongue. In her book this arrogant, hateful man simmering before her owed her everything. Her life as she knew it, her aching heart—her sanity, come to that. Everything that had been destroyed when their paths had so fatefully crossed. When he had seen fit to blow her world apart.

‘So what is going to happen after this so-called two weeks, then?’ She fought to stay calm, not to rise to his bait, plumbing the depths of a composure she hadn’t known she possessed. If she wanted to find out any information she had to keep her head. ‘How do I know that you won’t keep me and Gabriel here for ever?

‘Because that would serve no useful purpose.’ Jaco’s infuriatingly penetrating gaze burned into hers. ‘And, despite what you might think, I am not doing this solely for my own entertainment.’

‘Well, what am I supposed to think?’ The tide of anger rose fast again, creeping up her neck, flushing her cheeks. She looked away, snatching in a breath to try and compose herself before returning her eyes to his again.

‘Frankly I couldn’t care less what you think. Your opinion of me is of zero interest. But you have my word that your stay here will only be for a couple of weeks.’

‘Your word?’ She gave him the full force of her contempt.

‘Yes, Leah, my word.’

Leah hesitated. ‘And then what?’

‘Then I will be putting plans in place for the future.’

‘And what does that mean?’ A curl of dread unfurled inside her.

‘You’ll find out soon enough.’

‘So I was right.’ Blood rushed to her head. ‘You are never going to let us go, are you? You are going to keep us captive for ever, move us around from place to place, keep us locked in some squalid basement so that we never see the light of day—like those horror stories you read about in the papers.’

‘For God’s sake calm down, Leah.’

Jaco closed in on her with a single step, catching her against him and restraining her hysterical rant with two hands placed firmly on her bare shoulders. Leah felt the heat of his touch sear into her skin, branding her flesh, causing her nipples to tighten.

‘I will not calm down.’ She went to twist away but Jaco held her firm, coming closer until the minuscule gap between them disappeared completely.

‘Well, get some control over your vivid imagination, then.’ He moved one arm around her shoulder in a blatant display of masculine dominance. ‘Getting yourself worked up is not going to help anyone. There will be no moving around, and no basements. Circumstances mean that unfortunately it is necessary to keep you here for a short period of time...’

‘Circumstances?’ Fighting to free herself from his arms, Leah threw back her head so that her auburn curls rippled down her back. ‘What circumstances?’

‘But while you are here,’ Jaco continued, as if she hadn’t spoken, ‘you will be offered every convenience to make your stay as pleasant as possible.’

‘Let me assure you, Jaco Valentino, there will be nothing remotely pleasant about my stay.’ Her reply whistled through the air like a bullet.

‘No?’ Jaco let his eyes slowly drift over her face, watching as she blinked to try and hide her reaction to him.

Her muscles twitched beneath her heated skin...her mouth pulled into an unconscious pout. She hated the way he could do this to her. Hated even more the way he revelled in his power.