Living On The Edge

But she did have something to offer him.

“I’ll pay you for your protection,” she said. “Double whatever Christopher offered you.”

Tanner’s gaze narrowed and his mouth twisted. “Don’t make me think less of you than I already do,” he said flatly. “I’m not doing this for the money.”

She wanted to ask why he was then. Why didn’t he just let her go and be killed? But she didn’t—there was no point in pushing him.

“I find it interesting that you’ve taken such a dislike to me when you don’t know me at all,” she said instead.

“I know your type.”

“What type is that?”

“Rich. Useless.”

He spoke with a certainty that told her she wasn’t the first wealthy woman to cross his path and that whoever had done it before had scarred him in some way. A lover? A client?

Tanner straightened. “I’m moving you to a safe house. No one will be able to find you there, so you can eat and get some sleep. I’ll keep on investigating Hilliard. If I turn up enough evidence to validate what you’ve told me, we’ll talk about you hiring me to protect you. If you’re lying…”

His voice trailed off. She had no doubt there would be some serious punishment involved. Still, she wondered if he could come up with anything worse than what she’d already endured. He didn’t seem to be the type to use physical force against someone so ill equipped to handle it. She supposed rape was a possibility, but she doubted that was his style. Wasn’t rape supposed to be about power? Tanner was the most powerful man she’d ever met. He would hardly need to prove himself.

Oh, but he would think of something. She was confident. She supposed she should worry about that, but she couldn’t. After all she’d been through in the past ten days, she couldn’t find the strength to be any more afraid.

“I accept your terms.”

One corner of his mouth turned up in an almost smile. “You don’t have a choice.”

“Perhaps not, but I accept them anyway.”

“I’m going to have to blindfold you. The safe house works only as long as no one knows where it is. If the idea of a blindfold freaks you out, I can sedate you.”

The idea of a blindfold terrified her. It was too much like being kidnapped all over again. But the thought of being drugged was worse.

“I prefer the blindfold. I don’t like the idea of losing control.”

“Some people spend their whole lives looking for the perfect way to do just that.”

“Not me.” She stared at him and had the odd thought she very much wanted him to like her. “I’m not what you think.”

He looked instantly bored. “I’ll be right back.”

He walked out of the room, leaving the door open. Madison stared at the narrow concrete hallway and wondered if his actions were a test to see if she could be trusted. It didn’t matter. She had no plans to bolt for freedom. Right now Tanner was all that stood between her and Christopher. She already knew what her ex-husband was capable of. For now she was more than willing to put her fate into the hands of a stranger. With Tanner, the odds were a whole lot better.

If Madison had been asked to guess, she would have said the drive had taken about forty-five minutes. She’d been put in the rear of a van of some kind. There weren’t any seats, but there were plenty of blankets. She’d curled up on them and listened to the sound of the engine and the road. Exhaustion had claimed her a few times and she’d dozed for a second or two.

When the van stopped, she straightened. She heard a garage door opening, then the van moved forward and the garage door closed behind it. There was the click of the lock followed by the creak of metal as the rear of the vehicle opened.

“You can take off the blindfold now,” Tanner said.

For reasons that had made no sense to her, he hadn’t tied her hands. She reached up and pulled off the blindfold, only to find herself in a dark box inside a van. Of course, she thought, knowing that if she’d been less exhausted she would have found the situation humorous. He hadn’t tied her hands because once she was in the van it hadn’t mattered if she’d removed the blindfold. There was nothing for her to see.

Very slick, she thought as she crawled to the end of the van and stepped down.

Lack of food and sleep made her shaky. She stumbled as she tried to stand. He grabbed her by the arm and held her steady.

“You’ve been tough all through this,” he said gruffly. “Don’t faint on me now.”

“I won’t,” she promised, although she wasn’t completely sure of her facts.

“Come on. I’ll give you the quick tour, then you can crash for a few hours.”

Sleep sounded like heaven. Maybe here, with Tanner watching over her, she would feel comfortable enough to relax.

He released her arm and motioned for her to step around him. After closing the back of the van, he led the way into the house.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected—perhaps some high-tech, modern space done in shades of white. What she found instead was a sprawling single-story ranch-style home with a few modifications.

From the garage they passed through a laundry room and into a hallway that led into a large family room. There was a big-screen television and several electronic components, along with two black leather sofas. The house itself might be forty or fifty years old, but the paint and the furniture looked relatively new.

Madison glanced at the ceiling, looking for cameras or some kind of monitoring device. She didn’t see any. She did notice a strange screening material over the windows and pointed to it.

“No one can see in,” Tanner said. “And you can’t get out. But the windows all open if you feel the need for fresh air.”

She was less worried about that than being trapped. “What if there’s a fire?”

“There won’t be.”

He walked into a large kitchen and pointed out the basic amenities. There was already plenty of food in the refrigerator and pantry. Simple things that were easy to prepare.

“Help yourself,” he told her.

She nodded, knowing she had to eat something eventually, but right now all she wanted was sleep.

Next up was what would have been the formal living and dining room. Instead she saw several desks and shelves, all crammed with electronic equipment. None of it made sense to her. There were screens and keyboards and odd display units.

Tanner stepped inside and grabbed something from a nearly empty desk. She didn’t see what it was until he returned to her side and snapped it on her wrist.

“What on earth?” She stared at the gray metal bracelet. There was no visible catch, no markings of any kind.

“My game, my rules,” he said. “You play by them or I return you to your ex.”

“Why?” she asked, not sure if she was asking why he’d done it or why she didn’t get a say in the rules.

“I don’t trust you,” he said flatly.

Good to know where she stood. “You could just let me go. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“If he’s everything you say, he’ll find you within twenty-four hours. Is that what you want?”