Living On The Edge

No, but she didn’t want this either, she thought as she rubbed the bracelet. “What does it do?”

“Keeps you safe and keeps you here.” He motioned to the control center of the house.

Madison glanced at him, then back to the bracelet before taking a step forward.

“You have entered an unauthorized area,” a female computerized voice said. “Please return to an authorized area or an alarm will sound.”

She jumped back. “It’s some kind of monitoring system.”

“Exactly. You can go anywhere you want in the house except for in here and within five feet of the front and back door. There’s a patio off the family room. You can go as far as the overhang.”

She tried to make herself feel better by thinking that at least an alarm sounding was better than him blowing off her hand, but she wasn’t all that comforted. Tanner might be her only shot at staying alive, but she’d just exchanged one prison for another.

“My rules,” he repeated.

“I got that.”

She had a choice. She could accept them or she could be returned to Christopher. On second thought, not much of a choice at all.

For the first time since she’d been kidnapped, she had the overwhelming urge to cry. She wanted to slump down on the floor and sob until everything was better. Instead she sucked in a breath and forced herself to stay strong. Tanner was her only hope. She needed him on her side. He seemed to appreciate strength, so that’s what she would show him.

“Anything else?” she asked, feeling her exhaustion down to her bones.

“No. Your room is down here.”

He led her along another hallway before turning into a cheery bedroom. There was a full-size bed, a dresser with a television on it, two nightstands and a small desk. One door led into a closet, the other to a small bathroom, complete with a shower.

Madison had only been allowed to bathe every third day while she’d been kidnapped. She longed for some serious water time. But first, sleep.

He glanced at his watch. “Why don’t you rest for three or four hours. Then you can eat.”

“Fine.”

He walked to the door, then paused and turned back to her. “No phone, no contact with the outside world.”

She wasn’t even surprised. “So you could kill me and no one would ever know where I’d been or where to find the body.”

His dark gaze settled on her face. “That’s right.”

“Good to know.”

That bit of bravado took her last ounce of strength. When he left, she collapsed on the bed and let the tears flow. She wanted to scream that this wasn’t fair—that she hadn’t asked for any of it. But what was the point? She was here, stuck, afraid for her life. There was no going back. Just forward. She would get through this because the alternative was to get dead, and she refused to let Christopher win.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She’d been right when she’d said that no one would ever know where she’d been. She’d already been gone for twelve days and apparently no one had alerted the police. No doubt Christopher had come up with a story to cover her absence.

Her father had known the truth, of course, but he would have left all the details to his son-in-law. Even now, with her supposedly free but not there, Christopher would probably say she was resting. Recovering her strength—a euphemism for something she didn’t want to think about.

Her father would believe him because Blaine liked his world simple. Nothing beyond his lab mattered.

She fingered the bracelet on her left wrist. Somehow it transmitted her position in the house. Maybe it did other things. Tanner was certainly thorough.

Who was this man who obviously didn’t like her in the least and yet offered to help her? Why did he care if she lived or died?

Maybe he didn’t, she thought, rolling onto her side and closing her eyes. Maybe she simply wasn’t allowed to get dead on his watch. Unless he decided to kill her himself.

He was a professional, she reminded herself. If he did want to take her out, it would be quick. A small comfort, but in her current situation, nearly the only one she had.

And until that moment, if it ever came, Tanner would keep her safe. She believed that down to her bones. While she was under his protection, nothing bad could happen to her. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Funny how a man who obviously despised her without bothering to get to know her could give her such a feeling of comfort.

Chapter 4

Tanner double-checked that the alarm system was activated, then settled into his office to get some work done. Every half hour or so, he glanced at the display screen, but Madison didn’t move.

Sleep would do her good, he thought. She’d been through hell. He had a feeling things would get worse before they got better, but they would deal with that when it happened. For now it was enough that she rested. Later they would talk and he would get more information on Hilliard.

Speaking of which…He returned his attention to the computer file he’d begun to build. Access to personal financial records could take a day or so. In the meantime, he filled in what he could about the man’s past.

An hour later someone rang the bell. Tanner glanced at the security-camera monitor and recognized the man standing on the front porch. Angel was right on time.

“What’s the word?” he asked, after letting the other man into the house.

Angel, a tall, dark man with steely gray eyes and a scar that ran down his neck, shrugged. “Kelly’s holding his own. He survived the surgery. Doc says that’s good. Now we wait and see if he recovers. He lost a lot of blood.”

“Brain damage?”

“They don’t know yet.”

“Odds?”

Angel shrugged again. “I didn’t want to hear anything bad so I didn’t ask.”

Tanner wouldn’t have, either. He took the wrapped package Angel offered, then asked, “You okay with the Calhoun job?”

“Sure thing. We’ve got three teams on the kid. Full-time. His crazy uncle isn’t getting anywhere close.” Angel’s eyes brightened with interest. “If he does, I’ll take him down.”

Jefferson Alexander Calhoun III, was all of seven and an orphan. His parents had been killed in circumstances that could only be labeled suspicious, although the local police hadn’t put together a case yet. The boy’s maternal grandmother was concerned her youngest son had done it to make sure he inherited the bulk of the family fortune. She’d hired Tanner’s company to protect the life of her only grandchild.

“If you have to take him out, make sure you’re on the correct side of the law,” Tanner reminded his right-hand man.

Angel smiled slowly. “I wouldn’t do it any other way.”

They discussed other jobs for a few more minutes, then Angel left. Tanner appreciated that the other man hadn’t asked about Tanner’s unexpected guest or the contents of the package. Tanner wasn’t sure he could explain either. He was working based on very few facts but a strong feeling in his gut.

Hell of a way to do business, he thought as he dumped the package on a kitchen counter, then returned to his office to continue with his research.

Two hours later, he took a break to shower and change his clothes. When he walked back into the control room, he saw Madison was up and moving around. He detoured by the kitchen, grabbed the package and walked to her bedroom.

He found her standing on the desk chair, inspecting the moldings attached to the ceiling. She stood on tiptoe, her expression intense, her fingers probing every inch of the painted wood.