Hard Core (Onyx Group) (9 page)

Slade shot out of his chair. It tumbled over with a crash.
“Stop calling me that,” he ground out.

“All right, I will. Just calm down.”

He was calm, he just needed to break something. Hit
something. Erase the images of Alana, naked and bruised, from his head. Before
they destroyed him completely. He had done that to her. While she treated him,
healed him, he’d hurt her. For that he would never forgive himself. Acts like
that were unforgivable.

With a two-ton brick sitting on his chest, Slade gave the
old man one last look and stalked out the door. Hearing his given name, knowing
he was responsible for hurting Alana, and being jacked into the past made it hard
to breathe. He’d take physical pain over this any day of the week. Physical
pain he could control. This, he couldn’t outrun.

He had to get off this island.

Before it was too late.

“Wake up, darling.”

The soft order brought Alana awake with a groan. She lifted
a hand to her head and opened her eyes. The deeply tanned face of Gavin Ross
appeared above her where she lay on a gigantic bed in an unfamiliar room.

“How are you feeling?” her host questioned, sounding
genuinely concerned.

“What am I doing here?” She wasn’t in the mood for
pleasantries, no matter how important they were to this man. He was always a
perfect gentleman, but beneath that polished veneer lay an evil man who did bad
things. Like murder an entire tribe because they were in his way.

Bitterness rose in her throat. “Your guard hit me.” She sat
up in the king-sized canopy bed. The mosquito netting was tied back, leaving
nothing between them.

“I apologize for that. He has been…reprimanded. No one here
will harm you again.”

Except him. He was the most dangerous predator on the
island.

“Would you like some ice for the swelling?” Gavin reached
out to touch her jaw.

Alana pulled back. In three months she would have to find a
way to accept his touch, but until then he wasn’t laying a hand on her.

“I don’t want any ice. Why am I here, Gavin? I still have
three months left.”

When he didn’t answer right away, her heart fell to her
toes. “I have three months,” she said again.

He folded his hands behind his back. “We don’t need to
discuss this now. Why don’t you take a shower and change into more suitable
clothes. After lunch, we’ll talk and I’ll explain everything.”

Alana climbed out the opposite side of the bed to put
distance between them. “No. You’ll tell me now.”

Anger sparked in his eyes. “Fine. I’d rather you know the
truth of the situation anyhow. I must break our deal. I need you.”

“Need me?” she repeated. His words hammered through her
head. “Why?” Part of her didn’t want to hear the answer. Not even six months
could prepare her for what she had agreed to do.

“Not important tonight. I will explain everything in due
time. Just know that your father and tribe are safe from me. As long as you
uphold your end of the bargain, I will uphold mine.”

Mind reeling, Alana shook her head. “You can’t be serious.
You’re changing the rules. You can’t do that.”

“I can, and will, do whatever I want, Alana. I honored your
request six months ago when I didn’t have to. You best remember that. I
apologize for the timing, but I need you now.”

Alana fisted her hands at her sides. Someone wake her from
this nightmare. “I don’t understand. You’re taking me away from my family. I
can never see them again?”

Gavin’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

“Why?” she whispered, unable to comprehend. The thought of
never seeing her father again hurt too much to accept. She was losing him to
cancer and now wouldn’t be there to spend his last precious days with him.

“You have enough burdening you for now. In time you’ll see
why I did it and you will forgive me. I’ll give you this day to come to terms,
and tomorrow we will start over. A new beginning. You’ll see, darling. Good
things are in store for us.”

He walked to the door and paused on the threshold. “I’m
forced to lock the door until you have accepted what is now your life. I have
confidence it won’t take long. Rest, darling. Tomorrow all will be well.”

With that, he walked out the door and closed it quietly
behind him.

* * * *

Joseph O’ Grady watched from his doorway as the man known
only as Cristian disappeared into the jungle. He didn’t try to stop him, knew
he couldn’t. Maybe it was for the best. His daughter didn’t need more trouble
from Gavin Ross. This man was connected to Ross, he just didn’t know how.

Cristian was dangerous. Not because of his actions against
Alana, but because he was a man with secrets. A man that closed must be hiding
from something. Joseph didn’t want his daughter involved. He wanted her to give
up this life. It had been a good idea when he and Alana embarked on this journey,
but it was no life for a woman such as her. Alana had given up her life for
him, selflessly, without complaint. Dropped out of her internship to follow him
here.

It had been a reprieve for both of them as they struggled
with Joan’s death. Losing her mother had been tough for Alana, as tough for
him, and maybe coming here hadn’t been a fresh start, but an escape. He
realized it now. Realized the mistake he’d made in bringing his daughter along
with him when he grieved, trying to make sense of the world. In doing so, he’d
robbed Alana of the life she could have had. He carried that burden every day.
His daughter had suffered a terrible loss when her mother died, and now she
would lose him to cancer. He’d made peace with it, but she hadn’t. Would she
ever?

The hardest part of it was he wouldn’t be there to help her
through it. No man could ask for a more dedicated, loyal daughter. Her world
revolved around him and the tribe she called her family. She’d sacrificed
everything for him. He was a lucky man to have such a devoted daughter, but the
time had come for her to move on. He’d given it a lot of thought the past year
and come to the conclusion that what she needed was not here. She’d served her
time and now she needed her life back.

She needed her friends, her career. The life she was meant
to live. Without him she would no longer be obligated to stay here. Approaching
her about it would be difficult. Alana refused to talk about his disease, but
maybe it was time they had a talk.

He drew in a deep breath, closed the door to his hut and
headed toward Alana’s. This time she would listen. It was his last dying wish.
He hated to play that card, but she left him no choice.

Her hut was quiet. In case she was asleep, he quietly opened
the door and poked his head in. Only to find it empty.

Of course she wasn’t sleeping. She never slept. Within
minutes, he was in a panic. No one had seen her since last night. Not even
Leya, Alana’s closest friend. As far as everyone knew she’d gone to bed after
she finished working.

So where was she? She never left camp without telling
someone first. Not even when she visited her favorite swim hole.

Seemed the last man to have seen her had disappeared into
the jungle and would probably never be seen again. Cristian had been angry when
he left and Joseph had a feeling that if he didn’t want to be found, he
wouldn’t be.

So where was his daughter, and what did Cristian have to do
with her disappearance?

* * * *

He was a damn fool. Slade pushed his way through the jungle.

At his camp, he dug his pack out of its hiding place, slung
it over his back and trekked toward the opposite side of the island. The
physical pain punished him for his actions and reminded him who he was and why
he was here. Not to discover what made a pretty red-haired doctor cry silently
in her sleep.

He wouldn’t care.

He would eliminate Gavin Ross and get the hell off this
island. Go to his cabin in the Rockies. Or maybe to his penthouse. A busy city
with all its lights and activity sounded damn good right now. Anything besides
the jungle.

Now he had even more reason to hate the jungle. It would
only serve as a reminder that he’d done the unthinkable and let down his guard.
Never mind the fact he’d told Alana he was a mercenary.

It wouldn’t happen again. He was never going back to that
camp and he’d never see Alana again.

Focused now, Slade headed for Ross’s.

* * * *

Alana sank onto the bed, too stunned to panic. This couldn’t
be happening. Why change things now? What was so important he needed her here
early?

Did she really want to know?

A sob rose in her throat. She would never see her father
again. Gavin had stolen her goodbye and she hated him for it. Hated this entire
situation. Never had she felt so lost and hopeless. There was no way out. Gavin
made sure of that. She’d seen the devastation he could, and would, cause if she
defied him. What choice did she have but to agree to his terms? It was the only
way to keep her family safe. She owed them that for all they’d done for her and
her father. As long as she obeyed his orders and conformed, he would spare the
tribe.

With no authorities on the island, she had no one to turn
to, no one to help. She was in this alone.

Letting the tears fall freely, she curled up on the bed
until misery overtook her.

She pulled the blankets over her head to avoid the sunlight
that shone through the windows. It was a new day, but she didn’t feel any
better. Worse, but never better. Her tears had dried up in the night but the
pain remained along with a deep ache in her soul, like the one she’d felt after
her mother was murdered in a liquor store robbery.

Gavin hadn’t visited her again. Her tears were gone and in
their place emptiness, a void never to be filled. She’d lost everything that
ever mattered to her. It began with her mother and ended with her father and
the people who had taken her in and treated her like family. She wanted more
than anything to be with them. Away from here. Away from this debilitating
emptiness.

But she would never see them again. These four walls were
now her home, her family.

She drew her knees up tighter and curled into a fetal ball,
wanting to disappear inside herself.

But Gavin wouldn’t let that happen. The lock turned and the
door opened. She didn’t have to look to know it was him. He’d said he’d give
her the night to grieve; he’d done that. Time to submit.

His footsteps crossed the carpet to her side. He didn’t sit
on the bed, but she could feel his gaze on her. His displeasure was palpable.
“You haven’t moved from this position, have you? Come, darling, up you go.”

The blankets were torn from her and she didn’t try to grab
them.

He touched her shoulder and she flinched.

“Let me help you. It’s a new day. A new beginning for us.
Let’s get you cleaned up. I hate seeing you like this.”

He lifted her out of bed and set her on her feet in front of
him.

“Look at me.” The order was given softly, but with menace.
He would have his way.

She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

He stiffened, his jaw tightening. “I don’t like this,” he
repeated. “Where is the fire in your eyes you had when you first came to see
me?”

She said nothing, just stared at him.

His eyes darkened and he gripped her elbow. “You will snap
out of this. This is your life now, so you may as well accept it. Now, in the
shower, clean yourself up. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

When she didn’t move, he scowled and propelled her toward
the bathroom. With jerky movements he turned on the shower and grabbed a towel.

“Get in.”

Alana didn’t move.

With a vicious curse, he roughly undressed her and threw her
clothes aside as if they were diseased. Her eyes landed on the shirt and pants,
the last remaining items from her past life. A life she would never know again.

He had to physically place her in the stall. She heard him
curse through the glass door. The hot water pulsed over her body. Alana just
stood there and let it pour over her, staring at the wall, seeing all she had
lost. Her mother, her career, her father and family. The faces of those she so
dearly cared about. All gone because of this monster.

Rage, hot and wild, built inside her. It started as an ember
and quickly ignited into flame. Fury, like she’d never known, replaced pain. It
hurt, but in a different way. It made her want to lash out. To fight back.

It made her want him dead.

She looked at Gavin through the glass, watched a slow smile
spread across his face, and knew she would never rest until he paid for what
he’d made her do.

“There’s that fire,” he said softly. “I knew you had it in
you. Enjoy your shower, my darling. Brunch is in one hour. Don’t be late.”

This time he didn’t lock the door.

Where would she go? If she returned to her tribe, Gavin
would slaughter them the same as he had the other tribe that had lived on the
island.

Strung out, she reached for the soap. She’d grieved. Now she
had to survive. And find a way out of this before it was too late.

An hour later a servant escorted her to the dining room, a
large, extravagant room, with a table set for a king. It sat twenty people.
Completely ridiculous, since she and Gavin were the only two people eating.

The closet in her room had been full of clothes, everything
from scrubs to designer jeans and dresses. All in her size. She’d chosen a blue
gown, knowing he’d expect her to dress appropriately. Why he’d included scrubs
in the mix made no sense. There was no hospital on the island, so why would she
need hospital attire?

He rose when she entered, his green eyes sliding over her.
“Very nice,” he murmured, pulling out her chair so she could sit.

Alana reached for her napkin and spread it over her lap. There
had been a time she’d lived this lifestyle and it hadn’t left her. She still
remembered which fork was for salad.

“You’re looking better,” Gavin commented, returning to his
seat. “I’m pleased. We have business to discuss.”

“Business?” she repeated, picking up her water glass and
taking a sip.

“Not at the dinner table. Let’s enjoy our first meal
together. I hope you’re hungry. The chef has prepared a fine brunch.”

If she ate anything, she would bring it back up, but she
only smiled tightly. How could he be so blase after kidnapping her from her
home and breaking their deal? Did he have no heart?

That angered her even more, driving her rage into the next
level. Her fingers curled around the serrated knife beside her plate.

The door to the kitchen opened and three men walked in
carrying silver trays and a tureen. It smelled heavenly, but her stomach
roiled. She shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be doing this.