Last Chance (30 page)

"Don't worry about Simon. He knows if he turns around and sees you

naked, he'll die."

Having no choice, she removed the bra and panties, then her shoes.

Completely nude, she stayed seated and waited for further instructions.

The slimy look on his face as his eyes roamed up and down her body

made her want to spew the bile in her throat all over him. His gaze stopped

at her hand. "The ring, too."

Dread filled her.
No
. If she lost the ring, Noah couldn't track her. She

covered the ring with her other hand protectively. "It was my mother's...it's

all I have left of her."

"Poor baby." He held out his hand. "Can I see it?"

She held out her hand to show him. Taking a hard grasp of her wrist,

he pulled the ring from her finger and held it up to the light. "It's lovely."

Her smile trembling with nerves, she said, "Thank you," and stuck her

hand out for him to return it.

He opened a small window beside him and tossed the ring out. "Byebye, Mama."

The sheer cruelty of that one simple action shouldn't have shocked

her, but it did. She barely paid attention as he bundled her clothes and shoes

together and threw them out, too. Though she couldn't show her anger, it

gave her just the right amount of determination. She'd been scared before,

but fury was quickly taking over.

His smile one of smug arrogance, he said, "Stand up."

Gripping the leather strap over her head, McKenna stood. When his

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fingers circled the cigarette burns on her stomach and then her breasts, she

stared out the window, determined not to show her disgust. She could do

this; she had no choice.

"Turn around."

She turned her back to him, knowing exactly what he wanted to see.

His hands cupped and kneaded her bottom, then his finger traced the letter

he'd branded her with. When she felt his wet tongue there, she closed her

eyes and willed her churning stomach to settle down. Throwing up on him

might give her a moment's satisfaction, but it would most likely get her a

beating as well. She had to stay healthy as long as possible.

"Yes, that's my McKenna."

Knowing he wouldn't want her to turn around until he said so, she

remained standing and waited for his command. One of the many things

Damon liked was to be able to order her every movement.

"Very good. Now turn around."

She turned and was immediately enveloped in a soft blanket. Holding

the covering tight around her body, she went to sit down. Damon had other

ideas. He pulled her down onto his lap. McKenna had no choice but to let

him have his way.

She dared a look up at his face. He had changed in the eight years

since she'd seen him. There were lines around his eyes and mouth, and when

he smiled, the tooth that had once been slightly crooked was now even more

so.

Once, long ago, she'd thought Damon the most handsome man on

earth. And while her mind acknowledged that he might still be physically

attractive, evil was beginning to have a negative effect on his face. In fact,

he was looking more like the demon she'd often believed him to be.

Odd, but she was suddenly completely unafraid. She was facing the

devil once more, and though she wasn't safe, neither was she terrified, as she

had thought she would be. Damon's hold on her was truly at an end. He was

just another perverted monster who had kidnapped someone. She'd dealt

with this kind of filth before. He was just one more.

That settled in her mind, she could fully concentrate on finding Jamie

Kendrick. Pray God she was still alive.

Tampa, Florida

LCR field office

Noah sat at his desk and reviewed the new information they'd

gathered on Hughes. He refused to think that McKenna wasn't all right. She

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had made the decision to go with Damon. While he understood her reasons,

he was still furious she'd taken that risk.

McKenna was a professional. He'd been impressed with her from their

first meeting, and that hadn't changed. And the conversation he'd had with

her before they landed in Tampa reinforced that confidence. If she could

maintain the perspective that this was just another job for her, she would

succeed. Didn't mean he didn't intend to help her out.

Her mic had stopped working within minutes of her being taken. That

hadn't worried him; the range wasn't that long. What did concern him was

the ring she wore. The GPS signal had disappeared ten minutes after the

helicopter left their view. Getting inside Damon's head, Noah surmised he'd

made her take off anything that might have a tracking device in it. McKenna

was resourceful. She would find a way to contact LCR when she could.

From what he'd been able to glean from his new informant, and based

upon Damon's suggested meeting place, he was betting that Damon did live

in Florida. Which was why he and his team were still in Tampa. When

McKenna called, they could be at her assistance within hours.

He looked up when the door opened. Samara came in looking angrier

than he'd seen her in years. Though she was concerned for McKenna, Noah

knew most of the anger stemmed from what Damon had left them: a young

woman, barely out of her teens, named Lilly Francis, ravaged, beaten, and

damaged so badly internally, the doctors were stunned that she was able to

walk upright.

So far, she'd only been able to give them her name and could supply

little information on Damon's whereabouts other than to tell them there were

palm trees everywhere and she had often heard the ocean. Two years ago,

she had arrived at Damon's residence unconscious and had lived at his giant

estate all this time without any idea how to get out or where she was.

Damon had used her to entertain himself or the occasional

businessman. The man who'd raped and almost killed her was one of

Hughes's employees named Carlos. Apparently Lilly had been his reward for

something.

Despite the little information she'd given them so far, Noah had hopes

that, given time, she'd be able to provide them with something they could

use. And that it wouldn't be too late.

"How's Lilly?"

Samara came around the desk, and by the tears in her eyes, he knew

the news wouldn't be good. Holding out his arms, he pulled her into his lap.

"Tell me."

"She started hemorrhaging about an hour ago. They're doing an

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emergency hysterectomy. We won't know for a few hours if that will

completely stop the bleeding."

Noah held her close. Mara's sorrow only increased his determination.

If McKenna didn't manage to destroy Damon Hughes, Noah would make

sure he did. The sadistic bastard should not be allowed to take another

breath.

Samara took a shuddering breath. "Any news?"

"Not a lot. Based upon the little that Lilly could tell us, I believe he's

here in Florida. I've got investigators running all over the state trying to dig

something up. It's just a matter of time."

"But will it be too late to save McKenna?"

"Hughes won't kill her. And he's certainly not going to be expecting

that McKenna can and will kill him if it comes down to it. He's used to

fragile women who can't defend themselves. My money's on McKenna."

"Do you think Jamie Kendrick is still alive?"

"I don't know. Once Hughes realized his people got the wrong

woman, his temper may have got the best of him. However, if he didn't kill

her, my guess is that he sold her. He wouldn't want her around, reminding

him how stupid he'd been."

"Sad that we're sitting here hoping that he sold her to someone."

"You're right, but at least if she's alive, there's hope."

She pulled quickly from his arms and turned to face him. "I can't

believe I haven't told you this. With the news of Lilly's surgery, it flew right

out of my mind." Turning, she looked down at one of his computer monitors.

"Can you go to the website for one of the newspapers?"

Frowning, he cleared his screen. "Which one?"

"Try the
Tampa Times."

Noah clicked on their main website. "Now what?"

"Go to the business section."

Noah clicked on the business section and scrolled down. The image

that appeared brought a vile curse to his lips: Lucas Kane and McKenna

holding hands, looking into each other's eyes. They looked every bit the

besotted couple. The brief and uninformative caption speculated on whom

the billionaire businessman was now romancing. McKenna's name stood

starkly out in the small paragraph.

It took barely a second to determine Kane's motive. "He's luring

Hughes."

Samara's shocked gasp told him that was something she hadn't

considered. "You think so?"

Holding off on answering her, Noah clicked onto the sites of three

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other newspapers and came up with the same photo and wording. "These are

fairly obscure newspapers. Even as famous as Kane is, it's doubtful they'd

run anything with an international slant without good reason. And Kane's got

enough money to stop every scandal rag from printing this. He's setting

Hughes up."

Samara's eyes grew wide as she realized the ramifications. "Oh, Noah,

he might ruin everything."

With a grim nod, Noah picked up the phone. He had to get to Kane

before he did anything else. There was no telling what Damon Hughes

would do to McKenna if he saw the pictures.

Lucas Kane might have had the best intentions, but if Hughes's temper

got the best of him, McKenna might well pay for Kane's ploy with her life.

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Eighteen

Palm Beach

Damon carried a still-bundled McKenna into the house. Though she

was still such a small, delicate thing, the solidity of her slender body was a

bit of an unpleasant surprise. Years ago she had been soft and firm, but now

that firmness felt almost muscular. He detested women who marred their

body with muscles. Was she into bodybuilding or something? How

disgusting. A woman should be soft and feminine, relying on her man to be

the strong one in the household.

She was covered from head to toe as he stalked up the stairway to her

bedroom. Tomorrow he would give her a tour of her new home and grounds.

He didn't want her to see anything until he showed her his special surprise.

When she saw what he had done for her, she would realize how much she

meant to him.

Margret stood outside the room, waiting for him. He gave her a small

nod and she immediately unlocked the door. The instant the door swung

open, Margret vanished, as he had instructed her earlier. He wanted no one

around to witness this grand homecoming.

"Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."

Damon uncovered her face, pleased to see that her eyes were closed.

Anticipation building, he dropped her feet and allowed her to stand.

Whipping the blanket from her body, he stood back for a few seconds and

absorbed the moment. McKenna standing nude in the middle of the room

he'd created for her. It was as if eight years ago had never happened.

"Open your eyes."

Blinking rapidly, her eyes opened. Damon watched her focus on her

surroundings. He spread his arms out, so moved by the moment that he

couldn't speak.

Her eyes roamed around the room and Damon waited for her to voice

her enthusiasm. He could see the surprise, but where was the gratitude?

Where were the tears? Did she not recognize the significance? Was she that

dense?

"Well, what do you think?" He hated asking, but she was apparently

not going to say anything.

She looked at him then and he saw the surprise and wonder in her

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expression, just as he'd been expecting. He watched her throat move

convulsively as if she were too overcome to express her joy. Yes, his

McKenna had always been a bit on the emotional side. She was probably

close to tears, feeling overwhelmed by all he had done for her.

Finally she said softly, "It's my bedroom."

Damon nodded eagerly. "See, everything's going to be the way it

should have been."

Whirling around, she took in everything, then turned back to Damon

and whispered, "Oh, Damon, it's beautiful. Thank you so much."

Overcome by his own emotions, Damon knew he had to leave before

McKenna saw how moved he was. Showing her how this homecoming was

affecting him would make her think he wasn't the strong disciplinarian he

had been years ago.

"I knew you would love it. And this is only the beginning. Every day

will be better than the one before. I'll leave you to get settled. I know you

must be exhausted. Everything you need is in this room. There are clothes in

the closet and the dresser. If you need anything else at all, you only have to

ask."

Her mouth trembling with a smile of gratitude, his McKenna looked

close to tears.

Drawing her into his arms, he closed his mouth over hers, groaning at

her taste. Yes, this was his McKenna. How could he have mistaken that