Last Chance (33 page)

Besides, he had to act as surprised as possible, even fearful. Having Hughes

suspect any kind of setup would not only destroy his plan, it could damn

well backfire and get Lucas killed instead.

"I have to admit to a bit of a disappointment that you were so easy to

grab. I had thought it would take weeks to get to the famous British stud.

Instead, in just over one day my people managed to abduct you and bring

you here." His smile one of supreme superiority, Hughes shook his head.

"Doesn't say a lot for your intelligence, now, does it?"

Lucas would have laughed if he could have. Damon's people had

passed him on the street three times before he could attract their attention.

He'd ended up having to walk down a dark alley by himself just so he could

make it as easy on them as possible. Poor stupid fools had looked so damned

proud of themselves; he hadn't even bothered putting up a token resistance.

What was the point when they were taking him exactly where he wanted to

go? A gun poking in his side had gotten him to their car. The tap on his head

had given him a headache, but it was the frustration of having to feign

unconsciousness for hours that had worn him down. If nothing else, he was

glad he didn't have to pretend anymore.

Hughes's gaze roamed Lucas's scrunched-up body.

"I'm assuming you would like to know why you were taken?"

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Lucas nodded.

"McKenna, of course." A cold smile twisted his mouth. "Ah, I see the

acknowledgment in your eyes." He stooped down till he was inches from

Kane's face. "You have been in possession of my most treasured asset. She

may have been just another woman to you, but to me she's everything. You

dared to touch what belongs to me only. For that, you will pay the highest of

prices." He straightened and backed away. "Since I expected it to take longer

to get you, the show unfortunately can't start as soon as I would have liked.

However, I'll make sure you're comfortable until the arrangements can be

made. The event might not be as elaborate as I had planned, but the

entertainment will be off-the-charts fun, I assure you."

At a nod from Hughes, two big lugs pulled Lucas from the trunk. His

legs were numb from hours of being crammed in a small space, and he fell

to his knees. The time he'd been locked up hadn't been wasted, though. The

ties around his wrists were almost loose; in seconds he could be free. That,

however, would have to wait until the circulation returned to his limbs.

One man grabbed him under his arms and pulled him to a standing

position. Since he could do nothing about the sting of pins and needles that

racked his entire body, he ignored it. It would be gone soon enough and then

he could act. His eyes appearing to dart fearfully around, Lucas leaned

against the car and took in his surroundings. The estate was small compared

to Lucas's, but the obvious opulence of his surroundings assured him that

Damon Hughes was making a fortune on his illegal activities.

When he was pushed forward, Lucas didn't have to pretend to

stumble. Damn his legs...he willed them to work. He didn't know how many

men were at the estate but he needed all his parts in working order before he

got started on getting rid of them.

Hughes stood several feet from him, still smirking. "Why don't you

take Mr. Kane the long way around, Simon? Show him some of the

scenery."

One of the giants behind him grunted, apparently Simon. As he was

pushed forward again, Lucas tried to get a sense of where he was. The

courtyard was round, filled with statues, large plants, and small trees. The

statue of a large-busted nude woman stood in the middle of a giant fountain.

The mansion was a three-story massive structure of brick and stucco. Lucas

wondered what mortuary designer had built it.

Lucas stumbled again, then shuffled forward like a whipped, terrified

man. Hughes chuckled beside him. As they made their way toward the side

of the house, his legs regained their strength. Taking the men out before they

reached their destination seemed the wisest course. Adrenaline surged within

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him. One good tug on the rope and he would be free.

"Stop." Damon's voice was low.

Lucas turned slightly. Were they planning on shooting him here? No,

that would be too anticlimactic, not in keeping with Damon's earlier

comments about an event.

"This is an excellent place to get a glimpse of my most prized

possession," Damon said.

Lucas shot a glance at the giant swimming pool.
This
was Damon's

most prized possession? As pools went, he supposed it was nice, but it

certainly wasn't--Breath shuddered from Lucas's body in a giant gasp of air. A woman

emerged from the pool, dripping from her swim and barely covered by an

almost nonexistent bikini, her golden skin glistening beneath the blaze of the

sun. He had no trouble recognizing the lovely female form. He'd held that

body in his arms, made love to it for endless hours, and dreamed of it

nightly.

Just what the hell was McKenna doing here?

Before he could come up with a reasonable answer, he felt a small

prick at his neck. Whirling, Lucas turned to see Damon holding a

hypodermic needle. The bastard had an even broader smirk on his face.

Dammit. Drugs. His gaze went back to McKenna. She was drying her body,

apparently unaware of the audience she had attracted. Her image wavered

and blurred in front of him. His limbs loosened, taking on the feeling of

melting wax, and he collapsed on the ground. Lucas had one last urgent

thought before darkness covered his mind: McKenna was in danger.

Caressing the handle of the favorite knife he always carried at his

waist, Damon watched Lucas Kane being hauled into an outbuilding he'd

had designed for this type of guest. Oh, how he wanted to begin the carving

immediately, but that would spoil the upcoming event. Patience had brought

McKenna back to him; that same patience had to be exercised here. The

anticipation of the kill would only increase the pleasure of the act.

McKenna thought her secret was safe, that he didn't know about her

lover. She thought everything was settled between them. He had wined and

dined her, treated her with the utmost gentleness. Given her clothes and all

the luxuries a woman could want. He'd asked nothing in return. Had barely

even touched her other than a few kisses and caresses here and there.

Last night, instead of joining her for dinner, he'd had Margret deliver a

meal to her room. If he'd spent any more time with her, he would have lost

his temper and showed his hand too soon.

Admittedly, he had allowed a little of his anger to show yesterday

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afternoon, but she had shocked him. Why had she gone into his office? That

seemed so un-McKenna-like; he'd had difficulty maintaining his role of

gentle lover.

Now that his plans were working so well, he could go back to being

the charming, loving Damon. Showing her what she could have was an

excellent precursor for the coming events. When he punished her for her

unfaithfulness, she would be able to see the difference. The contrast would

be so apparent, even her little mind could comprehend the distinction. And

then they could move on. All of this would be in the past. Lucas Kane would

be dead and Damon would never worry that McKenna would even think

about straying again.

How many men McKenna had been with over the years he refused to

contemplate. One was one too many. All these years, he'd thought that even

though she was far from him, she would remain celibate until they reunited.

After all, it wasn't as if she enjoyed the sex act or was even very good at it.

How many times had he had to tie her down and tame her into submission?

But that was his right. To know that she had willingly spread her legs for

this man and who knows how many others sickened him.

When McKenna once more understood her place in his world, her

final and most important lesson was to see her lover mutilated and dead.

That vision in her mind would ensure she never roamed again. Lucas Kane

would be gone for good and McKenna would know she was once more

responsible for another person's death.

And then life would be what it should have been eight years ago,

before McKenna destroyed everything. She would pay for her mistakes and

then they would go forward together as they were meant to be.

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Twenty

The house held a deathlike silence as McKenna eased open her

bedroom door. It was three in the morning, and she hoped the men patrolling

the house would be nodding off, or at least inattentive. If she had to, she

would disable them and hide them somewhere. Depending upon what

Damon had planned for what he called the upcoming "big event," this might

be her last chance to get information on Jamie. She had to take the risk.

Damon had joined her at the pool this afternoon and smirked the

entire time. Twice at dinner he'd startled her by bursting out in laughter.

Questioning him wasn't something he liked, but she did ask him once to

share the joke. He'd only smiled and said that tomorrow all would be

revealed. Just what the hell did that mean?

She knew she was damn lucky he hadn't locked her in again. Last

night, when he'd had Margret deliver a meal to her and lock her door, she'd

been sure he was on to her. Figured catching her coming out of his office

had put him on alert. Apparently that wasn't the case.

Tonight, after spending the evening together, he'd escorted her to the

bedroom door and kissed her. The minute she entered the room, she'd

expected to hear the click of the lock. It never came. Questioning the reason

would do no good. She had to find information on Jamie. Time was running

out.

She was dressed a little differently tonight. One of the dresses Damon

had supplied her with had a thick lining, so she'd ripped a hole in it, figuring

the slot would be a good place to hide the letter opener.

On silent feet, she crept down the hallway to the top of the stairs and

looked around. The giant foyer was empty. Most of the men were posted

outside, but two stayed inside and walked constantly through the interior of

the mansion. Fortunately, there was a lot of house for them to cover. The key

was to time it so that they were in a different part of the house than she was.

Easing downstairs, her ears and eyes alert for any shadow or sound,

she saw and heard no one. Damon's office was on the first floor, at the back

of the house. At the bottom of the stairs she stopped and listened. Nothing.

Running as quickly and quietly as possible, she reached the closed door of

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his office in less than a minute. She turned the knob and then almost sobbed

her frustration out loud. The door was locked.

Dammit, it hadn't been locked yesterday. This was no doubt his

attempt to keep her out. She'd just see about that.

Thinking of all of the tools she could have used to unlock the door

would do no good. She had to find something to improvise with.
Think,

McKenna, think!
She stood in a largish hallway. To her right was a small

sofa and table. On her left was nothing other than a landscape hanging from

the wall.

An image of the landscape she'd left in her little apartment in Paris

came to her mind. Not the picture itself, but the wire that had been on the

back to hang it. Telling herself this one would be too expensive to have a

thin wire in the back, she looked anyway. As she had figured: hooks only,

no wire.

Refusing to give up, she turned and considered the table and sofa

again. A vase full of some kind of exotic-looking flower sat in the middle of

the table. The flowers looked fresh and had a rich color...they had to be real.

She crept closer and touched them. Silk!

Wasting no time, McKenna plucked one of the flowers; using her

teeth and fingernails, she stripped the plastic off the stem wire.

Heart pounding with trepidation and exhilaration, she inserted the

wire into the lock, jiggled for several seconds, and heard a soft click. Voila!

McKenna slipped inside, went straight to the laptop on Damon's desk,

and clicked on his document file again. Several different file names caught

her attention; she tried "McKenna" for every password and finally got into

one file.

Her eyes quickly perused the contents: all the different transactions

Damon had been involved in this year. Apparently his business interests

were quite a diverse collection of illegal activities, including gambling, drug

smuggling, bribery, and...Her breath stopped. Women. Dollar amounts were

beside each name. Had he sold these women? Her eyes read through them,

looking for Jamie Kendrick. She wasn't there. Memorizing the names and

places as best she could, she exited the program and started searching again.

She heard a soft noise. Someone was coming! Closing the laptop, she

ducked under the desk and held her breath. Voices just outside the office