WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers (51 page)

“Where
to?”  Derek asked at the first junction.

Geordie
lowered his window.  A cool breeze flowed through the car.  “The
boyfriend’s place first.  Just to be sure.”

“Take
a left here.” Joe leaned forward, outstretched his arm between the front seats
and pointed at the next turning.  “Then the second right.”  He
settled back into his seat, glanced at Kate. 

Derek
beeped the horn and slowed down to signal the Land Rover in front.  The
car turned left, as did Derek.  He overtook it and led the way. 

Kate’s
chest rose in wicked delight on noticing Joe’s sideways gaze lingering on her
bare legs. 

Drawing
on every tool from her flirting kit, Kate sucked in her stomach.  She then
arched her back to force her silicon peaks up to their full ‘hello boys!’ rise.
 

It
took barely a few seconds for Joe’s eyes to wander up her body, for him to take
the bait.

Kate
glanced away and sighed.  Even though she’d turned her head, she sensed
Joe was enjoying the taunting eyeful.  Warming up his loins was the
perfect card to play.  Her only card.

“Oi! 
You asleep back there?” Derek asked.  “Which way now?”

“Erm...
er...”  Joe’s arm brushed against Kate’s leg as he leaned forward between
the front seats.  “L-left at the lights.” 

“Focus!”
Geordie told Joe.

Kate
suspected that Jenna would not be so stupid as to go to Dylan’s house. 
However, her body could not relax.  These guys were on the hunt, and
Geordie’s patience with her had worn paper-thin.  If they did not find
Jenna soon, Kate would likely take the brunt of his anger.  Unless she
could bust free of the wrist straps, disengage the door-locks, or smash the
window and hurl herself onto the road, her only hope lay with Joe.

She
flicked her head, tossing her hair away from her shoulders, exposing her
neck.  Then she took an energising breath and waited for Joe to meet her
gaze.

He
did.  He locked on, just how she wanted.

Kate
fluttered her eyelashes, licked her lips and shaped them into a pout.  When
Joe seemed transfixed by her, Kate signalled towards her bound wrists with her
eyes.

Joe’s
eyebrows bunched together, almost making one unbroken hem along his
forehead.  He glanced down at her wrists on her lap as she waggled her
fingers to hint harder.  Once again, Joe’s gaze travelled all over Kate’s
legs and breasts.  Then he breathed in deeply through his nose, and shook
his head almost as slowly as his eyes had been wandering over her skin.

Kate
mouthed,
‘Please, Joe.  You have to help me,’
and wished that he
could read her mind.  She’d have told him that if he helped her to escape,
she’d tell the police that he was only going along with these men because he
feared for his life.  She’d also have promised him a date... Hell! 
At this point she’d have agreed to marry the guy!  She had a big twinge of
guilt about Steve, but had to push it aside.

Kate
uncrossed her legs.

Joe’s
eyes widened.  He stared harder.  Then, the car sped over a speed
bump, bringing Joe out of his reverie.  He jerked his head to one side as
though mentally slapping himself. 

“Left
or right?” Derek asked as they approached a junction.

Joe
didn’t answer quick enough.

Geordie
snorted.  “What the fuck are you playing at, man?”  He thumped the
dash.  “I’m gonna knock your block off in a minute if you don’t
concentrate.”

“Take
the next left.”  Joe leaned forward and opened his hand.  “Pass me
that roll of tape from the glove compartment, will you?”

Geordie
eyed him, then opened the compartment and chucked Joe the tape.  Joe
peeled the end free with his fingernail, leaned over Kate and gripped her
legs. 

“No!”
she protested, writhing around.  “What are you doing?”

“Keep
still and zip it, or I’ll tape your mouth as well.”  With a curdled look on
his face, he wrapped the tape, hard and fast, around her knees as though
clamping the jaws of a crocodile.

Kate’s
hopes of saving herself ebbed - she knew she’d been too obvious - but she
intended to do all she could to keep these men from locating Jenna.  Once
they had squeezed all they could out of Jenna, obviously, they intended to get
rid of them both.

They
rolled up to Dylan's house.  To Kate’s delight, it was empty.  Next
they drove to the forest retreat.  Joe and Geordie searched inside for
Jenna’s phone, with no luck, while Derek stayed in the car to keep an eye on
Kate.

Then
Kate gave directions.  Derek drove past a random house which Kate lied
about being her boyfriend’s place.  Then Kate gave them more fake
addresses.  Jenna's parents’ house was a friend’s who was away for the
week.  Kate also knew that Jenna’s parents would not be home.  They
too were away on holiday, but she couldn’t be sure that Jenna would not go
there to hide out.  Kate's supposed house was pure luck.  It too
looked empty with the curtains closed and no car on the drive. 
 Luckily for Kate, Joe didn’t know where she lived.  If he did know
the address was a fake, he didn’t show it.

Having
scanned the streets and ordered some of his men to trawl through the odd pub in
town, Geordie’s last thread of patience began unravelling.

“Where
now?” Derek asked, driving along an eastward winding country road, heading out
of town under a darkening sky. 

“We’ll
be out in the sticks in a minute,” Joe said.  “We should turn back to town.”

As
Kate leaned forward wanting to rest her head in her palms, Geordie twisted
around.  He fed his hand between the seats and stroked her cheek. 
“Where else would she go?  Who does she spend time with?”

Kate
batted his unwelcome hand away. 
How dare he touch me!  Sicko.

“Where
does her boyfriend hang out?” he asked, in a voice so guttural the backs of her
eyes tingled with tears.  “Tell me or I swear to God I’ll—“  He
slapped his hand on the back of the seat and dug his rigid fingers into the
dark leather, his knuckles draining white.  Then he turned away, grunting
and snarling curses. 

Kate
blinked fast to stem the well of tears. 

The
internal light clicked on. 

After
taking a breath, Kate glanced up, only to stare down the glinting barrel of a
gun.  The metal hollow, hovering an inch from the bridge of her nose,
minced her gut.  Petrified, she slammed back against her seat in a
deadfall and squeezed her eyes shut so tight that her sockets ached. 
“Please.  Don’t do it!”

“Tell
me where to find her or I’ll turn your skull into a colander!”

“I-I’m
not her keeper,” she cried, shielding her face with her shaking hands, drawing
her bound knees up to her chest.  “I’ve taken you everywhere I can think
of.  Please!  Don’t kill me!”

“Put
that gun away,” Joe piped up.  “We need her.” Kate dared to open one
eye. 
Joe’s standing up for me?
  She couldn’t believe it.

Joe
placed his hand on the barrel of the gun and slowly lowered it.  “She
knows how to work the software, remember?  It’ll save your guys a lot of
time figuring it out.”

Geordie’s
face pinched in thought.  His nostrils flared.  “Damn it.”  A
moment later, he twisted back into his seat and switched the light off. 
After banging the butt of the gun on the dash several times, he waved it at the
road ahead, and then rubbed his temple with it.  “Keep driving.  I
need to think.”

“Sure,”
Derek replied, then shifted gears and continued driving out of town.  He
rounded a bend where vehicles were scarce.  Vast fields and trees replaced
concrete suburbs, the silence broken only by the hum of the engine and the soft
whistle of wind gushing into the car through the passenger window.

Kate
swung her teary gaze to Joe and whispered, “Thanks.”  Her jaw vibrated and
she couldn’t get another word out.  But she could still think, just
about.  Maybe, just maybe, she hadn’t blown it with Joe.  With a
little more encouragement, he might actually help her.  She had to keep
her head and wits.

Zooming
along a familiar tree-lined road in the dappled moonlight, Kate gulped air
noisily on spotting a large green sign coming up on her left.  Illuminated
by two spotlights, it read:

Tree-flyer
Adventure Park. 

The
car park should have been in darkness at this time of night.  But it
wasn’t.  Why?  Kate’s heart thumped faster on seeing two lights
cutting horizontal cones in the darkness.  In that glare, she spotted a
red car.  Kate shifted in her seat. 
A Golf?
  It was
parked just inside the entrance gates.  Kate’s mouth dropped open. 
She pressed her hand over it to quell a gasp. 

There
was only one red Golf owner who could access the park at such a late
hour.  Steve.  And there were certainly no parties booked in for
twilight zip-lining tonight.  Steve would have mentioned it.
 Thoughts of wishing she were in his strong arms, breathing in his scent,
snuggling up against his warm body on the sofa, filled her mind.  A beat
later, someone killed the lights in the car park, plunging the entrance into
darkness.

Unless
Steve had ditched his car then he was here, right now, and had company. 
But who?  Jenna?  She glanced at Joe who was drumming his fingers on
his thigh, head turned away from her.  She sat up taller, glanced at
Geordie, and instantly flinched. 

His
beady eyes were on her through the vanity mirror of the sun visor.  “What
are you doing?” he asked, tilting his chin up.

Her
simmering nerves crystallised into raw, sharp panic.  “N-nothing.  I
just have to pee.”  Kate let her eyelids fall shut.  She shrank down
into her seat, leaned her head against the cool glass pane and prayed for the
safety of herself and her friends.

S
hortly after
Kerry contacted Machete, a car drove through the park gates.  We shot off
into the woods in a panic.  Leaves swayed lazily against the declining sun
as I waited on the tree platform for news.  Blue LED lights, wrapped
around tree trunks in rising spirals, shone like dazzling sapphires throughout
the park.  The sun finally slipped below the horizon, leaving me standing
in darkness. 

Dylan
approached the base of the tree.  “False alarm.”

“So
who was it?” I asked, leaning over the railing.

“Joyriders. 
They’ve gone now.  We shooed them off.”

The
wind swept across the platform and gave me goosebumps - or perhaps it was the
conversation Dylan and I needed to have.  My heart heavy, I watched Dylan
mount the tree ladder to climb up to me. 

“Everyone’s
in position,” he said, without meeting my eyes.  “I guess all we can do
now is wait.”

A
negative energy enveloped me.  I couldn’t bare the awkward vibes any longer. 
I tapped the platform with my foot next to his hand.  “It’s time we
talked.”

He
pulled himself onto the platform.  “This is not the best time.”

“Machete’s
not here yet.”

He
frowned and glanced into the woods.  “Okay.  Let’s hear it.”

I
waved my hand in the rough direction of his neighbourhood.  “Look, what
you saw back there in the pub wasn’t—“

He
eyed me with an expression closer to disappointment than anger.  “Wasn’t
something I was meant to see?”

“No. 
Oh, God, no!” I gushed.  “That’s not what I was about to say at
all.” 

“Then
what?  Did something happen between you and John last night?”

“Yes,”
I snapped, angry that he was reading everything wrongly.  “We bonded over
puddles of other people’s urine and the thrill of a stun gun.”

Dylan’s
eyebrows bunched together. 

I
ran a hand through my hair, and forced my mind back on track. 
“Look.  What you saw earlier... It was John who kissed
me
. 
And actually, I’m pretty pissed at you for—“

He
held his hands out.  “You’re pissed at me?”

“Yes. 
For assuming that I’m some sort of floozy!“

Dylan
leaned against the central tree trunk and folded his arms. 

“John
kissed me without my encouragement, and I shoved him away.”

A
muscle flexed in his jaw.  His eyes hardened.  “From what I saw, you
only shoved John away
after
you spotted me in the corridor.”

“Thanks
for assuming the worst about me.”  I scowled.  “Yes, that kind of is
the way it happened.  But like I said, I didn’t ask him to kiss me. 
He just launched in and...“  I broke off when his probing eyes burned
through me.

“So...
I’m confused.”

Is
he actually listening?  Or is his head elsewhere?
  He
sounded annoyed, yet looked sad.

“You’re
saying it was all John, that it wasn’t a mutual...”  Dylan unfolded his
arms and rubbed his forehead.  A few seconds later, he jerked up straight,
and his voice soared, “You’re saying John threw himself on you?”

“Well,
yes.  I didn’t expect it, and it was...”

Dylan
turned his back to me and leaned over the platform edge.  He thumped and
kicked the railing several times.  “I’ll kill him.”

Those
three cold words jabbed my gut.  I touched his shoulder.  “No. 
Jeez!  Don’t say things like that.  I’ve had enough violence to last
a...  You don’t understand.  John... he...” 

Dylan
swung around.  “You’re gonna defend him?”

I
hesitated.  “Look.  John’s all wound up about Kerry.  They’re
having problems.  They argue.  They’ve been living hand to
mouth.  Everything’s getting on top of them, and I think he’s confusing
our friendship for something else,” I said, wondering if I’d missed anything
out.  “If I can understand that, then surely you can, too.”

His
eyebrows dipped.  “Friendship?  I’ve seen more than
friendly
looks
passing between the two of you today.  How do you think that made me
feel?  If there hadn’t been armed men chasing after us, I’d have—”

“Looks?”
I asked, faintly aware of one occasion.  “Well, perhaps.  But they
weren’t meant in
that
way!  At least not on my part.  John and
I did spend the night together... as hostages!  We thought we were going
to die.  So there was bound to be...”  I stopped, my mind was veering
off on a tangent and we were short on time.  “Anyway.  The point is,
the kiss was a misunderstanding.  I’m sorry you saw it, but it was not my
fault and it meant nothing to me.” 

He
said nothing.  What was going round in his head?

I
reached for his harness and gave it a little tug.  “You’re the person I’m
in love with.”  Each word flowed out of my mouth as effortlessly as
breathing.  “Now please, just forget it ever happened.”

Dylan
looked into my eyes with such warmth and intensity that several of my
heartbeats blended into one.  “I guess I just thought that...
well...”  His voice faltered.  He paused and stretched his arms along
the railing, inhaling a deep breath.  “Now isn’t the time.  Machete
could turn up any second.”

“But
he’s not here yet.”  I paused.  “Please.  Tell me.  What’s
this really about?  For us to work, you have to let me in.  I don’t
want any more secrets.”

He
swung his gaze over to the car park, then sighed.  “Okay.  I’ve been
here before, Jen.  With an ex.”

I
gulped.  From the way he stressed the word ‘ex’ I knew his story would be
bad. 

“Steve
knew something was off, but I didn’t listen to him.  My girlfriend got
loaded at a family get-together last year.  It came out that the reason
she got stinking drunk was because her bit on the side was also in the
room.”  He paused and took a deep breath.

“Who?”

“Let’s
just say things are still frosty with my cousin Rick, and his side of the
family.”

Realisation
dawned.  The hurt wasn’t actually about me.  “She was seeing you both
at the same time?”  I guess I didn’t consider that he too might have a
painful past.

He
nodded.  “And she was pregnant.  It split our family apart.  She
convinced me that the baby was mine and got my parents all excited.  They
bought a pram, a cot...”

The
deep hurt in Dylan’s voice didn’t go unnoticed.  I nibbled my lip. 
“Are you the father?”

He
sucked in a loud breath.  “No.  I got over it, but my parents
didn’t.  They were devastated.  One minute they were having their
first grandchild, the next they weren’t.  Anyway, the thing is, I won’t
allow myself or my family to get hurt like that again.”

Seeing
John kiss me had pricked a raw nerve.  “I’m not your ex, and I’m not
pregnant.”

“But
you are married.  I would never have gone near you if Kate hadn’t
explained about your circumstances.”

“I
stopped being intimate with Alan a long time ago.  I would never switch
between two men’s beds.  That’s just not me.”  I paused, then
chuckled unexpectedly.  “I’m probably more complicated than your ex. 
I assume people weren’t trying to kill her.”

He
gave a little laugh.  “No.  That’s one thing in her favour.”  He
paused and ran a fidgeting hand over his jaw.  “The thing about all this
is, Jenna.”  He glanced at me, his eyes serious yet cautious. 

I
gulped. 

“Because
of what you’ve been through, I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing what, or who
you want.  I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I’m going to. 
Perhaps you shouldn’t settle for the first guy you meet.”

 “Wow.” 
I’d expect that kind of cutting line from a friend.  Coming from him, it
stung deeper. 
Is he testing me?
  I shuffled my feet. 
“Look.  My life is like flying through turbulent air every Goddamn day,
lately.  Even if we get through this mess, I’ll have so much stuff to sort
out.”  I prodded his chest softly with my finger.  “But I’ve found
the courage to start living again, and I’m serious about
us
as a
couple.  There’s no one I’d rather ride those bumps with more than you!”

His
pained blue eyes softened, then he rushed forward and gathered me into his
arms.  “I’m sorry.”

I
was glad he’d opened up to me.  A burst of happiness soothed my sore
heart.  I’d never felt safer with or wanted a man this badly in all my
life.  Could he see that?  Unlike my husband, Dylan’s bark never led
to a bite, he didn’t treat me as a possession and he wasn’t the sort to tread
on people to achieve his goals.  I hated the thought of falling once again
for a rogue.  Dylan obviously had similar fears.  But somehow, my gut
assured me that Dylan was a keeper.  I just hoped that he felt the same
way about me.  I pressed my chin to his chest and glanced up.  “So
we’re good?”

“Yes.” 
He squeezed me.  “I may have had my ego bruised when I saw that kiss, but
I never once considered abandoning you to those thugs.  You know that,
right?”

I
nodded.  “And you won’t lace into John?”

He
pressed his lips into a tight line.  “He crossed the boundary.”

“Please,”
I said, as sweetly as I could.  “Take one for the team.”

He
laughed.  “Is that what you’d call it?”

“I
just mean we’re in deep enough shit already without falling out with John and
Kerry.  We need his help to rescue Kate, remember?”

“I
won’t lie to you.” He cocked his head towards the trees across the
clearing.  “I’m pissed at him.  But if that’s what you want, I’ll put
this on ice.”

I
smiled.  I’d won him over and kept the peace.  For now.  “It
is.  And just so you know, I already hit John.”

Is
that a slight grin on Dylan’s face?

Dylan
circled me and pressed his back to the tree.  He threw his arms around me
and hugged me tightly from behind.  “I’m sorry for doubting you.” 
The silk of his voice made my heart catch.  “I should have known better
than to—“

I
brought my hand up over my shoulder, and pressed my finger to his lips. 
“Hush...  Compared to what we’ve been through, it’s not important...
cobwebs in a corner, gum on the street.  I’m just glad we got it cleared
up.  If we can survive what we’ve been through this weekend, then we can
survive anything.  Together.”

“I
agree.”

“Let’s
forget it now.”

“Forget
what?”  He laughed, and then kissed my neck.   

Swiping
a fly off my face, I kept my gaze on the car park entrance.  Swaying tree
limbs against the soft moonlight provided a wall of shimmering netting around
us, hopefully camouflaging us from the stress to come. 

“It’s
beautiful up here,” I said, inhaling the fresh, earthy fragrance released from
the woods.  Although still quiet, the soft patter of nocturnal life was
full around us, both up in the trees and on the ground.  I heard the faint
crackle of burning timber.  The small fire in the clearing blazed brightly
against the darkness.  It was the meet point marker.  

After
Dylan ensured, once again, that my harness was clipped to the safety line, he
glanced at his watch.  “Anytime now.”  He moved a hand from my waist
and grabbed his radio.  “Everyone in position?”

“Yes. 
I’m ready,” Steve replied, and then Kerry and John whispered a chorus of ‘yeah’
through the radio.

“I’ll
let you know as soon as I see anything.”  Dylan signed off.

A
shiver of worry raced across my shoulders while in his arms.  I looked up
at Dylan.  Patchy moonlight danced across his face.  He ran a gentle
hand over my arm.  “Nervous?”

I
sucked in a noisy breath of air.  “Sure am.”

He
kissed my head.  It caused my skin to tingle.  I loved that
feeling.  Then he bent to kiss my lips - probably to take my mind off
things.  Soft at first, then a far longer and sexier one, that caused a
circus of thrills to ripple through my body.  It felt lovely, magical
even, kissing under the moonlight with soft wind lofting my hair.  This
would have been a perfect moment had I not heard the hum of an engine and the
sharp pops of gravel in the distance.  I flinched.  Our lips slipped
apart. 

“Someone’s
here,” Dylan said, his expression darkening.  He dashed to the railing and
looked out at the car park.  “There’s one vehicle.”

My
face flamed and my heart missed a beat.  There was so much at stake and a
chilling shudder moved through me.

It
was time.  Make or break.

“Pass
the binoculars,” Dylan said.

With
shaking hands, I passed them over.  “Oh, God.  I’m so scared now.”

There
was a moment of dead silence as Dylan looked through the binoculars.
  

“Yep,”
he finally said.  “I can see... Oh, hold on.  They’re getting
out.  Three or four guys, and... I presume the little boy is
Elliot.”  He unhooked the radio from his belt, pressed a button and said,
“They’re here.  Elliot’s getting out of the back seat.”