Mid-sentence, she stopped speaking. So intent was she on the fight in front of her that Elise hadn’t noticed anyone approaching, until a cold blade pressed against her throat.
“Hello, Elise.” Marla whispered into her ear.
A wave of icy fear washed over her and Kane suddenly froze, his head swinging her way. Ryne, obviously not knowing what was going on, lunged at Kane who neatly sidestepped, allowing Ryne to overshoot his mark and fall heavily to the ground. Ryne leapt up and twirled around, only to stop dead in his tracks as he finally noticed the new arrival.
“My, my! Look at you two. All bloody and dirty. Tsk, tsk. Is that any way for loving brothers to behave, fighting over a little bitch?” Marla mocked the pair of black wolves that faced her. Kane’s eyes reflected his confusion, disbelief, and then rapid assimilation of the situation as it dawned on him that Marla had a knife to Elise’s neck, and was the source of his mate’s fear. He took a step towards her, growling, only to stop when Marla spoke. “I wouldn’t come any closer Kane, darling. I might get nervous and flinch. This knife is extremely sharp and just the slightest pressure could break the skin.”
Kane shifted into human form, while Ryne’s wolf snarled. Marla laughed. “Temper, temper, Ryne. Remember all of the trouble it’s caused you already.”
“What are you up to, Marla?” Kane’s voice was cold, his face stony.
“Just trying to convince you to sell the land, so I can get my hands on the money it will generate.”
“Sell the land?” Kane’s voice was incredulous. “Is that what this is all about?”
“Well, it’s certainly not about getting you back—not that it wouldn’t be a nice side benefit—but really, good-looking men are a dime a dozen once you have money.” As she spoke, Kane was slowly stepping to the left and Marla turned to keep him in sight, seeming not to realize that Ryne was inching his way to the right. Elise said nothing, silently watching the two brothers instinctively work as a unit, one providing the distraction while the other circled their prey.
“So how is hurting Elise going to get me to sell the land?” Kane inquired blandly.
“You sign the papers from Northern Oil and I set her free, unharmed.” Marla explained.
“I don’t have them here.” Kane’s gaze briefly darted in Ryne’s direction.
She snorted derisively. “Of course not. I’m no fool. Elise is staying with me until the papers are in the hands of Northern Oil’s lawyers. I have friends there who will let me know when it happens. Then you’ll deposit the money into my bank account. Once that’s taken care of, Elise will be free to go.”
Kane rubbed his chin thoughtfully as if considering the situation. Elise observed him carefully, widening her eyes as a feeling—just the inkling of an idea—began to form in her head. She focused herself as best as she could, pushing through her own feelings of panic to find what Kane was trying to communicate to her. It was a bit of a jumble and she strained to make sense of it, finally grasping a repeated thread: I love you. Be ready.
He loved her? Oh my gosh! Her heart leapt inside her chest. What a time to find out, when there was no chance of savouring the sweet words. She had to be ready, but ready for what? What was Kane going to do? How would he signal her when Ryne was going to attack? That was what she assumed the plan must be. Her gaze flew to his face hoping for a hint, but it remained impassive. She wished she could see Marla’s face to get some indication of what the woman might be thinking, but from her position with the knife against her throat, it wasn’t possible.
Marla sighed impatiently. “Hurry up, Kane. Just agree. You know there’s no other way out of this. Oh, and Ryne?” Elise felt Marla move behind her. “Quit trying to sneak up behind me or I’ll blow your brains out sooner rather than later. I have a gun and I’m ambidextrous so it won’t be a problem using my other hand to shoot.” Elise heard the distinctive click of a gun, followed by a frustrated whine from Ryne. Trust Marla to have two weapons on her.
Elise saw the muscle in Kane’s jaw flex indicating his inner turmoil, but his voice revealed nothing. “Well...” Kane drawled the word out. “The problem is, Marla, I have to consider the needs of the whole pack, rather than what I might personally want.”
“Don’t give me all of that ‘for the good of the pack’ crap. This is what you need to deal with right here and now.” Marla’s voice had gone from mocking to hard and exasperated. She pressed the point of the knife into Elise’s neck causing her to whimper as warm liquid slowly trickled down her neck and between her breasts.