He was getting close. She had seconds to decide how to play this.
Hide in plain sight. Like the diamonds.
She turned the shower on again. There was really only one thing to do. God, she didn't want to do it, but she pulled his shirt over her head and stepped into the shower. Cold water sluiced down her skin. She shook but forced herself to soap her hair.
The door shook as it came open.
"What do you want, you assholes? Are you going to rape me now? Trust me, the cold shower is working just fine to soften me up. I swear when my fiancé gets ahold of you, you're going to be sorry."
"Kinley?"
She hated the very sound of Greg's voice, but she forced herself to gasp in surprise and poke her head out of the shower. "Greg?" She asked the question tentatively as though utterly hopeful. "Oh, my god. Is it really you?"
He was standing there wearing dark pants and a black turtleneck. It was elegant, but now Kinley saw why he'd chosen it-black wouldn't show the blood he intended to spill. He was a well-dressed viper, waiting to strike.
He was also a damn fine actor. His face softened. "Oh, my sweetheart. I thought they had killed you."
He reached out his hand. With her stomach in knots, Kinley took it.
Chapter Sixteen
Dominic hid behind the west wall of the house, moving as silently as he could across the deck. The key was to stay close to the wall. He edged along, stopping every few seconds to listen and ensure that no one was sneaking up behind him.
Surely someone had heard the gunshots. One of Jansen's men would walk out any minute now and see the dead body on the lawn, but Dominic didn't have time to hide it. He needed to get into the house and get Kinley out. Unless Riley had already done it. He'd been the only one in the house with her. Dominic prayed that his brother had heard the gunshot and spirited her out to the hangar with Law. They had weapons there-and a radio. With any luck, Riley, Law, and Kinley were holed up and formulating a plan, just waiting for him to reach them.
Or his brother could be dead, and Kinley could be at the mercy of a man who had none.
What the fuck had gone wrong? This was all his fault. He should have moved her once a day, but no. He'd been so sure that no one would find them in the wilderness. Breaking Kinley down had been more important than protecting her from the monster she'd nearly married.
Dominic cursed under his breath. Guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He should have thought of her first. He should have put his revenge on hold and simply helped an innocent woman.
But then he would never have known what it was like to hold her, to watch her laugh, to love her.
God, he was in love with her, and now she might die.
Gigi yipped as though barking at him to move him along.
He looked down at the two dogs following at his heels. If he hadn't been in the woods while they ran around and did their business, he might have heard Jansen's SUV coming up the road himself.
"Hush," he hissed as quietly as he could.
Butch sat back on his haunches, looking up. He was a good little soldier, the mutt. But Gigi was one high-strung rat thing. It was probably getting close to meal time for her. And she was going to get him killed if she didn't shut up.
"Handle your woman," he muttered to Butch as he continued his slow, creeping steps toward the back door.
"How did you find me?" Kinley's voice was soft, but he could hear her through the thick pane of glass. He was standing right beside the window to her bedroom. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest when he realized who was in there with her.
"I have my ways, darling. I'm just so glad that I got here in time. You have no idea what the last few days have been like." Jansen's voice was deep with emotion. Dominic would hand it to him for that Oscar-worthy performance. "Tell me, Kinley, did they hurt you?"
He heard her sniffle a little. "Yes."
What game was she playing?
"How?"
"They scared me, Greg. They drugged me. They threatened my dog. They kept me awake for long periods of time. They tied me up. And then, just when I thought they were letting up because they allowed me a shower, they made it ice cold. They were going to make me as uncomfortable as possible. I don't know why. Why does that man hate you?"
Oh, he was so going to smack her ass for ever calling herself stupid.
Law was in the hangar. Kinley was with the enemy. Where was Riley? God, he had to pray his brother wasn't in there with Kinley.
"If it's who I think it is, darling, then he hates me because I was married to his sister," Greg said. "You know how I felt about Carrie. I loved her. It took me years to find another wife I felt I could care for as much. She was just … well, she was broken. I've kept this secret for far too long, but she told me her brother sexually abused her. He's insane, Kinley. Which is precisely why I need you to gather all of your things so we get you out of here. He could hurt you. He would do it because he knows it would kill me."