bathroom. What had he insinuated with his question? She had
no idea. She shrugged as she splashed water over her face. Examining the
moisturizing cream supplied by the hotel, she realized it was all she would
have to put on her face. Oh, well, she didn't care. There was nobody she needed
to impress with an immaculately made-up face. She used Blake's brush again to
do her hair, grateful she didn't need anything else to make it presentable.
They had breakfast at
the small table, saying little, the silence uncomfortable. She felt frayed
around the edges.
"I need to find a
way to get my purse and papers, and some clothes," she said.
"We're staying
away from the house. You'll have to do without." He buttered a roll and
didn't look at her.
"I can't do without!" she said tightly. "I think that under the circumstances
I'd better get on a plane and go back to the States."
"You'd never make
it to the airport. It's too risky right now." He drained his coffee and
filled the cup again.
She stabbed a piece of
papaya with her fork. "And what am I supposed to be doing? Hide out here
with you? Without clothes and money?" It was a nightmare not to be
contemplated.
"No," he
said coolly. "We'd better get out of town before they figure out I took
you and where to find you." The words, calmly spoken, struck a cord of
fear in her. She felt a shiver go down her back.
"If you're trying
to frighten me, you're very successful."
"Good. Then stop
worrying about clothes, for God's sake, and do what I say."
Do
what Blake tells you. Her father's voice rang in her ears.
"You can't order
me around!" she said furiously.
"Of course I
can." A fleeting smile quirked his mouth. "I know how hard this must
be for you to admit, but you need me. Think about your father. All he wants is
assurance that his only daughter is safe."
"And I'm safe
with you?" she asked bitterly.
"Are you afraid
of me?" he asked, eyebrows arched.
Yes, she thought. She
was afraid of him, of the impact his presence had on her, of the emotions being
stirred up, but she could hardly tell him that, could she? She straightened her
back.
"Of course
not," she said tightly. "I don't imagine you have plans to lock me up
in some dank cellar until such time you think all danger of kidnapping has
passed."
"No. I have a
better idea." He took a bite from his roll, which prevented him from
saying more for the moment. She gritted her teeth as she watched him chew.
"Would you like
to clarify that?" she asked when he swallowed.
"I'd be delighted
to. What we're going to do is this... Friends of mine, John and Lisette
O'Connor, have a house in the mountains, about four hours out of town. They're
out of the country at the moment, but I made arrangements with them to stay at
their house to write my report. It's pretty isolated and we can stay there
until it's safe to go back to KL or until we find a way to get you out of the
country.''
"How?"
"I don't know
yet. Maybe we can drive across the border into Thailand. Or maybe we can get
you to a smaller airport and you can catch a domestic flight to Sarawak,
Borneo, and get into Indonesia from there. We'll have to check out the
possib—" He stopped mid- sentence. Then swore under his breath.
"Those thugs turned your room upside down to find your passport," he
stated with frigid finality.
"It wasn't in my
room!" she said quickly, relief flooding her. "It's in my desk drawer
at my father's office. He gave me a desk and a computer so I could work on my
writing there. It's in there with my disks and my return ticket and some
traveler's checks."
He let out a long sigh
of relief. "Good." He raked his hand through his hair. "Well,
we'd better get going then. I'll get packed."
"Do you have a
car here?" she asked, remembering they'd come to the hotel in a taxi last
night.
He tossed a suitcase
onto the bed. "I can use the O'Connors'. It's parked at the house of
friends of theirs here in town. They always keep it in KL when they're leaving
the country so
no idea. She shrugged as she splashed water over her face. Examining the
moisturizing cream supplied by the hotel, she realized it was all she would
have to put on her face. Oh, well, she didn't care. There was nobody she needed
to impress with an immaculately made-up face. She used Blake's brush again to
do her hair, grateful she didn't need anything else to make it presentable.
They had breakfast at
the small table, saying little, the silence uncomfortable. She felt frayed
around the edges.
"I need to find a
way to get my purse and papers, and some clothes," she said.
"We're staying
away from the house. You'll have to do without." He buttered a roll and
didn't look at her.
"I can't do without!" she said tightly. "I think that under the circumstances
I'd better get on a plane and go back to the States."
"You'd never make
it to the airport. It's too risky right now." He drained his coffee and
filled the cup again.
She stabbed a piece of
papaya with her fork. "And what am I supposed to be doing? Hide out here
with you? Without clothes and money?" It was a nightmare not to be
contemplated.
"No," he
said coolly. "We'd better get out of town before they figure out I took
you and where to find you." The words, calmly spoken, struck a cord of
fear in her. She felt a shiver go down her back.
"If you're trying
to frighten me, you're very successful."
"Good. Then stop
worrying about clothes, for God's sake, and do what I say."
Do
what Blake tells you. Her father's voice rang in her ears.
"You can't order
me around!" she said furiously.
"Of course I
can." A fleeting smile quirked his mouth. "I know how hard this must
be for you to admit, but you need me. Think about your father. All he wants is
assurance that his only daughter is safe."
"And I'm safe
with you?" she asked bitterly.
"Are you afraid
of me?" he asked, eyebrows arched.
Yes, she thought. She
was afraid of him, of the impact his presence had on her, of the emotions being
stirred up, but she could hardly tell him that, could she? She straightened her
back.
"Of course
not," she said tightly. "I don't imagine you have plans to lock me up
in some dank cellar until such time you think all danger of kidnapping has
passed."
"No. I have a
better idea." He took a bite from his roll, which prevented him from
saying more for the moment. She gritted her teeth as she watched him chew.
"Would you like
to clarify that?" she asked when he swallowed.
"I'd be delighted
to. What we're going to do is this... Friends of mine, John and Lisette
O'Connor, have a house in the mountains, about four hours out of town. They're
out of the country at the moment, but I made arrangements with them to stay at
their house to write my report. It's pretty isolated and we can stay there
until it's safe to go back to KL or until we find a way to get you out of the
country.''
"How?"
"I don't know
yet. Maybe we can drive across the border into Thailand. Or maybe we can get
you to a smaller airport and you can catch a domestic flight to Sarawak,
Borneo, and get into Indonesia from there. We'll have to check out the
possib—" He stopped mid- sentence. Then swore under his breath.
"Those thugs turned your room upside down to find your passport," he
stated with frigid finality.
"It wasn't in my
room!" she said quickly, relief flooding her. "It's in my desk drawer
at my father's office. He gave me a desk and a computer so I could work on my
writing there. It's in there with my disks and my return ticket and some
traveler's checks."
He let out a long sigh
of relief. "Good." He raked his hand through his hair. "Well,
we'd better get going then. I'll get packed."
"Do you have a
car here?" she asked, remembering they'd come to the hotel in a taxi last
night.
He tossed a suitcase
onto the bed. "I can use the O'Connors'. It's parked at the house of
friends of theirs here in town. They always keep it in KL when they're leaving
the country so
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