Hunted by Ella Ardent Page B

you’re taking your vacation in one of The Phoenix’s dungeons. Everyone is out, so this is the moment for you to move in.”
    Amy almost laughed. No one could use the dungeons without Athena’s knowledge. There were cameras hidden all over this place. Steele might want to play a game, but he wouldn’t get away with it for long.
    Steele tapped her with a heavy finger. “And don’t go imagining that anyone is going to save you. I’ve over-ridden all the cameras, so it looks like the dungeon we’ll use is empty. You know they’re all soundproofed, too. You’re mine for two days and nights, Amy, although I wonder if it will take that long to convince you to share what you know.”
    Steele was doing this without Athena’s approval?
    Amy froze in fear. She felt herself lifted and hefted over his shoulder. The door opened, and he paused, as if peering down the hall, then hastened out of her room.
    It was when she felt the chill of the basement in the house, where the three dungeons were located, that Amy realized the truth. Rex wasn’t going to dirty his hands in teaching her a lesson.
    He was letting Steele to do it.
    And the special forces cop who was undercover at The Phoenix wouldn’t necessarily play by the house rules.

Chapter Three

    They were dropping Shara off first, just as Neil had expected.
    He was at the helipad when she came down for her flight, waiting. The paved circle was surrounded by a garden of flowering cacti, that wouldn’t be damaged by the wind stirred up by the rotors. It was a small craft, designed for short jaunts and light loads. He wondered why they didn’t use speedboats, but then, the people who ran The Phoenix never spared any expense.
    It was a lot flashier to be delivered to the island this way, and Neil supposed it would encourage people to think the helicopter was the only way off the island.
    Shara was dressed like a commando. She wore fatigues in a color that would help her blend into the jungle greenery, and lace-up boots. He had no doubt the pockets of her cargo pants were filled with many useful items—or items she believed would be useful—and she carried a small backpack. She noticed him immediately, though he wasn’t front-and-center, which was a hint she was observant.
    That was good. He didn’t like easy victories.
    Just inevitable ones.
    “Don’t forget your sunscreen,” he drawled when she was alongside him.
    She smiled. “Don’t forget your condoms,” she replied and Neil smiled back. He stood up and walked her side, letting her look him up and down. She was tall but shorter than him, her hair now cut short, and some marks on her face probably supposed to disguise her.
    “You picked a favorite?” he asked, standing close enough to smell her skin. There were faint shadows under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well. Anticipation maybe. It would be to her disadvantage, though, and he felt his own excitement rise.
    “May the best man win,” she said, her eyes dancing, then gestured to the pilot. “They’re waiting on me.”
    He stepped back and let his voice drop low. “You can hide, Shara, but there’s nowhere to run.”
    “I know,” she said, undaunted. “That’s the whole point.”
    He watched the swing of her ass as she strode to the waiting helicopter and smiled as he reviewed all of his plans—both for his competition, and for the prize herself.
    * * *
    The island looked pitifully small. Shara peered out the side of the helicopter, surveying the deep green vegetation below. From overhead, she could see there was only a thin sliver of beach on its outward side, and the rest of the coast was rocky. Probably a boat couldn’t land easily. The vegetation on the island was so dense that all she could see was the tops of the trees.
    Although, it might have been a network of vines.
    “No wildlife on the island,” the pilot said, raising his voice over the sound of the rotors. “Even the snakes have been cleared off. There are insects so possibly