Taken Hostage by Ranae Rose Page A

heat
flushed her face.
    ‘So are you,’ James snapped, glaring at the
intruder, who continued to cast long glances in Tiffany’s
direction.
    ‘No way was I going to take a chance on
missing you,’ he said, eyeing James through suddenly narrowed eyes,
‘and being left behind.’
    ‘Don’t be an idiot. You know I need you.’
    The man with the accent tipped his head in
acknowledgement of the truth, but didn’t uncross his arms.
    ‘So,’ James said, ‘any snags in the plan?’
There was a hard edge to his voice.
    ‘No. I did my part. It’s there – I saw it
with my own eyes this morning.’ He cast a sideways glance at the
thick forest that began only a few yards away.
    James’ gaze followed. ‘Let’s not waste time.
Go get it.’
    The darker man’s eyes flickered with
defiance. ‘You go. I’ll wait here.’
    ‘Damn it!’ James exclaimed. ‘Would I have
even stopped if I was going to leave you when I got here?’
    The other man’s face softened for a second,
but he quickly resumed a stubborn expression. ‘I’m sick of those
damned swampy woods. I’ve been in and out of there a dozen times.
It’s your turn.’
    James’ fists tightened at his sides, his
knuckles going white above strained muscle and tautened sinew.
‘Fine,’ he spat, ‘but I’m taking my keys with me.’ He glanced over
his shoulder at Tiffany, and she shot him a desperate glance.
    James moved to block her from the other man’s
view with his body, standing in place of the open door while
picking up her pants from the floor mat and tossing them to her.
She wiggled into them hastily, her eyes questioning as they
remained locked with his blue ones.
    ‘You stay here,’ he told her. ‘It’s miserable
in there.’ She eyed the window warily, catching a glimpse of the
dark man whom James obviously knew. ‘He won’t be able to go
anywhere without the car keys,’ James reassured her, following the
direction of her gaze. ‘Just wait here for me.’ With that he turned
on his heel and started off toward the edge of the forest, leaving
Tiffany alone with the stranger.
    ‘Rolando!’ James barked as he strode past the
man. ‘Don’t even think about hurting her.’
    And then he was gone, disappeared into the
thick trees and the darkness that their canopy afforded despite the
fact that the sun was peeking from above their boughs, a fiery gem
against the grey morning.
    Tiffany waited nervously in the back seat
with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees and her back to the
road. Her heart beat too fast against her ribs. What the hell as
going on? She couldn’t wait for James to get back. She had more
than a few questions for him. Desperate for distraction from her
increasingly troubled thoughts, she eyed the mysterious Rolando,
who was languishing a couple yards away. He stood leaning against a
tree as, his features growing steadily more distinct as the day
broke. She studied him as much out of wariness as curiosity, noting
a few faint acne scars that dotted his otherwise perfectly smooth
caramel cheeks and a small, curving scar that stood out white and
bare below his right ear. When he turned to face her, her heart
leapt into her throat.
    ‘So you’re the hostage,’ he said, raking her
from head to bare toes with his eyes. Tiffany fought the urge to
shrink away from his gaze, knowing that the closed door to her back
would prevent it. His eyes settled on the front of her shirt, where
her nipples were on prominent display through the light blue
fabric. ‘Looks like you’ve kept the drive interesting for James.’
He grinned, revealing slightly crooked teeth.
    He climbed into the back seat with her and
the door handle dug into her spine as she compressed herself
against it. His scent filled the car – a mixture of sweat and the
earthy odor of the swampy woods. What was in there that James had
gone to retrieve? And how the hell did Rolando know she was James’
hostage? No matter, she decided as Rolando leaned close – she