thirsty, all of a sudden, but reaching for the glass would have meant showing just how much his hands were shaking. “Where’s Zoey,” he asked instead. “I need to know that she’s safe.”
Tanaka made a tsk sound with his tongue against his teeth. “Again, Mr. Blankenship, you insult me. I am a good man, an honorable man. I have done nothing to hurt you, and I would never harm your woman. She is good to you?” He waited a moment, and when Alex didn’t respond, the other man continued as if he had. “It is good that she is. Every man needs a good woman—or a good man, I suppose, if it comes to that—to support him in his actions.”
“We’re done here,” Alex said, moving to stand.
It didn’t surprise him that every person in the room except for himself and Tanaka reached for a gun. Alex was standing, his knees pushing the chair back from the table, but he knew better than to move further. Tanaka, for his part, stayed still, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of rice and vegetables. “Unfortunately, Mr. Blankenship,” Tanaka said, his voice the height of polite apologies, “we are not done here. We are very, very far from done. I ask you again to sit and talk with me. After we are done our conversation, I will see that you are taken to the woman, and you may see for yourself that I am a man of my word, a man who would never hurt a woman merely because of those with whom she chooses to associate.” His face hardened then, his expression chilling down into something much darker and colder than Alex had seen in their dealings. “What information she has chosen to acquire,” he said, in a tone cold enough to match the expression, “and what she chooses to do with that information? That would be an entirely different conversation. And to be entirely truthful, Mr. Blankenship, we are men of business. I think it better you and I have this conversation, and come to an understanding and an agreement. I think she will be… safer for our conversation.”
There was the knife twist he’d been waiting for. Alex forced the rising tide of fury out of the way—it wouldn’t help him, not to save himself, or Zoey, or get them out of here alive—and forced himself to slide back down into the seat. When he reached for the glass of water, his hand was very nearly still. “All right,” he said. “Let’s talk.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
They blind folded her before they let her out of the car, but they untied her wrists. She found herself appreciating that; after all, if she got away from them somehow, it would be a hell of a lot easier to uncover her eyes than it was to break a zip-tie.
When they took her out of the car, she heard the kinds of busy sounds that she associated with a city. Rushing cars, shouting people, horns, traffic. But the sounds were muffled somehow, farther away. Strange. She couldn’t quite grasp what was going on.
When they pulled her to her feet, her head spun like a Tilt-a-Whirl, and she felt her knees start to give out below her. She gasped, suddenly completely unsure which way was up or down; the only thing that kept her from falling was someone’s arms closing around her waist and hauling her upright. Something plastic was pressed against her lips—a bottle—and when it was tipped up and cool liquid brushed over her lips, she drank greedily. She hadn’t realized she was thirsty until she was gulping down water as fast as they poured it for her, and hunger followed closely, her stomach clawing viciously at her spine. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten a proper meal, but she suspected it was in the penthouse.
After a moment, the spinning world didn’t exactly settle down, but it did at least begin to spin in milder circles. The hands on her arms guided her along. The surface she was walking on was uneven, but not enough to make her trip. The guards didn’t push her too quickly, letting her have some time to adjust and move. It was
Tanaka made a tsk sound with his tongue against his teeth. “Again, Mr. Blankenship, you insult me. I am a good man, an honorable man. I have done nothing to hurt you, and I would never harm your woman. She is good to you?” He waited a moment, and when Alex didn’t respond, the other man continued as if he had. “It is good that she is. Every man needs a good woman—or a good man, I suppose, if it comes to that—to support him in his actions.”
“We’re done here,” Alex said, moving to stand.
It didn’t surprise him that every person in the room except for himself and Tanaka reached for a gun. Alex was standing, his knees pushing the chair back from the table, but he knew better than to move further. Tanaka, for his part, stayed still, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of rice and vegetables. “Unfortunately, Mr. Blankenship,” Tanaka said, his voice the height of polite apologies, “we are not done here. We are very, very far from done. I ask you again to sit and talk with me. After we are done our conversation, I will see that you are taken to the woman, and you may see for yourself that I am a man of my word, a man who would never hurt a woman merely because of those with whom she chooses to associate.” His face hardened then, his expression chilling down into something much darker and colder than Alex had seen in their dealings. “What information she has chosen to acquire,” he said, in a tone cold enough to match the expression, “and what she chooses to do with that information? That would be an entirely different conversation. And to be entirely truthful, Mr. Blankenship, we are men of business. I think it better you and I have this conversation, and come to an understanding and an agreement. I think she will be… safer for our conversation.”
There was the knife twist he’d been waiting for. Alex forced the rising tide of fury out of the way—it wouldn’t help him, not to save himself, or Zoey, or get them out of here alive—and forced himself to slide back down into the seat. When he reached for the glass of water, his hand was very nearly still. “All right,” he said. “Let’s talk.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
They blind folded her before they let her out of the car, but they untied her wrists. She found herself appreciating that; after all, if she got away from them somehow, it would be a hell of a lot easier to uncover her eyes than it was to break a zip-tie.
When they took her out of the car, she heard the kinds of busy sounds that she associated with a city. Rushing cars, shouting people, horns, traffic. But the sounds were muffled somehow, farther away. Strange. She couldn’t quite grasp what was going on.
When they pulled her to her feet, her head spun like a Tilt-a-Whirl, and she felt her knees start to give out below her. She gasped, suddenly completely unsure which way was up or down; the only thing that kept her from falling was someone’s arms closing around her waist and hauling her upright. Something plastic was pressed against her lips—a bottle—and when it was tipped up and cool liquid brushed over her lips, she drank greedily. She hadn’t realized she was thirsty until she was gulping down water as fast as they poured it for her, and hunger followed closely, her stomach clawing viciously at her spine. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten a proper meal, but she suspected it was in the penthouse.
After a moment, the spinning world didn’t exactly settle down, but it did at least begin to spin in milder circles. The hands on her arms guided her along. The surface she was walking on was uneven, but not enough to make her trip. The guards didn’t push her too quickly, letting her have some time to adjust and move. It was
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