Page 3 of Hideaway

“Allow me to assist you,”Jace offered smoothly as he tucked her phone into his coat and held up the keys in front of her.

Kara allowed herself a moment’s glare before taking the proffered keys from his hand.

Well, there goes plan A.

She felt even more helpless without her phone by her side as she prepared to descend into the darkness below. From down there, only one way of exit was possible; she just had to make sure she got there first. Kara turned on the lights, going against her nature to leave the door unlocked behind them, and started down the very familiar path.“Watch your step; it is pretty steep,”she cautioned out of habit. When they all reached the bottom floor, Kara gathered her courage and attempted to appear casual.“Do you mind if I grab a book from my office? I need to take it home with me tonight. The archives room is the last one at the end of the hall with the keypad,”she offered in a perfect facade of cooperation.

“What is the code?”Jace asked with the eagerness of a sprinter nearing the finish line.

“It’s 3-8-2-5-8, then press enter.”

F-U-C-K-U

Kara dipped into her office and removed her shoes as the other two rushed for the last door, ready to have their prize and be done with it. When she heard the beeping of the keypad, Kara hastily started for the stairs, the urgency of speed outweighing the need for quietness. She was halfway toward the door to freedom when harsh hands grabbed her waist and jerked her over a shoulder.

“Put me down, you fucking asshole!”she shouted as she made frantic, futile attempts to escape his hold.

“Trying to make a run for it, Dr. Caine? And here I thought we were getting along. I guess you’re not quite as smart as I thought,”Jace seethed, the grip on her waist tightening.“Declan, go get a chair from one of the offices,”he ordered his supposed assistant.

Kara tried to think of what motive these two would have for using aliases and forcing their way into the secure areas of the library. They obviously were in search of one of the rare books, but the contents of the archives weren’t common knowledge. The texts catalogued in the archives were known to Kara herself, a few members of the university board, and select higher members of the academic community. Maybe it was just a shot in the dark to see if they could get away with something valuable?

“You were supposed to be an easy mark, Dr. Caine. In fact, I should already be on my way to enjoy a nice glass of whiskey. Instead, I’m having to waste valuable time dealing with your bullshit. And until I get what I want, things are going to get rather uncomfortable for you.”

Considering her awkward position on his shoulder, Kara doubted the situation could get much less comfortable.“So I’m going to assume your name isn’t Dr. Jamison?”Kara asked, trying to gather any information she could use.

After Declan emerged with a chair, Jace threw Kara down roughly on her ass.“That is correct,”he confirmed with a smirk as he kneeled down in front of where Kara was sitting. With one swift movement, Jace reached for the hem of her dress and ripped upward and across, removing the bottom half. His hands lingered on her legs a bit too long afterward, and Kara shivered in response.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”Kara asked in infuriation as she stared at the ruins of her favorite fucking dress.

“Easy on the shouting, or you’ll get a gag as well,”Jace warned as he moved to tie her wrists to the chair with the pieces he’d torn from her dress.“We can’t have you trying to escape, now can we? And since it’s your fault a simple job has been drawn out this much, I think you can stand to sacrifice a little clothing.”Jace took a step back to admire his handiwork before Declan took him aside to converse in hushed tones. She wouldn’t be moving anytime soon unless he allowed it.

Kara tested the makeshift binds on her wrists; they didn’t give an inch. Dr. Jamison, or whatever his name was, certainly had practice securing hostages, Kara noted with unease. Perhaps this was a planned, professional operation and not just a happenstance robbery. Kara studied the two men before her; they were immersed in what appeared to be an argument, oblivious to her scrutiny. The assistant, Declan, looked young enough to be her student, and his face held an innocence that had yet to be marred by an intimate acquaintance with the world. He was obviously new to conning his way into academic establishments. His associate, however, bore the countenance of a man who had very few vices left to explore.

“So what exactly are you trying to acquire here?”Kara called over in an attempt to gain any information she could. She also hoped to stop whatever scheming was unfolding out of the reach of her hearing—not being privy to their secretive plotting was making her nervous.

“A collection that was recently donated to the university,”Jace answered freely. Any information he had was irrelevant to her, so he saw no need to conceal it.

“Oh?”Kara continued conversationally, trying to mask her surprise. While the knowledge of what exactly was catalogued in their archives wasn’t widespread, the timelines of donations were only known to a very select few.

“We’re meant to retrieve an early edition ofThe Canterbury Tales.Mind fetching it from the book prison back there and saving us any more wasted time? It’s probably just laying around collecting dust with a bunch of other old books too ancient to read or use or keep within a few hundred feet of the sun,”he said, glancing around the lower floor distastefully. He usually worked in the realm of luxury, acquiring items from museums and private collections housed in mansions. He was getting tired of the dark, musty room and the librarian bitch.

“The William Caxtonfirstedition ofThe Canterbury Tales?”Kara confirmed, unable to quell a gasp of shock. That collection was one of Avery Reed’s most recent donations to the university, and it was the most magnanimous contribution the library had ever received.“It’s fifteenth century for Christ’s sake. That text is of paramount historical, academic, and literary significance, not to mention it’s worth a fortune.”

“Exactly. And?”

“And, I would rather fill my pockets with stones and take a stroll at the bottom of a river than deliver a first editionCanterbury Talesto anyone lacking the proper intentions or the skill set to handle such a delicate text.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, that could be arranged,”he threatened darkly as he strode the distance between them and bent to grasp her wrists, meeting her unwavering gaze with cold, violent eyes. Under his icy glare, she faltered only slightly.“However, the state in which I chuck your remains into a murky underwater grave is entirely up to you. I was tasked with getting a book out of the vault back there; the methods I use to extract your cooperation can be as creative as my twisted imagination allows,”Jace added as an extra layer of intimidation, eyeing his prey greedily.

At that moment, Kara felt the first prickles of fear across her skin. She was trapped and helpless with no viable options at her disposal. And she was very likely about to be tortured for the sake of saving a piece of literature that had survived for centuries before her, and, if she had anything to say about it, would exist for many after her. She looked at Jace with all the hatred she could muster and saw a dark gleam fill his eyes in return.

Jace could tell he was getting to her; the fear coursing through her veins intoxicated his senses like a fucking drug.

Kara had an unfortunate habit of reverting to antagonism when she felt threatened, and it often escalated rather than helped the situation. Before she could repress the words, instinct overpowered common sense.“I guess you’re one of those guys who can only get hard when they’re beating up helpless girls,”she provoked as spitefully as she could. Kara heard a growl of anger a split second before she felt, rather than saw, a hard hand meet her cheek with a resoundingsmack.

Jace is sensitive about his manhood. Noted.

“Jace,”Declan warned. Jace ignored the young man’s caution; Kara had the full extent of his attention.

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