Page 6 of Hideaway

Declan moved quickly to obey, displaying none of the hesitancy he had when asked to leave her alone with Jace earlier. Whether it was because he trusted Cade’s instincts, or feared Cade’s anger, Kara wasn’t sure.

Jace searched a moment before he retrieved another text from the shelves and placed it in Cade’s outreached hand. Cade’s face filled with spiteful amusement when he discovered the author.“Is it worth revealing the code to save poor Jane Austen from becoming a heap of rubbish?”he asked with a sneer.

It was clear from Caden Ashford’s face that he thought victory was in hand with his ransom ofSense and Sensibility. Unsurprisingly, he overestimated his leverage in the situation. Kara had no intention of yielding Chaucer for Austen. Unbeknownst to the criminal who was clearly operating on the basis of stereotypes in the literary field, Kara preferred Brontë to Austen in every respect. Additionally,Sense and Sensibilitywas hardly the masterpiece of Austen’s career. Finally, though she hated to see any book harmed, that particular copy was a later edition that was in poor condition and needed to be rebound. Kara assumed the world would still turn with one less print of Austen in it.

Sorry, Jane.

“No, thank you,”Kara answered with a hint of superiority. This savage game of his would fail, and he was running out of time.

Cade fixed on her with a dark glare as he easily tore the unfortunate novel in two and discarded it. He too felt the slipping of time from his favor and decided on a more rash form of action.“Jace, did you happen to relieve Miss Caine of her mobile?”

“I did,”Jace answered, unsure of the motive behind Ashford’s questioning. He removed the phone from his inner pocket and handed it to Cade. With Kara’s unwilling help, he disabled the facial recognition and proceeded to search for something.

“I see you don’t have much contact outside of work,”Cade directed at Kara as he searched through her call and messaging history. She didn’t like the insinuation that her social life lacked vibrancy, but she said nothing.“Do you have any family or friends that you keep in contact with on a regular basis?”he asked casually.

Kara blanched. These questions hinted at a hidden inquiry:would anyone miss you if you disappeared tonight?Kara wanted to lie, but she knew the evidence on her own phone would condemn her. She opted for neutral evasion.“Not particularly; my work keeps me busy. I’m at the library all the time.”

“I am going to need a more concise answer, Miss Caine. Do you have any close friends or family?”he reiterated sternly.

Kara gritted her teeth as she forced a reply.“It’s doctor. And no, I have no close family or friends.”And Kara had never regretted her tendency toward solitude more than in that moment. Kara had spent most of her life trying to avoid intimacy in any aspect because it wasn’t worth the risk of loss. After her parents, she couldn’t handle that kind of devastation again.

Cade appraised the girl who seemed lost in regretful ruminations. He knew he had a couple choices; both held high risks and neither ensured he would attain the item he needed. With the clock ticking, Cade deliberated quickly and made his decision.“Jace, untie Miss Caine, please.”

With shocked relief, Kara thought he might have decided to let her go, but when she saw the sneer on Jace’s face as he advanced, she suspected she was in for a worse fate than getting home a little late. Jace removed a knife that he had concealed somewhere on his person, and Kara scoffed slightly at the fulfilled stereotype of a suit-clad villain walking around with an arsenal hidden secretly beneath his formal attire. The amusement of the cliche lost its touch quickly as Jace drew closer and brandished the weapon menacingly. He bent to release the restraints, nicking her skin on the last cut. The look on his face told her it was intentional.

Dick.

“I’ll give you one last chance to cooperate, Miss Caine. I’d advise you to take it. A simple code is hardly worth this much trouble. No one would blame you for giving us access under duress. And, for what it is worth, I can guarantee the collection will be delivered into capable hands,”Cade said, attempting to persuade her to reason before things got very complicated.

Kara rolled her eyes, refraining from yet again correcting his abuse of her name. At this point, he was clearly making an intentional effort to annoy her. Considering he required her assistance, it was not the most educated tactical move, and it made her refusal all the easier.“You are never going to lay a single, unworthy finger on a first editionCanterbury Talesif I have anything to say about it, so you might as well get on with it. With the efforts you’ve taken to stall whatever comes next, the suspense will have killed me before Jace gets a chance to do what he enjoys best. What’s the matter, Ashford, don’t have the balls to give the order?”

“Oh, I believe I’m satisfactorily endowed in that regard, but I appreciate your interest, Miss Caine.”Cade flashed a smile that was a bit too charming to be sinister, but Kara saw a darkness in his eyes that reminded her he was a man to be feared, not toyed with.“Fetch your shoes, love. We’re going for a walk.”

Kara took a shaky breath before she gathered the courage to remove herself from the chair and walk gingerly across the cold tile to where her shoes lay abandoned in her office. She stepped into the nude heels as she pondered how no one gets dressed in the morning with the inkling that it would be the outfit they die in. Kara looked down at the ripped remains of her favorite floral dress and supposed it wouldn’t make much difference in the end if they had.

She emerged from her office feeling slightly more dignified; at least she wouldn’t have to walk barefoot to her doom. Jace took a moment to leer appreciatively at her exposed legs; she tried to cover what she could without much success. Cade noticed her discomfort and removed his own coat without hesitation and held it out to her.

“Here,”Cade said as he placed the coat on Kara’s shoulders.

The gallant gesture confused her, given the situation, but she took the jacket gratefully. The far too large coat covered her down to the knees as she hugged it tightly around her body, thankful to feel slightly less naked in Jace’s discomforting presence. In spite of herself, Kara took a moment to inhale the scent of Cade that lingered on the collar of the coat. He smelled masculine without the heaviness of musk, refreshingly spiced like mint mingled with cedar, and a whisper of unexpected, vanilla sweetness. Kara stifled a hint of arousal, reminding herself that it was merely her body’s weak, instinctual response to male interaction that she so often neglected; her body had no notion that the intoxicating scent belonged to a man of very questionable character.

“Thanks,”Kara responded finally after an internal conflict regarding her feelings toward the giver.

“My pleasure,”Cade answered, the picture of good English manners. The sudden impulse to offer his coat to assuage her embarrassment caught him by surprise as well, and he needed a moment to regain his impassive exterior. As usual, he covered the slip into softness by being overly harsh.“Up the stairs. Now,”he commanded, giving her an impatient push forward.

Kara obeyed, frightened by the change in his demeanor, and led the way up the stairs toward an uncertain future. Cade allowed her to secure the lower level after they all emerged; appearances needed to be kept for when the security guard arrived. After Kara locked the door, Cade held out his hand expectantly for the keys. She surrendered them without a struggle, and Cade felt a measure of his control returning. Though he had dealt with insubordination before, there was something about the girl’s incessant defiance that left his sense of authority feeling shattered. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to slightly sway her decision to withhold the text. If Jace hadn’t been an utter failure in that department as well, Cade would’ve taken the blow to his capabilities rather personally. All things considered, Miss Caine clearly needed a lesson in compliance. And Cade was in an instructive mood.

“Wait, my things,”Kara announced as they moved past the front desk.

“I don’t think you’ll be needing them,”Cade replied. It wasn’t a suggestion.

“If we leave them, Mike will know something is wrong,”Kara argued. She could have neglected that bit of information and left her personal belongings as a sign for help, but she honestly didn’t think assistance would reach her in time. At least she could go out in her own coat and relinquish the one she wore to the bastard it belonged to. Also, she got a moderate amount of satisfaction from disregarding the directions of the insufferable man, whatever they may be. If he told her not to jump off a bridge, she had a sneaking suspicion she would do so anyway, merely out of spite and consequences be damned.

“Fair point, Miss Caine. You may gather your things quickly,”Cade conceded. He was giving her permission, so technically she hadn’t achieved any leverage.

Kara retrieved her purse, wishing she was in the habit of using it to store mace or a weapon of some sort rather than a few spare books. The hardback compilation of Poe stories and poems that she carried with her now might be able to do some damage. Kara had to assume that Edgar Allan Poe would more than approve of his works being used to bash someone in the head, but her aim was unfortunately not her most adept skill. Kara quickly abandoned the rather hopeless idea of assault and gathered her coat and scarf, eagerly slipping into her own clothes and shedding the borrowed jacket that smelled enticing and unfamiliar.

“Thanks again for the use of your coat,”she said sincerely as she handed it back to him.

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