Page 78 of Not the Bodyguard's Princess
Figuring she had a better chance if she wasn’t sitting, Jordan stood. She’d memorized the family lists from the crash years ago. Rod and Kittie were not on the list. “How did we miss you?”
“The charter company your father rented the plane from for his humanitarian mission went under. Did you know that?”
“How could I? I could barely read at the time. I knew it wasn’t around anymore, but a lot of things aren’t.” Jordan stealthily moved to the corner of the desk beneath the window.
“Our father owned the company. All he had left was his life insurance and a small commuter plane. He ran that plane into the ground hoping Kittie and I would have something while you, the precious child actress, danced across film after film. Never knowing hunger or the embarrassment of having a checker look down on your mother as she used food stamps to pay for our groceries.”
Jordan held a hand up in a calming gesture. “Rod, Kittie, I didn’t know. I didn’t realize.”
“Oh, shut up.” Rod trained the gun at Storm. “You have ten minutes with her. Then it’s our turn.”
The door slid shut. Jordan reached for the button, but the door didn’t move.
Storm took a step toward her. “Jordan, this is not what I asked for. He’s psycho.”
“What did you ask for?”
“I paid them $500 to get me alone with you.” As impossible as it was, Storm managed to lower her opinion of him.
“I suggest we find a way out. You’ve been in more action movies than I have. What would your characters do?”
“Break the window, kiss the girl, and jump to safety.”
Jordan grabbed a brass bookend and hurled it at the window, but it bounced off and fell to the floor.
“Throw it harder, like this.” Storm picked up another bookend, smashing it into the window. Bugs did more damage to a car’s windshield than Storm did with the bookend.
“Next idea?”
“I’m only an actor. I don’t know. Yell for help?” Storm pounded on the window with his fist.
The room lights went out. Jordan peered out the window, trying to see if there were any lights other than the moon reflected in the snow. The lights lining the driveway were also out. “Stop pounding for a moment. The door you came in used an electric opener. I think the power is out. Let’s see if we can pry it open. Use the bookend.”
Storm fumbled his way across the room. Jordan moved slowly along the wall, searching for another exit, the oriental rug snagging on her foot as she went. The clang of metal rang through the room as Storm pounded on the door.
“It’s no use. The door is made of steel. And it’s warm.”
“What do you mean warm?”
“I smell smoke!”
Jordan crossed the room to the door and Storm. He was right, the door was warm, and the smell of smoke was growing stronger. “Do you have your phone?”
“No, Rod took it from me.”
Jordan’s list of unasked questions was growing. A flash of light came through the window. Two dark SUVs drove up the drive. “Storm, I think it is my bodyguards.”
“We’re saved?”
“Not if they can’t find us. Let’s work on breaking the window.”
“Won’t that make the fire worse? It does in my movies.” Any other time, Storm’s perplexed look would have been amusing.
* * *
“The mansion is on fire! I’m going in!” Andrew yelled at his phone.
“Wait, I can see the house. Don’t do this alone!”
