Page 171 of Her Reluctant Hero
Adrian stilled long enough for Smoller’s bodyguards to haul him back, but his gaze never left Mallory.
“If you hurt her,” Adrian threatened, his voice a growl, “you’ll never be hurting enough.”
“A passionate man is your husband,” Valentine murmured in Mallory’s ear, his tone amused, as she watched Adrian stagger under a blow to the kidney before the two men half-walked, half-dragged him into the stateroom belowdeck. Valentine set the knife down and released Mallory. “It may be a mistake keeping him here.”
When he released her, her entire body quivered as if shaking off the remnants of his touch. She tossed her wet hair back to hide her reaction, but she still felt the ice of the steel against her skin. “Perhaps, if you offer him some kind of credit, he’ll work for you without you needing to use force.”
Valentine considered her a moment. “I don’t think you know your husband very well.”
She gripped the back of her chair to disguise the trembling of her hands. “We were friends once, Valentine. You were there for me at a very difficult time in my life. Why can’t we return to that?”
“Because you’ve sided with my enemy. I worked so hard to turn you against him three years ago. Why do you suppose I went to all that trouble?”
Bile rose as she remembered the comments he’d made about Adrian in the same friendly tone, eroding her trust in her husband, eroding her marriage. She’d been so stupid. How could she have not seen it? She’d let her own selfishness support his remarks. In doing so, she’d destroyed her marriage. Three years lost. Now they might be out of time.
“I think it’s time for you to see my yacht.” He eased closer. “Would you like a roommate?”
She snapped away from him. “Only Adrian.”
He eased her toward the stern and up onto the barge. Mallory considered struggling but realized she couldn’t win.
“Look,” she reasoned. Adrian would hate her for the words she was about to say. “Take over the site, get what you need and leave us alone. Let us go.”
Valentine shook his head. “I can’t allow that.”
“Why not? Did you kill Dr. Vigil?”
He stepped closer. “Do you think I’m capable?”
“I think you’re greedy enough to do whatever you need to do.”
He stroked a finger down her cheek, unerringly following the line where the knife had rested. “You’d be right.” He moved away, drawing her toward his boat, away from Adrian.
Valentine’s boat was huge and gleaming. Mallory feared despite her protests that he would insist she stay in his cabin. He’d never made a move on her before, but what better way to hurt Adrian? With a smirk, he led her belowdeck and opened a door. Linda sat shivering on a bed. She looked up with tear-filled eyes when Mallory entered.
“Sleep well,” Valentine murmured and closed the door.
Mallory lunged for the shut door and turned the lock for added security.
Not that the flimsy lock would be much deterrent to someone determined to get in.
Mallory was more glad than she expected to have Linda’s company, even if the girl was a lump on the bed and wouldn’t be much help if someone did decide to come in. Partly jealous because she wanted to collapse on the bed too and partly dizzy as her mind whirled ahead with thoughts of how to get out of their situation, Mallory pushed her hair back from her face and crouched in front of Linda.
“Where have you been? What happened at the camp?”
Okay, too many questions overwhelmed the girl. Tears streaked her cheeks.
The last of Mallory’s patience snapped. She gripped Linda’s hands. “I need to know what’s going on here so we can find a way to get out of it.”
Linda pulled a hand free and swiped at her eyes, not meeting Mallory’s gaze. God, how bad had it been?
She decided to start easy. “How long have you been with him?”
“I don’t know. Four nights?”
“So he came the day we left? The day Adrian got bitten?”
Linda nodded, her attention on her hands. “We’d taken the boat out and it…I don’t know. It shuddered and everything went bright and then black. The next thing I knew, I was floating in the water, and a boat was alongside, and someone was pulling me out of the water.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I didn’t even see Toney or Jacob until today. They kept telling me they were okay, but I didn’t know for sure.”
