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“Sorry, change of subject. I heard you talking to someone.”
“I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You didn’t,” she assured him. “I just got the impression they messed up my place.”
“They did, but Thom’s getting it taken care of. Finn said she knew the guy you use to fix things, so we’ve got him working on it. You’ll need to get a new mattress.”
She laughed. “I rather suspect I’ll be going through those more frequently in the future… due to the added stress they’ll be subjected to.”
“Probably,” he admitted, laughing and pulling her closer.
Suddenly, a chill ran through her, and she shivered.
“It’s all right, Zara. I’ve got you. Everything is going to be fine. We’ll get it figured out and taken care of.”
“Sometimes, I think I’d just like to forget the whole world exists and stay here with you…”
“Then others,” he said, laughing, “you wonder when I’m going to fall asleep, so you can slip away and do whatever it is you’re planning.”
Chapter
Ten
“How can you say that to me?” she asked in an indignant tone, sitting up and drawing away from him.
He laughed. “Because I know you. I don’t doubt you enjoyed our latest tryst, but I also know you’re up to no good. My guess—and the righteous indignation in your tone confirms it—is that you thought you’d blow me, have me fall asleep, then slip out of our bed and go wherever it is you think will get you the story.”
“I-I…” she stammered.
“You should know a couple of things. The first is I disabled the Range Rover. That leaves you with the motorcycle. While it’s good for a quick getaway, there are very few places it can go I can’t follow in the Rover. And my vehicle is tougher and faster than yours. I will catch up with you before you ever get to the Rover in the crofter’s hutch. The second is when I do, the first thing that happens is I take my belt to your pretty backside and lay a series of welts across it. Then I’ll fuck you so hard, you won’t be able to walk the next day. But you will never, and I mean never, get to where it is you were going or finish what you were planning to do.”
Perhaps if he’d found a different way to express himself or hadn’t looked as pleased, she might have been able to accept what he was saying. Zara rolled away from him and ran into the other room.
The bed creaked as he sat up. “Zara, you’re naked. You might want to get dressed before you try to ride that motorcycle.”
She quickly found what she was looking for. Snatching up the gun, she spun on her heel and sprinted back to the bedroom. Leveling the gun, she confronted him wordlessly. She comforted herself, knowing she had turned the tables on him and would be giving herself the time she needed to make her escape.
“Put the gun down, Zara. We both know you aren’t about to put a bullet in me.”
“I’m not sure about that, but you aren’t paying attention.” She squeezed the trigger. As if in slow motion, Noah leapt from the bed only to have the tranquilizer dart sink deeply into his thigh. “But in this case,” she continued in a soothing tone, “I don’t have to. Sweet dreams, Noah.”
Noah growled as he sprang forward, but the powerful sedative took effect almost immediately, and he slowly sank to the floor in a puddle by her feet. Zara gingerly stepped over him and quickly got dressed. Grabbing a pillow and a blanket from the bed, she approached the doorway. Ensuring he was still out, she lifted his head and placed it on the pillow before covering him. Zara kissed his cheek as she left him.
She stopped long enough to pull out the power cords to the communication system. Zara had no interest in doing it any damage, just wanted to slow him down. Praying the tranquilizer would keep him knocked out long enough to give her a good start, she found his wallet and took all his cash and his company credit card, which she’d use to book her first flight. She had no doubt once he was awake, he’d deactivate the card. Zara alsograbbed his cell phone. That, too, would only be useful until he woke up.
Running toward the outbuilding where the motorcycle was kept, she thought briefly about trying to let the air out of the tires in the Range Rover but nixed the thought. It probably wouldn’t buy her as much time as it would take to do it. She peeled back the disguised tarp and unplugged the motorcycle from the charger, then grabbed the helmet, fit it securely on her head, and hit the electric starter. The bike roared to life, and she could feel its power as she motored out to the front of the cottage. The place really was lovely, and she would always have fond memories of it. Since there was no one after her, she opted to take the drive and head toward the road.
Once she could determine exactly where she was, she’d make a plane reservation for the closest airport to Paris with a connection to Marrakesh. In a perfect world, she’d have gone through several airports to try to confuse the issue, but airline security was tight these days, and speed was more important than stealth when dealing with Noah.
Zara read the road markers and laughed. Their bolt holewasin the middle of nowhere—the most western coast of Wales. She booked a flight from Cardiff to Paris with a tight connection to Marrakesh in Morocco. She remembered Noah had tossed his cell phone out when they were en route to the safehouse. She assumed that meant the one she had was secure. She called ahead to alert Ghazil she was coming and let him know it was imperative to keep that information to himself. The two had built a relationship of sorts over the years and trusted one another.
“Zara! This is not your usual line. Whose phone have you stolen, you bad girl?”
She laughed. “Noah Taylor’s. I need to speak with you about some rumors I’ve heard. Deep cover only, and I won’t take morethan an hour of your time. I’ve booked a flight and should be there about four this afternoon.”
“I’d love to see you. Only problem is, I’m not at home. I’m on vacation.”
“Ghazil, the phone I have is state-of-the-art secure.”
