LITMIR.BIZ

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a pile of droppings. Ugh! Inspired to work even faster, she finished the last box and stacked it on top of the others, then stood back to assess her makeshift ladder. Not bad.

      Sucking in a breath, she hiked up her long skirt to climb onto the wobbly pile. Her head now reached the bottom of the sill. A grin creased her face. She could do this! Her jacket hampered her movements, and she had to unbutton it in order to pull herself up and peer out the grimy panes.

      Her fingers tightened on the sill as her hopes unraveled. No fire escape. “What now, Goldie?” she muttered.

      Refusing to knuckle under to despair, her gaze swept the outside of the building. A drainpipe bolted to the bricks with metal brackets ran clear to the ground like a miniature ladder. Her palms grew slick with perspiration. The rusty pipe looked much too fragile for her peace of mind.

      More squeaks and shuffles burst from the corner and a rat the size of a house cat skittered across the floor. She shrieked and tried to scrabble onto the windowsill, but her calf-length skirt and flapping jacket made gymnastics impossible.

      She had no choice. Teetering on the swaying boxes, she stripped off her suit. Nothing would stop her from going out that window now. Not with a pack of giant rodents eager to tear her to shreds. She’d never be able to climb wearing her slippery half slip, thigh-high stockings and pumps, so they came off, too. She tied her clothing and shoes into a bundle.

      Dressed in a purple satin bra and matching panties, she clamped the bundle between her teeth, levered her knees up onto the sill, and shoved open the filthy, peeling window frame. The alley below was empty, so she dropped her clothes to the ground before shimmying out the opening headfirst.

      Her stomach jittering, she stretched out her arms, grabbed the pipe and swung over. With sweaty hands and shaking limbs, she clung to the slender pole, the only thing between her and a three-story fall. If this were a movie, she’d be at the police station drinking a cup of coffee with Chevy Chase by now. “Don’t look down,” she muttered, and began to hum to boost her courage. She arched her foot and felt for the first bracket, gingerly testing her weight. It held! Inch by terrifying inch, she climbed down.

      She stepped onto the asphalt and pumped her arms in a victory salute. “Yes!” she crowed. Now, to get her clothes, find a phone, and call the police.

      “Going somewhere?” a silky male voice asked.

      Tessa’s heart bucked and then lurched into an unsteady gait. She whirled, her arms shielding her half-naked torso.

      Her handsome captor leaned against the wall with her bundle of clothes dangling from one finger. A wide, wicked grin lit up his face. “A tad informally dressed for an escape, aren’t we?”

      Clear, cool, rain-forest-green eyes sparkling with amusement studied her intently. Her breath hitched in her throat. The world stopped, frozen, as she fell into those jade depths. Realization hit. Caught. Again. Half naked. Her body went ice cold. Then heat whipped into her face.

      “You could have died during that gutsy stunt,” he drawled.

      “Rats.” She wrapped her arms around herself and scowled at him to disguise her apprehension. He’d told her to stay put. Would he punish her for trying to flee? “You locked me in there with giant killer rats.”

      His lips twitched. “I didn’t know about the mutant rats. Sorry.” He thrust her clothes at her. “Get dressed.”

      She snatched the bundle from him, and Gabe turned to give her some privacy, chuckling to himself. He wouldn’t have missed that for a million bucks. Dressed in purple skivvies, with a halo of chestnut curls rioting over her shoulders, clutching the drainpipe for dear life and humming “Be My Teddy Bear” at the top of her lungs, Kitten should have looked ridiculous.

      But she hadn’t. She’d looked sexy as hell. Desire snaked through him, heating his blood. He wanted to run his fingers through her thick, shiny curls. Kiss those luscious pink lips. Cup her generous breasts in his palms—

      Whoa! Where did that come from? She’s your prisoner, Colton, and under your protection. You might have taken her hostage, but that’s all you’re taking.

      “I’m dressed.” Her indignant voice broke into his thoughts, again only a slight tremor revealing her distress. In spite of the fact that she had to be terrified, she was a pretty cool customer. Not to mention her ingenious jail break. If he’d arrived two minutes later, she’d be nothing but a memory. His admiration grew, encompassing not only her physical attributes, but her mental ones as well. He must be losing his mind.

      With confusion throbbing in his temples, he gripped her arm. “Come on, Houdini.” He hustled her down the alley to a gray Jag and helped her inside before climbing in himself.

      “You changed vehicles.”

      The engine roared to life and Gabe maneuvered out of the alley. “Very observant. Yes, this is a Jaguar XK8, and you’ll never find a sweeter ride. Except…” He grinned at her. “One other.” She scowled at him again and Gabe chuckled. Damn, she was cute when she scrunched up her nose like that. He fished a bottle of motion sickness pills out of his pocket and tossed the vial to her. “Take a couple of these. I don’t have any more ski masks, and we’re in for a long drive. There’s soda in the cooler behind your seat and some sandwiches if you’re hungry.”

      “Look, you seem reasonably intelligent.” She’d regained control over her voice, but a lingering edge of apprehension clouded her lovely eyes. “Be sensible and let me go. You can move faster, and the police won’t hunt you as intensely without a hostage.”

      “What’s your name?”

      She eyed him warily. “Tessa.”

      Gabe shifted gears and the car roared past an oil truck. “For your own protection, I can’t turn you loose. Unfortunately, you’ve stumbled into a bad situation, which I can’t explain.” He wished he could. But if he could find out how much she knew and still keep her in the dark, he might be able to safely release her. For her sake, he hoped so. The scum he’d just thwarted with his rip-off played for keeps, and they’d already left too many bodies in their wake. Whether either of them liked it or not, Gabe had been thrust into the role of guardian angel. He covered her hand with his. “I’m Gabriel. Call me Gabe.”

      She slapped his hand away. “Keep your hands to yourself. So, who are you, really? Bank robbers are edgy and taciturn, they don’t make jokes. They don’t take hostages on the spur of the moment unless they’re trapped. And they’re certainly not considerate of their captives. You’re having way too much fun.” Her remarkable eyes narrowed. “I suspect you’ve got an agenda. The misplaced payroll checks in the bags you asked about, maybe?”

      He bit back a grin. The lady was way too smart for her own good. His impulsive decision to grab her had netted him a lot more than he’d bargained for. “Relax. You’re safe with me. But the less you know, the better.”

      “Let me guess. You could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me.” She glanced out the window, her conflicted body language telling him she wanted to believe him, but didn’t quite dare. “Where are we going?”

      “A place where I can protect you until I sort this mess out.”

      “And how long will that be?”

      “Ah, yes. You mentioned an important appointment?”

      “I’m getting married in two weeks and I have a million details and an overbearing future mother-in-law to deal with.”

      “Why do you want to do an idiotic thing like get married?”

      “I beg your pardon?”

      “A rolling stone gathers no chains.” Gabe shuddered. “I can’t imagine anything worse. Except being locked in prison.”

      “Try being kidnapped, taken on a roller-coaster car ride by a lunatic and jailed with giant rats. Not to mention having your promotion blown to kingdom come.” She frowned. “You are disturbed. But I suppose your attitude

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