Leo loomed behind her, an ugly smirk twisting his mouth.
She charged him, lifting the pipe. He barked out a laugh as he wrenched the weapon away as easily as if she were a child and slammed her up against the wall. The breath exploded out of her lungs and stars blinded her vision.
"You've been trouble since day one." He lowered his blunt face to hers.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Peter was sneaking up on Leo, pipe raised. If she could keep Leo's attention… She fixed her gaze on his. "I have a lot of financial contacts. I can be an asset to you."
Peter crept closer.
Drumm snorted in disbelief.
She held her gaze steady, afraid she might give Peter away. "I could double your profits."
Greed sliced across Leo's expression. Then he laughed again, the evil tone raising the hairs on the back of her neck. "You don't know it, but you've already earned your keep."
Peter was almost there. Three more steps.
Silently willing Drumm's cold gray eyes not to sever the connection, she strove to stay calm. "What do you mean?"
Peter swung the pipe.
Vic stepped out of the shadows behind Peter. Before Tessa could shout a warning, Vic slammed his fist down on the back of Peter's head. Peter crumpled to the ground.
A scream burst from her throat, a second too late. Leo grabbed her arm. "C'mon, songbird. I've got a job for you."
Fear made her feet clumsy as he dragged her into the bowls of the ship. Her heart galloped painfully. Was Peter badly hurt? And where was Gabe?
Leo shoved her into a chair. He wrenched her arms behind her and wrapped a length of bristly rope tightly around her wrists, cutting off her circulation. She gritted her teeth to keep from moaning. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Leo roughly tied her ankles together, bound her to the chair, then slapped tape over her mouth. She blinked back tears of pain and terror.
Vic arrived with an unconscious Peter draped over his shoulder. He dropped him into another chair six feet to the left and tied him up, then taped Peter's mouth.
Arms crossed, Leo sneered at her. "Now we wait for Val. And he'll show. Because we've got irresistible bait."
No! She threw herself forward, straining against her bonds. The movement wrenched the ropes tighter around her chest. Her vision darkened and she sagged, weakly trying to suck in air.
Leo gestured at the burly man beside him. "I could use a drink while we wait for our guest. How about you, Victor?"
Vic grunted his assent, and the two men left without looking back.
She studied Peter's unconscious face. He didn't seem seriously injured. He'd said he'd seen Gabe forced onboard. Did Leo have another prisoner besides them? Or had Leo caught Gabe, but then he'd escaped? Some "rescue." She groaned. Speculation wouldn't help. Concentrate on escape.
She tested her restraints. If she could loosen the rope… She furiously twisted her wrists back and forth, ignoring the pain as the rough fibers sawed her tender skin. Gabe, she silently sobbed. Be smart. Stay away.
She struggled until her muscles burned with exhaustion. Until her arms and legs went achingly numb. Exhausted, she slumped in her chair. How long had she been here? With every passing minute, her fear for Gabe grew.
Peter emitted a muffled moan. His eyelids floated up, his unfocused stare traveling the room. He spotted her and his eyes widened. He thrashed against the chair. She tried to comfort him with her gaze, and he stilled.
The air grew stuffy. The fishy stench thickened. No sound penetrated the ship's bowels. Her shoulder joints throbbed as though they'd been ripped out of the sockets, and her wrists stung horribly. But the misery in her body was minor compared to her worry for Gabe. She would suffer forever to keep him safe.
She closed her eyes as her thoughts drifted back to last night. Gabe's warm mouth covering hers. His passion-filled gaze. His sensual lips curved in a grin of masculine pride. Tessa's heart contracted. She prayed harder than she ever had before. Please make him stay away.
Hands clamped down on her shoulders and she flinched.
"Easy, honey," Gabe's silky drawl whispered in her ear.
Shaking her head, she lurched forward, her voice muffled by the tape.
"Shh." He held her still. "Don't move. I'll cut you loose."
Cold steel slipped between her wrists. Her arms dropped limply to her sides. He moved in front of her, knelt, and