mine has expressed an interest in you. No doubt, he can put you to good use.” His laugh was a sinister sneer. “In addition to putting you firmly in your place, I stand to make a tidy profit.” He leaned in and his fetid breath washed her face. “Think of it as a win-win.”
“You are a bastard,” she snarled. She couldn’t help herself.
Pity it only amused him more.
“I suppose you’re imagining that you’ll be able to escape about now. Or that someone will be coming to save you. Yes?”
She frowned at him. That was exactly what she’d been thinking. With any luck, Cooper and Gregor had been able to track her by now and—
“Well, it might interest you to know that we brought you here because we figured your friends would come to your rescue. You have all been quite a thorn in my side you see, and it would please me to no end to put paid to your sabotage once and for all. We’re hoping they will rush in and save you. We are ready for them.”
Nat froze. Her pulse thrummed and her stomach churned. She tried not to let her dismay show, but failed, because Ming Kow laughed again.
“In fact, we have an army of men waiting for them.” His smile was reptilian. “What do you think of that, my—”
But he never finished the sentence, because just then a tremendous explosion rocked the warehouse and all hell broke loose.
Chapter Ten
Coop’s heart thrummed as their car sped toward the docks. Despite the shot Vasili had given him, he still hurt like hell, but that pain was superseded by a new one, something from deep inside. Something he’d never felt before and didn’t like in the least. It tasted like fear. Not just normal every day rational fear, but a scalding fire that burned at his brain and made him see red. The eerie sense of foreboding swirling in his heart didn’t help and he found himself praying that Nat was all right, that they wouldn’t reach her too late.
He was not a praying man. At least he had not been.
He was now.
He knew what Ming Kow was capable of, the bastard, and considering the fury he must have felt that his loyal secretary had betrayed him, there was no telling what he might do to her.
That Ming Kow would be just as angry with him did not factor in.
Coop didn’t care what happened to him, as long as he could save Nat.
If that wasn’t love, he didn’t know what it was.
All of a sudden, he understood why all his friends had changed when they’d fallen in love.
Love changed a man.
And as much as he had resisted it all his life—or ignored it—he liked the man it had changed him into. He liked being with someone who understood his twisted soul. Whose touch calmed him, soothed him and made him want to be a better person. For her.
He could not lose her now.
He could not.
Gregor was as grim as Cooper, staring ahead with a fierce expression on his grizzled face.
“We’ll get there in time,” Coop felt the need to say.
Gregor scowled at him. “Of course we will.” But his gravelly voice held a tremor.
For the first time in their rocky relationship, there was a sense of comradery between them. For the first time, they were not at odds. They both had one thing in mind and it was saving Nat.
Because Gregor anticipated Ming Kow was expecting them, they slowed as they approached the pier. The old man pulled out his field glasses and scanned the area. He grunted.
“What?” Coop asked.
Gregor grunted again. “As I thought.”
“What?”
The old bear handed him the glasses and Cooper flinched as he saw an army of Ming Kow’s suit-wearing minions surrounding the warehouse with automatic weapons in hand. “Shit.”
He had no idea why Gregor grinned. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. “Yes,” he said. “He is here. At Lánlǚ de Pier. Yes. Excellent.”
Cooper frowned. “Who was that?”
Gregor patted his hand. “It is nice to have allies, is it not?”
“I beg your pardon?”
But the old man was not forthcoming. “Just wait,” he said. “And be ready.”
Ready for what?
Holy hell. Why was everything some arcane mystery with these Russians?
But Cooper didn’t have long to ponder on what Gregor had in mind. Within minutes, several halftracks, bearing the symbol of the Chinese Government, pulled into the yard and several platoons of soldiers leapt out and surrounded Ming Kow’s men.