Ice_Reaux - Laura Wright Page 0,9

caught off guard when he tilted back his head to laugh with shocking amusement.

Cammy scowled, angered by his reaction even as her heart missed a beat. Heavens. He was always gorgeous. But when he laughed his features lost their stark edges and his eyes became a luminous blue.

“I don’t know what’s so funny,” she muttered.

His gaze swept over her flushed face, lingering on the soft curve of her lips before he returned his attention to the road. “Trust me. I’ve never once thought of you as a bug.”

Feeling oddly vulnerable, Cammy glanced toward the twinkle of lights that indicated a town not far ahead.

“I doubt you’ve ever thought about me at all,” she said.

“Which just proves how little you know me.”

Cammy pressed her lips together. She didn’t understand this male. Rage had been charming and open and utterly uncomplicated.

But Ice…

He was like an intricate puzzle that fascinated her at the same time as he completely frustrated her.

Giving a shake of her head, Cammy concentrated on the tiny tug that warned her they needed to make a turn.

“We need to veer to the east,” she said.

“Damn,” Ice muttered.

“What’s wrong?”

“They must be headed for the interstate,” he said, his tone threaded with resignation. “I was hoping they would stop at a nearby house.”

Cammy grimaced. “Since when have our enemies ever made anything easy?”

“True.”

Settling back in his seat, Ice took the exit that would lead them to the interstate as the dawn crested the horizon to paint the sky with gentle shades of pink.

***

Karen woke from her deep sleep to discover she was currently locked in a cage with heavy steel bars.

Gasping in shock, she rolled to the side, tumbling off the narrow cot she was lying on, directly onto a hard cement floor. She groaned as the impact sent a bolt of pain through her aching head. What the heck? Lying on her side, she took in the long room that was brightly lit from the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. There were industrial cabinets lining one wall and stainless steel walk-in refrigerators that lined another. In the center of the room was a gurney that was surrounded by rolling trays that were usually found in hospitals.

This was a laboratory. And she was locked in a cage.

Just like the one she’d been trapped in for over twelve years.

Her stomach cramped, fear momentarily paralyzing her. Then, with a fierce effort, she called on the courage that had allowed her to survive.

No. Oh no. Not again.

She’d been a victim once, but she’d be damned if she was ever going to be a victim again.

Gritting her teeth, Karen managed to force herself to her hands and knees, crawling toward the door of her cramped prison. She’d just managed to wrap her hands around the bars when she heard the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps.

“Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”

“Good,” a low male voice spoke from the shadows of a door on the far side of the lab. “You’re awake.”

She froze. There was something familiar about that voice. It scratched at the edge of her mind.

Was it one of her previous abusers?

“Who’s there?”

There was a small pause. “It’s not the time for introductions,” the mystery man at last drawled. “Not yet.”

“At least step into the light so I can see you.”

“I don’t think so.”

Karen frowned. Why would he hide?

“Can you at least tell me where I am?”

“Someplace where you’ll be safe.”

“Is that a joke?” Karen’s fingers tightened on the bars, giving the door a shake. Not surprisingly it wouldn’t budge. “I’m locked in a cage like an animal. That doesn’t feel safe to me.”

“A necessary precaution,” the stranger murmured, almost as if he was trying to soothe her.

Karen blinked back tears. She’d been working in her office in the Pantera Wildlands when she’d heard the explosion, swiftly followed by the sound of her window being busted in. She’d had less than a split second to catch sight of an intruder dressed in black entering the room before she felt a fist connecting with her mouth, swiftly followed by another punch to her temple.

After that everything had gone dark.

“I don’t understand,” she breathed. “Why was I taken?”

The man clicked his tongue. As if he was growing impatient with her questions. “I told you. To keep you safe.”

Karen refused to be silent. She was desperate to know what’d happened. “What about the others?”

“What others?”

“My friends. My—” She bit off her words. She didn’t know why she’d been taken, which meant she didn’t know whether or not to