and then he leaned forward and tossed her over his shoulder again.
She cried out in protest. “Bastard.”
Each stride bounced her stomach against his rock hard shoulder in an unpleasant way, stealing more of her resolve. He was right. She feared everything. She feared he’d kill or torture her before she could flee. Worse, she feared she’d never escape and find her way home.
The soldier’s feet clomped up wooden steps and across a wide porch as he hauled Claire toward the door. He opened it and stepped inside, kicking it shut behind him.
Once again, darkness and silence shrouded her. He moved forward like a lithe predator, her weight and the lack of light not slowing him at all. Unknown objects hulked along the walls, seeming like furniture, but she couldn’t be sure. The building smelled of pine and a hint of lemon cleaner. The heavenly scent of freshly burned wood flirted with her senses, making her long for her comforting fire back in Bali. “Who else is here?”
“No one.”
But someone had been recently. What she smelled was not a lingering scent, but from a fire that had burned within the last twenty-four hours. If he’d been on the flight from Bali with her, which he must have been since he’d taken his bags from the same carousel as hers, then someone else had been there. “Where are we?”
“An isolated cabin in the woods,” he said with a matter-of-fact tone.
He would kill her then. Probably rape her first. The other possible occupant of the cabin might try, too. Why else would he bring her to such a place? Her only hope was, if he tried, he’d become vulnerable to her power. Then, once she controlled him, she’d use him until he was a hollow, useless shell.
Karma would come back to bite him in the ass.
Perhaps she should encourage him and get it over with before anyone else showed up to strengthen his forces.
She wiggled in his grasp, trying to unbalance him, hoping he’d put her down. Instead, he raised a large hand and slapped her on the ass. “Stop,” he commanded.
She growled from the sting and from the frustration of him holding her against her will. She bucked and pounded her fists against his back instead. This time, he dropped her, and she landed hard on the floor with no hands available to break her fall.
Before she could right herself, he grabbed her elbow and pulled her to her feet. She faced him again, heat radiating from his solid chest, telling her what she couldn’t read in his expression.
“Is this to be the war then?” Aggression vibrated from deep within him as he gripped her shoulders. “Not a fight based on physical strength, but battle of the minds? Did you come to Washington to needle me until I either kill you or you drive me insane?”
The force of his words startled her, and it took her a moment to answer.
“I’m not here to do anything. I’ve come looking for my family. That’s all.” She had no desire to be involved in any kind of war. “It’s obvious you’ve kidnapped the wrong woman.”
“No.” His answer came swift and sure. “I can sense it in you. Tell me you don’t feel the magnetic clash between us. That can only be for one reason. Not to mention you look like her.”
“Her?” His statement put form to the presence that had summoned her, giving her a new piece of information to focus on. “My mother? My sister?”
“Fuck,” he whispered harshly before he grasped her bound hands and pulled her forward. She stumbled along, trying to keep up with his long strides as he proceeded through the darkened house.
Then he stopped. “There are thirteen stairs that lead down. If you don’t want to fall and break your neck, I suggest you walk down them like a lady.”
“Tell me who you were talking about. Who do I look like?”
“Move.” His command left no room for question.
She stepped tentatively down, her bare toes searching for the next stair. Her captor held her arm so she wouldn’t fall, and as much as she despised him, she hoped he wouldn’t let go. “Do we have to do this in the dark? If I could see, it would be easier.”
“Easier for you to see where you are. Easier for you to plan an escape. Keep moving.”
She took another step and another with him close beside her until no more steps remained. She tried to pretend her heart didn’t beat faster each time