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.“Forget it.This ring is my good-luck charm.”She shouldn’t have succumbed to her curiosity, but she was feeling braver and angrier by the minute.“Is it? Why?”Jake’s long fingers touched the silver at his neck, and unbidden the memory of those long fingers on her skin came soaring back.“There was a time when holding on to this ring was the only thing that kept me alive.I’ve become very fond of it.”She wasn’t going to ask him any more, she thought.If he wanted to be cryptic, that was his choice.She wouldn’t believe anything he told her, anyway.Once more she shrugged, diving into the Mallomar package again.They were making her sick, but what the hell.She’d need the sugared energy if she was going to make it down that trail in the dark that was beginning to close around them.She had no idea how long she’d spent in that tomb of a closet.“How long did you leave me in the closet?” she asked.“Half an hour.”It had seemed an eternity before she fell asleep.“Who got me out, you or Carlos?”“If it had been Carlos you wouldn’t have been placed so neatly and carefully on the bed, mi amor.”“Don’t call me that!” she snapped.Jake smiled, a sinister smile that didn’t reach his eyes.“I don’t think you are in any position to give orders, mi amor.”Maddy set the almost-empty cookie package on the floor beside her.“You don’t even need the matches and ice, do you?”Jake’s mouth tightened, almost imperceptibly, but it was the first sign of emotion she’d been able to elicit from him, and it was a small triumph.Her triumph was short-lived however, when Jake leaned back against the sofa opposite her and fixed that too-bright gaze on her.“How would you like me to do it, Maddy?” he asked in a conversational tone of voice.“Since you’ve decided I’m going to kill you, you may as well pick how I do it.Would you like me to strangle you with my bare hands? Or I could always use a scarf or a rope.”“Charming,” she said, ignoring the icy fingers of fear that ran down her spine.“I suppose I could use a knife,” he mused, taking another swig of his beer.“But I’m not nearly as good as Carlos.I’m afraid it might … take some time.And hurt quite a bit.“I think the gun will be the best bet,” he continued idly.“It would be fast.A bit noisy, perhaps, but you won’t mind that.And it would be much neater.They taught me quite well, years ago, when I was in basic training.I know how to kill very quickly and efficiently and you wouldn’t bleed much.If someone came up to the cabin they’d probably never find any trace of what went on.That is, if we can count on the coyotes to leave you alone.”The Mallomars were rising swiftly, but Maddy was damned if she was going to throw up twice in twenty-four hours.Bravely she swallowed, fixing a cold, furious gaze on Jake’s bland expression.“You can do it any damned way you please,” she said.“Just spare me the details.”“But, Maddy,” he protested in a gentle voice, “that’s half of the fun.”The Mallomars would no longer listen to reason.Maddy lurched to her feet.“Excuse me,” she mumbled, and ran for the door.Not that the outhouse was the most appetizing place to vomit.The wave of nausea had passed, but she still made convincing noises in her throat as she headed toward the back of the cabin.If she made a run for it now, when it was almost dark, it might take him a moment or two to realize …An iron hand clamped down on her shoulder.“Not that I think there’s any danger of your getting away, mi amor,” Jake said, “but I’ve had a long twenty-four hours, and I don’t fancy hunting you down like a frightened doe.Come back inside.”“But I—I have to …”“For mercy sake, Maddy, don’t be so damned coy!” Finally he was angry.“If you have to use the outhouse, tell me.”“I have to use the outhouse!” Now that she thought of it she did, and quite badly.The Tab had washed right through her.“Well, go ahead,” he snapped.“I’ll be back inside in a minute.” It was worth a try.“No, you won’t.I’ll wait right here for you just in case you get lost in the dark.We both know there’s nothing around here for almost twenty miles, but I’m not into taking chances.”That little piece of information was enough to cheer her.“All right,” she said pertly.“But you’ll have a long wait.” She slammed the wooden door of the homemade convenience as loudly as she could.At least he didn’t know about the highway that ran so close to the cabin.And there was a half moon, bright in the sky that night.It would give her more than enough light to find her way down there.If she could just immobilize him long enough …“Come out, Maddy.” Jake’s voice filtered through the door.“Or I’ll come in and get you.”She stomped out, slamming the door behind her.“Someday, Jake Murphy, I will pay you back for this,” she said fiercely.Jake only smiled.“How will you do that if I’m going to murder you, mi amor?”She was momentarily nonplussed.“I’ll haunt you,” she said finally.Jake’s smile grew, and there was an unexpected flash of tenderness in it.“You already do,” he said.“Inside, Maddy.”Still trying to decipher that sudden softening, she went.CHAPTER NINETEENDamn her, he thought savagely
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