Chapter 2

Jenna

The terror skittered through me even more than when I’d been kept hostage on the street, except for inside my clinic I had some sharp instruments. If I could break free of his hold, maybe I could do some damage since I knew the perfect location to cut a human so they bled out faster. Great, now I was using all the years of medical and veterinary school to contemplate murder. Perfect.

Okay, so I wasn’t a killer, but I refused to play victim to anyone.

My hands were fumbling as I tried to shove the key into the lock, dropping the lot of them, the clang against the metal door making me gasp.

“Relax, princess. Just take a deep breath.”

His words of comfort were just as infuriating as they were terrifying, the ugly thoughts of what I wanted to do to him remaining in my mind. He kept the full weight of his body mostly pressed against me as he dropped to the ground grabbing the keys. As his hand swept up from the small of my back to my shoulders, I bit back a strangled sound.

He was very gentle in handing me the set of keys, even brushing hair that had dropped free from my ponytail out of my face.

“Now, take your time, sweetheart. Everything is going to be just fine.”

In whose world was he talking about? I’d read enough terrible stories in the news about victims who never recovered mentally from something like this. His accent was far too absorbing, definitely Greek now that he’d spoken several sentences. And his scent was incredible, musky and slightly citrusy with hints of cardamom and ginger, cinnamon and pepper.

I certainly knew just how nervous I was if I was deciphering his aftershave instead of trying to figure out how to remain alive. Concentrating, I finally managed to unlock the door on the second try, slowly opening the door.

“Is anyone else here?” he asked in the same husky voice.

“Does it look like it? It’s pitch-black inside.” Oh, great. Now I was being snarky with a man holding a weapon.

I wasn’t certain whether I should be comforted by his chuckle to my less than appropriate joke but at least I hadn’t pissed him off any more than the dead guy had done.

“Why don’t we turn on a light?”

I rolled my eyes, grateful he couldn’t see it but did as he asked. As soon as light flooded the facility, he took that moment to push me into the front room, closing and locking the door behind us. I backed away, placing my purse in an easily accessible location. I had my phone inside, although I had a feeling he was far too much of an expert to allow me a single chance at making contact with the outside world.

I spun around to face him, shocked at the man standing only a few feet away. While I was no fool in that criminals came in all sizes, shapes, and economic statuses, I was floored how incredibly good looking he was. His shoulder-length shaggy dark hair seemed to glisten in the fluorescent light, his deep blue eyes reminding me of the finest sapphires under the sparkling LED lights.

But it was his perfectly chiseled, aristocratic features that set him apart from the thousands of men I walked past on a daily basis. With his square jaw and the two-day stubble, carved cheekbones and skin tinged with a hint of a bronze hue, he appeared as if he’d walked off a runway for a men’s fashion magazine. Except even in what was easily a five- or six-thousand-dollar suit, he still appeared to be one of the most rugged and masculine men I’d ever laid eyes on.

That didn’t take away from the fact he was a cold-blooded killer.

“Who are you?” I asked, my tone a tiny bit demanding.

He wore a look of amusement on his face as he slowly lowered his gaze all the way to my ratty tennis shoes. Of course the bastard was concentrating on just how horrible I must look in my rattiest of clothes. “Are you sure you’re a veterinarian?”

“Yeah, the diploma I hung on the wall from Cornell University makes it all nice and official. You know, an Ivy League college and one of the best veterinary schools in the country? Oh, maybe you wouldn’t know since you’re obviously nothing but a thug.”

“Awful mouthy for a woman who witnessed a murder.”

Oops. There was that. “Not by choice but yes, I’m a goddamn vet and this is my place.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then you might prove to be helpful.”

“How so?”

He slowly eased his weapon into the side pocket of his linen jacket, wincing as he took it off. That’s what I noticed his light blue shirt was soaked with blood. He’d been shot. Swallowing hard, I fought the increasing nerves as I stared at him, finding it impossible to look away or even blink.

“What do you want me to do?”

His smirk was just as reprehensible as the fact he was here, barging in on my place of business where he’d likely start to bleed on my nice clean tile floor at any moment. Damn the man. Damn the fact I hadn’t left earlier.

“I need you to get this goddamn bullet out of my shoulder.”

I stared at the monster as if he’d just grown a second head. “I can’t do that.”

“You’re a damn doctor. You can and you will.”

He was already sweating, his face covered in a light sheen. “Go to a hospital.”

“Sweetheart, let’s get something straight. The kind of business I’m in doesn’t lend itself to going to a hospital with a gunshot wound.” His voice was gruff yet stilted, as if he was in significant pain.

“What kind of work are you in, other than killing people on the street?” I tried to stop my mouth, which tended to get me in trouble more often than not, but it just flowed since being around him.

There was something decidedly evil about his smirk, but it also added to his sexiness. Okay, what I thinking?

“I don’t think you really want to ask questions that could get you into more hot water than you’re already in. Now, do you?”

“Maybe not but I’m no medical doctor. You need to find someone else.”

“What I need is for you to stop talking, sweetheart, and start digging this out of my muscle.”

I opened my mouth to retort I wasn’t his sweetheart, and I certainly wasn’t a good girl but managed to stop myself before I jumped into a vat of boiling oil. “I’ll need to get some things from the back room.”

“Then I’m coming with you. I suggest you don’t do anything stupid.” He moved away from the door, headed in my direction.

I was still shaking but managed to turn stiffly, moving toward the small operations room I’d set up. I grabbed a sterile pan and some gauze, adhesive tape, rubbing alcohol, and a couple of different scalpels. He hovered in the doorway, his breathing labored from the obvious pain. I used the moment to turn slightly, taking one of the scalpels and sliding it under the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

As I turned around, the way he was staring at me so intently was more unnerving than before. His eyes darted back and forth before allowing a now very heated gaze to fall to my feet all over again.

Only this time it felt as if the man was undressing me with his eyes.

I did what I could to stop shaking, lifting my eyebrow when he remained in the doorway. “You can move now. I’ll take you into one of the examination rooms.”

His eyes were so piercing, mesmerizing in a way that didn’t make any sense. After a few seconds, he backed away, giving me a single nod. I pointed toward the room on the left and like a trained seal, he walked inside. That allowed me to attack from behind.

Only as he’d done before, it was as if he’d anticipated my actions, snapping his large hand around my wrist when I had the scalpel in midair.

He cocked his head, an evil grin sliding across his face. “That wasn’t very nice of you or a good idea, sweetheart.”

“I’m not your damn sweetheart.” My retort was done without hesitation and I refused to drop the instrument.

But he twisted my arm just enough so pain slammed into my shoulder, the whimper escaping my mouth unavoidable. So was dropping the instrument.

“Don’t do that again or I’ll need to punish you.”

The assassin made the statement as if this was nothing more than a disagreement. I had the pan in my other hand, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself, smashing the stainless steel into his head. I might not be the strongest girl in the world, but it was enough to break contact and he stumbled backward. I didn’t wait to see what happened next, turning and fleeing into the front room, snagging my purse and racing toward the door.

A loud clang was followed by a series of words spouted off in Greek. I had the door open and was ready to race for my life when he fisted my hair, yanking me with enough force I was pitched backward by several feet. The hard slam of the door was matched by the moment my body hit the receptionist desk with a brutal thud.

I was dazed but came out swinging, managing to get in a single hard punch under his chin before he pinned me against the desk, his breathing even heavier than before.

“You are one bad woman. Do you have a death wish?”

“No,” I retorted. “I just don’t want horrible criminals bleeding all over my nice clean floors.”

It was his turn to stare at me incredulously before shaking his head. “You should know better than to attack a very bad man.”

“Yeah? Well, I guess I don’t have anything to lose. Now, do I?”

I both hated and loved his deep, seductive laugh at the same time. When he spun me around, yanking one arm behind my back and marching me toward the same examination room where the mess had been created, I held my breath, realizing I’d just fucked up royally. For all my bravado hot, heavy tears welled up in my eyes as the fear threatened to become paralyzing.

I couldn’t allow that to happen, trying desperately to bring the anger from before back to the surface. He was strong, so much so that for all the wiggling I was doing, I wasn’t going anywhere.

He slammed me over the edge of the table seconds later, immediately wrangling with the elastic on my sweatpants.

“What are you doing?” Suddenly, the tone of my voice was no longer demanding, sounding more like the frightened little girl that I was. Tears slipped past my lashes, rolling down my face one after another until it was as if a faucet had been turned on.

“Punishing you, which is exactly what you deserve.” His gruff voice was no longer seductive, merely a reminder that he had full control over me.

I wanted to fight him with everything I had but the ugliness of a final realization hit me hard. I wasn’t going to win this battle or any if I continued fighting him. Maybe that’s why he was easily able to jerk both the thick sweatpants and my thong down at the same time.

“Please. I just… I’m sorry.”

The next sound, other than the intense growl he issued, was easy to decipher. He was unfastening his belt. Really? This was all about spanking me? I had to be dreaming. Or maybe the fear had tossed me into some a surreal state of mind. All I could do was try to keep from hyperventilating as he tugged on the thick leather, fighting to free it from the loops of his trousers.

When he did, the final yank was done with enough force it was popped against the floor and I jumped, the moan sounding as if I was being pleasured. He wrapped all five fingers on his left hand around my thick ponytail right at the scalp, shifting his hips back and forth.

Holy fuck. The man was aroused, pressing his thick, throbbing cock against my bottom. What the hell? If the fucker tried to rape me, I was going to cut his dick off and shove it inside his mouth. Nothing would stop me.

While I was planning his demise, he brought the belt down three times in a row. I was stunned, so much so I couldn’t see clearly. Nothing. Not a light or an image. My breath was stolen, ripped right from my lungs. I’d broken my arm in three places as a child after falling from a tree my mother had told me not to climb. That had hurt but this… this pain was different, so much so my body was shaking.

But finally, a small part of me became alive again and I let off a powerful scream.

While he stiffened, I didn’t think he was going to react. Yet he placed the belt beside me and in one easy move with his powerful hand, he slipped a couple of fingers under the elastic of my thong, snapping it free. When I opened my mouth to protest, he shoved the damp material inside.

Moaning, my eyes were open wide, my pulse electrified, and I was certain I’d die from the terror that continued to grow. So why did I taste my own arousal on my panties?

“That should keep those lovely lips of yours quiet,” he said, the accent sweeping over me more like a warm blanket than a warning.

As he snatched the belt from the table beside me, I was thrown into a different place where all time seemed to stand still, every action he took in slow motion. It was odd to suddenly feel like I was having an out of body experience, watching what was progressing from far above. That had happened to me once before when I’d been in a horrific car accident where I thought for certain I was going to die. I’d come through it with a few bruises and nothing more.

It had been as if luck had been followed me or the hand of God had intervened. I had a terrible feeling no one was going to be watching over me at this moment. Maybe the bone collectors, creatures crawling up from hell to claim their feast for the night, were finally making a move.

I closed my eyes, fighting the various sensations as he brought the thick strap down countless times. I was aching all over, the anguish sweeping through every muscle but the sickening part about the petrifying moment was that a small part of me, one that I would never claim, was also aroused.

I could feel dampness between my legs, could gather a tiny whiff of my desire. If I could do so in my state of shock, the reprehensible criminal likely could as well.

Indeed, he pulled the belt away, taking a deep and exaggerated whiff. I was mortified, heat building across my neck and face from extreme embarrassment. I’d taken enough psychology classes to know that victims of horrible crimes often had unbelievable reactions to their captors and the situation. Everyone was different. But this wasn’t just unexpected.

It was truly disgusting.

He mumbled something in Greek, words I couldn’t understand to any degree, but they sounded as if he was stroking my skin in a blaze of passion. I held my breath as additional tears fell, fighting the despondency with everything I had.

“If I take out the gag, will you promise to keep your mouth shut?” Why was he bothering?

I nodded rapidly, wondering if he had a guilty conscience all of a sudden. He muttered again but removed the thong, gingerly placing it on the table.

“Maybe you can be a good girl.” Two more savage strikes were brought down as if testing me. I clamped my mouth shut, fighting all the urges to kick him. Another three smacks of the belt and my mouth was like a volcano. Before I knew what I was doing, I blurted out personal information that I knew I’d regret later.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it. Please just get it over with but know I have a mom and dad who love me back home, a baby sister who looks up to me for advice. They will miss me. One day I was hoping to be able to get a son. I mean, a puppy. You know. A little furball to take care of and love. I’ve had to put that dream on hold, but this clinic was one step closer.”

As if in providing an answer to my nervous blabber, he brushed the tips of his fingers underneath my sweatshirt, caressing as he would a lover. I was just as stunned by these actions as I was by everything else he’d done.

“Relax, sweetheart. If I’d wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. Just take your punishment like a good little girl.”