Their Virgin Captive (22 page)

Besides, she wouldn’t really mind the spanking she would get. In fact, she might actually like it.

Hannah Craig liked spankings.
Bye bye, good girl.

But maybe enjoying a good spanking didn’t make her a bad girl. Maybe it just made her honest with herself. She’d spent so much of her life trying to be what everyone around her expected that she’d forgotten to just be her.

As hard as she might try, Hannah couldn’t see anything really wrong with loving three men.

They weren’t hurting anyone. Why did there have to be a boundary on love?

She didn’t bother to close the curtains as she walked into the bedroom suite. Someone had left them wide open, and the big bay windows offered an amazing view of the mountains. Alaska was stunning. It was such a change from the big city and encroaching summer heat of Texas.

Everything seemed lush and vibrant in air so fresh and crisp that it was a joy to breathe.

She felt truly alive for the first time in her life. Being in Alaska helped that feeling, but it was more about her men. Was she really going to let that feeling go because she was mad at Gavin?

Yes, he’d said some ugly things. But the Lord above knew that she’d said some things in the past that she’d regretted. She didn’t think Gavin would hurt her again. And if he did, Dex and Slade would kick him back in line.

The sun streamed through the windows, and Hannah opened the French doors that led to the patio with a smile. She was only dressed in her robe, but there wasn’t anyone around to see her.

It was nice to be alone for a minute. If those boys had their way, it wouldn’t last for long.

She breathed in the slightly chilly air and thought seriously about dropping the robe to feel the breeze on her skin. If she did, the brothers would find her that way, lounging naked on the patio, reveling in her newfound sensuality. Dex would be the first to attack her, and Slade would follow, their hands, lips, and tongues roaming her body feverishly.

She would look up, and Gavin would be watching, waiting to see if she would let him in.

Making love with him would be a nice way to let him know she was willing to talk. Well, maybe not to talk, but she was willing to try. She couldn’t let her fear rule her. If Gavin walked out again, then she would deal with it. That was a risk every woman took.

Her hand grasped the tie of her robe. She was just about to let it drop when she heard a voice.

“Hannah?”

She looked up—and realized that she wasn’t so safe here after all.

Chapter Thirteen

“Scott?” Hannah blinked, unable to believe he’d come here and found his way to the patio beside her bedroom. Why would he do that? He’d been desperately trying to see her the day the James Gang had dragged her off to Alaska. She could only think of one reason he’d come now.

He was her stalker.

Hannah took a step back, panic flooding her system. She was brutally aware that she was alone. The quiet of the afternoon, once so peaceful, now felt ominous. She glanced over her shoulder, past her bedroom, to the empty hallway. Where was Gavin?

“I’m so glad I found you.” Scott sighed. “I feel like I walked miles to get to you. But I couldn’t stop. I had to see you. Hannah, I need to talk to you.” Scott’s face was bunched up, some unnamed emotion animating him. He looked young and slightly vulnerable standing there with the early evening light lighting up his pale hair like a halo. But it was all an illusion.

“If you wanted to talk to me, you should have given me a call.” Of course, it wasn’t as if she and Scott were best friends. A phone call would have been suspicious. If he had, that likely would have tipped her off. Or if she hadn’t grasped his guilt right away, one of her hovering men would have.

She wished those men were here now. Slade and Dex were back in River Run investigating Preston’s suicide. Or had his death been suicide at all? Hannah nibbled nervously on her bottom lip as all kinds of possibilities rolled over her. Had Scott killed Preston? How far was he willing to go to take her?

Would Gavin be able to hear her if she screamed?

“I tried to call. I can’t get cell service.” Scott’s gaze bounced all over, clearly skittish. “I think he’s blocking it. There are several ways to block local signals. He’s way smarter and more devious than I gave him credit for.”

Hannah looked back to the French doors. Could she make it through them and into her bedroom before he caught her?

If she hadn’t been so damn stubborn, she would have been with Gavin, talking through their problems.

“Where’s Mr. Townsend? I tried the front door, but no one answered. I really need to talk to him, or Mr. James. Hannah there’s something you need to know.” Hannah stopped and let his words sink in. “You tried the front door?” Scott nodded. “Yeah. I knocked. I didn’t, like, open it or anything. This is a rich folks’ place.

You never know, they might release the hounds or something. I thought maybe everyone had come out back, but…Hannah, someone’s after you.”

“I know.” She couldn’t keep the fear from her voice.

“Oh, crap. You think it’s me.” Scott shook his head and held his hands up, showing her he’d come unarmed.

“Well, you’re here, not in Dallas where you’re supposed to be. The whole reason Slade, Dex, and Gavin brought me up here was to escape this stalker.”

“That makes sense. I was on my way to your office to pick you up for an early lunch so I could warn you when I saw your…exit. But he saw it, too. An hour later, a virus had crashed the River Run facility. So I volunteered for this assignment, hoping I’d get a chance to see you and—”

“Who saw my exit? Who are you trying to warn me about?”

“Lyle.”

The truth washed over her. Lyle Franklin. She’d met him her first day on the job. He’d brought her laptop and helped her set it up. He was the head of the help desk, but he’d found time to help a new girl out. He’d been patient with her. She’d heard rumors that he was difficult to work with, but brilliant when it came to systems upkeep and repair. She’d never found him difficult. Anytime she’d had trouble and called the help desk, he’d come personally.

At the time, she’d thought he’d taken care of her because she was the boss’s admin. There wasn’t an employee at Black Oak who didn’t want Gavin James to owe him or her a favor. She’d had lunch with Lyle on a couple of occasions in large groups, but turned him down for dinner because it had seemed too much like a date, and she hadn’t wanted to lead him on. She’d never felt anything beyond vague friendship for the lanky, self-conscious man.

How much had he hidden from her?

“I think I should go and find Gavin.” Hannah knew she needed to be cautious. She wasn’t about to fully trust anyone except her men. She would go and get Gavin, and they could talk to Scott together.

Unless Scott was lying to gain her trust. Then he wouldn’t let her move an inch off this patio.

She backed toward the French doors, easing closer to them. She would lock them behind her and find Gavin. They could get the sheriff, who could sort out everything in a nice, safe interrogation room where all the employees had guns and the right to shoot people.

That sounded like a plan.

“That’s a good idea, Hannah.” Scott’s voice had taken on a soothing quality. He sat down at the patio table, carefully placing his hands on top. “Please tell Mr. James not to shoot me on sight. I get that you have to be cautious. I do. I’ll wait here.” Hannah still didn’t turn her back on him.

“And Hannah, if your computer’s on, turn it off.”

“Why?” She’d turned it on earlier in the day hoping to check her e-mail. It was still sitting open on the desk in her suite. She almost always left it up and ready to use.

“You have a webcam on that computer, Hannah. He’s been watching you through it for months. It’s how I figured out his scheme. Preston made us share a conference room back in Dallas for one of those installation task forces on Monday. Lyle left to go do something, and I was looking for a missing file. Instead, I saw videos of you.”

“Me?”

Scott flushed a bit. “Yes. He has a ton of videos of you. He’s been watching you day and night. Some are just long videos of you lying around in your undies reading a book or talking on the phone. It looks like you’re in the bedroom.”

That bastard. He’d set up her computer. Lyle knew how computer illiterate she was. He’d told her she didn’t need to know more, that he knew enough about computers for both of them.

They had laughed about it at the time.

All along he’d been watching her, stalking her.

He’d been the one sending her threatening notes. He’d tried to kill her cat.

His expression earnest, Scott went on. “When that virus hit the site’s computer, I knew someone with access and knowhow had uploaded it. Lyle fits the bill.” Everything Scott said made perfect sense.

“I’m going to go get Gavin. Don’t go anywhere. I believe you, Scott. Thank you.” She was just about to turn when a bang cracked the air around her. Scott grunted, and his face became strangely blank. Red bloomed across his shirt.

Blood. He’d been shot.

“You’re not going anywhere, Hannah.” Lyle stepped from behind the house and pointed the gun at her.

Scott slumped forward, his head hitting the table with a nasty thud. Bile crawled up her throat.

Lyle Franklin stood roughly five feet seven inches tall. His hair was cut far too short for his round features. His eyes were too close together, giving him a slightly seedy look. His body was awkwardly thin, as though he’d never outgrown his teenage years and would never have the body of a man. But Hannah didn’t doubt for a second that he could overpower her. His arms looked scrawny compared to her men’s, but Lyle had already proven he had plenty of nerve and few qualms.

“Y-you killed him.” Hannah couldn’t believe he’d shot Scott right in front of her. How could he be lying there dead? She’d just been talking to him moments ago. Scott couldn’t be much older than her. He should have had a whole lifetime to look forward to, but now, because he’d tried to help her, he’d taken his last breath.

“He was trying to keep us apart, dear. I can’t allow that. How can I call myself your man if I let other men come between us?” Lyle lowered his arm, letting the gun rest at his side. But Hannah didn’t doubt that he could have her in his sights in an instant.

She had to be careful. “Did you kill Preston, too?”

His small eyes softened, and he smiled as though inordinately proud. “I did it for you. I heard what he did to you, trying to force you to kiss him. I couldn’t let him live after that. If I’d been there, I would have protected you, Hannah. That’s what I do. I protect you.” By trying to kill her cat? By terrorizing her? She could try to reason with him, but she doubted negotiating with a lunatic would work. He was either here to rape or kill her—or both.

“In fact, I’ve been watching over you for a while now. I knew the moment I saw you that we were meant to be together. You felt it, too. Don’t try to deny it. I saw the way you looked at me that day.”

She barely remembered that day. Hannah wanted to scream, but the trail of mayhem and murder was too long to risk making him angry. Heck, the proof of his evil was still warm and slumped over the patio table. She took a tentative step back.

Lyle’s face hardened like he was about to explode in a tantrum. Unfortunately, his tantrum included a gun. “Don’t run, dear. I’m done playing games with you. If you run, I’ll chase you down. I want our first time together to be special.”

Oh, God. She needed time. Her men would come for her. Sooner or later, Gavin would come looking for her. Slade and Dex would figure out her stalker’s identity, and they would try to find her.

And Lyle would shoot them.

The thought of Gavin’s big body slumped over, never to rise again, made her nauseous. Why hadn’t she told him she loved him?

She loved all three of them, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let this deranged creep kill them.

Hannah looked around, seeking any sort of weapon she could use against him. Then she noticed Scott’s body jerk slightly. His chest still moved up and down with shallow breaths.

Thank you, God!
He was still alive.

Lyle sighed and moved toward the man at the table. “Motherfucker. He’s tougher than I gave him credit for.”

Lyle lifted the gun.

“Don’t,” Hannah yelled. She couldn’t stand there and watch him kill Scott.

Lyle’s eyes narrowed. “You want to save him, Hannah? He wants to split us up.”

“No, he just wanted to talk to me. You know, we were supposed to have a meeting yesterday to talk about how the CEO can work better with his teams. It was just business.” God, she hoped he hadn’t heard much of their conversation.

His face turned vicious, and he gripped the gun more tightly. “You like your co-workers too much, Hannah. Didn’t I tell you to stay away from those perverted brothers?” Scott’s previous words buzzed in her head. Lyle had watched her through the webcam. She’d had her computer open the night before. He might well have seen her give her virginity to Dex, then turn around and fully embrace Slade while Dex felt his way up her body and whispered hot encouragement.

“We should discuss this Lyle.” If she could keep him talking, he’d be too busy to shoot people.

“The time to talk is over. I loved you, Hannah. I protected you. I was your angel.” He heaved an angry sigh. “But you’re just like the rest—a whore willing to spread her legs for rich men.

Tell me something, Hannah. How could you let those perverts degrade you? Spank you and shove that…thing up your ass? I would have treated you like a princess. I wouldn’t have let anyone else touch you. But they passed you around like a toy. How do you like being someone’s live blow-up doll?”

“It wasn’t like that.” She tried to keep her voice calm. Scott’s hand twitched.
Still alive.
How was she going to get him out of this before he bled to death?

He sneered. “I watched it. I heard it. It was disgusting. You let them turn you into a whore.” Then his face fell, and he looked close to spilling furious tears. “I just…tried to love you.” Arguing with the crazy man holding a gun seemed very dangerous. “I know.”