Johnnie stepped over the unconscious man on the floor, reached for her and folded her into his arms.

He forced himself to breathe. "It's all right, baby, I've got you. You're okay. You're safe."

"Johnnie..." She melted against him and just hung on. She was crying and shaking and he wanted to destroy the man who had tried to hurt her.

"It's all right," he whispered into her ear. "It's all right."

Babs rushed in, carrying a red silk dressing robe and wrapped it around Amy.

"Honey, are you okay?" Babs asked. "He didn't...he didn't hurt you, did he?"

Amy shook her head. Her eyes filled. "Johnnie got here in time." She swallowed and glanced away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Johnnie eased her back into his arms. "You don't have to cry. You're safe. You're with me."

Amy swallowed. Still shaking, she hung on for a couple of seconds longer, took a deep breath and straightened away from him, pulling the sash on her robe a little tighter.

"I'm...I'm okay."

"Should we call the police?" Babs asked. "The boss won't like it. Tate has his own way of handling guys like these. Usually saves the cops a lot of trouble."

Tate Watters stormed into the tiny room, which was getting more and more crowded. He took in the scene in an instant. Then Bo Jing appeared in the doorway, filling it completely.

"You all right?" Tate asked Amy.

She wet her trembling lips. "Johnnie came just in time."

Tate looked down at the man on the floor. "This the sc.u.m who a.s.saulted you?"

Amy nodded. "I saw him out in the audience. I didn't see him disappear but he was waiting backstage when I came off. Bo Jing is usually there but he was helping you with the fight out front."

Tate turned to the ma.s.sive Asian standing a few feet away. "Get this piece of s.h.i.t out of here. Make sure he never comes back."

"You got it, boss."

Johnnie didn't have to ask how the ma.s.sive man was going to manage that. He was pretty sure he knew.

Bo lifted the guy as if he were a kitten, tossed him over his shoulder and did a fireman's carry out the door.

Tate turned to Amy. "Tomorrow's your day off. Why don't you take an extra day? You'll feel better after a little time away from this place."

"Good idea," Johnnie agreed, thinking if he had his way, the extra day off was going to escalate into a week, then the rest of the summer.

He wanted Angel Fontaine's dancing career to end.

Maybe after what had almost happened, Amy would realize he was right and give up trying to help him find her sister.

He grunted. Good luck with that.

Seventeen.

For the second time, she had nearly been raped. Her run-in with Kyle Bennett had been frightening, but tonight had been a real eye-opener. Even in the club, with men like Tate and Bo Jing to watch out for the girls, she wasn't really safe.

She looked over at Johnnie, who stared straight ahead as he drove his Mustang up the hill to the guesthouse. After demanding she go with him and refusing to take no for an answer, he hadn't said three words since they'd left the parking lot.

She knew he was angry. What had happened, he believed, was partly her fault.

"You shouldn't have been there in the first place," he growled into the silence between them, proving she was right. "You can't get a roomful of men all hot and bothered and not expect sooner or later some jacka.s.s will act on his urges."

"It's my job. Lots of women do it."

"Women with a lot more street savvy than you have. If that b.a.s.t.a.r.d had gone after Babs, his b.a.l.l.s would be aching a lot more than they are right now. Christ, you don't even know how to defend yourself."

She looked up at him. "That's not true. I've had self-defense cla.s.ses."

He scoffed. "Yeah? Well, why didn't you try to defend yourself tonight?"

She glanced away. Why hadn't she? "For one thing, it's been a long time since I took the course. And Bo is usually there to watch out for us when we come off stage. Tonight he was busy, and the guy took me by surprise."

"So if you'd realized the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was going to attack you, you would have been prepared."

"Yes. Plus I would have been a lot more prepared if I had been wearing clothes."

His dark eyes ran over her and made her think of s.e.x, which after what had happened, should have been the last thing on her mind.

He pulled into his garage and they got out of the car and walked into the house. She had changed into jeans and a T-shirt before they left the club and brought a small overnight bag he had insisted she pack to get her through the next two days.

She wasn't sure what Johnnie expected from her tonight.

She wasn't sure what she wanted from him.

Instead of going into the living room, he carried her bag down the hall and dropped it off in the master bedroom.

"Come on," he said, urging her toward the stairs leading to the level below. She followed him down, waited while he turned on the lights. Taking her hand, he led her across the room, which was the size of the entire upstairs, over to where he had set up a home gym.

There was all kinds of workout equipment-a treadmill and weights, a padded mat stretched out on the floor in front of the big picture windows that looked out over the city.

Johnnie led her up onto the mat, then turned to face her. "Okay, I'm going to attack you. You've got fair warning-let's see what you can do."

"Are you crazy?"

Apparently he was because he dove for her, took her down easily on the thick foam pad.

"I thought you said you knew self-defense."

Amy gritted her teeth as she pushed to her feet. "I said I'd had cla.s.ses. I also said I was out of practice."

"Let's try it again."

He came in the same way he had before. Amy grunted as he took her easily down to the mat. But her limited training was beginning to come back to her. Mr. Stevens, the gym teacher who taught the cla.s.s, was very determined that each of his female students learn to protect herself.

"That's okay," Johnnie said. "Tomorrow I'll show you some moves."

Amy accepted the hand he offered and let him pull her to her feet. "Try it again," she said.

A little tilt of amus.e.m.e.nt curved his lips. "You sure?"

"Come on. Do it again."

She splayed her legs, readied herself. She wouldn't have this much time to prepare for a real attack, but still...

Johnnie rushed her and she braced herself. At the last second, she sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him toward the mat, whirled and kicked him in the stomach as he went down.

An ooof of surprise escaped.

"Oh, my G.o.d, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Johnnie just grinned. "Okay, that was better. Here, let's try this." He turned her around. "Pretend I'm coming at you from behind."

Amy braced herself, felt the heavy movement of his feet on the mat. He came up fast and she almost missed her chance, but her hours in cla.s.s were finally coming back to her. A last-minute duck and twist, and she pitched him over her shoulder.

Johnnie sprawled on the mat looking stunned. "I can't believe it."

With a triumphant smile, Amy clamped her hands on her hips. "I told you I had cla.s.ses."

Johnnie bounced effortlessly to his feet. "So you did." He looked her over, head to foot. "You're so d.a.m.ned little you're gonna have to be ruthless if you want to stay safe. Pretend I'm coming at you head-on."

She knew what to do. "No way. I'm supposed to gouge out your eyes or slap my hands over your ears to break your eardrums. Sorry, but I'm not going to do that."

He came in anyway, caught her around the waist and dragged her hard against him. "Try it."

"No!" What she really wanted to do was kiss him, not hurt him.

"Do it, d.a.m.n it!"

He made her just mad enough. She went for his ears but he blocked the blow. She went for his eyes, but he knocked her hands away.

"Good girl. With a little more practice you might just have a chance." That said, he knocked her legs out from under her, dropping her down on the mat and came down on top of her, careful to keep most of his weight on his elbows so he wouldn't hurt her.

"Like I said, you need practice, but I have to give you credit, you know a lot more than most women."

Amy barely heard the words. With his powerful body pressing her down on the mat, all she could think of was how it had felt when both of them were naked. She moistened her lips and his gaze fixed on her mouth. His eyes glinted, darkened. His breathing quickened and she realized he was aroused.

Amy reached up and slid her arms around his neck, pulled his head down for a kiss, and Johnnie kissed her back. He tasted yeasty from the beer he'd drunk, and smelled like soap and man. Her insides went hot. She could feel the bulge of his erection behind the fly of his jeans, remembered how good it had felt when he was inside her.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked between soft, nibbling kisses. "After what happened, I wasn't sure you'd want-"

She cut off his words with another burning kiss. It was like a nuclear explosion, a scorching heat that swept them both away. Amy slid her fingers into his thick dark hair and arched upward, wishing their clothes were off and she could feel all those beautiful muscles against her bare skin.

Johnnie groaned. "G.o.d, I want you so much."

She wanted him, too. She reached for the hem of his T-shirt, pulled it free of his jeans and off over his head. Johnnie did the same to hers. She wasn't wearing a bra-not much point tonight and she was beginning to get used to going around half naked.

"So pretty," he said, bending his head to take a nipple between his teeth. The bud was stiff and aching. Oh, dear G.o.d, it felt good. Johnnie suckled and tasted, laved and pulled the fullness of her breast deep into his mouth.

Amy whimpered.

The snap popped open on her jeans and then he was tossing her high heels away and dragging her pants down over her hips. Her little white bikini panties went next, he parted her legs a little wider, kissed his way up her thighs, then his mouth settled over her s.e.x.

Oh, oh, oh! She couldn't catch her breath. She had never let a man do this. Actually, none had tried, but no way was Johnnie backing off and so she let him have his way.

She felt his tongue sliding over her most sensitive places and heat erupted inside her. Her skin p.r.i.c.kled and her stomach quivered. Her body drew taut as a bow string and her eyes rolled back and then she flew over the edge.

"Johnnie!" she cried out, her climax so sharp and sweet it was almost painful. She barely noticed when he left her. Then he was back, beautifully naked, settling himself between her legs. He came up over her, claimed her mouth in a hot, wet kiss, and drove himself deeply inside.

For a moment, he stilled. The tension in his shoulders eased as if he were finally where he wanted to be. Needed to be.

"Johnnie," she whispered, feeling the ridiculous sting of tears. Reaching up to touch his face, she swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat. When he started to move in a slow, easy rhythm, she melted from the inside out. Johnnie kissed her and kissed her, kissed her until she was squirming beneath him, digging her nails into the heavy muscles across his shoulders, urging him faster, deeper, harder, arching upward, demanding more.

Johnnie gave it to her. Drove into her as if he claimed her in some way. Then she was there...soaring, soaring, so sweet, so impossibly delicious. She felt his big hard body stiffen, felt the powerful surges of his climax deep in her womb. Seconds seemed like hours, her mind spinning, filled with thoughts of him.

Then they were drifting back down, finding their way back to earth. She registered the burn of his late-night beard against the side of her neck and the dampness of her skin as he moved off her, settled himself at her side.

Amy's eyes widened. For the first time she realized they had just made love on the floor in his gym.

Johnnie's cell phone started playing. He grabbed it off the nightstand, got out of bed so he wouldn't wake Amy, then realized she wasn't there.

The rich smell of coffee hit him and he smiled as he pressed the phone against his ear. "Riggs."

"It's Trace. Sol found your flight plan. Ortega's jet. The tail numbers were blocked but..." The rest went unsaid. The kid was good. One of the best. "At any rate, the flight was scheduled to leave from Ensenada at 8:00 a.m. May 2, stopover in L.A. to pick up pa.s.sengers, then arrive in Belize City late in the afternoon."

"She'd been missing a couple of days by then."

"If they took her by force, they could have stashed her somewhere then loaded her on the plane."

"Or she went without being coerced."

"Could be."

"Did you find the return?"

"Yeah, a week later, May 9, and here's the interestin' part. The pilot and four pa.s.sengers left LAX on the second. The pilot and three pa.s.sengers returned direct to Ensenada."