Tessa pulled her gun from her back and gave the man an evil smile. She won the upper hand and was surprised at how easy it had been. Just when she thought she might get out of this alive, she heard the click and felt the gun's barrel against the back of her skull.

*"Don't do anything stupid, okay, Nikki?" It was Alex's voice.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Alex," Tessa practically whispered to her young protege.

"Yeah, it does," he said.

Tessa turned her head slightly to look into his eyes. "Just don't let them hurt Casey. Please, Alex, don't let them hurt her,"

Tessa said so softly that only Alex could hear.

Tessa lowered the Glock that was pointed at Peter and handed it by the barrel behind her to Alex. Peter took a step forward and Tessa braced herself for the blows to follow. She never expected it to be from behind. She struggled to stand and her knees gave out as she fell heavily to the ground.

"What the h.e.l.l did you do that for?" Peter yelled at Alex as he fitted a set of handcuffs around Tessa's wrists at the small of her back.

"Because Meridio said he wanted them brought to the house. He didn't say anything about beating the c.r.a.p out of them beforehand," Alex yelled back.

Peter was about to make Alex sorry for b.u.t.ting in, but he noticed the new glare in his expression. If Tessa had indeed fallen from favor, this kid was next in line to be the Meridio Kare. Even Peter realized that it would be easier for Meridio to find another bodyguard than a trusted right-hand man. The beefy man raised his hands in a gesture of defeat and gave in.

"Come, on," Alex said. "Let's get her to the house. Get Meridio's daughter, then find Stef and give me a hand."

"Jesus." Stefano panted a few minutes later as they dragged the dead weight of the unconscious woman's body toward the main house. "This girl is huge. Who would have thought she'd weigh so much."

"I wouldn't worry about that as much as what Meridio's gonna say when we tell him his girl got away." Peter was huffing slightly, too.

The men were just entering the olive grove with their restrained burden when Casey pushed open the French doors to her bedroom.

*Casey pulled the Beretta from her laptop case and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans. She pressed her ear against the door to the outside hall but was greeted with nothing but silence.

She opened the door, hoping she could come back and get the rest of what she needed, but Olympia was her first priority.

Casey made her way carefully down the stairs. She surprised herself at how quickly but silently she could move when she had to. She reached the back of the first floor where Olympia's rooms were but found the bedroom empty. The bed was made and Casey suspected Olympia was in the kitchen already beginning her day. That's where she found her, preparing to make coffee as the darkness outside turned gray.

"Shh." Casey held her finger to her lips and whispered to Olympia, "We have to leave...we have to go right now."

Olympia was a smart woman and she could see by the pistol tucked in Casey's jeans that this was no game. She nodded.

"Tessa?" Olympia asked, fearful of the answer.

"She's okay" was the only answer Casey gave, wondering if that was still true. "Go out through the kitchen patio and go around the side toward the stables. Tessa put her car out by the pond. I have to go back upstairs, but if anything happens or if I don't show up in the next twenty minutes, take these," Casey dug in her pocket for Tessa's car keys, "and get to the house in Ano Mera...that's where Tessa will meet us."

Olympia had no idea how the two young women had been found out, but she knew in her heart that Andreas Meridio would let none of them live if he felt betrayed. She nodded her understanding and followed Casey's instructions down toward the pond.

Casey flattened herself against the wall in the hallway as the door into the dining room opened noisily. She heard the sound of men's voices and sc.r.a.ping sounds. She peered around the corner, staying in the shadows of the dark hall but couldn't tell what they were doing inside the room that was as dark as where she stood.

She silently made her way back up the stairs to the second-floor landing when she heard the click of her father's office door opening below her. She moved farther into the shadows and watched as *her father went into the dining room, then she turned and quickly entered her bedroom.

Meridio came closer to the unconscious woman and fairly shook with rage. He wanted to put a bullet in her head just like he'd done to her father, but he tried to control his pa.s.sion. That kind of death would be too good for her. He wanted to see her suffer, watch her die very slowly, with as much pain as possible.

"Where is Ca.s.sandra?" he asked, looking around the room.

"She wasn't there," Alex said. "Stefano said her car is in the garage so she's probably on the grounds somewhere."

"Find her!" Meridio growled. "Then get back here. I don't want to mess up the carpet, we'll take her to the warehouse."

Alex and Stefano left to search the house, leaving the other two men in the room with Tessa. The sun was peeking out from behind the eastern hills when Alex opened the door to Casey's bedroom. Stefano searched the room next door, walking into Casey's bedroom just as Alex opened the door to the walk-in closet.

Casey pressed herself as far back into the shadows as she could, but Alex flipped the light switch on the closet's wall and Casey might as well have been in the middle of the large s.p.a.ce.

Alex met the frightened green gaze and they both froze there for what seemed an eternity.

"Anything there?" Stefano asked.

Alex narrowed his gaze and sighed loudly. He looked at the gun in Casey's hand and knew she could have shot him if she wanted to.

"No," he called out to Stefano, never releasing Casey's gaze.

"Nothing here...I'll meet you on the first floor."

Alex opened his jacket, pulled Tessa's Glock from his waistband, and handed the gun to Casey. "He wants us to take her down to the docks...it'll be warehouse number forty-seven. I'll do what I can, but I can't hold them all off." He turned and walked out of the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him.

Casey grabbed her jacket and stuffed her pa.s.sport, wallet, and Tessa's cell phone in the deep pockets. She focused on the task at hand and tried not to fall apart. She and Alex would be the 0.

*only hope Tessa had, and Casey wouldn't allow herself to think about the alternative. Hearing a car pull up to the front of the house, Casey ran to the window over her bed and bit her lip at the sight below. Her father and Alex got into the front of the car, Stefano and the bodyguard carried Tessa's unconscious body and placed it in the backseat. They drove off and Casey sprinted into action. She made a quick stop in her father's office, and no longer worried about being seen, she burst out the kitchen door. She made a mad dash across the field and past the stables, running full out down the hill toward the pond. She barely stopped for breath as she ordered Olympia into the vehicle and jumped behind the red convertible's steering wheel.

Casey drove like a woman possessed. She punched the numbers into the cell phone Tessa gave her. Jack answered on the first ring.

"Tessa?" His voice sounded worried, on edge.

"Jack, it's Casey. They've got Tessa."

"Casey, where are you? Have you got the invoices?"

"Jesus Christ, Jack, did you hear what I said? They have Tessa!" Casey shouted into the phone as she cut the wheel hard, spitting dirt and rocks in the car's wake as she sped up the road to Ano Mera .

"Yes, I heard you. Now where are you and where are the invoices?"

"I'm on my way to Ano Mera . I'm dropping off Tessa's mother, then I'm going to go get Tessa." Casey looked over at Olympia. Olympia had a death grip on the dash in front of her, but if she was as scared as Casey was, she didn't show it.

"Calm down," Jack tried to sound nonchalant. "We have a chopper ready to leave now, but I can't be in two places at once, here's the way it's got to happen-"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Jack, you listen to me...here's the way it's going to happen-s.h.i.t!"

Casey hit the brakes as she slid past the long gravel road up to the house. She backed up and turned right onto the drive. Braking hard, she stopped in front of the small cottage.

"You are going to get that chopper here and pick up Olympia *first. I need to know she's safe. Then I'll expect a little help down on the docks. They've taken Tessa to a warehouse there."

"Look, Casey-"

"I want your word. If you don't, I swear I will eat every one of those f.u.c.king invoices and you can all go to h.e.l.l!"

"All right, all right!" Jack shouted back. "We'll be in the air in sixty seconds...you keep your head down, kid."

It was the nicest thing Jack could think to say to this stranger who seemed to have more b.a.l.l.s than he'd seen on a lot of special agents.

"I have to go," Casey said to Olympia, who was already out of the car and standing next to the driver's side.

"I understand. Hurry, Casey." Olympia hugged Casey and stepped back from the car.

"Jack Armstrong is the name of the man who's bringing the helicopter here for you. Go with him and you'll be safe," Casey said, and without any more of a farewell, she took off down the gravel road.

Chapter 21.

"She's still out," Peter said, letting the dark head fall forward again.

"That's a little too long for a tap to the skull, especially for one with such a hard head. Come on, Tessa...I know you're awake,"

Meridio's voice said evenly, and Tessa knew she could no longer play possum.

"You b.i.t.c.h," Peter muttered as Tessa looked up and winked at him.

Meridio slowly came forward until he stood in front of her.

Tessa had her wrists and ankles handcuffed to the heavy metal chair. She'd seen plenty of these chairs in the days when torture was an everyday occurrence. Tessa smirked at the man above her. Meridio hit her hard with his fist. It connected with her jaw, and he heard the satisfying sound of pain come from the woman.

The blow rocked Tessa's head back, but she tried to act unaffected by the powerful strike. She locked her pale blue eyes on Meridio and spit the blood in her mouth down on his shoes. Punishment for the willful act was swift, and three more punches followed in quick succession. Blood came from her mouth and trickled from her nose. It wasn't broken yet, but a few more hits like the last one and she knew it soon would be.

Tessa knew that she was gone. She'd tried, but at least she would die with honor. She had repaid the hahre in her attempt.

Now all she had left was to die, but she was never going to give *Meridio the satisfaction of thinking he'd won. He might kill her, but he'd never succeed in breaking her.

"All this because I f.u.c.ked your daughter?" Tessa said dryly.

All three of the hired men looked up at Meridio. When they saw the look on his face, they knew what Tessa said was the truth. Alex tried to look as surprised as the others did, but he knew what had been going on all along. Peter and Stefano looked at the ground instead of up at Meridio. Andreas looked around in embarra.s.sment. Tessa grinned as her comment hit its mark.

Meridio was losing face in front of other men, and that was never a good thing for a mangas.

"She spread her legs so d.a.m.n fast for me...she never even knew I was using her." Tessa's head snapped back two more times as Meridio punched her, then crossed the floor to a sink and washed his hands.

He obviously felt that his control of the situation was slipping.

The longer he stayed there, the more Tessa would embarra.s.s him.

He suspected that the enigmatic woman had seduced Casey and now he had the confirmation. Ca.s.sandra was about to realize, however, that there would be consequences for her actions. As much as he loved Casey, he would still have to show her that disloyalty came with a price...a very high price.

Meridio put his suit coat back on and walked toward the door."Meridio!" Tessa called, and he stopped and turned. "Casey was the best f.u.c.k I ever had." Tessa grinned up at him.

Meridio's eyes narrowed and his gaze went cold. "Kill her...

make it last a very long time. By the way, make sure she tells you where the invoices are before she dies." Meridio smiled back at Tessa and walked out the door.

The sunlight glared in their eyes as Meridio stood there, half in and half out the door. His attention seemed caught by something outside. He looked back at Tessa, and if looks could kill, Tessa would be lifeless. Meridio glowered toward the door again and, raising his hands slightly, backed into the warehouse.

Casey held her Beretta in front of her and kept it leveled at her father's chest as he continued to back up. Tessa had to blink to *figure out if her mind was playing tricks on her. Oh, Casey...baby, you're going to get yourself killed. Please don't do this.

"Ca.s.sandra, do you really expect me to believe that you would kill me?" Meridio asked as Alex, Peter, and Stefano pulled their guns."Father...knowing the things that you've done in your life...

I'd just be a chip off the old block, wouldn't I? Besides, I really don't think you're prepared to say, with absolute certainty, that I won't shoot you, are you?"

Meridio looked in Casey's eye and d.a.m.n if he couldn't tell for sure. That d.y.k.e b.i.t.c.h had brainwashed Casey but good.

"Ca.s.sandra, you don't understand who Tessa is-"

"I understand that you killed her father. I was there...I saw it."

Casey tried to calm the tremor in her voice.

"Yes, I did, but that's what she wants revenge for. She has only been using you to get to me, Casey." Meridio rarely used her nickname, but he wanted to get through to her. "Even if you kill me, one of them will put a bullet in Tessa's head. She'll still be dead, and you will have to live with the guilt of murdering your father. Ask her...ask her now. She knows she's a dead woman, she has nothing to lose."

Meridio saw the flicker of doubt in the green eyes and knew he was getting through to her.

"Ask her, Mahtia Mou, " Meridio said softly.

Tessa watched in horror as Casey looked in her face. Please understand, baby...this is the only way for you to get out of this.

"Niko?" Casey asked quietly.

"You're a beautiful woman, but that's all you were to me, Casey. You were just a way for me to get closer to Meridio."

Casey's brow knit in confusion at Tessa's words. Suddenly, she didn't know whom she should believe.

Meridio saw the perfect opportunity presenting itself. How better for Casey to take her place within his organization and to vindicate herself in his eyes? He smiled slightly when he looked into Tessa's eyes and saw that Tessa realized what he had in mind.

A stab of pain clutched at Tessa's heart. If she hurt Casey *enough, wounded her to the heart, would Casey shoot her? Part of Tessa's brain thought it would be a sweet release in comparison to what Meridio had planned for her, but the other half of her couldn't let Casey bear the unspeakable pain that would follow from that action. She needed Casey to know that she was only saying those things for Casey's own protection.

Tessa caught the flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye and watched as Alex stepped closer to her, giving himself what appeared to be a clean shot at Peter and Stefano, who stood on the other side of her chair. It could be just wishful thinking on her part, but at least if she could get Casey to understand what she was about, Casey would be prepared to help Alex and take one of the men standing beside her out of commission.

"Ca.s.sandra, I didn't want you to know you had been used in such a vile way by this woman. I know she has humiliated you, but there is a way for you to pay for the hurt."

Meridio spoke in low dulcet tones that seemed to be having a hypnotic effect on Casey. Casey stood looking at Tessa in dismay, then anger etched across her features.