"Was that Kira?" Nicole demanded.

"Tell us what you find, little one," Stella repeated as she turned onto the highway.

"How were you able to follow me?"

She'd purposefully pulled the battery from her cell phone that morning, just in case anyone might be tracking her whereabouts. Obviously, it hadn't mattered.

Bogie answered Nicole's question by pulling her knife from where he'd slipped it under his belt. He removed a small piece of tape from the blade. She could see that a bunch of tiny black wires ran the length of the clear strip, unnoticeable against the gray of the blade until now.

"Embedded into this tiny piece of tape is a transmitter sending me a signal. I placed it there when I grabbed your bag from the bus back in Africa.

"Don't even think of it," Bogie warned, seeing Nicole's eyes stray to the door handle. He pulled a set of handcuffs from a bag on the floor and placed one metal cuff around his huge wrist and the other around her smaller one. "I think it best you and I make this journey together."

Chapter Fourteen.

"How much longer till we get to wherever it is you're taking me?" Nicole finally gathered the spirit as they left the congestion of DC and crossed over the state line into Virginia. She wasn't scared. Even though she knew these people weren't with the government, instinct told her they wouldn't harm her-especially since they seemed to want what she'd found in the safe deposit box.

"Providing we don't hit any more traffic and we're able to outrun the storm that's heading up the coast, at least another hour or so," Bogie answered, eyeing the metal cuffs that bound them to one another.

"Once you're done eating, you should rest," Stella suggested as she pulled off an exit and into a fast-food drive-thru. "It will be a long night."

After eating a grilled chicken sandwich and a large Diet c.o.ke with her one free hand, Nicole found herself doing just that. Her sudden fatigue outweighed her stress over being abducted yet again. She suspected Stella might have slipped some of her magic sleeping medicine into her Diet c.o.ke before she pa.s.sed the Styrofoam cup to Bogie.

When next her eyelids opened, they'd left the busy highway and were traveling down a winding, isolated stretch of dirt road. Flashes of lightning scored the early evening sky while booming claps of thunder rumbled all around them. The private path dipped low through a lush green valley before curving and snaking around endless lengths of bright white fencing until they turned onto a long gravel driveway. A magnificent three-story-house stood nestled in the center of a large lawn and surrounded by acres of rolling hills. Its floor-to-ceiling windows were ablaze with a warm yellow light.

"This is where you're taking me?" She was wide awake-if they'd drugged her, it had been a small dose that had already worn off.

Neither Stella nor Bogie answered her. The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of the house. Bogie uncuffed himself and attached his empty manacle to Nicole's free wrist so that both of her hands were now secured together on her lap. He and Stella climbed out without a concerned glance back in her direction. A minute later, Stella returned to the car by herself and led Nicole inside.

The house was like something featured in a home and garden magazine. The first floor was open, with no walls to mar the rustic simplicity of the architecture. A huge stone fireplace with a raised hearth dominated the center of the expansive room, and a stairway made from rough-hewn logs led to an upper level. All the woodwork looked to be a red cedar accented with iron and slate. Several three-foot-tall floor hurricane lamps, their candles flickering welcomingly, were positioned between two very cozy-looking brown leather sofas placed invitingly in front of the fireplace. "You've taken me to a bed-and-breakfast?" she asked sarcastically. "How thoughtful. And here I was thinking you two were bringing me to some vacant warehouse on the outskirts of town where no one would be able to hear my screams. Okay, you can remove the handcuffs. Very funny. I'd like a wake-up call around eight, if you don't mind."

"Good, you still have a sense of humor." Stella looked exhausted. Her dark eyes were red and swollen. "The winds are causing the power to go on and off. Not sure we have enough candles," she added absently. "Now come on, kid, tell us what you found in the bank. You know we'll eventually get it out of you."

She smiled into Stella's fatigued features. "I was just beginning to like you, Stella. Why would you do this? You're a good person. I can see it in your eyes."

"What was at the bank, Nicole?" This time the question came from Bogie, his tone impatient.

"Can I use the bathroom before the interrogation? My bladder's about to explode. And would it be possible to have my bag? It's still in the car."

Stella looked at her suspiciously.

"I have nothing to hide. Feel free to go through my stuff. As much as I wish I'd thought to pack a stick of dynamite on my way out this morning, being taken hostage wasn't on my agenda for the day."

"I'm sure you'll understand if I don't take you at your word." Bogie went to retrieve Nicole's handbag, and when he returned, she watched him rummage through its contents. She stiffened slightly when he unzipped the compartment in which she'd shoved the Chinese fortune, but he didn't spare a second even to read it. He did examine a travel-sized container of toothpaste Nicole kept in her purse before warily depositing the bag into her bound hands.

"No escape attempts," Stella warned, unlocking the handcuffs. "We know you're capable of it."

Alone in the bathroom, Nicole let out a stream of profanity that would have made the underpaid line cooks at Zorba's proud. She'd been considering breaking a window and making a run for it, but she realized how idiotic such an endeavor would be.

They were watching and listening to her every move.

After using the toilet, she washed her hands with a squirt of scented soap from a decorative dispenser next to the hand-carved marble sink, then dabbed some of the toothpaste Bogie had just inspected onto her index finger. The nap in the car-or whatever it was they'd spiked her Diet c.o.ke with-had left a funky taste in her mouth. She rubbed the toothpaste around her gums and teeth while studying her reflection.

"Your best friend is often in the mirror."

"What were you trying to tell me, Dad?" she asked her reflection. "Why did you leave that for me, instead of Liz or Mom?"

She rinsed out her mouth and stared again at the face looking back at her, hoping to find an answer. But all she saw was her ten-year-old self, a little kid grieving for the one person in her life she'd felt had completely understood her.

"C'mon, kid. Hurry up," Stella called through the bathroom door.

Knowing she had no other choice, Nicole opened the door.

"Back at the fast-food place, did you spike my soda?" she asked. Stella ignored the question, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her back into the main room of the house.

"Please don't lock me up," she pleaded with Bogie. He didn't say anything in response as he gathered her hands together and pulled her to one of three wood columns that ran from the vaulted ceilings to the hardwood floors. "I promise I won't run. Look at where we are, for G.o.d's sake! How far do you think I'd get?"

But neither Bogie nor Stella appeared to hear a word she spoke. They pushed her back against the wooden post and cuffed her wrists together behind it. There was no possible way she'd be able to get away.

"This sort of hurts."

"So tell us what you found in the bank." Bogie tightened the cuffs another painful notch. "And you'll be free."

"You know I won't, so just go ahead and do whatever it is you're going to do to me. I guess my instincts are more off than I realized. I didn't take either one of you to be a terrorizing s.a.d.i.s.t."

"Oh, we're not, are we, Stella?" Bogie asked as he laid the key to the handcuffs down on an intricately carved wooden end table just out of Nicole's reach. "But you'll be soon reacquainted with someone who is."

"You had your chance, little one," Stella said in a low foreboding voice, her dark eyes filled with a sad mixture of regret and guilt as she and Bogie walked out the front door into the darkening evening.

"Hey, wait!" she called out "You can't just leave me here imprisoned! What if I have to pee again? Or what if the house catches on fire? I'll be trapped!"

Or what if my nose itches, Nicole thought lamely as their footsteps fell heavily on the wood porch, followed by the crunching of gravel before the Suburban's engine revved loudly, then slowly faded into the distance. She tugged at the handcuffs, but she only succeeded in removing more skin from her wrists.

A crack of lightning and another round of thunder pummeled the evening. The lights flickered. Nicole cast a curious gaze around the room, taking in the opulence of the expensive throw rugs and the exotic African wall hangings. She was not at all surprised to see Kira's winsome face in many of the pictures positioned at perfect angles atop the fireplace mantel. She'd already surmised that the luxurious castle belonged to the Ice Princess, but she was shocked when her eyes fell to one of the silver-plated frames and saw the woman with her arm casually draped over a familiar set of squared shoulders. Nicole felt her heart drop into her stomach. It was the helicopter pilot from Africa!

Mike.

As painful as it was to do, she couldn't seem to stop herself as she sought out the next picture and the next. He seemed to be in almost every one of the snapshots. She cast another gaze around the house, but this time with different eyes.

Was this their home?

A deep, unaccustomed pain erupted within her breast. For all her daydreams about Kira, Nicole never would have imagined that the woman was married to a man!

In her mind's eye, she saw a happy couple curled up romantically in front of the stone fireplace. She tried to smother the ugly, bile-inducing images of Kira and Mike laughing, touching, kissing, but they continued blinking inside her head as vividly as the lightning flashing outside the house.

She shook her head, berating herself for wasting energy on such thoughts. A nervous breakdown must be heading her way. Rather than worrying about being tied up in some strange house with no one knowing of her whereabouts, she was consumed by a ferocious jealousy. If one of her hands was free, she'd use it to slap herself out of it.

There were windows everywhere, and Nicole could see that the rain had finally begun to fall, large, heavy drops that splattered violently against the huge panes of gla.s.s. Over the sound of the rain, she heard what sounded like a garage door opening and a car door slamming shut. Nervously, she bit her bottom lip as a wave of fear swept through her.

It wasn't Kira she was afraid of, but rather her response to seeing her. She'd fought her emotions the entire week, torn between despising the deceitful woman and falling in love with her.

Chapter Fifteen.

"We meet again."

Nicole lifted her head and felt her breath catch in her throat. If possible, Kira was even more beautiful than she remembered. She looked ethereal, almost unreal in the dim light. She was dressed in a simple white cotton sundress that revealed the suntanned length of her legs, her silky blond hair stylishly windblown from the stormy weather.

"Far too soon for me," Nicole spat defiantly, despite the fact that every atom in her body seemed to explode with a quiet elation.

"You're angry." The beginning of a smile tipped the corner of Kira's pink lips as she tucked a wave of hair behind one ear. "And here I was hoping you might be happy to see me."

"Happy? I was never as happy as the day I left Kenya and thought I'd seen the last of you," Nicole heard herself reply viciously. She had to be careful. Thou doth protest too much, an inner voice warned.

"Surely you didn't think I'd let you go so easily." Kira looked at her intently. "Not when I knew you would lead me to exactly what I've been searching for." She sauntered nonchalantly into the room, stopping mere inches in front of Nicole. "I see Bogie and Stella felt it necessary to tie you up?"

"Yeah, right. As if you didn't order them to do it."

Kira's eyes slid to the key on the table. "I'd free you, but I'm beginning to see the wisdom of their decision." Her expression turned stern. "You can save us both a lot of time and unnecessary anguish by simply telling me what it is you found in the safe deposit box. C'mon, Nicole," Kira reached out, gently cupping Nicole's chin in her hand and searching her upturned face, "what was in it?"

Nicole tried to breathe.

Kira's proximity and touch was overwhelming. For the first time since leaving the hidden bunker in the hills of Mount Kenya, Nicole felt alive again. It was as if her soul had been closeted in some cold, dark abyss and was now free to drink in the abundant warmth of the sun.

"If it's a contest of wills you want, so be it," Kira said, dropping her hand and retreating a few steps backward. "But you'll lose. I'm quite a skilled interrogator, and I warn you now, I won't play fair."

"That I can believe."

Kira seemed amused. She turned her back and Nicole watched as she slid her sandals from her feet before falling gracefully into one of the leather sofa's thick cushions. "You've a very low opinion of me."

"Need you ask why?" Nicole tugged at her handcuffs to remind the woman that she was being held against her will. "Never mind the fact you've kidnapped me twice now, what you did to my mother was horrible!"

Kira looked bewildered.

"The letters from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the numerous bank notices. Preying upon a widow? That's pretty low, even for you!"

Kira chose to ignore the allegation altogether. "Just tell me what you found, Nicole. We don't have much time."

Nicole recalled Stella yelling those exact words at Bogie before she got into the helicopter. "What's the rush? Are the feds after you?" She watched for a reaction but there was nothing. "Forget it, Kira. No matter what you and your people do to me, I'm never going to tell you anything."

"My people?" Kira questioned with a raised brow, lifting her feet off the floor and propping them atop the iron and wood coffee table juxtaposed between the fireplace and sofa. "You make it sound as if I'm part of the mafia."

"I know you're not working undercover for the government like you've claimed to be."

"Really? And please tell me just how it is you've arrived at that conclusion?"

"No federal employee would ever be able to afford a place like this." Her brown eyes darted around the room. "And no government agency would authorize this type of commando operation."

"Ah yes, I forget you're still living in the blissfully naive two-dimensional world of textbook and theory." Kira's mouth twisted wryly. "Do you want me to call Amnesty International and report my misdeeds?"

"I'd prefer you call the police. You and your husband belong in jail." Nicole tossed a lock of dark curls away from her face. "By the way, Mike mentioned it was you I had to thank for the scenic tour I received before I left. Glad I got to see something of Africa after blowing almost four thousand nonrefundable dollars"-she paused at each syllable and raised her voice to give the number more weight-"for an internship I didn't get to even start, let alone complete. So, thank you."

"Husband?" That perfect mouth broke into a wide, white smile and Nicole hated herself for being captivated by it.

"Studly Do-Right? The human Ken doll? Whatever." Her gaze went to the pictures atop the mantel. "You'd think you would've remembered to remove anything of a personal nature before bringing me here. Although I'm surprised someone as cold as you even has someone who cares about her."

Kira rose from the sofa in one fluid motion. She stretched her arms wide, stifling a yawn. Nicole watched her smooth feminine biceps go taut and again wondered how long ago it was they'd flown in from Kenya-all three of them had that worn, jet-lagged look.

"Oh, Nicole, I do admire your wild imagination." Kira's movements were languid and relaxed like an advancing cat's as she slowly moved toward her. Lightning shattered the night sky and the lights powered off and on. They both stared at each other until Nicole had to break the spell by looking away.

"Do you think I would have kissed you the other night," Kira's blue eyes were now a shade darker and fixed unwaveringly upon Nicole's lips, "if I was married or otherwise romantically involved?"

Nicole felt her mouth throb and tingle, but she cleared her throat, pretending not to be affected. "I think you'd do just about anything to get what you're after."

Kira's gaze moved from Nicole's lips to roll lazily down the creamy expanse of collarbone the yellow blouse she was wearing revealed. "My actions have always been in line with my code of ethics."

"You act as if you have morals."

"I have more than some people."

"And just who might they be? Hitler? Saddam Hussein?" Nicole boldly challenged her, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Your girlfriend, for one."

"Girlfriend?"

"I see you could hardly wait to make contact with Danielle Taylor," Kira cast a withering glare at Nicole. "You're in over your head with that one."

"You're still listening in?"

"Never stopped."

"And I suppose you'll tell me again that the Patriot Act ent.i.tles you to commit acts that are blatantly unconst.i.tutional?"