"Not yet?"

"Your father is going to learn you're still alive, if he hasn't already. The good thing about him is that it will take information longer to reach him because he's behind bars. I can contact your father and tell him you're dead and then kill whoever is behind the two dead guys for you. It would buy enough time for you to make your getaway, and if your father thinks you're dead, you could still make a reappearance for his trial and testify against him."

She nibbled on her mouth, her tongue flicking out over the plump flesh and her little white teeth pressing into her lower lip as she considered what I had said. I took the slightest sliver of hope in the fact she was thinking about it and hadn't just cut me off.

Eventually, she spoke. "I can't trust you."

I risked a smile, fixing her with my eyes. "I know. You don't trust anyone."

"Exactly."

"But what are your alternatives? You run for the rest of your life, or you use me and deal with the threat."

"You could try to kill me the minute I cut you loose."

"I could. But you could also be shot the moment you walk from your front door."

"I don't care about my own life. All I wanted was to be able to testify against my father, and to keep my sister safe."

"If you set me free, you'll be able to do both."

She laced her hands into her thick, silky hair, and squeezed her fists tight. The action must have hurt, but she didn't relent, almost as though she was punishing herself.

"I can't deal with this-with any of it! I just need Nickie to come home." She started pacing, back and forth across the small s.p.a.ce. "Where the f.u.c.k is she? She should be here by now."

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," I replied, staying calm. "And when she gets here, what are you going to tell her about me, and the two dead men over there?"

She released her hair and turned to face me. "The truth. At least then she'll take me seriously."

"Why isn't she taking you seriously?"

"Because she's a teenager and thinks she knows everything."

A high flush had appeared in her cheeks, and I imagined she'd look similar to this after s.e.x, though hopefully a little less tense. She must have seen the expression on my face.

"Is something amusing to you?" she snapped.

"Not at all. I was just thinking you look s.e.xy when you're angry."

Her eyes flashed with fury. "You seriously think that's an appropriate comment? I'm worried for the lives of me and my sister, and you're telling me I look s.e.xy? Do you think some pathetic compliment is going to make me release you? In fact, you saying that has made me want to leave you tied up forever."

Ah, so she had been considering letting me go. I took a tiny amount of satisfaction in that, even if my stupid mouth had gotten me in trouble. But for some reason I wanted her to know what I thought of her. We hadn't gotten off to the best start, admittedly, and maybe I was insane for even thinking it, but I thought she might be starting to warm to me.

She let out a growl and turned away. "Where the f.u.c.k is Nickie?"

"Maybe she changed her mind and isn't coming."

"If she does that, whoever the h.e.l.l is after us won't need a hit man. I'll kill her myself."

I had to hide another smile.

She noticed and stopped to glare at me. "What's so d.a.m.n amusing?"

"Sorry. I'll try to look more contrite."

"So you should. You're the one strapped to a chair with two stab wounds."

"Yes, but I don't have half of New York wanting me dead."

Okay, that wasn't completely the truth, but I didn't think we needed to get into details just yet.

"Hey," I said. "I know you have more pressing concerns, but can I get a drink of water? My mouth is like a desert, and if you're going to run off and leave me like this, I'd at least like some chance of not dying of thirst within the next twenty-four hours."

The lack of water had left me thirsty, but it had also meant I'd not needed to take a p.i.s.s since she'd tied me up. I knew that relief had come to an end, though, as my bladder grew heavy and uncomfortable. The water would add to that pressure, but I figured I'd still rather p.i.s.s myself than endure the excruciating discomfort of going any length of time without a drink.

She turned to me with a closed-lipped smile. "You really think you deserve any comfort? You came into my home to kill me, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't. I saved you. Remember?"

She hadn't made up her mind about me. I could see the indecision on her face. That was all I needed, just enough belief that I might be one of the perhaps not good, but better guys, and she would set me free, or at least give me some chance at survival.

"Water," she said eventually. "That's it, though. I'm not going to be making you f.u.c.king coffee next."

I suppressed a smile. "I can't imagine you'd make me coffee even if we were dating."

"I don't date either," she said. "I screw who I want, but don't expect any of the romantic c.r.a.p that goes with it."

I gave her a wink. "Got it."

She glared at me. "That wasn't supposed to be an instruction manual."

"Sounded like you were giving me some tips."

"Well, I wasn't. So quit it."

She gave a huff of exasperation and turned away from me to walk toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"To get you some d.a.m.n water," she called back, without bothering to look back around at me.

I watched her a.s.s and slender legs as she walked back up the stairs, the narrow circ.u.mference of her waist. I'd bet I'd be able to get my fingers right around that waist, if my hands weren't taped together, of course.

My desire to see her dead was fading by the second. I had the feeling Vee alive and kicking would prove to be much more fun.

Chapter Fifteen.

V.

I was glad I had my back to him so he didn't see the smile trying to tweak my cheeks. It wasn't often I met someone who gave as good as they got, but X did. I'd stabbed him twice, and tied him to a chair, but still he was flirting with me. Either he was stupidly confident, or he was just plain stupid.

I hoped it was the first.

As I headed into the kitchen, my pocket buzzed.

s.h.i.t.

I'd forgotten I didn't get any coverage in the cellar. I cursed myself. Nickie might have been trying to get hold of me, and I'd been distracted by the hit man. But when I reached into the back pocket of my jeans, I realized the phone that was buzzing wasn't my own, but the one I'd taken off the dead body of one of the men.

My heart instantly lurched into my throat, and I stopped, reaching out to the wall beside me to steady myself. My heart pattered in my chest. Should I answer it? I couldn't speak if I did-doing so would reveal myself to be alive. I kicked myself. I should have sent some kind of message before, pretending the men were still alive. But then that would have provoked some kind of response, something I hadn't known how to handle.

Problem was, I still didn't.

I was filled with the ridiculous urge to race back down to the cellar and ask X what I should do. But I couldn't. Not only because I shouldn't start thinking I could trust him enough to give me the correct response, but also because if I went into the cellar, I would lose coverage again.

f.u.c.k.

I couldn't waste any more time. I hit the answer b.u.t.ton.

Without speaking, I lifted the phone to my ear.

A male voice said, "What did you do to my men?"

I hesitated, not knowing what to say. Whoever was on the end of the line must have known something had happened to them. After all, I'd answered their phone.

"I'll a.s.sume they're dead," the voice continued. "That wasn't in the plan."

What was the plan? I yelled in my head.

On the other end of the line, there was the briefest of pauses, a slight rasp and a shuffle, and then a different voice came on the line, one that froze the blood in my veins.

"Oh, G.o.d, Vee. What did you do?"

Then she was gone.

"Nickie!" I screamed into the phone. "Nickie, where are you?"

But the man's voice replaced that of my sister, and he laughed. "Come and get her, and then you'll find out."

The line went dead.

The number had been blocked so I couldn't call it back. My jaw was rigid with fear for Nickie's life and anger at myself. I should have gotten in my car and gone to pick her up. What the h.e.l.l had I been thinking? I'd known she might have been in some kind of danger, and yet I'd chosen to be here, babysitting a G.o.dd.a.m.ned hit man rather than out taking care of my only family.

With a scream, I slammed my balled fist into the wall, pain shattering up my knuckles and through my arm. It made me grit my teeth and bend over, clutching my hand against my body, a flurry of curses trapped behind my tight lips.

"What's going on up there?"

The shout of the man I had trapped downstairs.

My eyes burned, but the rest of me felt ice cold, as though all the blood had drained from my extremities to service my internal organs. Once more I had that strange sensation of not quite being a part of myself, as though I was watching this all from a distance.

On shaking legs, holding the phone in one hand, I slowly took the stairs back down into the cellar. X was still in the chair, leaning forward, as though the slight increase in proximity would help him learn what was going on.

"They have Nickie," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"Who does?"

"I don't know, but whoever it is has something to do with those two." I gestured toward the pile of bodies.

X took a breath. "Right. That's it. You need to let me go now."

I blinked at him. "What?"

"I'll help you get her back, but you need to cut this d.a.m.ned tape."

"I can't let you go. You'll kill me."

"No, I won't. I'll help you."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because if your father finds out I was here and that I let someone take your sister, he will cut off my hands and feet and leave me to die somewhere no one will find me."

That was exactly the sort of thing I could imagine my father doing.

I stared at him. "Oh."

"Your father wanted Nickie back," X continued. "He wanted you dead, too, but he also wanted her home again. I already told you that he thinks you were a bad influence on her."

I couldn't help the cold laugh that burst from my lungs. "Oh, yes, of course. I'm the bad influence."

"Listen to me. Tell me exactly what they said to you on the phone."

I took a breath. "He said, 'what did you do to my men?' and something about it not being in the plan. Then he put Nickie on the phone, but only long enough for her to ask me what I'd done-" My voice broke. Even when I'd tried to save her life, she still blamed me for everything. I paused, composing myself. "Then he said, 'come and get her, and then you'll find out where she is.'"

X nodded. "Okay, so they want you to find her, or at least come looking for her. Maybe they're considering you to be more of an adversary than they first expected, so they're putting you in an unknown situation rather than the other way around. They want to be the ones in control."