Читать книгу The Enemy's Kiss - Zandria Munson - Страница 11

Daniela pulled the motorcycle helmet off and exhaled a slow breath as she freed her hair. The ride to the drop-off point had been more than uncomfortable since she’d been forced to sit astride the sleek black motorcycle behind her captor. She’d been careful to avoid as much physical contact as possible, but with less than an inch between them that had proven to be an impossible task.

She slid from the rear of the motorcycle and turned her attention to the lights that could be seen flickering several yards beyond the trees. They were from the Branch-ovan Monastery. She’d scouted it earlier in the day, yet the ghastly structure still sent shivers coursing down her spine. Nestled at the base of a sloping hill, it was surrounded by a forest on one side and the lifeless expanse of a shadowy lake on the other. Centuries ago it had been a place of holy devotion, and now it served as a storage facility and exchange point for stolen goods.

Within the shrouding darkness of the trees, her captor’s silhouette appeared at her side. Nicholas, he’d said his name was. She’d given him her name, not that it mattered anyway. He’d returned the majority of her possessions to her, but kept her cell phone and she was certain his intent was to learn her true identity.

Ignoring the odd fluttering at the pit of her stomach as he drew nearer, she put on her night-vision binoculars. Several of the monastery’s windows were illuminated and she could see several men inside, stacking and moving crates around.

“I don’t know how you think you’re going to get in there. The place is crawling with security,” she told him.

Nicholas eased a branch aside and fixed his attention to the structure below. “By the design I feel safe to assume that it is more than several hundred years old. It was considered essential to have an alternate and hidden point of access as no one was exempt from the savage sieges that had plagued the land. Not even those of the cloth.” He let the branch fall back into place. “Come, we will find another entrance.”

Daniela fixed him with a questioning look. “We? I never agreed to go down there with you.”

His gaze fell over her. “You agreed to take me to the place you were instructed to deliver the rune.”

“And I did. Why do you think we’re here? For sightseeing?”

The delay in his response lingered a moment longer than it should have; with the darkness to obscure the emotion on his face, she wondered if she was crossing the line of his good graces.

“Should I so readily accept the words of a thief? One whom I found stealing her way into my family’s home?” He moved closer, swallowing any space between them. “We are going into the monastery. Please do not mistake this for a request.”

Daniela’s eyes narrowed on him as she fought the retort that was fast climbing within her throat. He towered above her, his face partially illuminated by a slanted bar of light that had stolen access through the trees. Emerald eyes flashed. He looked dangerous. Not one to be crossed.

Without waiting for her response, he moved toward his motorcycle and removed the keys then the huge crossbow that was strapped to one side. He stalked past her to begin the descent down the steep hill. Daniela glared after him, her temper mounting. Had she known he expected her to accompany him on whatever insane mission he had planned, she would’ve attempted an escape long before now. But it was too late. They were miles away from anything and with no vehicle at her disposal any such move would be foolish. She was here and would have to comply with his wishes. Reluctantly, she sighed and kept to the cover of the trees as she followed him.

It wasn’t long before they reached the back of the monastery. Surrounded by tall and ancient trees that yawned into the night and shrouded the towering walls, it was no less welcoming. The scent of earth, moist and decaying, hung about them. Daniela inhaled a shaky breath and blamed the racing of her heart on the steady pace of her descent.

Nicholas stood a few feet from her, his eyes combing the base of the wall as if they could penetrate the heavy shadows. He bent and brushed the leaves from a spot on the ground before scooping up a handful of soil.

“The land here is low,” he spoke quietly. “If there is a passage beneath the monastery it would no doubt be saturated by the lake.” He discarded the soil and moved to another spot.

Daniela watched with curiosity as he repeated this again. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but admire the easy grace with which he moved. Their confrontation was still burned within her mind and she found herself wondering where he’d acquired his skills. Of course he was of noble birth—that would explain his swordsmanship. There was no training money couldn’t buy, but there was something more about him that made her curious; something that hinted to a deviant or less than normal lifestyle. Whatever it was, she was certain it wasn’t done out of need. It was obvious that Nicholas Drakon hadn’t needed anything in his entire life, except maybe a good timeout.

“Here,” he said and beckoned her to him. “The soil is overly damp. There must be a passage that runs to the other side.”

Daniela knelt and tested the soil for herself. He was right. The soil was nearly mud. Even the leaves that were strewn above it left moisture on her fingertips.

He stood and headed toward the towering wall of the monastery. Daniela followed and watched as he began pulling aside the entanglement of vines and bushes that grew along the wall. She reached into her boot and pulled out a flashlight. As she approached him she heard the sound of decayed wood ripping away.

She switched on the light to aid him. With one heavy boot braced against the wall, he was ripping a hole through the planks of rotten wood that had been nailed to the structure. Beyond them she could see the entrance of a dark passage. Stale air poured out and the trickling sound of water could be heard.

Nicholas turned to face her. “This passage should take us inside.”

“I need a weapon,” she told him. When he only stared at her she continued. “If something happens in there I want to at least be able to defend myself.”

Nicholas watched her for a moment longer then slipped an item from his back pocket. He tossed it to her. Daniela caught it without effort then pinned him with an incredulous look.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” she asked.

The pocket knife he’d given her was lovely with a silver handle that had been carved with various Celtic symbols. However, it was no more than four inches long.

What appeared to be humor crossed his face. “It is a weapon, is it not?”

Her attention moved to the large crossbow he’d just stripped from his back. “Looks more like a Christmas ornament,” she commented with sarcasm. “I can’t defend myself with this.”

He laughed then; a low, deep and very sensuous sound. He sauntered toward her and slipped the flashlight from her fingers. “Then you are just going to have to trust me to do it for you.”

Daniela could only stare at him. He certainly was a beautiful man. It was a pity he didn’t have a personality to match. She must’ve lingered too long without a response for he jerked his head toward the entrance.

With every effort to maintain a calm disposition, she moved and ducked into the passageway.

The small flashlight cast its light about the tunnel, revealing a gravel floor and concave brick walls that were laden with moss. A path of water lined the center of the ground beneath them, no doubt the seepage from the river.

In silence they walked for a few minutes. Daniela listened intently for any noise that would indicate they’d somehow been discovered. Her heart drummed within her chest as they advanced deeper into the shadows. If she got out of this one unscathed she was quitting her thieving ways for sure.

Nicholas paused and Daniela realized that the passage had narrowed to a crawl space that was a few feet off the ground. He angled the light and peered in. “This is the only way in,” he told her.

Daniela eyed the passage. They would have to crawl through, and the last thing she wanted was to be bent over in front of him. “And I suppose you expect me to go in first?”

A flash of humor registered in his eyes. “I do not trust you at my back so I would have it no other way.” He offered her a hand.

With an exasperated sigh she ignored him and gripped the edge of the passage, pulling herself up and inside. Kneeling, she turned and slipped her flashlight from his hand, glaring at him. The light revealed that the passage went on for at least another twenty feet. What lay beyond that she couldn’t tell.

A soft noise behind her told Daniela that Nicholas had joined her in the passage. His huge frame seemed to fill the entire space and she suddenly felt like a caged animal. She’d never been prone to claustrophobia, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on the path ahead and began to crawl forward.

They’d only gone a moderate distance when she felt a cooling draft teasing the stray locks of her hair that had managed to escape the confines of her ponytail. She brought the light up to see a rusty metal fence in front of her. Peering through the bars, she did a quick sweep of the room beyond. It was large and filled with unmarked wooden crates.

“Can you get through the gate?” Nicholas asked from behind her.

She turned the light to the fence, finding that its roots lay imbedded into the wall. “I’ll see.” She set the flashlight down and gripped the bars, applying her full weight against it, but it was in vain. The bars simply wouldn’t budge.

Repositioning slightly, she braced one boot against it and tried again. Flakes of brittle rust cracked away, but as before the bars held firm.

“Allow me to try,” Nicholas offered.

Daniela looked at him then at the space they were allotted. There was no way he was going to get around her. He must’ve realized their dilemma simultaneously for he backed up suddenly.

“Lie on your back,” he told her. “I will climb over you.”

She blinked at him. Could the night get any worse? As if being squeezed into the narrow passage with him wasn’t bad enough, now she would have to endure his very large and hard body sliding over her own. Reluctantly, she complied.

Nicholas moved over her and the heat of his body immediately assailed her as he came to a kneeling position just over her. He leaned forward, increasing her torment as his long hair spilled over his shoulders to tease the sensitive skin of her face. Never had she been this close to a man or in such a compromising position. She hated to admit it, but this pompous man had ignited a fire within her and she wanted nothing more than to stamp it out.

“Cover your eyes,” he told her as he gripped the bars.

With her eyes closed tightly, Daniela could feel the exact moment when the thick corded muscles of his thighs clenched, and seconds later a crumbling noise ensued. Opening her eyes slowly, she cast a look over her head to find that the metal fence had been completely ripped from the wall.

Nicholas had to lean forward a bit more so that he could allow the iron to carefully slide to the floor below. This action brought his face mere inches from her own. His very masculine scent engulfed her, slipping into her nostrils to toy with her imagination.

The metal fence scrapped its way down the wall and landed on the floor with a quiet clank. Nicholas’s eyes met and held her own and he watched her for a few seconds. In this lighting they looked black, but she remembered from their earlier encounter that they were a very transfixing green; the color of the Brazilian rain forest after a fresh rain. His gaze was contemplative as he watched her, assessing almost.

“From this point on you will obey me without question,” he told her quietly. “Is that understood?”

Daniela was silent for a moment. She’d never been inclined to take orders from anyone, and she certainly wasn’t appreciating his demanding nature. But in her present predicament she would have to contend with it. She nodded.

He acknowledged her compliance with a grunt then moved carefully over her and through the exit. Daniela remained motionless for a moment as she regained her composure, then she quickly followed. Nicholas was moving between the crates, scrolling the light over them.

Daniela moved to stand beside him. “I don’t think you’re going to find the rune anywhere in this monastery,” she told him. “These guys are just middlemen. They acquire the items for the buyers and I’m not sure what happens after that, but I don’t think they keep them lying about for too long.”

“You may be correct, but as you say they are middlemen and at present my only connection to the one who has the rune.”

He turned and headed toward a short flight of stone steps that lead to a doorway outlined by a dull orange glow. He gripped the door handle and it turned with ease.

Daniela moved up the steps to join him then waited as he pulled the door open a crack and peered through. He listened for a few seconds and when they were met with quiet, he pulled the door wider. Dull light poured in from the narrow passage that lay beyond. They entered quietly and moved toward another flight of steps. A wooden door stood at the top of the stairway. As before, Nicholas eased it open and they looked through.

They heard muffled voices but no one was within sight. They slipped past the threshold and into a long, wide hall lit by several dangling bulbs. They moved cautiously toward an archway that was aglow with a light from a lower floor.

Daniela matched Nicholas’s pace, staying close, but never advancing ahead. Oddly, she didn’t feel any fear. There was just something about the man that gave her a sense of reassurance. She wasn’t sure if it was the confidence in his stride, the way he held his crossbow at his side—subtly poised for anything—or his tall and powerful frame. Whatever the reason, it was certainly an odd feeling for her. Never had she met a man who made her feel anything remotely close to security.

They passed through the archway and found themselves on the second floor of the main hall. The upper level was lined with a banister while the foyer below was crowded with wooden crates and barrels. Five men moved about, stacking the crates and rolling the barrels to one side.

Nicholas assumed an immediate crouching position and Daniela followed suit. Concealed within the shadows and behind the wooden posts of the banister, they observed the scene below. The men spoke with British accents and Daniela recognized one of them immediately. Tall and with a gangly frame, she knew him only by his nickname, Cradle. She’d done business with him a few times, actually delivering the first rune to him a few days ago. And it was to him that she was expected to deliver the second.

“That’s him,” she told Nicholas. “He’s the one I gave the rune to.”

He fixed the man with a lethal look. “So it is possible that the rune is here?”

Daniela didn’t like the look on his face. It seemed he contemplated a confrontation. Between him with his antique weapon and her with her butter knife, the chances of victory were positively slim.

“No,” she tried to dissuade. “I told you before that these guys are just middlemen. I doubt they hold on to the items for very long.”

“He was given the rune. If it is not in his possession he will know where it is.” With that he slid forward a few feet.

Daniela watched him incredulously. There was no way he could confront Cradle without alerting the others. And doing that would only lead to his death—or worse.

She cast a glance over her shoulder. It was time for her to make an exit. Nicholas had her cell phone and could possibly use it to learn her identity, but if she managed to get out of there she could contact Mai and have her cancel her cellular account. Attempting an escape was better than remaining here to face a certain death. Even if Nicholas didn’t make it out of there, her life was still at risk because her cell phone remained in his pocket, which she was sure Cradle and his comrades would search.

She briefly considered returning the way they’d come, but realized that it would take too long to reach a safe distance. What she needed was a fast and easy escape route. Her gaze flitted across the upper level of the room, scanning the shadows as she sought an alternative exit. It seemed luck was on her side for on the opposite end of the room a small glass window beckoned to her. It was slightly ajar and just wide enough for her to pass through. The only problem was that she’d never be able to make her way to it before she got caught. But then she’d always been innovative.

Again she scanned the room. Overhead the ancient ceiling had been left open and she could see the heavy maze of rafters. She was certain she could reach them, and the beams looked sturdy enough to support her weight.

She shot a glance at the men below, then to Nicholas. She would have only a few seconds before he realized that she’d left his side. Her plan would have to be executed without flaw. In the next second, she stood, climbed onto the banister and made a jump for the nearest beam of the rafter. She caught it and gracefully swung her legs up and around it, finally pulling her entire body onto it.

Slipping into a feline crouch, her gaze swept over the occupants of the room a second time. The men below went about their duties, but Nicholas’s very disapproving attention was pinned to her. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth and she shrugged. There was no way he could follow her and he knew it.

She turned and began her careful journey toward the window. She’d only gotten midway when the beam beneath her began to creak. She froze. The sound had been very quiet, barely audible beneath the laughter of the men below, but she’d heard it. And oddly, so had Nicholas. She looked at him just in time to see his eyes dip to the beam. A quick assessment revealed that, although the beam itself was sturdy, the joints that connected it were worn with decay.

The wood creaked again and she weighed her options; going back was definitely not among them. Besides, she was halfway to the other side. She only needed to be quick, she told herself, to make it there.

One, she began counting, two, three …

She made a dash for it, got only another few feet before a loud creak resounded across the room and the termite-riddled joints that held the beam up surrendered to the added weight. Daniela gripped a smaller beam over her head, but that too gave way and she found herself falling to the ground.

She landed gracefully amidst the lengths of rotten wood. Dust hung about her and as she stood she looked up to find the five men, including Cradle, watching her. She slowly backed toward a stack of crates as they advanced. Her heart began drumming wildly when one of them pulled out a gun.

“Well, well. What have we got here?” he said.

“Looks like a little spy,” said another.

“Or the police,” Cradle piped in.

Daniela made an effort to keep her eyes averted from him. He’d never seen her face as she’d always worn her mask during drop-offs, but she didn’t want to take any chances. If by some twist of fate she did make it out of there alive, she didn’t want Cradle tracking down her friends and family.

She eased back another few steps, but was halted when the gunman raised his weapon.

“Stop right there,” he barked. “Who sent you here?” When she didn’t respond he cocked the gun. “I asked you a question.”

Before Daniela could provide a response, an arrow zipped through the air and penetrated the gunman’s right shoulder. He cried out in agony and the gun toppled to the floor. All eyes turned toward the top of the stairway just in time to see Nicholas leap over the banister. He landed effortlessly on his feet then brought the hind end of his crossbow square in the face of the man nearest him. With a cry the man stumbled backward and into a stack of crates.

It took the others only a few seconds to assess this new threat and one of the men snatched up the gun, aiming for Nicholas’s chest. Daniela intercepted his attack with a kick to the midsection that knocked the wind out of him. The gun went off and a sharp pain shot through her left thigh.

The fight that transpired after that could only be described as chaos. The three men who remained on their feet charged at them, wielding anything they could get their hands on. Daniela quickly put her martial arts training into use while Nicholas fired off two more arrows, disabling another opponent. He discarded his weapon then and went at it fist to fist with his next attacker.

Despite their present predicament, Daniela couldn’t help but admire the speed and agility with which Nicholas fought. He moved as a man who’d been well trained in the art of combat. His opponent was easily defeated and Nicholas snatched up his crossbow again, turning to watch as she finished her attacker with a blinding blow to the head.

Their eyes met as she remained kneeled over the motionless figure, forcing her breathing to assume a steady rhythm. He stared at her for a few seconds longer, his gaze hard and indiscernible. It was all Daniela could do not to flinch. She didn’t fear him and wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of thinking she did.

He didn’t bark orders at her as she’d expected. Instead, he turned and marched toward Cradle who was holding his wounded arm.

With his boot, Nicholas rolled Cradle over onto his back. “The Rune of Moloch, where is it?”

Cradle spat, sending a tooth bouncing to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said as he tried to sit up.

Nicholas reached down and slipped an arrow from the quiver strapped to his leg. “It was given to you. Now where is it? This is your final opportunity to respond.” He positioned the arrow into the bow.

Daniela looked at her left thigh. She’d been shot. A small hole had been ripped into her leather pants and blood seeped through. She looked around quickly and spotted a large canvas drape that was piled on the floor. She crawled toward it and used Nicholas’s knife to cut a length of it which she then fastened tightly around her thigh, grimacing as the pain intensified.

She pushed herself to her feet and briefly considered another escape, but decided against it. Nicholas was clearly very skilled with the weapon he held. And with her injured leg she wasn’t likely to get very far. As for how a man of the twenty-first century had acquired such precision with an antique weapon, she couldn’t imagine. Nevertheless, his disposition was hardly one to be tested.

Cradle had managed to drag himself a few inches toward a stack of crates. His brow was furrowed in suspicion and his eyes darted to her and back. Daniela quickly averted her gaze, silently cursing Nicholas’s tactless interrogation. Few people knew that Cradle had collected the rune and she only hoped that the number was large enough to exempt her from suspicion.

Nicholas aimed his weapon and his finger eased on the trigger. A flash of lightning from outside illuminated the room and the lazy rumble of thunder quickly ensued. A storm approached.

Cradle eyed the man above him warily and a lump forced its way down his throat. “Hey, I only collected the item. I don’t know where it is now.”

“Who did you give it to?”

“I took it to a campsite about ten miles on the outskirts of Bucharest. I’d never been there before and never seen the two women I gave it to,” he admitted.

“Two women?” Nicholas questioned.

“Yeah,” Cradle continued as he repositioned himself, supporting his obviously deformed wrist with his uninjured hand. “Two broads. Twins by the look of them—real stiff-lipped Addams Family rejects.”

“And what were you given in exchange for the rune?”

“Money. That’s all these jobs are to me—a paycheck. I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told.”

Nicholas remained poised over the man for a few seconds then grunted in response as he stepped back. “Get up,” he ordered.

Cradle crawled to his feet. Without a word Nicholas jerked his head toward a large crate that sat open on the floor. Cradle understood and although a look of reluctance crossed his face, he complied without question. With much difficulty he climbed into the crate and fell back into the packing grass.

Nicholas set his crossbow aside and swung the heavy wooden lid up. “Your associates should be awake by sunrise. I am sure they will discover you here,” he told Cradle before setting the lid into place.

He marched toward another crate and picked it up, putting it firmly onto the lid of the first, securing Cradle inside. Daniela exhaled softly. At least no one had been killed. She wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from Nicholas Drakon. Her relief was shortlived when he snatched up his crossbow and turned his attention to her.

Propping the weapon up onto his shoulder, he sauntered toward her, pausing a few feet away. He stood there watching her, his eyes narrowed as they trailed the length of her. Daniela tried to still the racing of her heart, but couldn’t. The man simply looked dangerous with his long mane of dark hair spilling over his back and shoulders. With as much bravado as she could muster, she waited for his next move.

His eyes dipped over her again “You have been wounded,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s nothing,” she lied even as another sharp pain shot down her leg.

“There are medications at the estate. We can treat it there,” he told her as he pulled the bow from his shoulder and began to disable it.

Daniela blinked. What the hell was he talking about? He’d gotten what he wanted and it didn’t seem as if he intended to turn her in to the police. There was absolutely no reason for her to remain with him.

“I’ve shown you what you wanted to see. I’d like to go now,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Oh, and I need my phone back.”

Nicholas’s hand paused on the crossbow and he looked up at her. Emerald eyes flashed. “Dawn is nearly upon us,” he said. “I intend to be back at the estate before the sun rises. I do not have the patience or the time to spare.” He motioned toward the main entry door with his crossbow.

As she’d done so many times that night, Daniela swallowed her comment. She hated to admit it, but there was something about Nicholas Drakon that made her insides quiver. It was like a sordid mixture of anger and intense attraction. She’d never been immediately drawn to anyone before, most especially someone of the opposite sex. It was a pity he was such a nuisance to be around. And it seemed she would have to endure even more of his less-than-winning disposition.

Trying to ignore the pain in her leg, she headed toward the main exit. Nicholas extended a hand to assist her, but she shoved it away. She didn’t need his help.