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“Douglas—”
She gasped as he caught her chin in his hand and dug his fingers into her flesh.
“What did I tell you?” he whispered. “I’ll do the talking. You’ll just nod your head.” His hand dropped to his side. “Now, dear girl, here’s what we’re going to do.”
“Mia?”
“Answer him,” Douglas hissed. Something hard and metallic jammed beneath the swell of her breasts. “Sound as if everything’s fine or so help me…”
“In a minute, Matthew.”
“The fire’s lit, sweetheart. I’m pouring the brandy.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Sweetheart,” Douglas purred. “How charming.” The barrel of the gun dug in harder. “Looks as if the fearless Mr. Knight will do anything for you, dear girl. The question is, will you do anything for him?”
“Douglas. Please, I beg you—”
“You’re coming back to Cartagena with me.”
“No!”
“You’re going to tell him that it’s your idea. That you and I had a lovers’ quarrel but it’s over now and you’re thrilled I came for you.” The barrel of the gun moved to her breast. “Do it,” Hamilton growled, “and make it believable, or I’ll kill him. I’ll shoot him first, while you watch, dear girl, and there won’t be a thing you can do to help him. Understand?”
Mia bit back a sob.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Excellent. Oh, and just in case you think he might have a chance against me… I’m not alone. Two of Rosario’s men are out there, in the darkness. Anything goes wrong in this little drama, they’ll handle things. Got that?”
She got it, and fully believed it. The cartel’s men were stone-cold killers, and so was Hamilton. The disk still secreted in her compact held all the proof of that.
The deck lights blazed on. Hamilton slid his arm
around her. His hand, slipped casually into his jacket pocket, gripped his gun.
The doors slid open. Matthew stepped onto the deck…and went rigid with shock.
Hamilton? Here? He couldn’t believe it. Nobody but his brothers knew about this place.
“Good evening, Mr. Knight. How nice to see you again.”
And why was Mia standing so close to the man she’d run from? Why was his arm around her?
Matthew tore his eyes from her and glared at the colonel.
“What are you doing here?”
The colonel smiled. “I don’t suppose you’d buy the story that I happened to be in the neighborhood… No. I didn’t think so.”
“Get the hell off my property.”
“Come now, Mr. Knight. Here we are, fellow Americans on foreign soil. I should think you’d be more hospitable, especially to the man who hired you.”
“You didn’t hire me. There’s no money involved here.”
