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Again, that toothpaste-ad smile. “You are uncommonly astute. Of course I did. But it helped to reinforce my message, so they served their purpose.” He stepped closer and said softly, “So do you believe me, Serena? Do I keep my word?”
“I believe as long as it serves your purpose, you’ll keep your word.”
“Aw, now that hurts my feelings, but we’ll have plenty of time for you to come to trust me.” Walking away from her, he said, “Before I allow you some rest, you need to know a few more things. I mentioned that a doctor had examined you. I want to assure you the doctor was a woman, and no one other than she and her female nurse saw you unclothed.”
He was taking great pains to assure her that he had no interest in her body, but that didn’t surprise her. She was almost certain she knew why she’d been taken, and she was sure they would get to that soon.
“However, she did find the tracker in your arm and removed it. She bandaged the area and assured me there would be no scarring.”
That was no surprise either. A scanner would have easily picked up that tracker, but the other one was deep and would be harder to—
“Oh, and if you’re wondering about the tracker in your foot. Don’t. It’s been removed, too.”
“How did you—”
“Portable X-ray machine on the plane. When your team tries to trace your last moments, they’ll be able to track you only as far as an old, unused private airstrip.”
Her stomach clenched. The tracker in her foot had been a prototype she’d been testing. A scanner wouldn’t pick it up, but an X-ray or MRI would detect it. This man had been extremely thorough.
Ignoring the knot in her gut, she said, “And my phone?”
He tilted his head. “Another reason I shot the men who took you. They tried to get into your phone without my authorization. Which, I’m sure you know, means it’s been destroyed.”
He didn’t need to explain further. Her phone had been booby-trapped—another creation of her own. Unless the proper sequence of events occurred—her thumbprint, followed by Face ID, and then a code word spoken in her voice—the phone would be wiped clean, becoming useless—and also untraceable.
“My car?”
“I do hope you weren’t too fond of it, because it was taken to a junkyard and crushed into nothing. And of course, the GPS was switched off before that, so even if it had survived, it would be useless.”
Considering her circumstances, the twinge to her heart at that news might seem ridiculous, but she had loved her little BMW.
Taking a breath, Serena blocked the man from her mind and centered her thoughts. She was in trouble. There was no lying to herself about that. But she wasn’t beaten yet, and she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
“How did you find me?”
“Well, now, if I tell you all my secrets at our first meeting, whatever will we talk about later?”
She glared at him, hoping for something other than that ridiculously bright smile and cold-eyed stare.
“You look as though you’re in a trance, and that’s understandable. You’ve had a few rough hours. So, here’s what’s going to happen. You will be taken to a bedroom and released from your bonds. You’ll have access to a bathroom with cosmetics and all the amenities you require. You’ll have a soft bed to sleep in and good, healthy food to eat. Your closet is filled with clothes and shoes. The dresser is filled with undergarments and loungewear.
“Also, please don’t worry that any food or drink you’re served is drugged or tainted in any way. Damaging your mind is the last thing I want.”
When she didn’t respond, he shrugged and continued, “If there’s anything else you need, please pick up the phone beside your bed, and we’ll do our best to provide it for you.”
“How about my freedom?” she said dryly.
“Sorry, that’s something I can’t provide.”
With that, he nodded, and she felt the wheelchair move. Since she couldn’t turn her head, she had no idea who was pushing the chair or if Kingsley was following behind her. As they made the journey through the house, she noted a few things. It was extremely large, perhaps three or four floors, maybe more. And one couldn’t exactly call it a house, as it appeared to be massive. More like a mansion or a large resort of some kind. Since she couldn’t move her head and the lights had been dimmed for the night, she was unable to make out much of anything other than that the place was well decorated and actually quite lovely.
Her chair was pushed into an elevator, and though a part of her told her she needed to ask questions, she knew her mind was still too blurred from the drugs. She needed all her faculties before she started gathering intel.
The elevator stopped on the third floor. She was pushed down a long hallway. She noted they passed five doors on the left and three on the right before they stopped in front of another door. It swung open, and she was rolled into the middle of a room. She heard steps behind her, and the door closed. Seconds later, the straps holding her arms, legs, head, and torso clicked opened, and she was free to move.
Even knowing that her legs would likely collapse, she couldn’t prevent herself from springing out of the chair. As expected, the instant her feet touched the floor, her legs gave out. Grabbing hold of the chair, she managed to stay upright, trying to will the blood flow back into her legs. A full minute passed before she was finally able to stand. She went straight to the open door of the en suite bathroom. Relieving her full bladder was her first priority.
The instant she was finished, she went to the sink and swallowed several handfuls of water. Then, and only then, did she take the time to look around her new prison. Admittedly, it was a nice one. As Kingsley had said, every amenity had been provided. What he hadn’t mentioned, and what was the most disturbing part, was that the items on the bathroom shelves and counters were the same products she used on a daily basis, including a bottle of her favorite hand lotion that she had obtained from an obscure little store in Appleton, Wisconsin.
