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“Sean.”
The way she said his name stopped him.
Searching her face, he took in her stunning features and terrified expression. “I’ll kill him.”
“You’ll only get yourself killed. Don’t involve yourself further.” Her voice was strangely calm. “This isn’t your fight.”
Like hell it wasn’t. Try as he might, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the collar. He pinched his eyes shut. When he reopened them, she had buttoned up her tunic. He reached for her neck for a closer inspection, but she took a step away.
“It’s locked with a code,” she said. “If we tamper with it, it’ll set off an alarm.”
He refused to accept it. He stood dead still, wrestling with reality. “There must be a way to get it off.”
She traced the collar through the fabric of her tunic. “He said it can’t be cut off. It’s titanium. It transmits an electric shock if I exceed a set distance.”
He fucking knew what the trap around her neck did. He wanted to howl and rip the sky in half, but he forced his anger down. Asia didn’t deserve to witness his wrath. It was better to save it for Juan. He’d pour it all into the dog’s veins when he strangled him.
He couldn’t bear to ask, but forced the question out. “Did he tell you how far?”
She blinked. “Three quarters of a mile.” She pointed at an invisible line in front of her. “This is about as far as I can go.”
The island was only a mile long. “Fuck!” He slammed a fist into his palm and turned in a circle like a caged animal.
Asia regarded him with compassion as if he had been trapped. She was the one in the cage. She was the one who could only turn in a three quarter-mile radius of invisible bars.
“It’s not your fault, Sean.”
She had no idea how wrong she was.
“How strong is the shock?” he asked, the mental image of Asia’s body being electrocuted like a spear jabbing into his gut.
“He mentioned the volts, but I didn’t pay attention. I was too strung out. All I remember is that the first time wouldn’t kill me, but it would hurt. He can adjust the intensity.” She paused. “The second time would kill.”
“Fuck, Asia.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “You’ve got to go, Sean. I don’t want him to suspect anything.” Her tone turned urgent. “If you don’t go to the mainland now, you’ll miss your opportunity to escape.”
His body shook with rage. Involuntarily, his gaze was pulled to her neck again. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“Please.” She peered over his shoulder at the waiting boat. “The skipper is looking at us.” She made a brave effort of hardening her voice. “Go.”
He knew her better than what she thought. He knew she was scared. “If that motherfucker lays a finger on you—”
“He won’t touch me,” she said. “Not like that. He has this crazy idea that I can reenact what he had with his first wife.”
“I know,” he gritted out. He didn’t need a reminder.
“Go. Time is running out.”
He paced in front of her, his soul tearing in two.
“There isn’t another option,” she said softly. “You know it.”
His hands may as well have been chopped off, and the helplessness clawed at him, ripping him open from the inside out. He inhaled the hot afternoon air, his chest so tight it fucking hurt to breathe.
Clenching his teeth, he said, “We’ll find a way.”
She nodded, relief easing the lines of tension on her face. “I’ll work something out. Now go, before Juan sees us together and gets the wrong impression.”
When she took a step back, he said, “Wait.”
Yes, time was running out. She was right about one thing. He couldn’t drag out their meeting or delay the boat further without risking getting caught. In that case, she had no chance of escape. Juan would shoot him, and he was useless to her dead. No, he had to fetch help. For her, he wasn’t too proud to ask. He’d beg, if that was what it took, and return with a rescue team.
Lifting the leather string over his head, he hung it around her neck, over Juan’s collar.
“Sean,” she said, gripping the pendant in a fist. “I know how much this means to you.”
When she made to remove it, he cupped her hand to stop her. “It’s quartz, to protect. Keep it. Please.”
Biting her lip, she nodded.
He brushed a thumb over her knuckles. “Good.”
“You better go.” She glanced at the boat again. “Leave and don’t come back.”
“Oh, I’ll be back. You can count on that.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “The bar isn’t worth your life.”
“This isn’t about the bar.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“It’s not about owing, either.”
She didn’t reply.
“You’re not just another random person, kitten.”
She turned her face away. “Sean, don’t.”
Maybe now wasn’t the time to spill his guts. He was still grappling for words when she turned and walked away, back to the center of her prison.
