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Peeking out from behind her hand, Jody watched Tia, puzzled. "I'm talking about my life and
you're correcting my phraseology?"
Almost laughing in spite of herself at Jody's expression, Tia turned to leave the room, putting her
hand on the door handle. She needed to get out of there, away from whatever was eliciting this
gnawing at her libido and back up to the deck as she was expecting a check-in call from
Montgomery.
"Are you working alone?"
Tia's eyes swept the stateroom before alighting on Jody again. "Does it really matter?"
The expression rattled the heiress for some reason other than dread. Casting her eyes downward
in embarrassment, Jody mumbled, "No. I guess it doesn't."
"Need anything before I lock you back in?"
"My freedom?" The smaller blonde woman tossed out, subdued.
Tia swallowed, hoping to work up some saliva. "You can't always get what you want, Mrs.
Montgomery."
***********************
"How's the lovely heiress this morning?"
Tia grit her teeth, wishing she could reach through the phone and grab Montgomery by his throat
and squeeze. She could not hide her contempt for him. "How do you think she is?"
"What's the matter? Get up on the wrong side of my wife this morning?" Just that thought almost
made Montgomery hard.
"Shut up, you sick fuck."
"Jody is a very attractive woman. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it."
"I haven't thought about it." Instinctively knowing he was fantasizing about it made Tia
nauseous.
"Liar."
"Do you have anything to tell me or not? If you don't, I have a beer calling my name."
"This early? My...you're nothing if not dedicated."
"Breakfast of champions. Tell you what, I'll drink to your health, how's that?"
"I'll be sure to be extra careful then. I bet you drink to so many people's health that your bar tab
could be deductible on your medical insurance."
She found herself pacing. She hated this man, what he was doing and what he expected of her.
"Did you make the call?"
"Me? No. But the call was made. I was there when it came in. I was appropriately frenzied.
Distraught. I should have been an actor."
"So what happens now?" She could figure it out on her own. The police would contact the FBI,
who would set up a command post in the estate and the crush would then be on. The reporter on
the cop beat would then leak the story to the press and within an hour, everybody in the world
who already didn't, would know what Jody Montgomery looked like.
"I'm waiting on the cops now. The chief of detectives wasn't good enough for Wainwright, he
demanded the police commissioner accompany the feds when they get here." His casual, playful
tone was repugnant. "Oh, by the way...the dead hooker was found this morning."
"Her name was Trisha," Tia reminded him, recalling the redhead's lifeless expression in her
mind's eye.
"Yes, I know that. I've fucked her enough times." He yawned, sounding bored. Tia shook her
head, not believing the remorseless attitude of this prick. "So, I give the cops about twenty-four
hours before they're on your trail. Fortunately for you, my wife's abduction will overshadow a
lowlife, discredited ex-CIA dyke murdering her prostitute lover in a stolen car."
Fuming, it took every ounce of willpower Tia had not to explode. She had no idea that she was
capable of such self-control. "How could such a nice woman as your wife seems to be, marry
such a psycho?"
Montgomery let loose with a hearty laugh. "I told you. I should have been an actor. Okay, at
some point, the FBI is going to want to check The Quintessence just to make sure Jody just
hasn't flipped out and run away on her own. When that happens, I will let you know before we
leave the house."
"You're going to bring them here?"
"Oh, absolutely. I've thought of everything. I, of course will stay on the bridge when they do
their walk-through as it will be too painful for me to go with them, remembering all the great
times my wife and I have had there...which have been none but they don't need to know that."
"And where will your wife and I be?"
***********************
Tia had returned to the master stateroom a lot sooner than Jody had anticipated she would, in fact
it had only been a matter of minutes since she had left. The tall, sable-haired woman instructed
the heiress to once again step away from the door and she entered with a purpose. As she walked
directly toward Jody, the frightened blonde instinctively backed away from her.
"Come here," Tia commanded, reaching out and grabbing Jody's forearm.
The heiress was torn between complying and trying to fight her. The look in her captor's eyes
was flooded with hostility and if, for whatever reason, this was going to be her last few minutes
on Earth, she wanted to know why. But it all happened too fast for her to get the words out.
"Wait! What -?" she tried to dig her heels into the carpet, hoping to make herself resistant against
the pull but it did not work. The woman yanked her to the head, pushing her inside, shutting the
door and securing it. "What's going on? What did I do?" Jody's voice was on the verge of
hysteria. She slapped the palms of her hands against the door in confusion and alarm.
Ignoring her, Tia moved back over to the berth, dropping to her hands and knees. She completely
removed one of the drawers underneath the bed and studied its width. Then, she looked at the
height and estimated what would be the highest part of her prone body. Not leaving it to chance,
she laid down and eased her body into the vacancy left by the drawer. It was snug but she fit, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]