head. The swishing sound it made as it ripped through the air caused him to look over his shoulder. C.J. saw his utter surprise as he spied her towering over him, wild-eyed, her brown hair flying, huge white bandages on her hands and swinging a Chinese mallet. He stared, slack-jawed, as the weapon hit its target perfectly.
The man’s whole body seemed to vibrate, then crumpled to the floor.
The other man noticed the commotion and turned his head just long enough for Darius to land a crushing blow to his momentarily unprotected jaw.
Darius and C.J. backed toward the window. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. She raised hers and returned his glance. Slowly, a smile crept across his face, her lips curving upward in response. How astounding, she thought, as she looked at her captors lying on the floor.
Then, grinning smugly, she and Darius crawled out the window and escaped.
Chapter 9
Darius unlocked the door to C.J.’s hotel room and walked in. She was sitting in her bed, leaning against a pile of pillows, with the covers pulled up around her neck. A short while earlier she had cleansed the blisters on her hands and had changed into a very unsexy cotton nightgown—the only kind she owned.
“Room service will bring up your order as soon as possible,” he said, broad smile on his face. “And I found some ointment and bandages for your hands.”
He perched on the edge of the bed, dipped two fingers into the jar of the greasy, healing balm and held her hands as if they were fragile porcelain while he smeared ointment on them.
“I think you could use a little of that yourself,” she said, eyeing a red mark on his jaw and his slightly scraped knuckles.
“No, I’ll be fine. And you will, too.” He covered not only the areas of her hands with blisters, but her entire palm and fingers. She wasn’t about to complain or correct him. No one had ever tried to help her that way since she was a little kid, and even then, her mother usually just handed her Bactine when she had a scrape or cut.
“At least I learned what ‘C.J.’ stands for,” he said as he meticulously covered both hands.
She looked puzzled. “You did?”
“Yep. Calamity Jane.”
She laughed. “Very funny! I don’t even know how many days I was there, and you make jokes about it!”
“Days?” It was his turn to chuckle as he finished his ministration. “Four or five hours are more like it.”
“That’s all? I thought it was an eternity!” Her eyes softened as she looked at him. “Thank you for finding me. I was dumb to go there, and deep down, I knew it even as I got into the car with those two men. I should learn to listen to my gut reaction.”
“Or mine. As I recall, I did warn you.” With a feather-soft touch he brushed her hair away from her brow, and tucked a lock of it behind her ear.
“Saying ‘I told you so’ is not an admirable characteristic, Mr. Kane. I feel bad enough already.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “Enough said.”
“But how did you find me?”
He scowled. “It wasn’t hard. When I couldn’t find you, I figured Alan had talked you into going back to Yeng’s. Your brother’s a bigger menace than I thought!”
“He wouldn’t knowingly send me into danger.”
Darius shut his eyes for a moment, as if to stop the retort he was ready to give. “Let’s hope you’re right. Anyway, there was quite a bit of activity around Yeng’s place. Then, late in the afternoon, he and most of the others left, which gave me a chance to sneak in.”
She gasped as he suddenly grabbed her shoulders. “If you ever do anything so dangerous again,” he shouted, “it won’t be Yeng you’ll have to worry about! It’ll be me. Why won’t you listen to me?”
The timbre of his voice told her how hurt he had been by her lack of trust in him. She longed to take his hands, but she couldn’t—hers were too greasy. Instead, she proceeded to tell him the whole story of her conversation with
The man’s whole body seemed to vibrate, then crumpled to the floor.
The other man noticed the commotion and turned his head just long enough for Darius to land a crushing blow to his momentarily unprotected jaw.
Darius and C.J. backed toward the window. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. She raised hers and returned his glance. Slowly, a smile crept across his face, her lips curving upward in response. How astounding, she thought, as she looked at her captors lying on the floor.
Then, grinning smugly, she and Darius crawled out the window and escaped.
Chapter 9
Darius unlocked the door to C.J.’s hotel room and walked in. She was sitting in her bed, leaning against a pile of pillows, with the covers pulled up around her neck. A short while earlier she had cleansed the blisters on her hands and had changed into a very unsexy cotton nightgown—the only kind she owned.
“Room service will bring up your order as soon as possible,” he said, broad smile on his face. “And I found some ointment and bandages for your hands.”
He perched on the edge of the bed, dipped two fingers into the jar of the greasy, healing balm and held her hands as if they were fragile porcelain while he smeared ointment on them.
“I think you could use a little of that yourself,” she said, eyeing a red mark on his jaw and his slightly scraped knuckles.
“No, I’ll be fine. And you will, too.” He covered not only the areas of her hands with blisters, but her entire palm and fingers. She wasn’t about to complain or correct him. No one had ever tried to help her that way since she was a little kid, and even then, her mother usually just handed her Bactine when she had a scrape or cut.
“At least I learned what ‘C.J.’ stands for,” he said as he meticulously covered both hands.
She looked puzzled. “You did?”
“Yep. Calamity Jane.”
She laughed. “Very funny! I don’t even know how many days I was there, and you make jokes about it!”
“Days?” It was his turn to chuckle as he finished his ministration. “Four or five hours are more like it.”
“That’s all? I thought it was an eternity!” Her eyes softened as she looked at him. “Thank you for finding me. I was dumb to go there, and deep down, I knew it even as I got into the car with those two men. I should learn to listen to my gut reaction.”
“Or mine. As I recall, I did warn you.” With a feather-soft touch he brushed her hair away from her brow, and tucked a lock of it behind her ear.
“Saying ‘I told you so’ is not an admirable characteristic, Mr. Kane. I feel bad enough already.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “Enough said.”
“But how did you find me?”
He scowled. “It wasn’t hard. When I couldn’t find you, I figured Alan had talked you into going back to Yeng’s. Your brother’s a bigger menace than I thought!”
“He wouldn’t knowingly send me into danger.”
Darius shut his eyes for a moment, as if to stop the retort he was ready to give. “Let’s hope you’re right. Anyway, there was quite a bit of activity around Yeng’s place. Then, late in the afternoon, he and most of the others left, which gave me a chance to sneak in.”
She gasped as he suddenly grabbed her shoulders. “If you ever do anything so dangerous again,” he shouted, “it won’t be Yeng you’ll have to worry about! It’ll be me. Why won’t you listen to me?”
The timbre of his voice told her how hurt he had been by her lack of trust in him. She longed to take his hands, but she couldn’t—hers were too greasy. Instead, she proceeded to tell him the whole story of her conversation with
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