loud.
“Hello!” She waved her hands in front of Taft’s face. “I’m talking here! You dragged me out here. You can take me back, right?”
Taft snorted. “Sorry, kid, you’re the one who decided to sleep with the enemy. If you don’t want our help, you’re on your own.”
“Jerks!” she grumbled, watching them take off through the trees and quickly disappear into the dim forest.
Now she had to find her own way back.
Chapter Thirteen
Anatoly stumbled onto the steps leading to the deck of his cabin. Grabbing the railing, he hauled himself up the last few stairs. He was bleeding from a cut above his eye. His shirt was torn. His jeans were covered in filth from the forest floor, and he had never before felt so frantic on behalf of another person in his life.
“Yakov!” he shouted. “Yakov, come quick!”
His near constant shadow darted onto the deck from the direction of the kitchen where he had probably been flirting with the cook. “What’s up, Boss?” Yakov frowned as he took in Anatoly’s disheveled appearance. “Do I need to call the boys?”
“Yes!” Anatoly gasped. “And hurry. Someone has kidnapped Trisha. Dammit!” Anatoly knew exactly what had happened. “It’s got to be her father. Why would the man send an armed team after his daughter ?”
Anatoly was ranting. He knew this. He was just so damn upset by the whole thing. “If I had only paid attention!” he told Yakov. “Trisha noticed the silence of the birds long before it registered with me. I didn’t even take her seriously! Now I probably deserve what I get!”
“Boss, you have to calm down.” Yakov was looking at him as though he had lost his damn mind. “Where did you last see Trisha?”
“They were running through the forest, carrying her over one shoulder.”
“All right.” Yakov’s tone was utterly reasonable. “So they have to find a way off the property.”
“Right.” Anatoly shoved a lock of lank black hair out of his face. “Close all of the exits off the property. We have to find her. Issue a bulletin to the local law enforcement. Close the highways if you have to. Hell, I’ll close the damn airports if I can’t find her!”
He began pacing energetically from one end of the deck to the other. His head was throbbing from the blow he’d taken to his eye. He could feel the swelling and knew it would blacken by morning. Still, none of that mattered if he couldn’t find Trisha.
“Boss?” Yakov said with a strange expression on his face.
“What?” Anatoly glowered at his long time friend and companion. “Are the roads closed yet? They could be escaping right now!”
“Sir,” Yakov tried again.
“What?”
“I found her.”
“Where?” Anatoly spun around, nearly falling on his ass. It was readily apparent that he’d taken more of a blow to the head than he’d initially thought. He was feeling rather woozy.
“She just cleared the trees and is heading in this direction.” Yakov tilted his head to one side, a smile playing in the corner of his mouth. “She looks mad as hell, sir.”
Anatoly had never been so relieved in his life. “Then she’s not hurt. Thank God!”
TRISHA STOMPED ACROSS the velvety grass and then stomped up the stairs. She stomped her way across the deck and tried to remember that Anatoly was not the one who kept sending these goons her way. In fact, he looked so relieved to see her that some of her anger at the situation began to evaporate.
“Trisha! I’m so glad to see you’re not hurt.” Anatoly grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce embrace.
She rested her cheek against his chest and felt the tension drain from her body. “My father sent those men.”
“How did you get away?” He pulled back just far enough for her to see the glower on his handsome face. “I had some difficulty taking on two of them at once. They were certainly prepared.”
“I think they’re professional kidnappers,” she said slowly. “You know, like
“Hello!” She waved her hands in front of Taft’s face. “I’m talking here! You dragged me out here. You can take me back, right?”
Taft snorted. “Sorry, kid, you’re the one who decided to sleep with the enemy. If you don’t want our help, you’re on your own.”
“Jerks!” she grumbled, watching them take off through the trees and quickly disappear into the dim forest.
Now she had to find her own way back.
Chapter Thirteen
Anatoly stumbled onto the steps leading to the deck of his cabin. Grabbing the railing, he hauled himself up the last few stairs. He was bleeding from a cut above his eye. His shirt was torn. His jeans were covered in filth from the forest floor, and he had never before felt so frantic on behalf of another person in his life.
“Yakov!” he shouted. “Yakov, come quick!”
His near constant shadow darted onto the deck from the direction of the kitchen where he had probably been flirting with the cook. “What’s up, Boss?” Yakov frowned as he took in Anatoly’s disheveled appearance. “Do I need to call the boys?”
“Yes!” Anatoly gasped. “And hurry. Someone has kidnapped Trisha. Dammit!” Anatoly knew exactly what had happened. “It’s got to be her father. Why would the man send an armed team after his daughter ?”
Anatoly was ranting. He knew this. He was just so damn upset by the whole thing. “If I had only paid attention!” he told Yakov. “Trisha noticed the silence of the birds long before it registered with me. I didn’t even take her seriously! Now I probably deserve what I get!”
“Boss, you have to calm down.” Yakov was looking at him as though he had lost his damn mind. “Where did you last see Trisha?”
“They were running through the forest, carrying her over one shoulder.”
“All right.” Yakov’s tone was utterly reasonable. “So they have to find a way off the property.”
“Right.” Anatoly shoved a lock of lank black hair out of his face. “Close all of the exits off the property. We have to find her. Issue a bulletin to the local law enforcement. Close the highways if you have to. Hell, I’ll close the damn airports if I can’t find her!”
He began pacing energetically from one end of the deck to the other. His head was throbbing from the blow he’d taken to his eye. He could feel the swelling and knew it would blacken by morning. Still, none of that mattered if he couldn’t find Trisha.
“Boss?” Yakov said with a strange expression on his face.
“What?” Anatoly glowered at his long time friend and companion. “Are the roads closed yet? They could be escaping right now!”
“Sir,” Yakov tried again.
“What?”
“I found her.”
“Where?” Anatoly spun around, nearly falling on his ass. It was readily apparent that he’d taken more of a blow to the head than he’d initially thought. He was feeling rather woozy.
“She just cleared the trees and is heading in this direction.” Yakov tilted his head to one side, a smile playing in the corner of his mouth. “She looks mad as hell, sir.”
Anatoly had never been so relieved in his life. “Then she’s not hurt. Thank God!”
TRISHA STOMPED ACROSS the velvety grass and then stomped up the stairs. She stomped her way across the deck and tried to remember that Anatoly was not the one who kept sending these goons her way. In fact, he looked so relieved to see her that some of her anger at the situation began to evaporate.
“Trisha! I’m so glad to see you’re not hurt.” Anatoly grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce embrace.
She rested her cheek against his chest and felt the tension drain from her body. “My father sent those men.”
“How did you get away?” He pulled back just far enough for her to see the glower on his handsome face. “I had some difficulty taking on two of them at once. They were certainly prepared.”
“I think they’re professional kidnappers,” she said slowly. “You know, like
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