an extraction team? Except their company protocol doesn’t allow them to take someone who is of age and not being held against their will.”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “And you do not consider yourself such?”
“I’m here because I want to be. Sometimes I think I might be a little crazy not to try and escape, but maybe I was never very sane to begin with.”
“Trisha,” he murmured.
Anatoly kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and then he placed his lips upon hers and Trisha forgot how to breathe. The tenderness in the kiss was completely at odds with the brutal reputation of the man. He gently sucked her lower lip between his teeth and gave it a light nip. She felt the shiver all the way down to her toes.
Then he was suddenly wobbling on his feet. Trisha had the presence of mind to wrap her arms around him to keep him from falling over.
“Anatoly, what’s wrong?”
“Judging from the cut above his eye, he took quite a blow to the head.” A large man pulled one of Anatoly’s arms around his neck and began to help him inside. “I’m Yakov, by the way.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Trisha followed along behind them, feeling a bit like a mother hen. Anatoly was muttering something about seeing doubles.
Yakov gestured to another man, and together the two of them got Anatoly over to the sofa. They settled him on the couch and then moved a few feet away. They had their heads together, conferring about what to do.
Trisha knelt at Anatoly’s side and gently touched his face. He did feel warm, almost feverish. There were several cuts and some bruises. She felt horrible. If it hadn’t been for her, none of this would have happened. Perhaps she needed to go home before her father ordered something even more extreme. There had been two abduction attempts in less than twenty-four hours. It was time to take her destiny into her own hands.
“Yakov?” she called out, interrupting the pow wow going on.
“Yes, Ms. Copeland?” Yakov raised his eyebrows at her.
Trisha tried to scrape together her determination. “I need my phone back.”
“I don’t know if Mr. Anatoly would allow that, and he’s not exactly in a frame of mind to make a decision.”
“I know that. But I need to make a call. My father is the one sending these people after me. I need to talk to him and tell him to stop before something really bad happens.” She felt more certain about this than she had about anything else for a long time. “Please? Just give me my phone.”
ANATOLY FELT AS if he were swimming through glue. There was light and color, but he couldn’t tell where any of it was coming from. There was an ache in his head, and his eyes felt as though someone were trying to gouge them out with a spoon.
He gradually became aware of the fact that he was lying on the couch in his cabin. He remembered the hot springs with Trisha. Then he recalled the men jumping them in the woods. Beyond that, he had no sense of the passage of time or anything else. His stomach was in knots, and he was almost certain if he tried to get off the couch he was most likely going to throw up.
“Boss,” Yakov said softly. “Are you awake?”
“Sort of,” Anatoly managed to mutter. “Where’s Trisha?”
Even through a swollen eyelid Anatoly could see Yakov’s grimace. “She wanted her phone back in order to call her father and demand he stop sending extraction teams.”
“What?” A shot of panic whipped through Anatoly, giving him an extra bit of strength. He managed to sit up, but Yakov pushed him back down. Anatoly growled. “What are you doing? I need to stop her. What if she makes a plan to meet his next team somewhere? I don’t want to lose her.”
“Boss, you need to listen.” Yakov exhaled a giant sigh. “First of all, if Trisha wanted to leave, she has had ample opportunity.”
“Oh.” Anatoly’s panic began to recede. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Secondly,” Yakov said irritably. “I think
He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “And you do not consider yourself such?”
“I’m here because I want to be. Sometimes I think I might be a little crazy not to try and escape, but maybe I was never very sane to begin with.”
“Trisha,” he murmured.
Anatoly kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and then he placed his lips upon hers and Trisha forgot how to breathe. The tenderness in the kiss was completely at odds with the brutal reputation of the man. He gently sucked her lower lip between his teeth and gave it a light nip. She felt the shiver all the way down to her toes.
Then he was suddenly wobbling on his feet. Trisha had the presence of mind to wrap her arms around him to keep him from falling over.
“Anatoly, what’s wrong?”
“Judging from the cut above his eye, he took quite a blow to the head.” A large man pulled one of Anatoly’s arms around his neck and began to help him inside. “I’m Yakov, by the way.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Trisha followed along behind them, feeling a bit like a mother hen. Anatoly was muttering something about seeing doubles.
Yakov gestured to another man, and together the two of them got Anatoly over to the sofa. They settled him on the couch and then moved a few feet away. They had their heads together, conferring about what to do.
Trisha knelt at Anatoly’s side and gently touched his face. He did feel warm, almost feverish. There were several cuts and some bruises. She felt horrible. If it hadn’t been for her, none of this would have happened. Perhaps she needed to go home before her father ordered something even more extreme. There had been two abduction attempts in less than twenty-four hours. It was time to take her destiny into her own hands.
“Yakov?” she called out, interrupting the pow wow going on.
“Yes, Ms. Copeland?” Yakov raised his eyebrows at her.
Trisha tried to scrape together her determination. “I need my phone back.”
“I don’t know if Mr. Anatoly would allow that, and he’s not exactly in a frame of mind to make a decision.”
“I know that. But I need to make a call. My father is the one sending these people after me. I need to talk to him and tell him to stop before something really bad happens.” She felt more certain about this than she had about anything else for a long time. “Please? Just give me my phone.”
ANATOLY FELT AS if he were swimming through glue. There was light and color, but he couldn’t tell where any of it was coming from. There was an ache in his head, and his eyes felt as though someone were trying to gouge them out with a spoon.
He gradually became aware of the fact that he was lying on the couch in his cabin. He remembered the hot springs with Trisha. Then he recalled the men jumping them in the woods. Beyond that, he had no sense of the passage of time or anything else. His stomach was in knots, and he was almost certain if he tried to get off the couch he was most likely going to throw up.
“Boss,” Yakov said softly. “Are you awake?”
“Sort of,” Anatoly managed to mutter. “Where’s Trisha?”
Even through a swollen eyelid Anatoly could see Yakov’s grimace. “She wanted her phone back in order to call her father and demand he stop sending extraction teams.”
“What?” A shot of panic whipped through Anatoly, giving him an extra bit of strength. He managed to sit up, but Yakov pushed him back down. Anatoly growled. “What are you doing? I need to stop her. What if she makes a plan to meet his next team somewhere? I don’t want to lose her.”
“Boss, you need to listen.” Yakov exhaled a giant sigh. “First of all, if Trisha wanted to leave, she has had ample opportunity.”
“Oh.” Anatoly’s panic began to recede. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Secondly,” Yakov said irritably. “I think
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