The Unseen by Sabrina Devonshire

it felt like a switch went off in my brain—and instead of feeling like a victim, all at once I felt like me. If I’d acted like that out in the field, maybe they wouldn’t have sent me to the Sheraton. The high maintenance girl who landed in a Third World country with her platform shoes needed to kept comfortable while the serious folks got on with the mission. But they’re all in danger and I wish I could help them—they were always there for me.”
    “I heard you mention kidnapping earlier, but I wasn’t sure you were serious. Did those men hurt you?”
    Winston’s sexy English accent beguiled her, but his protective tone of voice made her want to jump in his lap. “No, but they would have if Kent, Rebecca and Andrew hadn’t rescued me when they did. Those horrible men were making crude comments about my physique and the dreadful things they wanted to do to me. I figured I was done for—and then all at once the skirmish began . . . “
    Bunny shivered, remembering how the men’s lustful gazes had strip searched her, making her feel even more terrified than she had in Jason’s presence.
    Winston’s face darkened with anger. “Well they won’t lay a finger on you as long as you’re with me. If they come anywhere near you, I’ll shoot them full of holes. I’ve got top-notch security at my house—not to mention plenty of firearms.”
    “Which one of those men do you know? I heard someone shout your name.”
    The corners around Winston’s lips tightened. “I know the bearded man—his name is Larry. I was supposed to meet him and two others he planned to introduce me to. And to think that I trusted those bastards.” The pitch of his voice rose. “I had no idea they were involved with anything illegal. But life’s like that here. You never know who you can trust.”
    A knot tightened in Bunny’s stomach. “Do they know where you live?”
    “Yeah, but don’t worry, they won’t get by my security.”
    “These men are awful. They killed three tourists who stopped by their camp and one man named Steven escaped, but just barely. We found him lying in the forest with a wounded shoulder.”
    Winston’s upper arms tightened on the steering wheel. “Don’t worry, I won’t take any of this lightly.”
    Bunny imagined his steely muscles would handle a firearm well. She wondered how they’d feel wrapped around her waist. Get back on task. “I don’t want to talk anymore about those men. Just thinking about them gives me a stomachache. Why don’t you tell me what brought you to Vietnam?”
    “I was a history professor at Cambridge until two years ago. The routine of it all was dreadfully dull. I’ve always had a bit of an itch to travel, I suppose. I’d take a trip or two whenever I had vacation days, but it wasn’t enough. One day I decided to let whim lead the way. So I turned in my letter of resignation, moved here and started my own company. Overall, it’s been a delightful change.”
    How romantic. A brilliant Ph.D. abandoning the intellectual life that was expected of him to live a life of adventure. His alluring accent, his blond curls, his personality—everything about the man quickened her blood.
    Maybe the man’s equally adventurous in bed. “Wow, that took a lot of guts. Talk about a total change of lifestyle.”
    “My choice didn’t exactly get high approval ratings from my family. They’ve been rather burned with me ever since. But I’ve tried to explain that leading trips really fulfills me—much more than spending all day in a windowless classroom. And the weather outside London is just dreadful much of the year. Living by the ocean’s fabulous.”
    “How often do you take tours out?”
    “It depends. I slow down as we move into the monsoon season for obvious reasons. It becomes a damned swamp out there—not something tourists enjoy too much. I do have one swimming adventure trip to the South Pacific planned in September. The weather’s great there all