arrived tomorrow.
‘How about you?’
* * *
Tori stared at him, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.
Except tears wouldn’t help. And she feared if she laughed it would turn into hysteria.
‘Just scrapes and bruises.’ She was lucky and she knew it. Her jaw ached where she’d been backhanded across the face but that was the worst. Despite the hungry gleam she’d seen in her captors’ eyes as they’d inspected her, they hadn’t touched her except to subdue her and throw her in here.
Looking at this injured man, she trembled, thinking she’d got off lightly. So far.
He’d been unconscious when they’d dumped him on the dirt floor. Either he’d put up a mighty fight or they had a grudge against him to beat him up like that.
She hadn’t had time to investigate how badly he was injured. His shirt was torn and stained and his head was bloody on one side. Even so, he stood tall. His ragged shirt hung from wide, straight shoulders and his dusty trousers clung to a horseman’s thighs. He looked fit and powerful despite his injuries. Under the grime he had strong-boned features that she guessed might be handsome, or at least arresting.
Would she see him in daylight or would they come for her before that? Terror shuddered down her spine and turned her knees to jelly. Panic bit her insides as she imagined what was in store for her.
‘Where are we?’ Like her, the stranger kept his voice low, yet something about the smooth, deep note eased a fraction of the tension pinching her.
‘Somewhere in the foothills. I couldn’t see from the back of the van.’ She wrapped her arms around her middle, remembering that trip, facing a grim stranger with a knife in his hand.
‘There’s a road?’ The man before her pounced on that.
‘Part of the way. I walked the last part blindfolded.’ Which was why her knees were rubbed raw after she’d stumbled and fallen time and again over uneven ground.
‘Is there a guard at the door?’
‘I don’t think so.’
She’d heard the men talking as they walked away. Even so she crept to the door, peeking through the gap between it and the wall. No one. She moved along the wall but it was surprisingly solid, with no chinks to peer through.
As if it had been used as a prison before.
Tori thought of the heavy chain that secured her companion and her stomach curdled.
‘There’s a light further away. A campfire, I think. But no one here as far as I can tell.’
Why would they bother? The door was bolted. Her companion was chained and she didn’t have as much as a pocket knife to use as a tool.
What wouldn’t she give for her geologist’s hammer right now? Designed for cracking rocks, the sharp end might prise open the chain and it would make an effective weapon.
‘What are you doing?’ He’d turned his back on her and she heard the rattle of metal links.
‘Testing this chain.’ There was a grunt, then a muffled oath.
She crossed to stand behind him. ‘You won’t pull it out,’ she whispered. ‘It’s fixed securely. Believe me.’
‘You’ve checked?’ His hunched shoulders straightened as he lifted his head and turned around.
Suddenly he was closer than she’d expected, towering above her. Her hissed breath cut the thick silence.
Only hours ago she’d been grabbed by strangers: big men who’d overpowered her despite her frantic struggle. Fear curdled her belly anew and adrenaline pumped hard in her blood, freezing her to the spot.
Yet as she stiffened the man stepped back towards the wall. Giving her space.
Logic said he wasn’t the enemy. Her abductors had kidnapped him too.
Tori sucked in oxygen and tried to steady her breathing. In the gloom she met his eyes. It was too dark to be sure but she’d swear she read sympathy in his face. And something else. Pity?
Because the fate of a woman abducted by violent men would be truly pitiful.
Tori stiffened her knees against the images she’d tried so hard not to picture. She couldn’t afford to crack up now.
‘Of course I checked.’ She made herself concentrate on the conversation, not her fear. ‘I thought if I could pry it loose I might use it as a weapon when they came back.’
‘One against three?’
Despite their desperate situation, Tori felt a throb of satisfaction at surprising him. ‘I won’t go down without a fight.’
‘It would be safer if you don’t resist.’
Tori opened her mouth to protest but he went on.
‘Three to one aren’t good odds. Wait till you’re alone with one of them. Someone will probably transport you elsewhere tomorrow.’
‘How do you know? What did they say about me?’ Her voice was harsh with fear.
He shook his head, then winced. The soft whisper that followed might have been in a language she didn’t know, but she knew a curse when she heard one.
‘I didn’t hear them mention you,’ he said finally. ‘But their leader arrives tomorrow. They’re expecting payment for their efforts then. They’ll leave us be until he arrives.’
Tori sagged, her knees giving way suddenly. She stumbled to the wall, propping herself against it. For hours she’d been on tenterhooks, expecting at any moment—
‘Are you okay?’ He moved closer before stopping, as if recalling her earlier recoil.
She nodded. When she opened her mouth to reply a jagged, out-of-control laugh escaped. She clapped a hand to her lips, hating the hot tears behind her eyes and the sensation that she was on the verge of collapse.
It was ridiculous to feel relief, hearing she was safe for tonight. She was still in terrible danger. Even so, her exhausted body reacted to the news by slumping abruptly.
Firm hands caught her upper arms as she sank, taking her weight and easing her descent to the floor.
His hands were big and hard, yet surprisingly gentle. Tori heard the clank of metal as he withdrew, hunkering before her.
‘Sorry.’ The word wobbled and she tried again. ‘I just...’ She looked up into dark eyes. ‘What else did they say? What are they going to do with us?’
Did she imagine that his expression turned blank? In this light it was impossible to tell.
‘Nothing about you.’ He paused, then continued slowly. ‘I have no proof, but I suspect they’ll take you over the border.’
Like a smuggled commodity? Tori bit her bottom lip. She’d heard stories of the illegal slave trade, particularly in women. Nausea rose as she contemplated where she might end up.
‘If that’s so there might be a chance to escape. Maybe some of them will stay here.’ Tori knew she was grasping at straws but it was better than giving up hope.
‘I can guarantee it.’ His tone grabbed her attention.
‘Why? What else did you hear?’
He shrugged those wide shoulders and sank cross-legged before her. Despite the heavy chain and his injuries he looked at ease. Strange how his air of confidence reassured her.
‘Their leader is my enemy. I think it fair to assume he’ll be more focused on me than you.’ There was a note in that deep voice that sounded almost like wry humour. Grim lines bracketed his mouth.
Suddenly Tori remembered the gesture one of