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“Just a second and I’ll have your legs untied,” he said. She felt him fumbling with the belt, but was still unable to answer with the gag in her mouth.
With her legs free, he awkwardly helped her out of the back seat. Once she was standing, he undid the gag.
She swallowed several times, moved her aching jaw. She wished her hands were free because she felt so unsteady. “Where are we?”
“Someplace safe. Come on.” He took hold of her arm and pulled her along, at first quickly, but after she stumbled, he slowed the pace. He opened a door, and the light temporarily blinded her.
“I don’t feel safe,” she said. She blinked her eyes several times as they adjusted to the light. She took in her surroundings.
They stood in a large one-room cabin. There was a kitchenette to their right, a small table with four chairs around it, a desk against the wall to the left below a small window. On the other side, a half wall blocked her view of what she assumed was the bathroom. Across the room a double bed complete with a brass headboard sat below a second window. The door behind her led to the enclosed garage.
The decor was simple, rustic. Wood dominated everything, including the floor, which only had a few area rugs to lend warmth. There were two pictures on the wall, but they were both landscapes, nothing that would give her a clue as to the personality of the man who’d kidnapped her. It was neat, tidy, but it felt like it was more of a vacation cabin than a real home.
Max quickly shed the remains of his Santa outfit to reveal a pair of gray slacks to go with his light blue dress shirt. He recovered his gun from the kitchen counter and came back to Jade. “Turn around.”
She did so, facing the wall, and he untied her hands, then pulled off her coat.
“Go sit at the desk.”
“Why? You need some typing or something? I don’t—”
He poked her with the gun barrel. “Just do it.” She walked to the desk chair, and Max pulled it around so it faced the room. “Sit. Put your arms on the rests.”
She did, and using both the blue scarf and the rope he expertly tied her to the chair. He put the gun on the table and moved to the sink. “Do you want some water?”
Her mouth was terribly dry. An almost metallic aftertaste reminded her of the gag, the terror of feeling so helpless. Water wouldn’t fix that, but she was thirsty. “Please.”
She watched as he got a glass and filled it. He looked harried. With one hand, he grabbed one of the chairs from the small table. He set it down with the back toward her, straddled the seat and tilted the glass to her lips so she could drink.
She gulped awkwardly, spilling a thin stream of liquid down her chin. She had to turn her head when she was through and more water dripped down to her dress. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment despite the illogic. It wasn’t her fault she was tied up like this.
He set the glass on the desk, then walked over to the fireplace on the opposite wall. The wood had already been laid, kindling and all, and it took him only a moment to get a nice blaze going. He stared at the fire as it swelled, then walked back to where she sat. He knelt in front of her. She tried to scoot back until he slipped off one of her shoes, then the other. He stood, his expression somehow scarier because of its neutrality, walked back to the fireplace and put her shoes on the hearth. “They’ll warm up soon,” he said.
The act unsettled her as much as anything had. This odd, desperate man who’d kidnapped her at gunpoint was concerned about her feet being cold?
He joined her again, sitting on the other chair with his arms folded across the back.
“Look, I hadn’t planned this.”
“Yeah. Right. You just happened to have rope and scarves in your suit. What do you want? Money? I can get—”
“I don’t want your money. I told you that at the mall.” Max shifted his gaze to the wall behind her, his face losing all expression. What remained was exhaustion, worry. Fear.
“Then why? What the hell do you want from me? Are you some kind of pervert or something?”
Max laughed weakly. “Well, I’m not this kinky. I just—I’m at the end of my rope.” He shifted his gaze back to meet hers, and for the first time she really noticed how blue his eyes were. Despite the fact that they were so bloodshot. His left eye even had a tiny twitch.
“Why did you kill that old man?”
“I didn’t kill him. Werner was like an uncle to me.” He briefly closed his eyes and the grief shadowing his face surprised her. Or was it guilt?
“Then why not turn yourself in? Look, if I get home safely, I’ll just forget all this—unpleasantness. My father has some power in D.C. We could help—”
Max stood, almost knocking his chair over. “Your father is the reason I’m in this mess.”
He’d mentioned that before. Obviously he was unbalanced and she needed to tread lightly. She made sure her voice was soft, non-threatening. “What are you talking about?”
Max paced the small room like a tiger in a cage. “Your father. And Geotech. Christ, I’ve tried everything. Even my own editor can’t wait to see my head on a pike outside the city walls. You have to know the senator is in it up to his eyeballs. I know you two work together, that you’re his assistant. So please, do us both a favor and cut the bewildered act.”
If Jade could have faded into the desk chair, she would have. She was stunned by the vehemence in his voice. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
He stopped in the middle of a frenzied stride and looked at her. His shoulders slumped as he ran both hands through his dark hair.
Staring at her, measuring her, obviously wondering if he should believe her, his lips curved in a wry smile, and he sat on his chair again. “If you’re lying you’re damn good at it.”
“I’m not lying.”
That smile again, mellowed with a sadness that was palpable. “When your father first got on the Ways and Means committee, Geotech was a relatively small company, but with big ambitions. Their basic approach was deals and mergers, lots of investor cash, but few real assets. They approached Senator Parker for political assistance, but he turned them down cold, unsure of their stability, and unwilling to expose himself and the country to the risk.”
Jade remembered that time. Mom had still been alive, and there had been lively discussions about the viability of the company. Her dad had been dubious about their entire approach. “Okay, so what’s that got to do with murder and kidnapping?”
“Flash forward a few years. Geotech found the support they wanted in Texas. Their stock flew out of the brokerages at ever higher prices, and they rapidly became a more-or-less respected organization, one of, if not the, biggest energy brokers in the country.
“Meanwhile, your father became more powerful, wielding the kind of influence that gets bills passed. Then your mother died.”
“My mother?”
His mouth curved in an apologetic smile. “She’s only relevant because your father’s grief made him an easy target for Geotech. He started gambling, which Geotech was happy to exploit. They made sure your father would gamble to his heart’s content. And now he owes them somewhere in the arena of ten million dollars, peanuts compared to the hundreds of millions the new energy bill is worth to them. Now they’re blackmailing him for his vote.”
“That’s a lie.” Jade’s hands shook at the thought. “Dad would never submit to that kind of blackmail. Which is irrelevant because he doesn’t gamble and would never have incurred that kind of debt.”
Max smiled at her, his gaze assessing her carefully. “A man will do almost anything to protect his name and reputation.”
She shuddered, his message not lost on her. “You are crazy. I’m Dad’s executive assistant. There’s no way he’d be that deep in the hole without me knowing about it.”
“Right.” Max’s smile faded to grimness. “I figure you’re either unaware of his problem, or you don’t know what to do about it.”
“No. You’re wrong about this. And what’s that got to do with that old man you killed?”
Max leaned forward. “I told you. I didn’t kill him. Werner was finally persuaded to be on the board at Geotech, and when he found out what was going on, he talked to my dad and then to me. He knew all about your father’s debt, the gambling. And that Geotech wasn’t above blackmail. That’s why he was killed.”
Exhaustion suddenly swept through Jade. Max was obviously one of those people who had seen so many bad things that he’d been overwhelmed, seeing conspiracy everywhere. She doubted he would listen to reason. “I see.”
Max met her gaze. “You remember something?”
She saw a flash of reason in his eyes and hope boosted her spirits. “There’s probably a bunch of stuff I missed on my dad’s computer. You know, if we just went to the Senate Office Building, we could probably…”
“Damn it.” Max stood and swept his chair over with one angry wave of his hand.
Jade cringed. Had she pushed him over whatever edge of sanity remained?
“You’re good, lady.”
“What do you mean?”
Max glared at her, his desperation obvious. “I’m not stupid, Jade. You will tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything other than that you’re wrong. My father is an honest, hard-working public servant. He would never allow himself to be compromised.”
He snorted. Shaking his head, he walked to the television and turned it on.
“You know, if you untie me, I’ll be a lot more likely to listen to reason.”
“Right.” Max moved to the refrigerator and opened it, the commercial for maxi-pads coming from the TV as incongruous as it was uncomfortable. “You have a choice between the frozen fried chicken, or the frozen meat loaf dinner.” He opened the packages and put them in the oven.
“Super.” Jade shifted uncomfortably. “Uh—Max? I could use a bathroom visit.”
He looked at her for a moment as if he didn’t believe her. But after a sigh, he came to her chair. “Yeah, okay.” He untied her and with a hand on her elbow, escorted her to the bathroom.
“Thanks.” She stepped inside and reached to close the door, but he stopped it with his hand.
“Don’t be long.”
“I wanted to wash up a bit.”
His gaze swept the small bathroom, lingering on the useless miniscule window, and then he gave her a curt nod.
She closed the door, sank against it and sighed. Decorated in the same rustic fashion as the rest of the cabin, the bathroom walls were paneled wood. Two pictures hung above the commode, both antique prints of Victorian women on washday. The sink had a rust stain running under the spigot, but it looked clean enough. The floor, a spotted linoleum, had two area rugs, both in a shaggy brown. Sure enough, there was no way out other than the door.
She turned the water on in the sink and used the sound to cover a quick search of the medicine cabinet and drawers, but there was nothing that she could use as a weapon. Only a few personal items: aspirin, a comb, toothpaste, some new toothbrushes, floss. The only razor was electric, and she doubted she could shave him into letting her go.
Hurriedly, she washed her hands and face.
She turned the water off and, through the thin wall, heard Max moving about in the kitchen. If she could get to the car and get her cell phone…
As cautiously as she could, she opened the bathroom door and crouched behind the half wall. The door to the garage was only a few feet away. She hadn’t noticed before, but the wood floors were cold. Her toes, encased in nothing but panty hose, curled.
She started when Max called out. “How you doing in there?”
She held her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound and said, “Fine. Out in a minute.” With her heart pounding so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it, she detected movement near the stove. If he stepped out past the wall, there was nowhere to hide.
She made the mad dash, holding her breath, and reached for the doorknob, turned it. The door opened silently and she edged into the darkness of the garage and held the door until it closed.
The cold concrete was worse than the floor inside and she stumbled forward until she bumped into the car. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but she thought he’d dropped her purse on the floor on the front passenger side.
With shaking fingers, she felt her way around the car. The hood still held a hint of warmth from their trip, but the rest of the metal was cold.
When she reached the passenger door, she touched the frigid handle and took a deep breath. She planned her actions—open the door, climb in and hit the locks, then grab the purse, dig out the cell phone and dial 911. The Virginia police could triangulate the phone, and she could hold Max off with the mace.
She let her breath out with a whoosh and opened the door.
As it registered that there was nothing at all on the floor of the car, the garage suddenly flooded with light. Max stood in the doorway, her purse in one hand and the gun in the other, pointed right at her head.
His eyes were more sad than angry, and so was his voice, when he said, “Are you looking for this?”
Chapter Three
Dinner was a glum affair. Max had hauled a pair of handcuffs from his luggage, and Jade found herself eating her meat loaf dinner with only her right hand, her left shackled to the chair arm. She was aware that Max had stuck his gun under his butt, where he could grab it if she made so much as a move. Despite her attempts to get him talking, he’d been sullen and silent since he’d pulled her in from the garage.
Max, looking even more haggard, gnawed at the fried chicken. He avoided her glances. The television droned in the background.
She ate, even though the meal tasted like cardboard. She hadn’t had a TV dinner in years, but they couldn’t actually taste this awful. Fear tainted everything, including her taste buds.
As she forced another spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth, Jade noticed there was a third fork partially hidden by a stack of paper napkins. It wasn’t much, but it was something. If she could get it. She pushed her cup forward. “Could I have more coffee?”
Max grabbed her cup and went behind the counter to fill it. “That’s one Sweet ’n Low?”
“Please.” She was surprised he’d remembered, but it didn’t slow her down as she grabbed the extra fork and slid it uncomfortably in her bra. She had to push it to the side so it wouldn’t be noticeable, and it poked her just under the armpit.
Max set the cup near her and resumed his seat, eating silently and staring at the table.
“You can’t blame me for trying to escape.”
Max looked at her, bleary-eyed. “No, I can’t.
“I could get you money, legal help.”
Max laughed wryly. “How long have you been in D.C., Jade?”
“My whole life, basically.”
“And you’ve been around politics all that time, right? Directly involved for what, ten years or so?”
“What’s your point?”
“I’ve kidnapped a senator’s daughter. The odds of my getting a break legally lie between zero and none. Even presuming you’re not lying, the best I could hope for would be not getting shot as I turned myself in. Not to mention that if the Geotech people think you’re working with me now, I’ve endangered your life, too.” He stared at his plate for a long moment, then looked back at her. “If you are innocent in all this I’m sorry for that part.”
“Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?”
“C’mon, Jade. Money and power is what drives the government. Why would a man making millions run for president to make a couple hundred thousand a year? Power. Your father’s also a powerful man, and there are hundreds of millions riding on his vote. Hell, wars have been started just so people could make money. What’s a few deaths to these people?”
Jade shook her head vehemently. “You don’t know my dad.”
“I wouldn’t count on that. At the very least, I know another side of him.” Max put his fork down and pushed away his half-finished meal. “Tell you what. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Tomorrow I’ll show you what evidence I have. It’s enough to at least make you listen.”
“Why tomorrow? Show me now.” Of course she still didn’t believe he had anything that would indict her father, but if she could keep him talking, gain his trust…
“No, we both need to get some rest.”
