“Damn it!” she exclaimed as she hastily stepped back. “Enough already! That’s the second time you’ve scared the wits out of me. What’s with hanging around the door of the clinic waiting for me to come out? Haven’t you ever heard of knocking? Or announcing your presence?”
Mendoza’s errand hulk didn’t seem bothered by her outburst. He stood solemnly, not giving an inch, staring back at her expectantly. What the hell did he expect?
It had been weeks since her last encounter with him and she’d written the entire thing off, thinking Mendoza had forgotten about her. Stupid, but it was what she’d assumed.
“It wasn’t my intention to alarm you, señorita.”
“Yeah? Well, you could have fooled me.”
Fear made her words sharper than she intended. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. She immediately backed up, putting as much distance between them as possible.
“Señor Mendoza regrets that you were unable to accept his last dinner invitation and wishes to extend another invitation for this evening. I will of course escort you myself.”
She took a deep breath, weighing her options. Even if she made it to her cottage, it would prove no barrier to this man if he really wanted entrance. She needed to keep her calm and make it clear she had no interest in Javier Mendoza. Politely, of course.
“Please extend my apologies to Señor Mendoza. With my schedule I don’t have time for social calls. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a very long, very tiring day, and all I’d like to do is return to my home so I can rest.”
His sigh was heavy and almost regretful sounding. He took another step forward, this time pinning her against the door to the clinic. Panic hit her hard, rendering her incapable of breathing. Her chest burned every time she tried to inhale, and her stomach coiled into a knot.
“I had hoped you would make this easy,” he said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded. “Look, I’ve tried to be polite about this, but I see that’s not working. You need to leave, and don’t come back. I’m not interested. Tell Señor Mendoza I don’t appreciate these little visits to my clinic, nor do I appreciate being scared out of my mind by people lurking in the dark.”
He reached for her arm and she froze, staring fearfully up at him. Oh God. This wasn’t happening.
“You’re to come with me, señorita. Don’t make me carry you. I too have been polite, but you’re trying my patience. Señor Mendoza wishes you to have dinner with him, and you’ll attend. Even if I have to carry you there.”
Her mouth gaped open. “You aren’t serious!”
Without another word he hauled her up and tossed her over his shoulder. It happened so fast she didn’t even have time to protest or fight. The ground spun dizzyingly underneath her as her head dangled down his back. Her glasses fell from her nose, hitting the ground, but he never paused.
“Put me down!” she yelled when he started toward a vehicle parked on the road.
His grip tightened at her knees and he kept walking.
When they got to the Range Rover, he put her down, none too gently, and then he opened the door and stuffed her inside. Before he retreated, he put her seat belt on and then stared hard into her eyes.
“Don’t try anything stupid. I don’t want to hurt you.”
The inference was that while he might not want to hurt her, he would if it became necessary.
A chill snaked down her spine and she put a protective hand over her belly. If it were just her, she’d bail out of the vehicle as soon as his attention was diverted and run like hell. But she couldn’t risk bringing any harm to her child. Which meant she was stuck going to dinner at Javier Mendoza’s house whether she liked it or not.
She had a very bad feeling about this. Men did not send hired muscle to collect an unwilling date for the evening. No way he just wanted dinner and then would let her go. Why go to this much trouble for a simple dinner date?
She was near to hyperventilating again when the hulk walked around and got into the driver’s seat. He spared her only a quick glance and, evidently satisfied that she wasn’t going anywhere, he cranked the engine and took off down the road.
It took twenty minutes over roads that made Maren feel as if she’d been battered repeatedly before they pulled through a huge gateway to a sprawling house. The entire place was lit up and her eyes widened to see armed men patrolling the grounds. She swung around in her seat to see the guard towers they drove by. Inside were two men, illuminated by the light in the towers. Both carried high-powered rifles.
Holy shit. What had she gotten herself into?
Not that she thought, based on what she’d heard from the locals, that Mendoza operated on the up-and-up, but she hadn’t expected such a blatant, in-your-face, armed facility. Either this guy had some dangerous enemies or he wanted everyone to think he was not a man to be fucked with. Likely it was a combination of both.
They stopped in the circle driveway that had fountains lining the pavement, and the hulk looked over at Maren. “Stay put. I’ll come around for you.”
What the hell did he expect her to do? Make a run for it? The time for that was before they pulled into this armed-to-the-teeth compound. Like she wanted to get shot making a break for it?
Hulk came around and opened her door, then extended his hand to help her out. Not wanting to piss him off more than he already was, and she definitely didn’t want him reporting to her “date” that she’d been difficult, she let him take her hand. She’d already decided on the drive here that she was going to ooze sweetness and charm. Maybe then Mendoza would let her go back home. And if that happened, she was going to be on the phone with Sam to get her the hell out of here as fast as humanly possible. Then she’d get around to telling Steele that he was going to be a father. First she had to get herself and her baby out of here in one piece.
She let him help her from the vehicle and then he guided her toward the steps, her arm firmly grasped in his hand. Before they mounted the first step, the huge oak double doors swung open and Maren glanced up to see a man who had to be Mendoza standing in the doorway looking at them with satisfaction.
He was surprisingly good looking. If he hadn’t had her kidnapped and now been staring at her like she was prey, she’d even think he was hot. He was tall, dressed in expensive slacks and a button-down shirt. He had dark hair and dark eyes with an olive complexion. He looked as though he kept in shape, judging by his broad shoulders and muscled arms. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on him either.
He smiled broadly and again, if he hadn’t hauled her from her clinic and dumped her on his front doorstep, she would have appreciated his smile and those perfectly straight, white teeth.
“Dr. Scofield, you honor me with your presence,” he said with only a hint of an accent. “I’m so glad you came.”
He leaned in and kissed both cheeks. She tried not to flinch and pull away, but it was hard when every instinct was screaming at her to get the hell away from this man.
“I didn’t get the impression I had a choice,” she said dryly.
Mendoza’s eyes flickered and for the briefest of seconds his smile slipped, but then it was back. Fake. Charming. And utterly skeevy.
This whole place gave her the creeps. Her hands went to her arms automatically, and she rubbed to try to rid herself of the chill that had taken over her body.
“Do come in,” he said smoothly. “Dinner will be served in the dining room shortly. I’ll have Marissa bring us drinks. What would you care for?”
Mindful of the fact that one, she didn’t need to be drinking, and two, she had no way of knowing whether this asshole would drug her, she shook her head.