“I’m fine, but thank you. I apologize for my appearance. I wasn’t given the opportunity to change into something more appropriate for dinner. I’m still in my work scrubs, as you can see.”
His teeth glinted again. “Not to worry. I have something for you to wear. In fact, I’ll have Marissa show you up to your room so you can change at once.”
Alarm bells went off all over her head. There was so much wrong with those few sentences she didn’t even know where to begin. Her room? He had something for her to wear? This was getting creepier and scarier by the minute.
She swallowed hard. “There’s no need. I’d hate to bother you, and I doubt what you have on hand would fit me anyway. Perhaps we could eat so I can be on my way back to my house. I have a very early day tomorrow and a full patient load. I must give lab results to all the patients who’ve had labs done in the past week.”
His smile disappeared and he stared piercingly at her. The menace in his eyes increased her panic.
“The dress will fit. I had it especially made for you. You will go into the room I’ve prepared for you and you’ll change for dinner. Marissa will accompany you and Carlos will stand outside your door in case you have need of anything.”
She wasn’t an idiot. She could read between the lines of that statement. Carlos wasn’t accompanying her in case she needed help. He was tagging along with her because he was her watchdog and it was his job to make sure she didn’t try to escape.
“Let’s not play games here, Señor Mendoza,” she said bluntly. “Why am I here, and why am I being treated like a prisoner? I have a job to perform. People depend on me. I have to go back to my house. Tonight. It was kind of you to invite me to dinner, but I must respectfully decline. Now if you don’t mind, please instruct Carlos to drive me back to my house.”
He laughed lightly, but it was clear he wasn’t amused in the least. “Ah, I like your bluntness, Dr. Scofield. And as you were so blunt, I’ll be as equally blunt. You aren’t going anywhere. You will stay here in my home for as long as I wish it. As for your patients, they will have to go elsewhere to seek their medical attention. But don’t worry. Your medical expertise won’t go to waste. I have need of your services myself, but we’ll discuss that at another time.”
What the holy hell? Was he out of his damn mind? Well, obviously he was. She was dealing with a guy who was a few cards short of a full deck. And worse, he was a batshit-crazy man with a lot of guns!
Her hands were shaking. She had no control over how blatantly her fear was being broadcast. There was no point in trying to put up a brave front. She was scared shitless and he knew it.
“You can’t just keep me here,” she said in a low voice.
He lifted one eyebrow. “The way I see it, you don’t have a choice in the matter. I run this entire area. There is no one to help you. No one to seek help from. I am the law here and what I say goes. The sooner you understand that, the easier things will be for you.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy!”
His eyes narrowed at her insult. “Go now and change into your dress before you say something you’ll regret. I will not tolerate any disrespect in my home. Understand?”
She was tempted to say, Or what? But she wasn’t stupid. There was no way she was going to give him any reason to hurt her or her baby.
Judging by his level of craziness, if he discovered she was pregnant, he’d go off the hinges. She just had to hope like hell she found a way out of this predicament before it became evident that she was carrying another man’s child. There was no telling how he’d react to that piece of news.
CHAPTER 15
MAREN sat rigidly in her chair on the terrace of Mendoza’s enormous estate. For three days she’d been kept here and she still had no idea why. She’d feared that Mendoza was some crazy idiot obsessed with her, and she’d even feared he’d force himself on her. But in fact, she’d been treated as a pampered guest, waited on hand and foot and her every need seen to. Except, of course, the biggest need of all. To get the hell out of here and as far away from him as possible.
After that first night, she hadn’t seen Carlos even once. Instead, Mendoza’s other goon, a tall, muscled guy named Armand, kept close watch on her. He unnerved her. He almost never spoke, but she got the impression he missed nothing. His gaze was piercing and he knew every single thing that went on under Mendoza’s roof. He’d also returned her glasses, but they’d cracked when they’d fallen from her face during her abduction and were useless now. He’d muttered something about replacing them, but she’d told him not to bother. What did she need them for here? Nothing to read. No medical reports or injuries she needed to focus on.
Though there was no actual lock on her bedroom door, she wasn’t under any misapprehension that she could simply walk out. She knew this because every time she opened her door, Armand appeared as if he’d materialized from thin air.
Mendoza might have creeped her out, but Armand scared her shitless. He reminded her a lot of Steele. Not in looks. But he had that warrior persona. You just knew by looking at him that he could kick ass and probably had a hundred ways of killing a man with just his pinkie finger.
His expression was always unreadable. She’d never detected any hint of emotion. He was just . . . blank. Scary and blank.
Voices carried softly to her on the wind and she turned in the direction they came from. She’d been sitting for ten minutes waiting for Mendoza to make his appearance. Armand had collected her from her room after instructing her to dress for dinner in the outfit Mendoza had sent her. Delivered by Armand, of course. Armand had deposited her into her seat and promptly disappeared.
She strained harder to hear what was being said. From the little she’d heard Armand speak, she knew he was talking to Mendoza.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea to use her,” Armand said. “It would be easy to find another doctor for what you want.”
“I want her,” Mendoza said, a thread of steel in his voice.
“You’re risking a lot for a woman you have the hots for,” Armand said, criticism obvious in his tone. “She has connections to a private organization that could cause a lot of trouble for you.”
Maren sucked in her breath, her eyes widening in shock. How the hell would Armand know anything about KGI? Much less her connection to them. Panic surged in her chest, tightening until she could barely breathe. What the hell was going on? And what did Mendoza want to use her for?
She’d prayed steadily over the last three days that Steele would return quickly. Surely if he found her gone, her clinic unopened, he wouldn’t just assume she’d gone off on a whim. He’d look for her. She had to believe that. And she hoped to hell he hurried, because she had no idea what Mendoza had in mind for her, but it couldn’t be good.
“They are no match for me,” Mendoza said arrogantly.
“That’s what you think,” Maren muttered under her breath.
“Don’t underestimate her connections,” Armand said in a soft voice. “Underestimation will get a man killed every time.”
“You act as though you think this organization of hers is more powerful than I am. Besides, we’re leaving soon. Then they won’t be of any worry to me at all.”
“A wise man always watches his six,” Armand replied.
Maren frowned and then straightened in her seat when she heard them walking in her direction. She stared into the distance and raised her glass of water to her lips, pretending she hadn’t heard them at all.
Armand sounded military to her. It was the way he spoke, the jargon he used. He was American, though. A traitor? Defector? Or just a lackey for hire, willing to farm out his services to whoever had the money to pay him?