I lunged toward her, grabbing her around the waist a split second before she tumbled off.
Her gasp was full of terror and she clung to me. Even her eyes were open wide. “Shit.” She was halfway off, her legs dangling. Being the man I was, I allowed her to hang in midair for a few seconds.
“Well, well, my sweet falcon, it would appear you don’t have wings.”
“What are you doing?” she demanded, her breathing labored.
“Allowing you take a good look around you, Fallon. You’re in a secure compound.”
She clawed at my arms, the venomous glow of her eyes highlighted by the moonlight. Her throat bobbed as she quickly darted a glance around her, moaning the moment she looked down at the ground.
“You should learn obedience has its purposes.”
“To hell with you,” she muttered.
Laughing, I pulled her up and over the railing. She was shaking all over. When I eased her into my arms, she struggled to push her hands against me.
I cupped her face, rubbing my fingers across her soft skin. I had the sudden urge to kiss her even more passionately than before. Struggling in my hold, she jerked away and instantly had another attack of vertigo.
“Easy. I’ve got you.” Before she could object, I swept her into my arms and carried her inside. Only when we were several yards away from the open doorway did she finally realize how close we were. The heat was the same as we’d experienced, only this time, she couldn’t get the upper hand.
“Put me down,” she insisted. “I don’t need your help.”
“Are you certain you’re alright? Attempted escapes can take a significant toll on someone.”
“I said. Put. Me. Down.”
With a chuckle tickling my mouth, I did as she asked and returned to the open door, closing and latching it. “I’m curious. Why didn’t you trip the alarm?”
She laughed, but her nervousness continued. “Masking a photocell is easy. Nothing a little tape and a piece of papercouldn’t take care of. You should be careful where you leave sensitive items lying around.”
Sensitive items? My God, the woman had skills that even my men didn’t possess. I was taken aback, and she knew it, smiling slyly from seeing the expression on my face. Her training had shown itself in other areas as well. I was beginning to reconsider the possibility she was working for Fassi.
“Don’t worry. Eventually your system would have figured out something was off, but I’d planned on being miles away by then.”
“And just how did you propose to do that?” I asked.
“I have my ways.”
Another laugh was easy. She believed she could best me against all odds. “Just so you’re aware, even if you’d shimmied down the trellis and made it safely, you would have encountered one or more guards since there are ten surrounding the property. They are all heavily armed and trained to kill. They don’t appreciate intruders or anyone attempting to escape.”
She offered a quick glance, doing her best to keep her composure. Quite the consummate actress. “Soldiers have routines they follow. I would have paid close attention, avoiding any activity with them. You might want to consider altering their routines every other night or so. If a girl like me could figure it out within minutes, imagine what a trained assassin could do.”
My balls were tightening once again. “Perhaps you are right. I’ll take your recommendations and make changes. What about the wall surrounding the property? Eight feet is tough to scale.”
Her smile remained. “In case you haven’t noticed, there are crevices in the stones. The wall isn’t completely smooth. Thesmall depressions could easily be used by a woman to climb the wall.”
“Why just a woman?”
“We have smaller feet.” She allowed a laugh as I was drawn to hers, savoring the bright red polish. “Most women do anyway.”
“You’re very observant. If you’re not a professional assassin, then what are you?”
“A girl who reads a lot. It’s amazing what you can learn on the internet and on YouTube.”
Her comments were quippy, highly sarcastic, but I enjoyed the banter even if the timing wasn’t ideal. She was also lying. Someone had taken the time to teach her. “Maybe I should spend more time away from my job.”
“A job of kidnapping people?” she asked with her eyes twinkling as if this was all one big game to her.
