No need to worry. You have a weapon.
And you know how to use it.
She rushed to her office and maneuvered around a pile of books in front of the cabinet. She’d stored the derringer she carried for the purpose of self-defense in the uppermost drawer. Taking the key from her pocket, she slid it into the lock.
As she turned the key, a man’s large, heavy hand clamped over her shoulder. The intruder dragged her back against his towering frame. She cried out, her voice raw with instinctive fear.
“Quiet. Now.” He caught her chin in one leather-gloved hand, his fingers digging brutally into her skin. Sliding his hand higher, he pressed his fingers over her mouth and nose.
Stifling her scream.
Cutting off her breath.
“Do as I say. Don’t make a sound.”
Frantic for air, she nodded her understanding.
“Good.” He kept his fingers clamped tight over her mouth, even as he allowed her to take a breath. “He said you were a clever girl. Now just do as you’re told, and I won’t have to hurt you.”
He.The word echoed in her brain like a thunderclap.
Someone had sent this man after her.
But who?
His hold unyielding, he tensed against her. He seemed nervous. On edge. Instinct warned her that he was unpredictable. And even more dangerous.
Do not trigger his anger. Or his fear.
Do not fight.
Not yet.
She couldn’t see the man’s face, but the feel of his wool jacket suggested the fabric was finely made. Expensive. A slight whiff of hair pomade mingled with the odor of spirits on his breath. The intruder was not an unwashed thug. Not a street thief or burglar.
Why would someone others might perceive as a gentleman come after her?
The door latch clattered. Muttering an epithet, he dug his fingers into her shoulder. “Expecting someone?”
She shook her head, desperate to keep him calm. To her relief, the jangling at the door stopped. As an uneasy silence fell over them, he roughly dragged her toward the back of the building.
“Lucky for you they went on their way,” he murmured against her cheek. Keeping her back turned to him, he slid his hand from her mouth. “Where is it?”
She pulled in a breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He shook her. Hard. “Do not take me for a fool. He made that mistake.”
“I don’t know—”
“Tell me the truth. Where is the blasted diamond?” He curled his fingers around her hair and gave a rough yank. “Where is it?”
A cry escaped her as she braced herself against the sudden pain.
“I want the truth.” He pulled her against him. This close, she could feel the gun beneath his jacket pressing into her back. “You were the only one—”
“You’re mad.” She gasped a breath, then another. “I know nothing... nothing about a jewel.”
He coiled one arm roughly over her chest, threateningly close to her throat. “There’s only one reason to keep you alive. Tell me what you know.”
