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.
“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.”