When You Dare
Page 78
“When I found her,” Dare told him, “she was chained to the wall of an airless hut, half-starved, drugged and abused.”
Eyes bugging, Adrian struggled to lift his slackened jaw. “But that…that’s not possible. Not here.” He pointed at Molly. “Not her.”
Dare advanced again, and Adrian ended up with his back to the wall. “Why not her?”
“It doesn’t make any sense, that’s why. She’s not a politician’s daughter or a starlet or a wealthy heir.” His eyes bugged again. “Aren’t women taken across the border to sell as sex slaves or something?”
“More often than you’d like to think.”
Clearly baffled that anyone would take Molly for that purpose, Adrian shook his head. “You said you found her there.” His brows knit as he struggled to piece it all together. “What were you doing there? And what do you have to do with any of this?”
“I got her out of there.” They were now almost chest to chest.
“But…how?”
“It’s what I do.”
In a sudden turnaround, Adrian’s expression lightened and became shrewd. “Let me understand this. You rescue people…for compensation?”
Crossing his arms over his chest and looking down his nose at Adrian, Dare said, “That’s how it usually works.”
“No f**king way!” Adrian shoved against Dare, but didn’t budge him at all. “I see what this is now. You want me to pay her ransom, don’t you?” Rage distorted his better sense, and he pointed past Dare to Molly. “She dropped me. Did she tell you that?”
“She mentioned it,” Dare said, very deadpan.
“So I’m not responsible for her!”
“Not at all.”
Adrian continued to fume. “I don’t have that kind of money, and she knows it. If you thought to squeeze me for payment, well, then, you can damn well forget it.”
A stillness filled the room as Dare expanded in fury, and Molly held her breath.
Too stupid to sense his own peril, Adrian added, “What happens to her now is no concern of mine.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
OH, GOD, THAT WAS LOW even for Adrian. Molly wanted to kill him. Again.
She charged forward, but stumbled to a halt when Dare’s harsh, low voice sounded with the impact of an exploding bomb.
“You think, even for one f**king second, that I would take your goddamned money?”
Wow. Molly blinked at that lethal tone.
Smashing up against Adrian, Dare looked more enraged than Molly had ever seen him.
“You think I’d even let you be in her life?”
“I…” Intimidated, belatedly realizing his error, Adrian tried to appeal to Molly for help.
Still peeved, she silently mouthed the words Fuck. You.
Shocked, Adrian returned his attention to Dare. “That’s fine,” he soothed. He turned his face to the side, trying to escape Dare’s deadly stare. “That…that’s what I was saying. That I don’t want to be in her life. I swear.”
“Did you want out of it enough to coordinate this stunt?”
“What? No!” Alarmed, he smashed farther back against the wall. “I own a bar, that’s all. Damn it, Molly, tell him that I’m not a kidnapper.”
“I don’t know,” she hedged, examining a nail. “I didn’t know you were the type to weasel into my apartment, either, but here you are.” A thought occurred to her, and she looked up. “Did you have sex in my bed?”
“No!”
Unsatisfied, she narrowed her eyes. “But you would have?”
“Well…yeah. Probably.”
Still not giving Adrian any room to breathe, Dare asked Molly, “What do you want me to do with him?”
Implicit in the question was that he’d pulverize Adrian if she wished it.
Just to make Adrian squirm, she pretended to think about it. But she wasn’t a person who condoned unnecessary violence, and neither was Dare. Still, she appreciated his offer.
“You can let him go.”
Dare didn’t move. “You sure, honey?”
He called her honey again. It thrilled her, but this was no time for celebration. Molly cleared her throat and her thundering emotions. “Yes, of course. Come on, Dare, we both know that you don’t hurt those smaller, weaker or dumber than you.”
Dare stepped back, but he said, “For him, I’d make an exception.”
Slumping against the wall, knees shaky, Adrian struggled to gather himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… It’s just that I don’t have that kind of money….”
“You’re broke, I know.” Dare shook his head in disgust. “Now shut up.”
“He’s broke?”
It was almost comical, how quickly Adrian nodded agreement. “The business is struggling. Financially, I’m in over my head. I definitely don’t have the kind of funds it’d take to set up a kidnapping this elaborate. I swear I don’t.”
Molly took a seat on the couch, not really surprised by that news. Adrian spent well out of his means—that was one reason he’d wanted her to buy him things. “When you first came here, Adrian, how did my apartment look?”
“Like it always looks.” Keeping an eye on Dare, he inched over to a chair and dropped into it.
“It wasn’t trashed like this?”
Eyes bugging, Adrian struggled to lift his slackened jaw. “But that…that’s not possible. Not here.” He pointed at Molly. “Not her.”
Dare advanced again, and Adrian ended up with his back to the wall. “Why not her?”
“It doesn’t make any sense, that’s why. She’s not a politician’s daughter or a starlet or a wealthy heir.” His eyes bugged again. “Aren’t women taken across the border to sell as sex slaves or something?”
“More often than you’d like to think.”
Clearly baffled that anyone would take Molly for that purpose, Adrian shook his head. “You said you found her there.” His brows knit as he struggled to piece it all together. “What were you doing there? And what do you have to do with any of this?”
“I got her out of there.” They were now almost chest to chest.
“But…how?”
“It’s what I do.”
In a sudden turnaround, Adrian’s expression lightened and became shrewd. “Let me understand this. You rescue people…for compensation?”
Crossing his arms over his chest and looking down his nose at Adrian, Dare said, “That’s how it usually works.”
“No f**king way!” Adrian shoved against Dare, but didn’t budge him at all. “I see what this is now. You want me to pay her ransom, don’t you?” Rage distorted his better sense, and he pointed past Dare to Molly. “She dropped me. Did she tell you that?”
“She mentioned it,” Dare said, very deadpan.
“So I’m not responsible for her!”
“Not at all.”
Adrian continued to fume. “I don’t have that kind of money, and she knows it. If you thought to squeeze me for payment, well, then, you can damn well forget it.”
A stillness filled the room as Dare expanded in fury, and Molly held her breath.
Too stupid to sense his own peril, Adrian added, “What happens to her now is no concern of mine.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
OH, GOD, THAT WAS LOW even for Adrian. Molly wanted to kill him. Again.
She charged forward, but stumbled to a halt when Dare’s harsh, low voice sounded with the impact of an exploding bomb.
“You think, even for one f**king second, that I would take your goddamned money?”
Wow. Molly blinked at that lethal tone.
Smashing up against Adrian, Dare looked more enraged than Molly had ever seen him.
“You think I’d even let you be in her life?”
“I…” Intimidated, belatedly realizing his error, Adrian tried to appeal to Molly for help.
Still peeved, she silently mouthed the words Fuck. You.
Shocked, Adrian returned his attention to Dare. “That’s fine,” he soothed. He turned his face to the side, trying to escape Dare’s deadly stare. “That…that’s what I was saying. That I don’t want to be in her life. I swear.”
“Did you want out of it enough to coordinate this stunt?”
“What? No!” Alarmed, he smashed farther back against the wall. “I own a bar, that’s all. Damn it, Molly, tell him that I’m not a kidnapper.”
“I don’t know,” she hedged, examining a nail. “I didn’t know you were the type to weasel into my apartment, either, but here you are.” A thought occurred to her, and she looked up. “Did you have sex in my bed?”
“No!”
Unsatisfied, she narrowed her eyes. “But you would have?”
“Well…yeah. Probably.”
Still not giving Adrian any room to breathe, Dare asked Molly, “What do you want me to do with him?”
Implicit in the question was that he’d pulverize Adrian if she wished it.
Just to make Adrian squirm, she pretended to think about it. But she wasn’t a person who condoned unnecessary violence, and neither was Dare. Still, she appreciated his offer.
“You can let him go.”
Dare didn’t move. “You sure, honey?”
He called her honey again. It thrilled her, but this was no time for celebration. Molly cleared her throat and her thundering emotions. “Yes, of course. Come on, Dare, we both know that you don’t hurt those smaller, weaker or dumber than you.”
Dare stepped back, but he said, “For him, I’d make an exception.”
Slumping against the wall, knees shaky, Adrian struggled to gather himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… It’s just that I don’t have that kind of money….”
“You’re broke, I know.” Dare shook his head in disgust. “Now shut up.”
“He’s broke?”
It was almost comical, how quickly Adrian nodded agreement. “The business is struggling. Financially, I’m in over my head. I definitely don’t have the kind of funds it’d take to set up a kidnapping this elaborate. I swear I don’t.”
Molly took a seat on the couch, not really surprised by that news. Adrian spent well out of his means—that was one reason he’d wanted her to buy him things. “When you first came here, Adrian, how did my apartment look?”
“Like it always looks.” Keeping an eye on Dare, he inched over to a chair and dropped into it.
“It wasn’t trashed like this?”
