As the tub drained, he stood up, naked, and let cold air wash across him. His skin puckered with goose bumps, but it felt good. Even the most minor relief from his pain right now was a blessing. But it did not last. His skin dried and the fires of Hell resumed searing away his flesh layer by blackened layer.
Eyeing his disgusting clothes in a heap on the floor, he couldnt bring himself to don the filthy garments again. Gingerly, he wrapped a towel around his hips and headed for his hostess.
She was in the living room, reading a newspaper. Eagerness to find out what was going on in the world gripped him. Later, hed read that thing front to back. But right now, he needed something to wear or access to a washing machine.
She glanced up and made a faintly choked sound. Problem? she croaked.
Clothes. Mine are gross.
Aah. If youll look in the dresser in your room, you should find some mens clothing. Although Im not sure any of it will fit you. But maybe you can find something thatll work until I can have larger clothing sent out.
He pounced on that like a lion on prey. We can get things sent here? How fast?
A delicate eyebrow arched over her right eye like a swallows wing. Is there something in particular you want?
He eyed her warily. He didnt for a second underestimate the intelligence of this woman, his adversary. Ill need to have some things couriered to me. Clothes for one. Medications. Business documents. Ive been away from my company for too long. Things are probably a mess there by now.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully but made no immediate comment.
Rather than stick around to let her say no, he retreated to his bedroom in search of clothes.
Oh. My. God. Jeff Winston in a towel was one of the most incredible sights shed ever seen. Sure, she worked around a lot of buff special forces operatives who were blatant exhibitionists when it came to showing off their muscles, but every last one of them would slink away in shame if they ever had to stand next to Jeff. Something primal and female stirred deep within her at the sight of this overpoweringly alpha male.
He looked a bit like a world-class body builder. Except where a body builder would sculpt his body for beauty, symmetry and an idealistic form, Jeffs body was built for sheer, raw power. The man looked like a rock. Or more accurately, a pile of bulging boulders and slabs of granite stacked into a humanoid shape.
No wonder hed been so unbelievably heavy when he had landed on her and knocked her out of the way of the gun battle erupting over their heads. The guy hadnt ever heard of body fat, apparently.
As he retreated down the hallway, she noted that his back was no less defined than his front. He looked like he could lift a truck. Heck, he looked like he could pick up a truck and throw it.
Heat flared in her cheeks as she realized she was ogling her prisoner like some hot-to-trot college coed. She was a grown woman, thank you very much. Fully in control of her desires and not the slightest in need of a man in her life. But good heavens, what a man. Shed seriously never seen a specimen even remotely like him. He was a beast.
But as soon as the word crossed her mind, she frowned. His current appearance wasnt his fault. But with all that hair and that wild look in his eyes, it was hard to separate the man from the animal hed had to become to survive whatever the Ethiopians did to him.
She cranked up her laptop and fired off a quick email to Brady Hathaway at H.O.T. Watch. She asked for additional steak to be sent to the island, along with a new cell phone for her. And then she ended the message with,
See if you can back channel an off-the-record conversation with the Ethiopian Army. What in the world did they do to this guy in prison to turn him into what he is now?
Chapter 3
Jeff stared at himself in the mirror. Both the T-shirt and cutoff sweatpant shorts he wore stretched too tightly across his massive physique. But they were the only garments that even came close to fitting him. If nothing else, they highlighted his power pretty blatantly. Hopefully, it would be enough to intimidate his hostess into sending for his drugs immediately.
He rejoined her in the living room, where she was most of the way through the newspaper now.
Better? she murmured as he sat down on the sofa opposite her.
Indeed.
He waited until she glanced up at him questioningly, debating with himself while he waited. Indirect subtlety or direct and straightforward? How to get Jennifer to order his drugs brought in? His gut told him to go the direct route, but habit told him to approach all women circuitously.
Whats put that frown on your face? she asked.
Im debating how to handle you, he replied frankly.
She smiled sardonically. How about you let me do the handling for now?
That sent his right eyebrow sailing upward. Did she mean the sexual innuendo? Surely, it had been intentional. She was too smart to make a sophomoric slip of the tongue like that. Thought she could use sex to manipulate him, did she? If he werent in so much pain that he could hardly see straight, she would probably be right to think that. Hed played the field as hard as the next guy over the years. Maybe harder than most.
But since hed met Dr. Gemma Jones, that had changed. The drugs had taken over his life. Now they were his one and only mistress.
You didnt answer my question before, he announced. How long does it take to get things shipped in here from wherever they get shipped in from?
Is there something specific you need in a certain time frame? she retorted.
He glanced down at the shorts and T-shirt straining across his muscular body. Some clothes that fit would be nice. Not that it would bother me to do without clothes altogether.
Her eyes widened and went an even smokier shade of coffee brown. Thats right, honey. Two can play that game of sexual innuendo.
I can have more clothes for you in the morning, she mumbled.
Overnight, huh? That meant this island was reasonably close to civilization. And fairly substantial civilization at that. Clothing in his size didnt come off the rack in just any old store. Back home, everything he wore was custom-tailored to fit his extreme physique.
He tried, Is there a phone? I need to talk to my business partner. Not to mention my grandfather is no doubt waiting to hear from me.
Jennifer shrugged. Hell have to wait a little longer. Until I finish debriefing you, no one speaks to you.
Sorry, he replied lightly. Im not wearing any briefs.
Her gaze dropped involuntarily to his lap and spots of pink erupted on her cheeks.
So what does this debrief entail? he asked.
She blinked up at him as if she was struggling to organize her thoughts. Uh, for a start, I need to know what happened that led up to your capture. And Ill need a full report of what happened to you while you were in the custody of the Ethiopians. And I need a satisfactory explanation of why you killed El Mari.
And if I refuse to answer your questions?
Then youre not leaving this island any time soon.
He glanced out the picture window over her shoulder at a spectacular sunset over the distant ocean. If this place was close to the classified facility that had set up his men, he was happy to stay right here. I can live with that. Can you?
She leaned forward, forcing direct eye contact with him. You will never be allowed to go home, Mr. Winston. Ever.
He shrugged. I havent been able to go home for a long time. Thats nothing new.
She leaned back, frowning. Why not?
Long story
Weve got all the time in the world, apparently, she replied dryly.
and Im not sharing, he snapped.
Im going to keep at you until I get my answers, she warned him.
Then you are doomed to intense frustration and the bitter taste of failure, he replied grimly.
She studied him intently like she was measuring the truth of his words. Finally she asked reasonably, Why? Im not the enemy.
He snorted. From where I sit, thats debatable.
Why do you say that? she asked.
He studied her, as well. The temptation to confide in her, to tell someone the truth, to explain the real logic of his apparently inexplicable decisions, was strong. But he dared not. His secrets were far too explosive to share with anyone, particularly this woman who embodied the United States government.
What did my grandfather say to you? he asked.
She leaned back in her armchair. Ill answer that question if youll answer one of mine.
Aah. Clever. Depends on what your question is.
Why did you go to Ethiopia?
Hmm. He could work with that. He nodded once, but immediately regretted the gesture. Daggers of pain shot down his spine and radiated out through his nervous system to every corner of his body. He groaned and fought down a wave of pain-induced nausea.
Deal, he gritted out.
You first, she retorted.
Nope. You.
She stared at him curiously. She wished. He would never, ever explain the source of his pain to her. Finally she commented, Your grandfather said you were in Africa on a humanitarian aid mission. That you and a team of your co-workers went out of radio contact about three months ago and that he was worried about you. He said he had hired private investigators, and they found sources in the Ethiopian government who said you had been thrown in prison.
She tapped a French-manicured nail on the wooden arm of her chair. However, when we investigated through our sources, we found no evidence of a trial or even any charges being filed against you. For some reason, the Ethiopians ignored all of their own laws and simply locked you up and threw away the key. Why is that, Mr. Winston?
Jeff.
Why is that, Jeff?
Not the question I agreed to answer. What sources was she referring to? Was it possible?
She huffed.
I went to Ethiopia to solve world hunger.
She stared at him expectantly. And?
And thats it.
She surged up out of her chair. Look, Jeff. This isnt a joke. You murdered a man last night, and I have no compunction about returning you to the Ethiopian government to stand trial for your crime. You will be executed or worse. And believe me, in Africa, worse can be much worse than death.
She was magnificent in her fury. Anger sparked off her like fireworks and her body literally vibrated with her passion. Shed be a hellcat in the sack, for sure. The thought startled him. Since when did he sit around lusting after a woman like this? It had been years since hed been that libertine playboy punk.
He leaned forward matching her intensity. Im telling you the truth. I went to Africa to solve world hunger.
She sank down into her chair. Watching her pull herself back in, containing her fiery energy was fascinating. In less time that hed have imagined, she was able to ask him calmly, And did you?
Did I what?
Solve world hunger.
He started to shrug but thought better of the unnecessary motion. I have a good idea how to solve a substantial chunk of East Africas food shortage.
And hows that?
I didnt agree to answer that one.
She glared at him, but was otherwise outwardly composed. Dont make this a war between us. I can make your life incredibly unpleasant. Her voice softened just a touch. And Id hate to have to do that.
He suspected he could make hers pretty unpleasant, too, but he refrained from mentioning it. He had no desire to antagonize her any more. After all, she really did seem to want to help him. Problem was, she had no idea how to do that. Hed asked for his drugs twice already, and shed put him off both times. She didnt understand. And he couldnt explain it to her. But maybe he could talk around the edges of it.
He said in a conciliatory tone, Look. I take certain medications, and I havent had them for far too long. I need to get in touch with my physician and order up new prescriptions as soon as possible.
Our doctors will have to review and approve anything youre prescribed. It may take several days.
Could Doc Jones disguise his meds so the government doctors wouldnt recognize them? Or would they be suspicious enough to run independent tests on the serum? No, he dared not even chance letting the government get its hands on any of his highly experimental medications.
He settled for, In the meantime, could your people at least fly out some antibiotics and pain pills to help me get over the worst effects of my captivity?
Are you ill? she asked sharply.
Im about to be, he replied soberly.
Why?
He shook his head. Nope. Not going there with her, either.
Thoughtfully, Jennifer watched Jeff retreat to his bedroom. He wasnt much less incredible in those tight clothes than he was in a towel. What would it be like to be with a man in such extraordinary physical condition? She made a policy of never dating any of the special forces operatives who worked out of H.O.T. Watch, so she didnt actually know.
The classified facility was home to a half-dozen Hunter Operations Teams. They did covert missions around the world with the help of the sophisticated satellite surveillance technology and intelligence analysts housed in the H.O.T. Watch headquarters. That facility was hidden on its own Caribbean island about twenty miles from here.
She added a few more details to what she knew about Jeff Winston. Beneath his rough exterior, he was highly intelligent. Cunning, even. And he was desperate to get his hands on some sort of prescription drugs that he was clearly in full-blown withdrawal from. That was the third time hed mentioned getting medication sent to him.
She frowned. Was that why hed been so wild and violent in Ethiopian custody? Had it been nothing more than the guy going through drug withdrawals? An odd sense of disappointment coursed through her. Shed hoped for better than that from him.
She opened her laptop computer and connected to the islands private wireless network to fire off a message to Brady Hathaway.
Please investigate possible drug addiction by Jeff Winston. And send out some giant clothes. Think NFL lineman on steroids and youll have the dimensions about right.
Hathaways response was swift.
Drug addiction?!!!
Correct. He appears to be experiencing some sort of drug withdrawal symptoms.
Do you need us to send out a team of doctors and relieve you from this debriefing?