Chapter 1

"Okay, honey, I'll let you get some sleep," Kirsten said into the phone. "I already miss you."

"I miss you, too," replied Robert on the other end. "It's only two nights, and I'll be home on Thursday."

"I know, Kirsten sighed. "I just don't sleep as well when you're not here. Good luck with your meetings tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too," said Robert

Kirsten blew a kiss and hung up the phone. Her husband Robert was out of town on business and had just arrived at his hotel. Kirsten herself had just finished showering, and laid on her bed in a pair of panties and an oversized T-shirt, idly stroking her long damp hair.

This wasn't anything new for her. Robert was the head of his company's sales force, and several times a year they needed him to woo a difficult client. In fact, he'd used similar tactics to convince her to marry him nearly twenty years ago.

Kirsten got off the bed and lifted her shirt. Gently stroking her toned belly, she smiled at how the last year of daily workouts was paying off. Although in her mid-forties, Kirsten had a figure that rivaled some of the twenty-somethings she saw at the gym.

It was nearing eight o'clock, and Kirsten figured she'd sit down and watch one of those sappy chick flicks that Robert typically hated.

As she left the bedroom, someone shoved her back-first into the wall. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth, and the masked man held a large hunting knife in front of her face.

"Not a single word," the man growled. "Understand?"